They spend some more time together on the deck, just feeling the sea breeze, then he takes her back to bed. After making love again, but sweetly and tenderly, he promises her that he will wake her up to go to her training the next morning, so she can sleep peacefully.
He also promised her he would take her to the academy, then to the airport too.
On the next day, they don't know if they want time to pass quickly or slowly because they want to meet, but Odir doesn't want to take her to the airport and be apart from her.
It really feels like taking part of him away. He proudly walks with her to Saint York's International Airport, helping with her luggage and hugging her close. Near the security entrance, he hugs her waist under her backpack.
"Promise me you will call me when you arrive home?" He asks.
"It will be late here. Around midnight or 1 am."
"Call me. Please." He pleads.
"All right. Don't blame me later for waking you." She giggles, and he chuckles, kissing her lips.
"I blame you only for the dreams I'll have about you." He says, with a naughty tone, making her tickle him and laugh.
"Thank you… For everything. And thank you for Aidan's gift too. It means a lot." In the car, he gave her a gift package, saying it's for Aidan.
"Don't need to thank me. Tell him it's me asking to give me a chance to date his sister."
"Are you buying him?" She jokes, poking him again.
"What? No! Just soothing, so he doesn't hate me." They laugh together, and then kiss tenderly." I'm going to miss you…" He softly says, hiding that he's actually suffering.
"Well, in less than 3 days we will be together again. It will pass quickly." She tells him, and to herself. Trying to be positive.
"I hope it passes fast enough."
He gives her a long kiss on her forehead, then they share a long kiss. He sighs, feeling his heart going cold instantly after they said bye, and she goes away. In his car, he sighs sadly, laying his head on the wheel. When his phone rings, he picks it up quickly thinking it's her, but his excitement fades away when he sees it's only his brother.
"Hey…"
"Are you stupid?! Why did you show yourself at the airport with your mate?! Even more, because she's being guarded only by one agent." Ian says angrily. Odir sighs.
"Ian, I need to prove to her I care about her and I don't feel ashamed about dating her. I told you about her background."
"Prove it in a safer way! Now everyone might know of you two, already. I know anytime people would see, but as long as we have better control of her safety."
Odir knew it would be dangerous. Airports are neutral zones, where all kinds walk freely, but all of his enemies know where he often goes. For sure, someone saw him with Aika. But he also wanted to show everyone she was his. A childish desire. He even wishes to go to her base and tell everyone she's his.
"The bodyguard has a camera and a microphone, he's on her tail already."
Odir turns on the engine to start driving away but keeps on the call to hear news from his mate.
"The Queen is… She stood up to help the boarding staff. Apparently, they're short on staff, and she's helping." They listen to the bodyguard's voice.
"That's very much like her." Odir says, smiling, and proudly.
"She's still helping with the tracking. Now there's no line. I'll be going in now." The bodyguard says after some minutes.
"Mr. Lodginson?" They hear Aika's voice.
"Yes, ma'am…"
"ID, please?"
"Oh…" The bodyguard says, a bit nervous.
"Thank you, sir. Have a nice flight." Aika says.
"Thank you, ma'am…"
After a few moments, they hear a sigh.
"Shit… I got nervous. I felt that the Queen was working for me, and it was weird. I'm feeling bad now." The bodyguard says, making Odir and Ian chuckle. "She's on board… Now sitting."
'On board :)' She sends the message to Odir, then to Bones and Aidan.
Odir smiles at her message. When he stops at a traffic light, he types his answer:
'I'm missing you already :( Have a nice flight'
Aika is watched all the flight and she didn't notice at all, focusing on drawing and reading. While she's drawing Odir's tattoo, she remembers the weekend she had with him. Smiling, she admits to herself it's been a very long time since she had enjoyed spending time and relaxing with someone, having passionate moments.
She came to Saint York to train to be an airport supervisor, then she came back dating the CEO. Who would have imagined it? Will he be different, though? Will she be capable of telling him who she is? And would he accept her as who she really is? Will he change after he discovers who she is?…
So many questions that she doesn't know the answers to, but she can feel happy with him and that must mean something.
–
Already on land, Aika takes a cab. Normally she goes by bus, but since she's carrying Aidan's gift she thinks it's a better idea to take a cab. She can notice easily when someone wants to rob, but it's good to avoid that happening so she's not discovered by anyone.
She knows that the best way to stay hidden is not to show at all what she's capable of, even if she's sure no one is seeing.
She stops at a restaurant to buy hamburgers, fries, and onion rings, and then she takes the cab again to go home. Inside the cab, she takes a picture of the Cessna in her sketchbook.
'I'm almost home! Just wanted to show what I was working on during the flight :)' She sends the message with the picture she just took.
She misses being with him already, and for her it's strange. After suffering so much by trusting the wrong people, she has developed the capacity of not to need anyone, and she allows herself to trust only very few people, like Bones.
Odir was already told where she was while he was checking houses in Cankyoto with Ian, but when he heard the message and saw it was her, he couldn't hold a smile.
"For the look on your face, it's a message from her." Ian says, smiling to his brother.
"It is. During the flight, she projected the tattoo of my Cessna… Looks amazing." Odir says, feeling his heart melting knowing she was also thinking of him most of the time.
'Welcome to Cankyoto! Hey, my Cessna looks amazing! I love it! We need to plan when you will put on your canvas… Sorry, but I need to say again, I miss you already.' He answers her.
"I hope she doesn't notice Carl on her tail. She might call the police and they will track us. When she learns about this she will think you're a paranoiac, sick possessive man." Ian says, making fear grow inside of Odir.
"How to tell her? Hey, babe! I'm an elf and more than 600 years old. You're my fated mate and the Queen of elves." Odir acts as if it was a very normal thing to say to anyone.
"How about breaking the spell on you for some moments by showing her your ears? You start with the basics and later you tell her you're the King and she is the Queen. Do you really think she will freak out? In the end, she will be thankful. She's a commoner and poor, now she will never have to worry about money again."
"She's not like that… If she was someone to worry more about having money, she would have had an interest in me from the beginning. I had to insist or else she wouldn't make a move. She also told me she doesn't like superficial relationships and I think she thought I would want something like that. Well, I didn't think much about having sex with her at first. I was more intrigued on finding out why I felt so interested in her. Either way… When we grow more intimate about our lives, I'll tell her."
"You said you would tell her when you go visit her there." Ian says, really worried about her safety.
As long Aika's out there, she will soon be in danger. Since she's Odir's fated mate, if she dies, it will be devastating not only for Odir but for the whole kingdom, because Odir will be weak and open to their enemies.
"I'll try…" Odir softly says.
"The neighborhood she lives in looks simple and a bit… dangerous. There are only old buildings and houses." They hear Carl saying.
They turn their attention to the screen of Carl's camera. Carl finds a hotel almost in front of Aika's building. He went there after he saw her entering the building.
"I'll research more about the area, but as I can see, it's at least strange. It would be better to send more bodyguards because living in a neighborhood like this might mean she knows how to notice when she's being followed. The people around too might start to notice." Carl says, in a low voice.
"All right. I'll send 3 more agents. They will arrive tomorrow. Send me your location." Ian speaks.
Odir is worried. His heart sank when he remembered she goes home alone at night and every day on a bike, very exposed. Then he remembers Aidan too, who goes to and back from school by school bus.
"Send more agents. Her brother needs protection too." Odir says.
Ian nods, acknowledging the order. Keeping Aidan safe would keep her safe too, since she would do anything for her brother. Odir didn't imagine her reality was still bad, even working at Alpha Airways. What kind of hard things she goes through and he doesn't know yet?