Page 13 of Born Reckless

"Are you still thirsty?" Elena asks. She reaches her hands up and slides her fingers through her hair. She’s breathing just a little too fast, and I swear I can see the gears turning in her head. She's always so composed, always so in control. I've never seen her look so distressed.

I swallow, and instantly, every bit of my focus goes to my throat, my tongue, my stomach. I feel… sloshy. Like if you poked me with a needle, liquid would instantly start pouring out of me. "No."

Elena paces up and down the narrow aisle, one hand still laced into her hair. She nods, but her mind seems like it’s a million miles away. "If you start feeling thirsty again, you have to tell me, instantly. Mason is going to walk onto this plane, and you're going to be trapped in a small space with him. If you touch him, if you look at him the wrong way, I'm going to have to detain you. I don't want to do that. So, like I said, if you start to feel thirsty, you will tell meinstantly. We have blood stored in a refrigerator."

And there, she has finally stated it. What I just drank so much of. What I just killed two people for.

Killed.

For blood.

My insides quiver. I feel like I'm going to throw up. But I don't dare do that. If I throw it up, I just know, Iknow, that I will be thirsty once again.

Whatever Elena and I are, Mason is not.

"Okay," I say. And my voice shakes.

I sink down into one of the plush seats and my head falls into my hands. The world is spinning too fast. It's changing too fast. I don't understand. I was just a woman the universe hated, working her ass off in school. I was just going out with my best friend. Flirting with a hot guy.

Today, I woke up with inhuman senses. I killed two people. I had someone vow to make me pay.

I wouldn't say I have ever had a normal life. Normal people have parents, and siblings, and stability. I never had any of those things. But once I became an adult, I started claiming a few of those things for myself.

Now the entire world has shifted on its axis.

"You swear you're okay?" Elena asks a minute or two later.

My focus goes to my throat again. It's irritated. But it doesn't feel like it's on fire. "I'm okay."

Lie. I'm definitelynotokay.

"Good," Elena says. "Mason is just pulling up."

I want to ask her how she knows this. Her phone didn't ring. No one texted her. But I hear the car pull up. I hear a human heartbeat outside. And as I breathe in, I realize the scent that I am smelling is familiar.

I pull my knees up into my chest and wrap my arms around them. And my heart starts beating quickly as I hear the sound of his footsteps rising up the stairs.

Mason walks inside, and my eyes instantly go to his.

His expression is worried. Maybe a little surprised. But not in the way he should be. Whatever the hell is going on here, Mason is completely aware of it.

But it’s still there. That spark. That heat between us. The second I lay eyes on him, my lower stomach clenches and a tiny fire ignites in my blood.

"Sit," Elena says. I see her boss babe mode turning on. Elena is the CEO of a major company; she knows how to tell people what to do. "Let's go," she says elevating her voice just a little bit.

The pilot walks inside and closes everything up. As he walks into the cockpit, Mason takes a seat in one of the chairs. I'm seated in the one farthest back. He sits in the one farthest forward.

There’s something different in Mason’s gaze. When we were at that party, he was looking at me like he’d gladly rip my clothes off the second we got somewhere private. And there’s still heat there. But there’s also conflict. Hesitation.

Guess turning into a monster is a turn-off.

"It's happened before," Mason says as his eyes go to his sister's. "The fourth day isn't an exact science. We pushed it too close."

Elena's eyes simply slide over to meet mine. "I should have been more careful. I thought I had time for that meeting. Juliet, I'm sorry. I thought we still had a few hours. What happened in there… it shouldn't have gone down like that."

“I don’t—” but I cut off when the aircraft shakes, the brakes releasing. I close my mouth and we all wait as the jet taxis out onto the runway. I can hear the sound of the pilot talking to the air traffic control. They speak in jargon I don't necessarily understand, though I can clearly hear every single word. We wait for two minutes, and then we are cleared for takeoff. We roll into position, wait just a few moments, then the jet begins moving forward. Faster and faster and faster. Until finally, the front wheel lifts off the ground, and the entire craft is airborne.

I have only ever flown in an airplane twice in my life. This should feel like a big deal. But considering everything that has just happened, it is the least of my concerns.