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Keenan finishes the thought for me. “But more like if L.A. existed in the dark ages.”
I note the cobblestone roads and brick buildings as the plane flies lower. There’s construction everywhere. Entire blocks are covered in scaffolding while tractors and cranes dot work sites.
“We’ve been working on bringing Wolf-Haven into the 21st century. It’s slow going, but we’re making progress.”
“You’re involved too?” I’d asked him once what he did for work and he’d given me a vague answer about helping the shifters of Wolf-Haven and beyond, but now that I’m seeing it with my own eyes, I can see there’s a whole lot more to what he does than simply making sure people get fed.
“Food is the most important thing,” he mutters, leaning over, taking his head in his hands. “But yes, there’s a lot to being an advisor to Wolf-Haven.”
I rub his back, attempting to soothe him as the plane continues descending. “How on earth did you find the time to come see me with everything going on here?” I realize my presence in his life has torn him away from a very important job. Then another thought strikes me and my anxiety rises. “It’s too important to be left for long. You’ll have to go back eventually.” Which means he can’t stay with me forever.
Despite his illness, Keenan turns to me, gripping my hands. “If you want forever, I will happily give you forever. Just say the word.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to beg him to stay with me, but another glance out the window shows a city under construction. A duty my shifter can’t simply abandon. Not for me.
“Vanessa,” he growls, cupping my cheeks and forcing me to look at him. “Wolf-Haven is not your concern. You will focus on us alone, not a vague worry over the future.”
I nod my agreement and do my best to shield my thoughts from him. He’s been teaching me how. I’m bad at it, but I can muddy them enough that he can’t grasp onto anything concrete to argue with. Wolf-Haven is a daunting enough prospect when visiting as a rather soft human but add in that my boyfriend is a wolf prince with duties to the kingdom and it’s hard to imagine a way for us to be together long term.
“We’ll be landing in a few minutes,” Olivia tells us as she sits in the seat across from ours and buckles her seatbelt.
Keenan hides under the jacket while I watch from the window as we land.
“Look, Keenan!” I say, squirming in my seat. “I think your brothers are here to meet the plane. There’s a woman next to them with the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen. It’s white with a black streak!”
“Sarina,” he grumbles. “Watch out for her. She bites.” Moving the jacket aside, he unbuckles his seatbelt and glances out the window. “Rush is here too. They’re probably curious about you.”
“Me?” Flattered his family would show up just to meet me, I fling my seatbelt off and rush to the washroom to fluff my hair and check my makeup.
Keenan walks in behind me and I take in his pale features and messy hair. I turn and wrap my arms around him, pressing my head to his chest. “You’ll be okay once we get some food in you.”
“I never want to fly again.”
“Except for the flight home?”
A rumbling growl starts in his chest and I giggle, pushing away from him. “Let’s go meet the fam.” Taking his hand, I pull him from the washroom.
The flight attendant is opening the door and soon we’re descending to the tarmac.
One of the brothers grabs Keenan by the shoulders and pulls him in for a bear hug. “It’s good to see you again, brother.”
“Go easy, Lock,” Keenan replies, his face drawn. “Flying doesn’t agree with me.”
Sarina makes a clucking sound. “Lock insists on using this contraption when he leaves. I prefer to stay on the ground with our children.”
“You won’t catch me in one,” says the other brother, his gaze sizing up the plane as though he wants to attack it.
Keenan places his hand at my back, urging me forward. “I would like you to meet Vanessa.” He turns to me. “Vanessa, this is Lock, the King.”
I smile shyly, extremely conscious that I’m surrounded by four shifters, three off them well over six feet in height. Sarina stares hard at me, then steps toward me, too close for comfort. Gripping my shoulders, she leans into my neck and inhales deeply.
I try to bend away from her without appearing rude, my gaze seeking Keenan who looks amused. He told me she bites, but he doesn’t look overly concerned for my safety.
The beautiful white-haired woman holds me at arm’s length, glaring at me. She swivels her head toward Keenan. “You haven’t mated her yet. Why not?”
Chapter 15
The Prince and Me
