Page 32 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

The would-be assassin who had almost taken my life.

This bewildered me further.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the airfield. Cordelia’s head rested against my shoulder, breathing slow and steady. I inhaled the soft scent of her hair, a faint and ephemeral smell… like cherry blossoms after rain.

Perseus slid down the privacy screen. ‘Any requests, Majesty?’

‘Get food organised for everyone. Tell the flight attendants we eat after take-off.’ He nodded, slipped from the car, and he and Ajax moved to unload the boot.

‘Cordelia, we’re here.’ I stroked her hair, gently, and she stirred, letting out a soft moan. Her beautiful blue eyes opened and locked on mine—they were ocean-strong, swimming with warm sunlit currents.

‘Let’s go and get your sister.’ She gave me a sleepy smile and unbuckled her seatbelt.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

That warmth in my chest returned, burning deeper this time. My heart clenched—tight and unfamiliar. Affection? Ridiculous.

I shoved the thought aside and stepped out of the car, then we boarded the plane.

CHAPTER 12

CORDELIA

Ahuge, streamlined jet sat gleaming on the runway—white as a polished pearl, with a deep-blue undercarriage that glinted beneath the lights.

‘Crikey, that’s big.’ I muttered, squinting up at it.

A wicked smile curled on Si’s lips. ‘You like big things.’ I felt a blush spread like a fever from the tips of my toes to my face. Dickface! He’d made me blush. I never blushed! Annoyingly, he wasn’t wrong… especially about that gorgeous⁠—

Stop! my inner asshole berated me. She was right, though—no thinking about cocks.

‘Come.’ He placed a warm hand on my lower back and gently guided me up the steps.

The interior was ridiculous—in the best kind of way. Like a flying mansion. It was every bit as plush as the other jet, but much larger. The magnolia leather seats were arranged in intimate seating clusters, and the dark grey floor covering muffled our footsteps as we made our way inside.

Towards the rear, I caught sight of a bedroom through a pair of open doors. Following Si, my eyes were drawn to his stature; his presence—his deliciously muscular body that showed off his tailored trousers and jacket to perfection. He looked as if he’d just walked out of GQ magazine.

‘There’s a bedroom and full-sized bathroom,’ Si said, gesturing towards the back. ‘Perseus has stored your luggage in there. You can sleep later, and freshen up if you’d like; it’s a long flight.’

He led me to a lavish sofa, which sat opposite two massive recliners with a sleek table between them. Perseus and Ajax remained towards the front, sitting across from each other.

‘Welcome, Mr Thalassa,’ a beautiful flight attendant said as she smiled at Si. ‘Would you like Champagne?’

‘We would,’ Si replied smoothly, barely glancing at her before returning his attention to me.

‘Thank you,’ I said politely, then shot Si a side glare. He didn’t notice—or more likely, ignored it. He simply shrugged off his jacket and handed it to the attendant. Then he rolled up his shirt sleeves.

Sweet. Merciful. Gods.

Those forearms were pure sin. Tanned skin stretched over taut muscle, and his ink—dark, curling lines of it—peeked out just enough to make my mouth go dry. I pulled my greedy eyes away from him.

I couldn’t get involved with a primal, possessive, and extremely arrogant god. Even if he did have the most beautiful cock I’d ever seen. Nope. Not happening.

My bitchy inner voice let out a smug snort. And you can pipe down, too, I snapped at the little fucker.

As we took our seats, I twisted and contorted like a gold-medal gymnast in a game of emotional Twister—carefully avoiding any contact with him. I claimed one of the recliner chairs instead of the sofa, distancing myself with as much subtlety as I could muster.

After take-off, another flight attendant arrived with the champagne and appetisers. I grabbed a few and surreptitiously stuffed my mouth, trying not to moan aloud at how delicious they were—they were as tasty as one would expect from a fine dining restaurant. I thanked her for the champagne and took a long sip, grabbing a few more appetisers.