CHAPTER 166: ON A JET PLANE

"Chasey!!" Lethia yelped and instantly shot to her feet.

She strode to Chasey and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Queen... I... I’m..." she sobbed. "Forgive me, Queen... I... I..." Chasey’s voice choked in her throat and broke into deep, wracked sobs.

Lethia could feel Chasey’s whole body trembling as she clung to her just as tightly.

"Shh... It’s fine... everything’s fine now. I’m fine... we’re fine."

They pulled back from the embrace, and Lethia wiped Chasey’s tears away.

Not long after, the pilot stepped out from the cockpit into the passenger cabin and announced they were ready for takeoff.

With arms still linked, Lethia and Chasey took their seats across from each other. Lethia only glanced at Zeran, who gave her the ’I know you like my surprise’ look, and she smiled, her lips forming a soft ’thank you’ just for him.

All the passengers readied themselves in their seats as the jet began taxiing.

Soon after the jet took off, Lethia, still holding Chasey’s hand, patted her shoulder gently while she continued crying with guilt.

But it didn’t take long before Lethia pulled her hand away.

"Chasey... don’t you think your dramatic crying’s gonna raise the volume in this jet and make us crash?" Lethia’s deadpan satire snapped Chasey out of it instantly.

"I’m not blaming you for what happened at all, but if I don’t get to meet my baby because your tears overload this jet’s capacity and we drop into the ocean, I swear, I’ll haunt you forever." She continued.

Lethia leaned back in her seat, wearing that perfectly indifferent expression.

"Queen!" Chasey snapped. "Why are you even joking like that? That’s not funny at all," she said, wiping her tears, though her sobbing voice had already started shifting into a soft giggle.

Lethia smirked, "Stop crying already, okay? I’m fine." She paused.

She’d heard everything from Callista, how Chasey had escaped Adam’s captivity, bruised and battered, just to get to Renar.

They looked at each other in silence. No awkwardness, just the gaze of two women who knew too well the weight of what they’d been through. And the warm smiles they exchanged, that was the kind of comfort silence they both needed most.

"Thank you," Lethia said.

Chasey lowered her head, then shook it slowly. "I only did what I was supposed to."

"I know, right... I’m your queen. You’re bound to serve me, after all." Lethia put on a smug face and crossed her legs. And from the way Chasey grinned ear to ear, she knew the joke had landed perfectly.

"You’re right. I was so lost when my queen got kidnapped, and now she’s the one kidnapping me instead." Chasey grabbed a cocktail glass offered by the flight attendant and downed it in one go.

"Chasey... that’s—"

"Oh shit! This is so strong..."

They both burst into laughter while Chasey blinked rapidly and coughed hard. Lethia was sure her throat was burning from whatever strong vodka she had just chosen.

Lethia never really knew the proper way to comfort people. But she knew if someone wasn’t ready to speak about their pain, it wasn’t her place to dig it up either.

Just seeing Chasey laughing, swearing, and being her loud self again was enough to put her at ease.

"Didn’t you see my face when I saw you earlier? I got kidnapped again myself." Lethia grumbled.

Chasey turned to glance at Zeran, who was still busy discussing something with Derreck, then gave her a sly grin.

"But this time, your kidnapper is a thousand times hotter, filthy rich, and... sane."

Lethia chuckled, "I agree. But I’m not so sure about the sane part, though. Granting my wish to eat purple sea urchin by flying a private jet right after I just escaped a kidnapping? It’s kind of..."

"A poetic insane!" Chasey cut in, and the two of them burst into laughter again.

"I didn’t really get it when a bunch of big betas in suits showed up at my doorstep, saying you needed my help to catch a sea urchin. I thought it was just some kind of metaphor."

"I followed them without changing clothes or thinking it through. I was just happy you were back and wanted to see you. But then we arrived here, and that overly chatty assistant told me we’re literally flying across borders to get the actual damn sea urchin?"

"That’s when I knew... I knew I was part of this romantic tale, insane world now," Chasey continued her ’kidnapping’ story.

Lethia chuckled again, "Yeah... I think we deserve this much after all we’ve been through. Let’s just enjoy this delicate kidnapping and eat a bunch of sea urchin on the beach." She lifted her strawberry juice glass toward Chasey for a cheers.

The soft clink of their glasses echoed alongside their carefree laughter, filling the jet cabin with warmth.

From the corner of her eye, Lethia caught Zeran smiling in delight at her before turning back to listen to Derreck, who was still rambling on.

She couldn’t have felt more grateful than she did in that moment.

Not long after, two flight attendants approached her and Chasey’s seats and began serving their meals.

"Whoaa... is this real?" Chasey gawked in awe.

Lethia couldn’t even blink as the savoury aroma of the rosemary-glazed roasted ribs, drenched in warm balsamic glaze, assaulted her nose. She swallowed hard. And without saying much, the two of them devoured their lunch with a full appetite.

Along the way, Lethia and Chasey continued to talk and joke about anything but their recent misfortunes. It was like they were trying to savour this little escape, without the weight of problems that were bound to hit them again once they returned to Ashenhold.

Their flight took about eleven hours. As the sky darkened and they finished their dinner of roasted duck breast with cherry sauce and closed off with chocolate truffles for dessert, they decided to watch a film from the 24-inch LED monitor filled with exclusive movies and series.

Halfway through the film, Lethia noticed Chasey had fallen asleep beside her. She gently pulled the blanket over Chasey’s body. Then her eyes drifted toward the back, to where Zeran sat with his eyes closed. She wondered, since when had he fallen asleep?

Lethia stood up and walked toward him. She observed how Zeran slept so calmly, his posture still upright. She grabbed the blanket neatly folded beside him.

As she tried to cover him, the closeness of their faces made her smile. She studied his peaceful face. It looked so quiet, a striking contrast to his usual stern and aggressive expression when awake.

Without even realising it, that face pulled her in like a magnet, and she leaned forward... planting a soft kiss on his lips.

Lethia smirked at the sleeping face before her and straightened her back.

Just as she turned to head back to her seat, a hand suddenly gripped her wrist, making her turn around. She found Zeran’s fingers wrapped tightly around her.

He had opened his eyes, staring at her with a gaze so full of intent, so dark and loaded.

With one swift pull, he yanked her onto his lap, stealing the breath straight from her throat.

Her pulse kicked up in a wild rush. A jolt surged down her spine, waking the heat she had barely kept buried.

’Shit! Why now?’ she cursed inwardly.

She could feel the tight clench of her pelvis as she tried to suppress the arousal rising from the sudden closeness and the raw scent of Zeran’s body. She started wondering whether her pup needed the pheromone bonding now, or was it her own lust?

"What was that kiss for?" Zeran asked, his voice low and rough.

Lethia cleared her throat and glanced around, just in case anyone was watching.

"That’s... a thank you kiss?" she answered, her hand clutching his shirt. She knew she should’ve stood up from his lap, but her body was far too excited to move, especially with his hands now gripping her waist like that.

"Don’t you think I deserve more than that?" Zeran’s arms tightened around her.

His eyes were laced with hunger, intense and pleading.

And with the bulge pressing against her thigh, Lethia smirked.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Here?" she teased.

A sinful smile tugged the corner of his lips. "What are you thinking of?"

His question both pissed Lethia off and turned her on at the same damn time.

"You know what I’m thinking of."

Zeran, with that annoying smugness of his, shook his head. "Not really. But your body’s easy to read."

"Is that a challenge? Are you sure?"

"If you’re not sure, you can back off."

"You’ll regret it."

"Here? Really?" Zeran’s teasing voice only made Lethia pant harder, her desire now burning hot beneath her skin.

Lethia pulled him closer, their faces just an inch apart.

"Zeran, I’m done with your bullshit. You... are on my mercy now."

And with one swift pull, she kissed him hard.

Deep.

Unapologetic.