Chapter 31

The fact that the drive led them to a private jet didn’t phase Zeke one bit.  He knew how much money Sara had, the woman’s family was famous.  Not only that, with the jobs she did, she was most likely holding more money on her than Zeke had in his safe.  He knew how the life was, knew that it paid so well that it was hard to give up, but Zeke was happy without the money.  He was happy without all the stress it would bring you.

“How long is the flight?” he asked, sending a look in Charlie’s direction.  “I wasn’t awake for most of it last time.”

Sara let out a laugh, making Zeke frown at her.  What did the woman find so funny?  “She pulled one over on you Zeke?  Anyway, we’ll be there in about thirty minutes, maybe less.”

“I didn’t pull one over on him,” Charlie defended from beside him.  “It was his mom.”

“Carrie?” Sara asked with an even louder laugh.  “Ah, that woman is hilarious.”

Zeke could feel his body ready for an attack.  “How do you know my mom?”

Sara froze too, but Zeke didn’t know if it was because she could sense his unease or if she realized she had slipped up.  “I’ve talked to her,” she said, before crossing her arms under her chest.

Narrowing his eyes, Zeke growled under his breath.  He recognized that stance; it meant that no matter what he said or did, Sara wasn’t going to say another word.  Still, it would be very unlike him not to try.  “Tell me, or I’ll rip it from your head.”

Charlie smacked him on the arm with a frown.  “Do you have to be so violent?  She’s most likely caught up in this mess just like everyone else is.  Plus, can you tell me that you don’t have secrets?”  He opened his mouth to protest before snapping it closed.  A smile formed on Charlie’s face.  “That’s what I thought.”

“Fasten your seatbelts, the plane will be landing very soon,” a female voice purred over the intercom.

Zeke raised an eyebrow at Sara, who just shrugged.  “Family,” she answered while snapping her seatbelt. 

A small sigh escaped Charlie’s mouth, making Zeke turn towards her.  She was leaving her family while he was returning to his.  The real question was whether she would be able to live near Ally, or if she would have to return home.  He didn’t mind visiting her home, but he would not live there.  Even for Charlie, he wouldn’t have that much distance between the triplets and him; not when they needed him.

“You’ll return home when this is all over,” he mumbled, before snapping his own seatbelt. 

Her head whipped towards him, a wide-eyed and angry expression on her face.  “If you think you can get rid of me when this is finished, think again.”

“Feisty.”

“Shut up, Sara,” he growled in her mind before flashing pictures of Ally’s guard.  When her breath hitched on a certain person, a slow smile spread across his face.  “Stay out of this, or I’m going to assign him to look after you.”

He could practically hear her hesitation before she spat, “Fine.”

“I don’t want you hurt,” he mumbled aloud, once he realized Charlie was looking at him expectantly.

A click echoed in the plane, signaling the fact that Charlie had finally put on her seatbelt.  Just as she did, the plane hit the ground.  He looked out the window, staring at the runway as it passed by him.  As the plane settled, he widened his range.  It didn’t take him long to find the seven people standing outside waiting on them.  He knew who they all were, even if he couldn’t read all their minds. 

With a frown on his face, he was the first person to exit the plane.  To be honest, he was more annoyed than anything, but when he saw Ally’s smiling face, he felt a grin of his own take over.  She walked towards him, keeping Noah cuddled in her arms.  When she reached him, she rolled her eyes before kissing him on the cheek.  “I know you think that Adam and Drew aren’t the smartest choices for my guard.  I know that you want Ned to watch me, but Adam has to be around me for a while, and Zoë loves Drew.”

Zeke took in her words with a nod before glancing back at the others.  Sure enough, Adam was staring at Ally as if it pained him to be far away while Zoë smiled up at Drew with complete adoration on her little face.  It was similar to the expression that Jesse wore when she looked at her father.  “I understand, but now that I’m back, maybe you could let Drew do what he needs to while you deal with Adam.  He doesn’t look well, Ally.”

The smile dropped immediately and a warning growl sounded from Noah.  Zeke reached out, soothing the little guy’s hair.  “I’m not hurting her.”  Zeke’s reassurance must have done nothing, because the boy just growled again.  Ally bent down, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she murmured something.  Noah quieted, and a smile formed on his face.

“He’s a momma’s boy,” Ally explained with a shrug.

“Adam,” he reminded.

Her eyes closed briefly before opening once more.  “Don’t pretend that you know nothing of the situation.  Blake is bound to me, but not like Adam is.  I feel as if I’m his life support, Zeke.  I can’t hear his thoughts, but I can feel him.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

A large smile formed on her face, making the worry lines disappear.  “Did you know that your mom knew mine?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know that my mother had these books with the history of our people written in them?  There is so much information in them, information I wish I had a year ago,” she mumbled under her breath.

Laughing, he shook his head at her.  “So, what did you find?”

“If I die, he dies, but if he dies, I’m fine.  I really am his life support in a way.  He was so close to death, that I gave him a little part of me to keep him going.  I don’t completely understand it, but I know how to make it go away.”

“How?” Charlie asked from beside him, making Zeke jump in surprise.  He hadn’t heard her walk towards him, hadn’t even felt her beside him until she spoke. 

Ally laughed quietly.  “If he mates with the person that is truly his other half, his bond to me will be broken.  He’ll be able to live a normal life, as far away from me as possible.”

The last sentence was said with exhaustion stitched into every word, and for the first time since he saw her, he noticed the black beneath her eyes.  “You’re not getting enough sleep.”

“News flash, buddy, I’m a mom of three children.  Sleep is not something that I get a lot of.” She waved her hand dismissively.  “It’s worth it though, and I know when they’re all grown up, I’ll wish that they were this little again.”

Hearing the honesty in her voice, he felt himself relax a little.  “When we get to the cabin, I’ll babysit while you and Sebastian take a nap.”  When she started to shake her head, he lowered his voice.  “Please.” 

“Fine,” she huffed, reminding him of another female who had hissed the same word at him earlier.

“By the way, I’d like you to meet—”

“Sara,” the woman herself said as she threw her hand out.

Ally looked down at it with an evil grin before gripping it.  Her eyes clouded over, and a frown etched onto her face.  “Damn,” she mumbled. “I was hoping it would be Adam.”

Sara snatched her hand away with a growl.  “What was that?”

“Careful,” Zeke warned Sara.

“Of what?” she mumbled, while rolling her eyes.  “The woman’s holding a baby.  She’s not going to—”

Sara’s mouth snapped shut, and her eyes widened.  He watched as her body fought itself for control, but just as all others, she could do nothing.  Knees hit the ground with a loud thump.  Her head jerked up, making her stare at Ally. 

Tilting her head to the side, Ally regarded Sara with detachment.  “Here’s the thing,” she started with her voice even, “I understand you wanting to show how strong you are with all these men around.  It’s hard being a woman with power.  But,” Ally growled as her eyes flashed dangerously, “you need to learn your place.  Now stand up.”

Sara wobbled to her feet, her head down casted.  “I didn’t realize who you were.”

“It’s fine,” Ally mumbled.  Sara’s body relaxed completely and Zeke knew that Ally released her.  “Welcome to the family.”

Ally turned her back on them to walk towards a worried looking Sebastian.  Chuckling, Zeke looked over at Sara.  “I told you to be careful.”

“You didn’t tell me she was the queen,” Sara hissed, looking mortified.  “Now she’s going to hate me.”

This time, Charlie was the one to laugh.  “Don’t worry about it.  Ally doesn’t mind you sticking up for yourself.  Next time, just don’t say anything about her children while you do it.”

“I didn’t.”

“Or think it,” Charlie finished, making the woman flush red.

Sara glanced away.  “She can read my mind?”

“When she wants to,” Zeke answered as he began walking towards the group waiting on them.

A sigh sounded from behind him.  “Which means I should not have thought about how hot that man, who now has his arm wrapped around her, is?”

“Nope,” Charlie chuckled as she caught up with him and wrapped her hand into his.

“This is going to be the worse time of my life,” Sara mumbled from behind him.

Zeke glanced down at Charlie’s hand in his.  Sara was wrong.  This wouldn’t be the worse time of their lives.  Later, when the battle concluded, that would be the worse time of their lives.