Whenever-kobo by Emily Evans Read Free Book Online

“She’s going with us.” He bent and scooped me up over his shoulder. My breath whooshed out and my arms flapped down, flat on Callum’s back. The muscles moved under my palms as he climbed the jolting steps toward the plane.
    Lisette boarded the plane behind us, obviously deciding she didn’t want to stay behind by herself. A crewman closed the main door.
    “Callum. Put me down.”
    “It’s Prince Callum,” Sean said, from a leather recliner.
    “When he’s got me upside down, it’s just Callum.”
    Callum lowered me to the carpet and let go.
    I breathed in, expanding my ribcage and abdomen like we did in choir so I’d have ample oxygen to yell.
    “You’re welcome,” he said.
    Are you kidding me? I shoved my hair out of my face and stared at him. I didn’t know what his expression meant, but the power and intensity froze me for a moment, locking me to him somehow. He took a step toward me, but then the pilot’s voice came through the intercom, stopping him.
    “Aircraft secure. Take your seats.” The engine came on, underlying his words.
    Callum turned away, and he opened and straightened his fingers.
    Flashing back to the helicopter ride, and not wanting to be flung around again, I scrambled for a chair, going for speed; as if the music had stopped and a chocolate cake was at stake. I sank into the cream leather and snapped my seatbelt.
    This was no over-crowded passenger liner from the movies. There were no middle seats, and the cream leather and carpeting smelled new. Austin dropped down near Sean, who was twisting his hands over and over on his lap. Austin ignored him and began screwing with the gadgets in the armrest.
    Lisette grabbed a seat with similar speed and clicked on her belt. Secured, she rubbed her forehead, her brown eyes worried. “I left my bag on the stage. Do you think someone will get it?” She glanced at the window. The guards fanned away from the plane, which had taken on a slow rolling motion. She grabbed up her mass of blonde hair and twisted the curls into a knot at the back of her head. “Where are we going?”
    No one answered her. We had no clue.
    The guard checked the latches on the cupboards and moved toward the front. “We’ll arrange secure transport back to your families as soon as we land. If one of you were hurt, it would do unimaginable damage to the reputation of the royals.”
    Callum kicked at my foot. He mouthed, “Unimaginable damage.”
    I kicked back.
    Austin adjusted his big body and looked out the window. “Is there a meal on this flight? Where are we landing? Bush? Hobby?”
    The guard’s eyes brightened for a moment. “We can arrange food, but we’re not touching down again until we reach Irish soil.”
    The only time I’d heard the words Irish and soil in the same sentence was on one of the pieces of trivia I’d studied on the potato famine, though modern Ireland had its own share of news. They hadn’t even known who their royal family was until my parents’ generation. They’d tested the DNA of aristocrats against kings buried in ancient crypts and discovered that the wealthy Cétchathach family was descended from the high kings. So with their DNA, they proved they owned the throne. With today’s escapades, the royal family would be making worldwide news again.
    A frown wrinkled Lisette’s forehead. “I don’t have my passport with me.”
    “Passport or not, you can’t take us out of the country,” Austin said. “We’re seventeen. Minors.”
    “It’s for your safety,” the guard said. “Your families can courier your passports.”
    “I don’t even own a passport,” I said.
    Callum waved a hand. “My family has the resources to arrange anything you need.”
    “I need to call my parents.” I fought the urge to yell at him for making me get on the plane. I didn’t tend to hold back, but shock had given me new restraint.
    The guard adjusted the blinds. “Once we reach cruising altitude over international air space, we’ll