Chapter 51: 51: Crazy with Lust

GRAYSON

I had to keep reminding myself not to grip Belle too tightly as I held her against me during the flight to Zaweth. I pressed my nose to her hair, inhaling her scent by the lungful.

I was mad. For more than one reason.

I was mad that Liam Blackwood was on my plane, following us back to the supernatural kingdom. I was mad Azazel Mortar was hunting my single reason for living.

And I was mad that I continually failed at being Belle’s mate.

She didn’t deserve any of this. But to hell if I wasn’t going to try to make it all worth it.

Belle was dead asleep in my lap, my arms wrapped tightly around her. She had passed out about halfway through the flight after Minnie had chattered her ear off in the seat across from us.

I could tell Belle liked Minnie, and that pleased me. She was going to be a good friend to my Belle. I could already tell.

It made a slight sense of regret form in my gut for how I had treated Minnie since I had known her.

Liam was in the seat next to Minnie—keeping a close eye on us as always—and Elijah was in the seat next to me and Belle, fast asleep.

The plane was starting its descent. And the closer we got to the ground, the higher my anxiety grew. This was starting to feel a bit too much like the night I lost Belle—the night Azazel took over my body.

I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her ever again. I would protect her from any threats. Even if that threat was me.

Belle shifted against me, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at me.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Her hand cupped my jaw, running her fingers over it. “I can feel your thoughts racing.”

I frowned. The last thing I wanted to do was wake her up. Or make her worry. “I’m okay, love. You should go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t buying any of my shit. “You didn’t sleep at all last night. You need to rest too, you know.”

“I’ll rest when you’re safe.”

Her lips turned down, not liking my answer. “You’re always so worried about taking care of me,” she said. “You’ve been through a lot. Someone needs to make sure you’re okay.”

I kissed her forehead. “I’m okay as long as I’m with you. You’re all I need.”

Someone made an exaggerated gagging noise next to us. “Is it too late to get off?”

When I looked to my right, Liam, with his eyes still closed and his arms crossed over his chest, was making a face of disgust. “We can all hear you.”

“There are fifteen seats on this plane,” I snapped back. “Find somewhere else to fucking sit.”

The fact that Liam was even on this plane right now was a miracle. It took everything in me not to throw the cocky bastard out the window. I didn’t give a fuck if he was Belle’s “guardian.”

It was only after Belle explained the strange need Liam felt to look after her when she first arrived at Evergreen that I actually started to consider what an asset he could be.

Although I would try, I wouldn’t be able to look after Belle 24/7 when we got to Zaweth. It could be useful to have someone guarding her when I couldn’t.

I just hated that it had to be him.

One thing was for sure, though—I would be reading the prophecy at least a dozen more times as soon as we got to Zaweth.

Until then, however, I planned on ignoring him. It was the only way I was going to preserve my sanity.

Minnie giggled. Her red eyes were peering at us and a bit jarring in the dim lighting. I hadn’t even realized she was awake. “I think it’s sweet. He loves her.”

Belle’s lips turned up just the slightest bit as a sweet blush took over her cheeks. Liam huffed and turned his body toward the plane wall, going back to sleep.

“So…how soon before we land?” Belle asked me. I could hear the nerves in her casual tone. She was trying to hide how anxious she was, as if that were even possible.

I tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear. “About an hour.”

She nodded. “Okay. Great. That’s great.” I didn’t miss the way she dropped her gaze.

“You have nothing to worry about, Belle. I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“You said that last time.”

“There was an evil vampire waiting to take over his body last time,” Elijah murmured, shifting out of his sleep.

“I thought Zaweth was filled with vampires,” Belle pointed out.

“Not the evil kind,” Minnie said, smiling brightly. “We’re nice.”

Belle said nothing in response.

“This time is different,” Elijah started, “because you know how to protect yourself. You know to run away or ask for help if anything happens.”

“But nothing is going to happen,” I said. “I’m not going to ~let~ anything happen.”

Belle said nothing as she settled back down into my lap, her back pressed up against my chest. She grabbed my arms and wrapped them around her as tight as they would go.

I could feel her heart racing against my skin.

I picked her up and carried her to the back of the plane, where no one was sitting. I adjusted her on my lap so that she was straddling me, our faces inches apart.

Belle gazed at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes. “What is it?” she asked.

She smelled so good. So, ~so~ good. She was my personal walking aphrodisiac. My already hard cock twitched in my pants.

I could tell Belle felt it beneath her because her scent sweetened, and she shifted her cute little ass against it gently. The movement was innocent.

She wasn’t trying to tempt me, but that didn’t change the fact that if it weren’t for the other people on this plane, my fingers would be knuckle deep in her pussy, thrusting in and out until she screamed my name against my lips.

“Grayson?” Belle said, trying to get my attention.

Christ. ~I should not be thinking about this right now. The urge to mate with her was getting intense. It was starting to take over my every thought.~

I clenched my jaw as I leaned forward, placing my forehead against hers, breathing in her mouthwatering scent.

“I love you,” I whispered. “I love you so much. I’m so glad I found you. I’m so glad you’re coming home with me.

“And I’m so grateful for the trust you’re affording me after everything that happened. You know that, right?”

She nodded, her fingers sliding through the hair above the back of my neck. “I know. I love you too.”

I gently tilted her head up by her chin so that my lips could fall down onto hers. Belle automatically leaned into the kiss, our tongues tangling together.

A small growl released from my chest when her hips started to shift against me. It wasn’t as if she even knew what she was doing. Her movements were small and not thought out.

It was the bond. Telling her what to do. Pushing her to mate and connect with me completely.

I gripped her hips, trying to slowly roll them to a stop. I needed to end this before either of us took it too far. “Mmm, Belle…,” I said against her lips. “Not here, sweet girl.”

She pulled her mouth away from mine. Her eyes fluttered open, and a sweet blush took over her cheeks. Her hand covered her mouth, which was probably tingling with sparks in the same way mine was.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what that was—”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “I would have loved to continue, but I don’t think we want an audience for that.”

She glanced back at the three others calmly chatting where we had left them. Well, Minnie was talking to Elijah, and Liam was pretending to sleep.

Belle looked back at me, nodding. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Her sweet blush nearly killed me. I could feel her mild embarrassment through the bond. Could it be that she thought she was the only one experiencing this intense attraction and need for…more?

I wished I could have told her that it was just the bond pushing us together, but I didn’t want to confuse her or—for the sake of my own insanity—encourage her.

With my hand on her head, I guided her head onto my chest. “Rest. I’ll wake you up when we get home.”

“Home,” she repeated, settling against me once again. “Home sounds nice.”

I kissed her forehead. “That it does.”

As long as I didn’t go crazy with lust first.