Page 117 of Claimed
Caine leans into me, his head pressed to my shoulder. I stroke his hot skin and try not to cry. But every minute he grows warmer. Small tendrils of crimson energy trickle from his fingertips. His hands.
I hold him as tight as I dare and kiss his head, wishing the damn hat was gone. Wishing it wasn’t needed.
At MIA, I tell the driver we have a private jet waiting. He doesn’t bat an eye, merely loops to the right side.
I get Caine out and his legs start to buckle. “No, love, no,” I tell him fiercely. “Come on. We are so close now. Keep moving.”
He groans and the sound breaks my heart. I toss the cab driver all the cash in Caine’s wallet and we hobble to the hangar.
The place is not super busy. Despite MIA being a large airport, there is only one flight scheduled for noon.
I lower Caine into one of the chairs and pace to the counter.
The woman immediately shuts me down.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she tells me. “I can’t let you through without verification.”
“You have to,” I say, gripping the counter. “Please. The people on board are our friends. If you will just let me speak to them—”
“That is not policy,” she cuts in. “Either call someone to come get you, or I’ll have you escorted out.”
I glare at her, my pulse thrumming. My head turns. Caine is slumped in the chair, his skin a soft red all over. His crimson gaze is dazed, and I’m no longer sure what he notices and what he doesn’t.
I glance at the clock.
Less than ten minutes.
Even if I knew a phone number …
I look past the woman at the wide windows and the plane just visible. Then my eyes dip to the metal door.
The phone rings and she moves to answer it. I bolt for the tarmac.
There are several surprised shouts, but I hit the door and skid out onto the asphalt. “Ruin! Tanner!” My voice echoes across the black top. “Ruin, god damn it.”
Strong arms close over me, hauling me back.
“Tanner!” I scream as loud as I can, praying for the cat to hear me.
Please hear me.
The guards wrench me back to the door and I twist and scream, my throat burning and turning raw as sobs well in their place.
“Let her go!” The voice is like iron. Cold and deadly.
The men still and my protests fade.
I look up as Ruin fills the jet’s door.
He glowers at the men holding me, his eyes piercing with gold light. “Let her go.” They release me.
He tries to move down the stairs but draws up short at the sunlight. Tanner leaps out from behind him. The shifter races over and snatches me to him.
“Caine,” I gasp. “He was hit. He’s inside. You have to help him.”
Ruin swears and Tanner pushes me toward the plane as he heads for the door. “Gage!” he calls.
The Fae is already sprinting toward us. He flies past and the guards backpedal. Ruin drops down in the shadows of the plane as I near, tucking me into his side. A low rumble spills from him as Tanner and Gage carry Caine out onto the tarmac.
