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“Hmm.”
I had Zane in my sights. I pointed at him. He smiled back. I wiggled my finger, beckoning him to me. Zane did it, his manner as relaxed as the two corporals had been nervous.
“What’s up, Leda?” he said with a casual wave.
“I just had to tell off a pair of corporals who were trailing you instead of standing at their posts.”
“I saw.” He nodded solemnly. “And might I say, you were very commanding indeed, Leda.”
“I wouldn’t have had to tell them off if you hadn’t flirted with them,” I told him.
“Me?” He indicated himself, looking like he couldn’t imagine how this could possibly be his fault—how anything could possibly be his fault.
“Yes, you, Zane Pierce. In fact, you seem to have almost the entire female population of this airship under your spell.”
“It’s not magic, Leda.”
“That was a figure of speech, and you know it, smart ass. In the last twenty-four hours, I have personally seen you flirt with the airship’s receptionist and sweet-talk at least a dozen soldiers during their lunch break at the airship’s canteen. Lexington and Anderson aren’t an isolated incident. More than a few female soldiers on board are very sweet on you, and they regularly go out of their way to walk past your favorite spots, in the hopes of crossing paths with you. Many of them have learned your schedule. They know when you work out in the gym. They know when you visit the library. They know when you go to eat in the canteen.”
He folded his hands in front of his body, like he had nothing to hide. “Your soldiers are very skilled at the art of observation, a testament to your leadership.”
“Zane, don’t try to bullshit a bullshitter. I love you with all my heart, but I am immune to your charms.”
He chuckled.
“Please stop making every woman you meet fall in love with you,” I pleaded with him. “It’s really inconvenient right now.”
“I’m only being myself, Leda. I can’t just turn it off, you know.”
“I know.” I sighed because it was true. Zane wasn’t charming people on purpose; he was just being himself. “But maybe make an extra effort to turn it down a notch?”
“Very well. Just for you, dearest sister, I shall endeavor to be less charming.” He bowed to me.
“Thank you.”
“And may I say, you have a lovely glow about you today.”
I gave him a flat look. “Very funny.”
“I speak only the truth.”
My charming brother seemed to be in a very good mood. He was probably so happy to be with his family again that he didn’t care we were all stuck on board an airship.
The rest of my family was doing well too.
Tessa hadn’t appreciated leaving her thriving event planning business behind, but she did appreciate her fully decked out suite with all the amenities she could imagine. She shared the suite with Gin, who’d quickly made friends with the airship’s engineer and was learning all about how this flying miracle of magic and technology worked.
Bella and Harker shared another suite. Her brush with death had left him with a steadfast refusal to leave her side. For her part, Bella seemed to like having him nearby. She’d finally come to enjoy the fierce devotion of an angel. Of her angel. I saw the way she smiled at him. She was growing closer to Harker with every passing day. There certainly was something romantic about this airship, I had to admit.
“Good morning,” Cadence said, closing in beside me.
Behind her, Alice and Andromeda were coming up the stairs. Yeah, we were all on a first name basis now. I chuckled to think of what Colonel Fireswift would think of that.
“Morning, all,” I greeted them.
“So the big day is finally here. Are you ready?” Alice asked me.
“I am.”
