Chapter 57 57
Violet
I curled up into a ball in his lap.
For a moment, he went very still. I felt certain he was going to push me away. I had no business being this close to him. And I tried to get up but then his arms lifted with slow, deliberate intention.
“I’m fine,” I tried to say, but the words fractured halfway through and dissolved into a shaky exhale.
One of his hands found the small of my back, his palm spreading there as if anchoring me to something solid and real.
The other came to the back of my head, fingers threading gently into my hair, his touch firm enough to steady me yet impossibly careful.
“Breathe,” he murmured, his voice much quieter now, the rough edge replaced by something gentler, almost coaxing. “You’re alright. Just breathe with me.”
My forehead slipped against his shoulder and tears spilled before I could stop them, warm and humiliated and painfully honest.
I wanted to step aside, but I couldn’t and part of me shuddered wondering what he thought of me. A woman who came close to him and pushed him away whenever it suited her needs.
I tried to speak but my body trembled uncontrollably, each breath hitching and catching in my throat until it felt like the world was closing in.
He shifted slightly, adjusting his hold so my weight rested more securely against him.
His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, and his hand traced a subtle, soothing pattern between my shoulder blades, guiding my breathing without forcing it.
“I hate takeoffs,” I whispered finally, the confession small and shaky against his shirt. “I hate not knowing what’s beneath me. I’ve always hated them since I got my wolf.”
That was something deeply personal. Not even my mother knew of it or she certainly would not have let me even leave the house.
I had never had a phobia of planes before and I had only taken a flight once after getting my wolf. That flight had been horrible and I always chose to travel by land after that.
So when Cassie told me we were flying, I told myself that it had been an isolated incident long back. That my wolf was now accustomed to flying and the past unpleasantness had just been my body trying to adjust to having Rain in my head.
I wished I could say this all out loud but I was too busy fighting this growing fear inside of me.
There was a pause where he did not speak, only listened. When he finally replied, his voice was calmer, older, a quiet reassurance shaped by experience rather than sympathy.
“You have to stop letting Cassie or anybody else have their way with you. But that talk is for another time,” he said, his tone deep and steady near my ear.
“For now, know that you are safe. You only have to get through the flight. The plane is doing what it was built to do.”
Another faint tremor rolled through the cabin.
My fingers tightened instinctively, curling into the fabric of his shirt. His arm curved more securely around me, and then he found a blanket to cover me as I continued to shiver.
“I am going to die” I croaked.
“You won’t die,” he said softly. “Not while I’m holding you.”
Something warm and fragile broke open inside me at those words.
Gradually, my breathing began to settle, following the measured rhythm of his chest. The trembling in my muscles eased, replaced by a lingering heaviness that felt suspiciously like relief. I did not pull away, and he did not rush me.
Time seemed to blur.
The engines leveled.
The ascent smoothed out into quiet, weightless motion. But he made no effort to push me away.
And somehow all the dizziness caught up to me, making me fall asleep right in his lap.
I slept through most of the flight in a fetal position.
I felt something dab at my chin, a gentle touch that stirred me.
Only then did awareness return in slow, dawning fragments as I looked up to see Elijah’s face inches away from mine.
Gently, he wiped the drool off my face and tucked the hair behind my ear. I grew acutely aware of the heat of his body beneath mine, the press of his hand against my back, the intimacy of the moment that felt wrong yet so very right.
I lifted my head slightly, embarrassed, my cheeks flushed and my eyes still damp.
“I’m… sorry,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t mean to—”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before loosening his hold and pushing the blanket aside.
My cheeks flamed to realize I had snuggled in his arms for the entire duration of the flight and he had let me.
So much for just being my friend’s older brother.
I blinked rapidly, my eyes adjusting to the surroundings and gently placed my feet down.
His expression was composed again, but something lingered in his gaze, something restrained and conflicted that vanished almost as soon as I noticed it.
“You don’t need to apologize for fear,” he said quietly.
I nodded, unable to meet his eyes for a moment as I adjusted my clothes and hair.
I heard the cockpit door open and somehow forced myself to get back to my seat.
I felt I needed to say a lot more than sorry to Elijah, to explain the sudden clinginess but the flight attendant had already appeared, and was taking down our bags.
My seat felt colder without him there, as though some part of me had stepped back from a warmth I had no right to linger in.
Silence settled again, except for the dragging of wheels on the plane’s carpet and Elijah grabbed his coat. However, I did see him steal an occasional glance at me.
I folded my hands in my lap and stared at the faint glow of the cabin lights, at the runway appearing below us.
The flight attendant asked me if I needed anything to which I only shook my head and held onto my seat firmly as the plane began to dip.
That familiar knot of fear started to take root in my stomach but I squeezed my eyes shut and even asked Rain for help, to stay calm.
Thankfully, we landed in a couple of minutes and then were ushered outside the flight. The cool air and the open sky made me feel better instantly and Rain was particularly happy to feel solid ground under my feet.
Something brushed against my elbow and I felt Elijah’s arm brush for a fleeting second before he stepped forward.
A car I didn’t bother checking the make of but was sure cost more than my lifetime salary could buy was waiting for us.
The flight attendant loaded our luggage and Elijah took the keys from another staff member that came running towards us.
“I’ll drive”
He said and got in the driving seat.