Chapter 50: 50: A Protector Unveiled

BELLE

After the most terrifying car ride of my entire life, we were pulling up to the Machias Valley Airport.

“Keep driving,” Grayson told Liam. “Get on the runway.”

I shrieked when Liam ran over a curb, causing the entire car to jump. My head nearly smashed into the roof.

Grayson pulled me closer to him and rubbed his massive hand over my leg. His arms were so tight around me that it almost hurt. “Try not to kill my mate, Blackwood.”

With a car so nice, I was shocked by how recklessly Liam was driving. Although, I was sure the Lamborghini belonged to his father. Guess he wouldn’t be needing it anymore, would he?

“Is this even legal?” I asked. We were on the runway now with several planes all around us. The long strip was mostly empty, though, with no signs of any planes getting ready to take off.

Liam scoffed. “Your boyfriend is the king of the fucking world. Anything is legal.”

Before I had time to process that, Grayson spoke. “That’s the plane.”

I followed his line of vision. In the distance, there was a plane that had just pulled to a stop, the same one that had taken us from France to Minnesota.

I knew it because it had a big blue stripe on the side and was smaller than all the other planes.

When we pulled up next to the plane, the stairs to board were already lowering. Grayson carried me out of the car before setting me on my feet and leading me to the steps.

“You know,” a familiar voice started from inside the plane. He rounded the corner, revealing his grinning face. “Private planes are really bad for the environment.”

My heart leapt in my chest. “Elijah!” I exclaimed.

He looked good. I was relieved to see that it was the same old Elijah I had known before. He hadn’t grown a foot or looked like he was on testosterone.

Grayson released me, and Elijah met me halfway down the stairs with open arms. I practically launched myself against him, beyond happy to see him again.

“Fuck, it’s good to see you again, Luna,” Elijah said against my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. “I was so happy when I heard the alpha found you. You have no idea how worried I was.”

I leaned back to look at him, smiling brightly. “I missed you. I’ve been worried about you too.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Grayson growled. I hadn’t even noticed him coming up behind me. He grabbed my elbow and pulled me down a step.

I had to hold myself back from pushing him down the steps for trying to take me away from my friend after not having seen him for months.

If his wolf weren’t so close to the surface, I probably would have.

“Sorry, Alpha,” Elijah said immediately, tilting his head to the side as a sign of submission.

Grayson grunted in response, dismissing his apology.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Elijah.

“You’ll have time to catch up as soon as we’re back in the air,” Grayson said before Elijah could respond. He led me into the plane.

“We need to refuel, Alpha.” The pilot appeared from behind the door to the cockpit. “It’ll take an hour or so.”

“No,” Grayson replied. “We can stop at another airport, but we need to get out of Maine.”

The pilot didn’t hesitate before nodding vigorously. “Yes, Alpha. We can take off in ten minutes?”

Grayson’s nostrils flared. “Make it five.”

The pilot nodded once more and then scampered away.

“Eeek!” another, more feminine voice screamed. Everyone’s attention swung to the back of the plane to where the voice was coming from.

Without warning, a tiny, black-haired body came flying toward me. But before she could reach me, Grayson reached a hand out, stopping the person.

“Minnie,” Grayson spoke in a scornful tone. He had his outstretched hand on the girl’s forehead, holding her back from me like a parent would a misbehaving child. “Would you try not to flatten my mate?”

The girl, Minnie, looked at me with the brightest smile I had ever seen. I immediately knew she was a vampire due to her bright red eyes that matched Liam’s.

“I’m ~so~ excited to meet you,” Minnie said to me. She was practically bouncing with her enthusiasm.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I can’t wait to have another girl around the palace to talk to. Well, I mean, I have my sister, but she always has her nose pressed into a book—”

“You brought Minnie?” Grayson asked, directing his question to Elijah. He dropped his hand from her forehead, allowing Minnie to jump around.

“You try telling her not to do what she wants,” Elijah responded. “It doesn’t go well. She wanted to meet the luna. I was just lucky she was asleep for half the flight, so she didn’t talk my ear off. Guess we woke her up.”

Grayson glowered at the little vampire.

Minnie scoffed, seemingly not the least bit threatened by the intimidating hybrid twice her size. “Your mate doesn’t like me. He’s an extremely grumpy person.”

I automatically knew we were going to be friends. A laugh escaped my mouth. “Don’t take it personally. He doesn’t really like anybody,” I said to her. I looked up at Grayson. “Except me, I guess.”

Grayson’s eyes morphed to their normal forest green for a single second as he looked down at me. He brushed his thumb over my jaw lovingly.

When I looked back at Minnie, her eyes were wide, and her lips were curled into her mouth like she was trying hard not to speak.

“You two are just so cute,” she finally blurted. “It’s nice to see King Grayson at peace.”

Elijah, who was standing next to me, leaned down to whisper something. “Who’s the tall, dark, and brooding character over there? And are we aware of the fact that he’s covered in blood?”

I looked over at Liam. He was standing in the doorway of the plane, looking outside with a deep scowl on his face.

“That’s Liam,” I said quietly.

Elijah’s brows rose. “Hold on. You mean Liam, as in Liam ~Blackwood~?”

I nodded once, surprised that he knew his name. There was so much about the supernatural world that I had yet to learn.

“He’s cute,” Minnie whispered to me, eyeing Liam up and down like he was a piece of meat.

My lips turned up. “He can also probably hear you.” Liam didn’t react, but I knew he had incredible hearing and was listening to everything we were saying.

She grinned. “Oh, I know.”

“Blackwood,” Grayson grunted. He seemed to have just remembered Liam was here now that we were talking about him. “What the fuck are you doing on my plane?”

“You think I’m just going to leave Belle alone after being the only person watching over her for months?” Liam replied as if it were an obvious explanation. “Not going to happen, werewolf.”

“Are you the luna’s protector?” Minnie asked him. “Oh, my gosh, you must be! I didn’t think she would find you so soon.

“But I guess you did come when she needed you most, just like the prophecy said you would. I just always assumed she would find you when she was—”

“Minnie,” Grayson interrupted, irritated. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Minnie frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Liam isn’t Belle’s ~anything~,” Grayson snapped, his voice becoming deeper.

Minnie took a step back. “I think you might be wrong about that. He has all the qualities of the queen’s guardian.”

Liam approached us, suddenly interested in the conversation. “The queen’s guardian? What is that?”

Minnie giggled. “Well... you. You’re the luna’s protector.” She turned to Grayson. “Didn’t you read the prophecy?”

“What prophecy?” I asked.

“The prophecy that said I was going to be king,” Grayson explained, glaring at Minnie for bringing it up. “Of course I read it. ~I’m Belle’s protector, not some random vampire.”~

“That’s not how it works. You’re not going to be able to be there for your mate all the time when you are king. The prophecy stated that she would have someone to protect her, just as Queen Evangeline did.”

~Queen Evangeline? ~Yet another name that I didn’t recognize.

“How do you know this?” I asked.

Minnie slowly looked at Liam, a small smile playing on her lips. “I can feel his soul. It’s filled with kindness and bravery, and goodwill. He will be the perfect guardian.”

Liam shifted on his feet, regarding Minnie with humble discomfort.

“That and the birthmark on his arm,” Minnie finished.

Everyone’s eyes fell on the large birthmark that took over half of Liam’s left arm. It climbed up the upper half of his bicep and beneath the collar of his shirt.

It was barely visible—only a shade or two lighter than his normal skin. It was the first time I had noticed it in the several months I had known him and spent time with him.

“It’s the same one Queen Evangeline’s guardian had,” Elijah murmured in awe. “It’s incredible. Except hers wasn’t a birthmark. It was a scar—from a burn.”

Liam, who was also looking down at the birthmark as if he were seeing it for the first time, raised his head. “So... does this mean I get to stay on the plane now?”