Page 28 of Vampire's Breath

Her phone vibrated, and she bit her lip. Her gaze lifted to mine. “I hope you’re right,” she said after she read my message.

The woman started pushing the cart forward again. “If you need anything, the storage is just through the bathroom. It is a twenty-four-hour flight, so don’t hesitate to get whatever you need. Oh, and we’ll stop in Singapore to refuel.”

“Thank you.” My voice sounded small as I caught Rory glancing at me. She sat diagonally to me, her back to the galley. Within minutes, the men joined us, their faces stony. Lorcan glanced around the jet. Certainly he would have been on one like it before if he had grown up with this kind of wealth.

“Prepare for takeoff.” The voice echoed over the speakers, causing the blond woman to scoot toward the front of the plane and disappear into a nook I had noticed on the way in. The engines roared to life, pressing me back into the supple leather seat as my stomach knotted even while a thrill danced up my spine. I was doing this!

I grabbed the phone and opened my chat with Amy, the last message from our conversation being the one I had sent her the night before.Everything will be fine.

My fingers flew across the letters as I let Amy know my status.We’re taking off. I love you and keep me updated.

The reply came swiftly.Good luck and be careful.I turned the phone off and slid it into my bag.

“You don’t have to turn it off,” said Rory. “It’ll work in flight if you want.”

“Thanks.” I smiled faintly, bubbles in my stomach.

Lorcan tapped a restless rhythm on the armrest, his jaw tightening as his gaze darted between the window and his brother. Across the aisle, Rory and Cormac sat facing each other with drinks in hand as the plane climbed into the air, drowning in each other.

After several minutes, when the plane leveled off, I cleared my throat, breaking the awkward silence. “What is it you do?” I asked, turning to look at Cormac. I couldn’t believe the topic hadn’t come up in my time with his partner over the past week.

He smiled as he took a sip of the amber liquid, its shade slightly more red than I was used to. “The family company is an investment firm with quite a bit in real estate,” he replied. He swirled the contents of his glass as it caught the light.

“That sounds interesting.” I turned back, gazing at Lorcan, his usually pale face even more so now. “But you’re not involved in the business?”

“No, I left a long time ago.” His shoulders hunched as he turned his head to the window, his voice curt. “I’m no longer a part of it.”

I let it go, but curiosity burned inside me. The more I tried to connect, the shorter Lorcan’s answers became.

Cormac set his glass on the small table between him and Aurora before smoothing his lapel. He glanced at his brother and then at me. “Have you thought about where you want to start your research?”

I frowned as I tapped my foot lightly against the carpet. “Probably the National Archives, unless you have a better idea? My mum spent hours checking the Old Bailey website and all the transcripts that were supposed to be stored in the archives. She found nothing, but I hope there are some paper records.”

Cormac’s gaze turned to his brother. “Lorcan, do you have a better idea than the archives?”

There was a pause as Lorcan glared back. “I’ll think about it.”

Rory glanced between the two, who had engaged in a staring contest, then she smiled at me. “Briar, I don’t know what happened to their gentlemanly manners, but would you like a drink?”

“A glass of water would be nice,” I admitted.

Cormac broke away from Lorcan’s glare and raised a finger. “And the same as I have for Lorcan, please, Dani.”

Before I could wonder who he spoke to, the blond attendant appeared beside me with a glass of iced water. “Here you are, Briar,” she said with a kind smile. How could she have even heard the request? “Lorcan.” She handed him a glass.

He glared at her. “I don’t want it.”

Cormac’s eyes narrowed. “Drink it.”

I gritted my teeth. Why were the two of them arguing even over a drink? Lorcan raised the glass to his lips.

Dani turned back and glanced between Cormac and me. “If you need anything else…”

Rory’s wide Southern grin creased the corners of her eyes, and she looked at Dani. “If you could find me a tranquilizer dart, I’ll let you pick which one of them we use it on first. It might make for a warmer flight.”

A crooked smile tugged at my lips. Cormac narrowed his eyes at her before he turned back to me. “Apparently, my starlight believes I owe you an apology, Briar. I’m sorry if I have come across as anything less than hospitable. I promise I’ll keep it incheck as long as my brother promises to stop denying he’s above the basics.”

I tilted my head. “Since when is a glass of alcohol the basics?”

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