Chapter 90: Inseparable

Daphne

We flew back to Canada on a private jet. Louis had patiently explained that he didn’t actually own the plane, stating that he didn’t fly often enough to justify the expense, but that he chartered the flight from a private company. It was still impressive to me, given that I’d only flown a few times in my life, and always commercially. The leather seats were soft and comfortable, they could swivel in any direction, or recline back for a nap.

Two black-suited guards took the seats at the rear of the plane. They said nothing, and wore sunglasses, even when they were in the relatively dim interior of the plane. They did not laugh or smile, but sat stone-faced.

“We are just finishing up our pre-flight checks, Your Majesty, we should be ready for take off in about twenty minutes,” The male flight attendant informed us with a courteous smile. “Can I get you a drink, or perhaps a snack while we wait?”

Your Majesty kind of stuck in my head. Louis had hung around our pack house for the last few days, and I kept forgetting that he was royalty. He had left his entourage behind. Although I understood that there were two secret-service types somewhere around the house at all times, I never saw them. He had worn trousers and button-down shirts, or jeans and polo tops. He had crawled around on the floor with Liam, he sparred on the training field with my brothers, he even joined Bella in the kitchen and helped to cook. He'd just seemed like an ordinary man.

And he’d been near me, always near me, it seemed. He sat next to me at meals, popped up beside me in the gardens, walked with me through the halls. He was just there. It might have been annoying, but somehow, it gave me a little thrill of excitement every time he materialized. My heart, and even my wolf, were glad to see him.

My wolf was one confused doggo. She still cried when I let myself start thinking about Nate. But then she gave King Louis the tail wag every time we laid eyes on him. She liked Louis, I knew. But what does that even mean in the grand scheme of things?

He hadn’t made any attempt to kiss me again, and he didn’t bring it up, so neither did I. Maybe it was simply an impulsive gesture, and I was reading too much into it. But he was no less solicitous toward me, and even now he seemed much more interested in my care and comfort on the airplane than his own. “Are you thirsty, Daphne? There is juice, soft drinks, coffee, tea?”

“Um, just a cold bottle of water would be nice, thank you,” I smiled politely at the attendant and then turned my attention back on Louis. King Louis, I reminded myself.

“What is it like, in your…pack house? Or do you call it a palace?”

He chuckled and settled back in his seat, “My great-great-grandfather had a flair for the dramatic, so he converted what used to be a fairly simple and basic pack house into a glorious replica of a French château. It has three stories, two towers, as well as a subterranean level with a proper dungeon, lots of long hallways and two hidden chambers that I’m aware of. I’ve had a suite prepared for you, which will basically be like a private apartment. I hope you will be very happy and very comfortable there.” I saw something flash through his gold-flecked eyes, something that I couldn’t exactly put a name to.

“It sounds lovely,” I said, accepting the plastic water bottle from the attendant and twisting off the top. I wasn’t really thirsty, but I needed to do something with my hands. “Does Dr. Conway live in the… um, castle?”

“Yes, indeed. A lot of my dedicated staff live on site. It only makes sense, don’t you think? Why have all those rooms if you aren’t going to use them? Also, his office, which will soon be your office, is located just off the hospital wing. I know Dr. Conway is eager to meet with you and get you started. He mentioned he had many patients on a waiting list that he would like you to take on.”

“That sounds wonderful, I can meet with him tomorrow,” I said, feeling a buzz of excitement. It would be good to get started on the work that I'd spent the last six years preparing for.

“He’s expecting you on Monday. You'll need a few days to settle in, of course.”

“Oh. Right.” I tried not to sound disappointed. Louis didn't understand how badly I needed something to distract me in that moment.

After a few minutes, the pilot announced that we were ready for take off. The attendant secured the door, and we began to taxi down the short runway of the small local airport. I gripped the armrests tightly as the engines started to power up.

“Are you afraid of flying, Daphne?” Louis looked pointedly at my clenched fingers.

“No, I’m afraid of crashing,” I said tensely. I forced a smile that didn’t show my teeth. “It’s just the take-off and the landing part that I don’t like.”

He reached over and pried my hand off the arm rest, and wove his fingers together with mine. “I understand,” he said, his voice low and full of compassion. “But you are safe with me, I promise.” He gave my fingers a squeeze, and that strange feeling of comfort flowed from his warm skin into mine. Logically, I knew he couldn’t save me if the plane crashed, but when he was near me, I did feel safer.

It was a short flight. It seemed that no sooner had we reached our cruising altitude than we were starting the descent again. Louis’s hand covered mine again when I grew tense. “We have a private airstrip on pack grounds,” he explained, as the pad of his thumb stroked over my knuckles. “So we will be home within minutes of landing.”

I couldn’t help but contrast his touch to Nate’s. The king’s fingers were smooth and soft, whereas Nate’s were calloused and rough. Louis led the pampered life of a monarch, while Nate…

Well, let's face it, I had no f.ucking clue what Nate really did, apart from living rent-free in my head.

The jet hit a spot of turbulence, and I yelped as we seemed to drop several feet without warning. Soft or not, Louis’s hand was all I had, so I grabbed it with both of mine and squeezed it mercilessly.

“Your brothers really care about you,” Louis observed casually. I think he was trying to distract me from the plane that was still shaking and shimmying as we moved through a layer of clouds and what the flight attended termed “rough air.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, squeezing my eyes shut. “They, uh… they took care of me after our parents died. And I took care of them. We’ve always been really close.”

Again the plane shook, and it felt like we were falling for a split second. I felt sweat beads forming along my hairline. His other hand began to stroke my arm, sending more of those warm, comforting vibes through my skin. “I’m glad you have them. Having a family you can trust. That’s a real gift.”

I could hear the pain in his voice, and I wondered if he was thinking of his own brother, the brother that murdered his wife and stole his only child, hiding her away for more than a decade. It was as if I could feel some of the bitterness in his soul, feel his pain and his anger and his regret for all the lost years, and I felt like I should be comforting him, not the other way around.

The hand that had been stroking my arm moved to my cheek. I couldn’t very well keep my eyes closed with his fingers gently stroking my face! I had to peel them open to see what he was up to! He had twisted in his chair so that he was fully facing me. I still had one of his hands trapped between mine, and I doubted there was any circulation left in his digits from my anxious squeezing. His other hand stroked my cheek, and his eyes, his very beautiful eyes, were gazing at me with such a complicated expression.

He smiled a little, and his gaze dropped to my lips.

There were only a few inches separating our faces. When he sighed, I felt the brush of his breath on my hair. And then he closed the short distance, and put his lips against mine.

I didn’t want to like kissing Louis. My heart and my head were still full of Nate. I still dreamed of him at night, I still thought of him when I touched myself. In fact, when Louis’s lips moved slowly over mine, I was still thinking of Nate, missing him, even wishing he was there, kissing me too.

But I did like kissing Louis. It was ninety-nine kinds of wrong, but I liked it a lot. I let my eyes close again, forgot about the plane, and just let myself get lost in all the sensations that he was igniting in me. His hand moved to my neck, cupping it at the nape as he continued to explore my mouth, and then it slipped a little lower, brushing my collar bone, ever so lightly trailing over my marking spot.

I don’t know how long it went on, but I never wanted it to stop. But then I became aware that something had changed, only my muddled brain couldn’t quite figure out what was different. His lips left mine, and I whimpered a little bit.

“Open your eyes Daphne,” Louis whispered in my ear before he pulled back, “the plane has landed. Welcome to your new home.”