Page 18 of Entwined

“Christos,” I breathe again, tired and sated. It’s not long before I doze off. The fog of sleep barley lifts as I feel heavy arms place a blanket around me.

“Sleep well, kitten. When you awake, you’ll be home. As if nothing ever happened and none of us ever existed. Dorothy will find herself back in Kansas with no one to believe the wicked realm she fell in.” Firm lips press into my hair. A finger trails down my cheek. Something’s not right in this dream. The dark knight is familiar but he’s not the one I’m seeking.

My body jerks itself awake. My forearm is covered in my own drool. My hair is a tangled mess. I smell of sweat and arousal. Where the fuck am I? My eyes blink, landing on the screen still up in the center of the table.

Shit.

Dimitri’s plane. But we’re not moving. The engines are silent. Confused, I unfurl the blanket tucked around me.

“Hello?”

No one replies. I raise the plastic blind covering the window.

“Shit.”

The plane is in a hanger. We landed while I was asleep. And now I have no idea where. I almost trip in my haste to find a way out. I open door after door. Finding a kitchen, a bathroom…, “What the—” It’s the office. The one where Dimitri sat, having me believe he wasn’t on the plane, when he was here the whole time. An envelope with my name written on the front sits on a desk.

I take his note in my hand, then go back to my seat where I left my backpack. I enter the bathroom, turning on the cold taps. I wash my hands, rinse my face, and swirl water in my mouth to spit. I change my clothes, while eyeing the marble shower. Of course, he’d have a marble shower with gold taps on a freakin’ plane.

But I flip the switch and walk out.

Dimitri’s not a devil but he’s far from a saint. I can’t be on his plane if he throws his conscience out a window.

For the first time, I falter wondering if he’s right. If I was his—would new love for him replace what I feel for Christos? Can I even trust my heart after it chose the devil to love, ignoring every red flag waving in its face?

I pull up short at the stewardess who suddenly appeared. “Good morning Ms. Montgomery. Can I get you anything, fresh coffee perhaps?”

“No. I want to go. I want to get off this plane,” I pace like a caged animal.

“Of course. Welcome home.”

“So, we’re in San Diego.”

She nods, “Of course. That is where you’re from, isn’t it?”

I nod, moving past her. “Open the door.”

“He didn’t want your sleep disturbed.”

“Well, I’m awake now. Please, open the damn door!”

She jumps with a hand at her throat, all her fake niceties forgotten as she walks around me as if I’m some sort of mangy animal.

She punches in a code on the keypad. The door slowly opens, revealing a set of stairs leading down into the hanger.

“Carlos in in the car. Mr. Santos instructed him to take you wherever you want to go.”

Ignoring her, I sling my backpack over my shoulder. “Miss? Miss?” The driver opens his door chasing after me as I walk past the black SUV.

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take an Uber.” The door swings wide at my touch. For the first time in nine months, California sunshine touches my face. I walk forward, into it. Whatever happened last night needs to be forgotten. I finally have my future back, to plot and plan any way I chose. And that is a gift I’ll never take for granted again.

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