He didn’t respond or look at me as he busied himself tucking his wallet into his back pocket. His anxious, stiff demeanor gave him an angry-looking edge, which would hopefully work in his favor in front of Pharzuph.
Kaidan’s gaze suddenly shot up, above my head, and I spun. Two gaunt, hideous whisperers had flown in. When they saw how close they were to me, they both hissed and moved toward Kai. A look of annoyed disgust crossed his face at their nearness.
“We’re leaving now. I don’t need any damned escorts.”
Orders are orders, one of the spirits gurgled to us telepathically, giving me a suspicious glare.
Kaidan grumbled loudly and stuffed my book bag inside of his duffel bag along with a few travel things of his own. Then he grasped my upper arm and pulled me from the room. I knew I needed to play it up in front of the whisperers. I tried to shrug away from Kai.
“Let me go,” I said.
He yanked me closer and pushed me forward in front of him. The two spirits circled us, watching me warily and seeming to enjoy the fact that I was cuffed and subdued by someone they believed was on their side.
“Seriously. Where are you taking me?”
“Shut it,” Kai said. “Don’t make me gag you.”
I made a show of struggling now and then, glaring at Kaidan, who never looked at me.
The whisperers stayed with us until the doors were sealed shut on Pharzuph’s personal jet, which was smaller than Blake’s, but still over-the-top luxurious. The leather furniture was crimson colored, offset by amber-shaded wood paneling and tables. Two oversized chairs faced the front of the plane, and in the back was a horseshoe-shaped couch with a table in the middle. Pharzuph sat on the couch with his arms spread wide and his feet up on the table. He was dressed similarly to Kaidan, but he wore tan slacks and a white dress shirt, also unbuttoned at the top. He seemed older today in this setting and in that outfit—maybe a year or two older than Kai—not like the young college guy I’d first encountered.
Pharzuph’s eyes flashed bright red when he saw me. He stood, never taking those freaky eyes off me.
“I had to leave the cuffs in the car,” Kaidan explained. He obviously couldn’t escort a handcuffed girl through the airport without getting questioned.
“That won’t do,” Pharzuph said coolly. He lifted a panel in the table and pulled out a thin rope, coming forward. “Hold her arms while I pat her down.”
I hoped Pharzuph couldn’t sense Kaidan’s slight hesitation.
“I took care of that . . . Father.” Yeah, it must’ve been weird for him to call this kid “Father.”
“I said, hold her arms.”
“I don’t have anything—,” I began, but Pharzuph cut me off in a low, deadly voice.
“Do not speak again. And don’t you dare make a move.”
Kai came up behind me and took my forearms in his hands while Pharzuph frisked me, touching me everywhere, though thank God it was only through my clothes. Kaidan’s grip got harder and harder as his father touched me. I prayed he could hold himself together as I gritted my teeth and averted my eyes from Pharzuph’s hate-filled eyes. Finally he stepped back, wiping his hands down his sides as if I were grotesque.
“Tie her up,” he ordered.
Kaidan pointed to the closest seat and told me to sit.
With a slight huff I sank into the leather. Pharzuph leaned over the back of my chair, nuzzling his mouth against my hair. I could feel his hot breath, and it took all my willpower not to pull away.
“I know who you are,” he whispered, his voice deceptively sweet. “And I know what you’re up to. But it won’t work. You’ll never win.”
I tried to keep my voice steady as I lied. “I have no idea what you’re talking about or what’s going on. Why are you doing this?”
Pharzuph chuckled. “We’ll see.” To Kaidan he said again, “Tie her up.”
As Kai knelt in front of me, I saw movement behind him in the front of the cabin. A beautiful woman in a flight attendant uniform came out of the galley with a glass of champagne in her hand. My eyes locked on the bubbling drink.
Champagne would be really great right about now. I took a deep breath to settle the grabby-handed longing inside me.
The woman stopped, seeming surprised at the sight of Kaidan preparing to tie me up, and her aura went from happy to nervous. Pharzuph chuckled from his seat behind us.
“Don’t worry about them,” he told her. “They’re just having fun.” He shot me a warning look.
The woman regarded me questioningly.
I gave her a little smile and held out my wrists to Kaidan. He began to tie them, never letting his eyes veer up to my face.
The flight attendant’s nervousness lightened as she passed us to deliver Pharzuph’s drink. She returned to the galley to finish her preflight prep. When Kaidan was done, Pharzuph sauntered up and tossed back the last of his drink. He ran his eyes over me like I was a pest about to be exterminated.