Jon gives us both what I've come to recognize as the Sigma face. An expression that betrays nothing but a lack of affect tells me he's serious. "I'm not one to tell other herds how to run their business. But you know as well as I do that this is different. Alpha invited us to share how our packages were. That's it. That's all we have to do."
"You know there's more to it than that, right?" I'm asking.
"To be sure. Jax has a lot on him, but these are just the excuses you two come up with. excuses."
Ray chuckles at me. Its smell becomes a little sharper, its stance is partially hardened. "My reasons..."
Jon interrupts her. "You have insufficient excuses. And I think you both know that."
I open my mouth, furrowing my eyebrows exaggeratedly. "Hey, that's not nice. They're not lame."
Jon turned to me, his eyes darting to mine. "They are, Willah. Marih is knowledgeable enough to deal with it, otherwise she wouldn't have passed the title of healer.
I opened my mouth to protest because the only reason the spell worked was because we were twins. At least that's the only reason that makes sense to me. Healer's robes don't pass on to anyone just because a spell says so.
To me, this is the same as using magic to derail the Alpha Pack.
But Jon raised his hand and my obedient omega fell silent.
"However, if a wolf is stupid enough to be hurt badly enough, they need a healer when he's alone, it's their fault."
Jon now turns to Ray. "And as for your excuse..."
Ray gives him a growl of warning. "Don't push your luck, Akoklu."
An attack of alpha dominance pours into the void, causing me to bow my head and keep my eyes firmly on the ground.
But Jon rushed forward, as if the energy Ray had just pulled wasn't affecting him. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here shivering, trying to shake off all the extra alpha from my skin. "It's quite possible that no one will want to hear what we have to say, but it's not because you're a little wolf trapped in a mountain. You're not one of them. And that's to be expected, but there's no reason to stop you from going."
It's probably bad that my first flight experience was in a private jet. After Jon convinced both Ray and me to go, packing my bags and heading down the mountain to the airport was a crazy move.
"It's not as big as I thought," I said lazily as the limo—yes, the limousine—approached the asphalt no more than ten feet from the boarding stairs.
"I told you this is not a commercial flight," Jax said as we waited for the driver to open the door for us. "There is no queue when you fly private. No TSA, no baggage claim. It's the best way to fly."
"Of course, if you have a rich vampire benefactor," Ray said in a low voice.
Jax won't miss it. "Eden takes good care of me. We'll take care of each other," he says proudly and heads for the jet.
Yes. It's definitely bad that this is my first experience. I settled into the plush beige leather of the chair, which was much more comfortable than anything else in my hut and fitted my body perfectly.
How much do you think a private jet costs? I ask quietly as Ray fastens his seat belt next to me.
More than an ethical logging company can earn while still paying its employees a living wage, he says, as if he himself had wondered the same thing. I looked at him to smile but stopped immediately.
It looks terrible. His skin is pale and he has bluish-purple spots under his eyes.
Holy... are you okay?
"Hello, Ray. You look a little green in there, man. You're not afraid of flying, are you?" Jon speaks a little too loudly as he sits on the opposite chair.
Instead of answering, Ray grimaced and clenched his jaw.
I put my hand on his and squeezed it tight. Sheesh, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice you-
Don't tell. Despite being in my head, Ray's sharp command causes me to lower my gaze a few degrees. If you tell me, I'll get nauseous.
I shook his hand once more and sat back in my chair, wishing there was something I could do to help him.
The captain comes on the intercom, says a few words, and before long we're speeding along the track.
And we're in the air, climbing up in what feels like a roller coaster bound to the sky. Mostly I try to enjoy the new experience, but a small part of my brain can't help wondering how scary this "roller coaster" can really be. Falling from 41,000 feet is not my way of getting out.
I tucked my fingertips into the soft leather sleeves and tried to focus on my breathing so I wouldn't die on my first flight.
I'm so caught up in tidying up that I don't notice Ray.
"Dude, you look even worse, my friend. Air sickness? Do you feel nauseous? Maybe your stomach is full of fat, writhing worms.
"Dolphin!" His playful eyes landed on mine. "This is not pleasant." I'm holding Ray's wet hand. "You should have told us you were afraid of flying."
Across the hall, Jax sighs. "You know, private jets fly higher than commercial planes. Higher, thinner air and thinner air means less turbulence
where it comes."
An attempt to help causes Ray to turn only a neon shade of green.
Jax sighed. "You have airtight bags under your seat. Please don't vomit on the Vampire King's flooring."
And Ray vomited for the first time.
If you think about how much a wolf changer vomits on an intercontinental private jet trip, add another one.
We all smell a little like vomit when we finally land at Laurel Cove.
Ray kisses the asphalt as soon as both feet are on the ground.
I tucked myself under Jon's arm and pulled Ray to myself for comfort as Jax took us into an even bigger limo.
It's bigger because there are already three people sitting in the frontmost section. He looks at us as we enter.
Jon, Ray and I sit side by side looking at the other supers while Jax takes the bench by the door. But when I thought we were settled in, Ray came around me, haphazardly lifted me up and placed me on the seat between his legs. His hands rest on my hips, pulling me closer so my back is fully supported by his chest and my butt is rubbing against his groin.
Even Jon is not immune from an possessive spectacle, but his is much more cunning. He simply ran his fingers through mine and placed our clasped hands in his lap.
It's very close to your penis.
Ok, maybe not so subtle.
Vampires watch the exchange carefully, but if they care, they don't show it.
I had never met a real vampire, but the repulsive sweetness that stuck to my nostrils caught my eye right away. Don't get me wrong, most omegas have a sweet fragrance and we probably don't smell great to outsiders, but these supers are far from caramel and vanilla.
More like sun rotten fruit or spoiled hot pudding...
The sharp sweetness of decay.
Gross.
So, yes, all three are amazing. Extraterrestrial, perfect proportions, beautiful. But the sharp cheekbones and flawless skin couldn't make up for the smell of the dead.
Jax clears his throat and introduces. "Vampires, these are the wolves of British Columbia. Alpha Ray Navarro, Sigma Jon Akokli and Omega Willah Stocklin. Wolves, these are the King and Queen Vampires of Laurel Cove, Julian and Eden and Queen Sunny of Cypress City."
What? Vampires don't have last names?
After the six of us had nice conversations and Ray pulled me even closer, my curiosity got the better of me.
Why do vampires share the same tool as us in the wolf business? I asked Jax, yes a bit rudely but damn, I'm sharing my oxygen with stinking zombies so me and my nose are a bit nervous.
Eden is the person introduced while smiling broadly and with genuine joy. Oh, I will like you. Even if you smell like vomit." Her ultra-blue eyes sparkle like jewels in the strobe light, and not a single bit of her platinum hair is out of place. Her body is slim and warm, and her clothes are clearly high-end and sewn to perfection.