“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s make sure this bird fires up, and we get off the ground first,” he said.
“Fine. Should I start praying now, or do you have faith that it will fire right up?” she joked. Though, there was a hint of truth to her joke. She had never been in such a small plane, but it didn’t scare her. Not at all. Thrilled beyond belief was the term she would use to describe the prospect of what they were about to do.
The engines roared to life, and the smile across her face spread even wider. They slowly taxied out of the hangar and down the small runway, quickly picking up speed until she felt the nose lift off the ground.
Sitting fully upright in her seat, she watched the scenery as they climbed higher and higher. “This is amazing.”
“We’re going to climb a little higher and fly over the whole island. I want you to have a full aerial tour of Oahu. If you look down, you’ll see that we’re right over Pearl Harbor.”
“Oh, gosh! That’s the USS Arizona and Battleship Row. How neat is that!” She still wanted to see everything from the ground, but this … being in the air … getting such a clear view of everything from above was more than she could have ever asked for.
As they flew, Kingston pointed out different landmarks. She swore that each new sight was more beautiful than the last. Slowly, they turned and headed away from the sandy beaches toward the mountains.
“This is one of my favorite passes,” he said as he dipped down into the valley.
“I can see why. It’s stunning.”
Kingston started to pull back up when they reached the end of the pass. The plane shimmied. Smoke billowed from the right engine.
“Damn it,” he shouted as the second propeller came to a sudden stop.
What had turned into a trip filled with nothing but pure joy suddenly turned to sheer terror for Emmy. She looked at Kingston and saw the panic spread across his face. Absolute horror tore through every inch of her body, holding her in place. She didn't know what to do. Was there something she could do to help? It wasn't like either of them could hop outside and check the engines or anything like that. They were truly fucked.
Emmy did something she hadn't done in a long, long time. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer to God. Her life was just beginning. So was Kingston’s life. They were too young to die in a horrific plane crash like this.
“Do you trust me to save us?” he asked.
“I … I …”
Words failed her as Kingston ripped off his seat belt and moved over to her. He plucked the headset from her head and somehow managed to slice right through her belt. Plucking her out of her seat, he pulled her toward the back of the plane and slid the door open.
“Close your eyes.”
Emmy did as she was told. With everything happening so fast, she really didn’t want to watch the ground closing in on them as they fell to their death. Kingston wrapped his arms tightly around her as he stepped from the plane.
A rush of air whipped past them. She swore her heart stopped as they began to plummet toward the ground. Then something strange happened. The wind rushing around them started moving in the opposite direction.
They were no longer falling. They were … flying.
CHAPTERTWELVE
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”Kingston chanted in his head as he flapped his wings harder, trying like hell to get away from the plane. This really wasn’t the way that he wanted Emmy to find out about him, but what choice did he have? He wasn’t about to let her die because of something that should have never happened in the first damn place. That plane was mechanically sound. He had just inspected it three days ago. Everything with it was in top condition. And now, there would be no way to check anything because it was going to be at the bottom of the gorge soon. At least this didn’t happen over a populated area.
“What? How is this!” Emmy gasped.
Of course, she didn’t keep her eyes closed like he had asked. He glanced down at her. Shock covered her face. But not fear.
Not fear.
He wanted to talk to her to tell her she was safe with him. That he would do everything in his power to keep her safe, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued on his path. There was only one place they could go, and they would have to stay there until nightfall set in. It was far too dangerous for him and his entire clan to fly around the island during the day for everyone to see.
He made a series of twists and turns through the trees. He slowed their speed as they approached the opening to his lair.
“Oh, God!” Emmy shouted.
He had no idea if her response was a good thing or not. She wasn't screaming her damn head off, so that was a good thing in his book. On the other hand, his dragon was elated not only to have his mate in his arms but for her to know who he really was. It was something his beast had always dreamed of. And now, it was a reality. Not only that, he was taking her to his home, his lair.
Just as they passed through the jagged edges of the cliff, Kingston slowed to a stop. They hovered a few inches off of the ground. He knew he had to set Emmy on her feet, but man, he didn't want to. He was the one who was terrified. He didn't know if she would begin screaming bloody murder or if she would try to run away before he had a chance to explain anything. He hoped he was wrong, but how the hell could he be? She was just a human. A human who had no idea about shifters, let alone dragons. And he had just given her a crash course in the subject.