“You’re bleeding,” she said, trying to stem the flow again.
He nodded, shut his eyes, and stilled. The atmosphere changed, and tingles bit through the oxygen. The hole in his arm slowly closed.
Man, she’d never seen anybody that fast at healing themselves. “That’s amazing,” she murmured.
He turned and pinned her with flashing green eyes. “I told you to buckle up.”
She blinked, her hands already in motion to obey. Though she didn’t like the tone, meaning she really didn’t like the tone, she’d deal with him when they were safe. The buckle clicked into place. “What is this thing, anyway? It looks like some sort of hybrid.”
“I call her Stella.” He handed over a helmet and shoved one over his head, waiting until she’d done the same so he could talk through a microphone. “The humans have created a few designs close to this, but they don’t have the power or maneuverability we do. Not yet anyway.” He flicked a bunch of buttons, and the machine began to vibrate under her legs.
His voice in her ear caressed down her body, and she shifted in the seat, her heart rate picking up. She tried to focus on the concrete wall in front of her. “When we rise up, will they be able to shoot at us?” she asked.
“Aye. Depending on the type of firepower they have on the boat, they might hit us.” He clicked more levers above his head, and the copter began to shake in earnest. “I haven’t flown her in too long. This might get bumpy.”
She swallowed, feeling a little hemmed in by the helmet. “Stella is your design?”
“Mine and my brother Adam’s. He’s the genius in the family.”
Ah. She’d heard of Adam Dunne, and he was known to be brilliant. Smart and ruthless, just like his brothers. Demons and witches rarely mixed, so she’d only heard rumors. The dossiers she had on the family just listed facts. “I hadn’t realized you’d be so kind,” she said softly.
He turned toward her, his hands still moving levers and flipping buttons. Green eyes, dark and true, lasered through his face shield. “I’ve used up my well of kindness with you.”
“When?”
“When you kept to yourself the fact that you were having explosives planted on the island, putting us both in danger of an earthquake.” He turned and pulled back on the throttle. “Hold on.”
They lifted high and fast, leaving her stomach down on the ground. Wow. The Dunne boys sure had tweaked the machine.
She held her breath.
The wind batted at them, and Daire swore in her ear, his muscles bunching as he jerked the controls. Something pinged loudly against the side of the craft.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered, turning sharply away from the shore. “They’ve got enough weaponry.”
Cee Cee said a quick prayer, her muscles so tense, her body felt a millennia old.
More bullets hit the craft, and they rocked. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.
They flew low, moving up quickly over mountain peaks. The smoldering mine lit the ground below them, and gaping holes revealed burning levels all the way into the mountain. Man, she’d really demolished the mine.
A shrieking alarm pierced the craft. Several lights flashed on the dash in rapid succession.
“We’re out of firing range,” Daire said, his arms visibly shaking. “Come on, Stella. Stay true, sweetheart.”
The soft crooning in his deep voice created a yearning in Cee Cee’s abdomen. In his tone she heard a sweetness she neither deserved nor would ever have. “How damaged is she?”
Daire shook his head. “She’s not good, and we’re losing fuel.”
Cee Cee craned her neck as the destroyed mine faded from sight when they flew out over open waters. The ocean threw up whitecaps and churned a deep black. She shivered.
Daire growled and wrenched on the controls. “The craft has been damaged too much. We won’t make it to Greenland.”
“What about Russia?” she breathed.