Wynn gave Rayne a venomous glare before turning back to me. "I also said that it is an honor for such a great beauty to compliment me so."
“That’s sweet.” I flushed but still punched him in the arm. "Say something else."
For the next half-hour, Wynn talked to me in French which only made the twins jealous, so they started to wow me with their German and Russian. I'd never been very good at languages, but hearing these gorgeous men speaking to me in exotic, foreign tongues made my insides flip over with pleasure.
"If you're done with the language lesson," Rayne drawled with much annoyance, "we only have a few hours before we land, and we still have something rather important to deal with." He leveled a meaningful look around the cabin, and I stiffened.
The bonding. Crap, I'd forgotten all about that. Shifting forward in my seat, I twisted my hair around my fingers.
"So, what do I have to do?" My voice came out small and shaky, my fear for what was to come peeking through.
Darren appeared next to our row. "Drink some more of this," He shoved another champagne flute into my hands, "and decide who will be the one to do it."
I took the alcohol and downed it in one go before croaking out, "What? Pick who?"
Darren leveled a stare at me. "Who will be the one to bind you to them."
I gaped at him as the others stared at me. I could feel their eyes pushing against my skin as they waited for me to answer.
"But, but I thought it was going to be something like a group thing?" When they didn't answer back right away, I quickly added, "Like a general binding, not like I have to pick one of you to be bound to forever. And why does it have to be forever? Can't it just be for like this weekend?" I found myself talking even faster as my panic set in. "Maybe just a little binding? Not the whole shebang?" Now I was gesturing rapidly with my hands, and I desperately wanted another glass of champagne to help deal with it all.
"No, you can't just kind of be bound,” Rayne scoffed. It has to be all or nothing. Do you want Valentine to steal you away? Because he will at the first opportunity, and when he binds you to him, it won't be consensual or pleasant. At least with us, you get to choose and at least have some kind of freedom."
My shoulders sagged at that. "So, I won't be some mindless zombie doing whatever you want?"
Wynn smirked and gave me a suggestive look. "Only if you want to be."
Normally, I would have blushed and flirted back, but I was too full of fear and anxiety to even become aroused. My body was on full alert and not in a nice way. I licked my lips and swallowed thickly.
"So, what does being bound mean? Will you have power over me? Will I have to drink blood?" Just saying it made me sick to my stomach, and I had to hold back the urge to puke up all the alcohol I'd just drank.
"Not at all." Drake shifted to between our chairs so he could meet my eyes. "In some ways, you'll actually be immune to a lot of our abilities. Plus, you'll live longer, you won't get sick."
"Oh, and you’ll have heightened senses," Allister added from behind me. "I mean, like all your senses."
"What he means is don't be weirded out if you are abnormally turned on by whoever you're bound to. It's part of the process," Rayne jumped in again, being the blunt one of the group which at that moment I appreciated. I didn't want it watered down. I wanted to know what I was getting into.
I nodded numbly and stared off at the wall. I didn't know how to respond to all this or even how to begin to pick one of them. Thankfully, the stewardess came over and asked us all to buckle up because we were about to take off.
I took the time it took us to lift up into the sky and level out to think about it. The take-off, by the way, was so much easier than a regular plane. I hardly noticed the difference at all, and it was so much quieter. I could actually hear myself think which, at the moment, was a good and bad thing.
After the nice stewardess let us know we could unbuckle, I darted up from my chair and headed for the back of the plane where I knew one of the doors had to lead to a bathroom. The first one I tried on the left didn't. It opened up to a queen-sized bed fully equipped with pillows and blankets. It was just as nice as the one I had at home. Why they needed a bed on the plane was beyond me, but I didn't have time to worry about it right now. My bladder was ready to burst from all the champagne I'd drunk, and my head was swimming with it.
I rushed to the other door and sighed as I found a full bathroom including a shower and a sink. No tiny toilet closet that you had to somehow get in and do your business without getting it everywhere.
As I did my business, I tried to figure out who was going to do it. Who would I want to be bound to for all eternity? Fucking no one really, but I didn't have much of a choice. It was either do this or be at Valentine's mercy.
So, who to do it with?
Not Marcus. He was a nice enough guy, but I didn't know him well enough to get that close with him. Plus, I still wasn't sure he really liked me much.
The twins were a no-go as well. I just knew that being bound to one of them would cause a rift between them. I couldn't do that to them.
Wynn would be the obvious choice to most. I was attracted to him already, and I'd already taken his blood before, so I kind of knew what to expect. However, he was a massive flirt, and I wasn't sure he wouldn't screw me over with his playboy ways.
That just left Rayne and Antoine.
I washed my hands in the sink and chewed over the choice. I liked Rayne, even if he put his foot in his own mouth half the time. Also, we were kind of on our way to something, a relationship, maybe? I didn't know, but I did know that being bound to him would make all of that even more confusing.
With a sigh, I realized there really was only one choice. I should have seen it before. Antoine was the head of the house. He had more pull over what went on, and Valentine seemed a bit afraid of him which was a huge plus for me. Also, while we were attracted to one another, he seemed to be into Darren too. I wasn't sure if that was because of their bond or not, but Darren seemed okay with it so it couldn't be all that bad.
I paused right before the bathroom door, my hand on the knob. I hated to make this choice. I knew it would hurt Rayne as well as the others. I just hoped they would understand my choice and respect it.
If not, I was destroying any chance I had with them.