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The mystery woman in Chaz Xanadu’s dream again connected. As he slept deep inside The Cave of The Ancient Rippers—this time, instead of beckoning him with a sensual finger pointing to an image he could not grasp, he watched as she danced a sexy salsa with someone he couldn’t
see.
He watched, floating above her as she made love to a stranger within whom he sensed nothing but darkness. He wasn’t the same person Chaz had dreamed she danced with, but he could not see either man. Both of them were clouded. His dream flipped characters in an instant with her crawling on the bed toward him, the other man had disappeared. Her long legs invited him in. She made sweet, sexy love to him, and at the dream’s end, they were dancing the salsa.
His eyes jerked open, his manhood throbbed with want for her. She now visited his dreams with frequency. He longed for her. He didn’t understand yet why or how, but he knew their destinies were connected.
“It is time for you to travel to the Earth Realm. It is there you will find your first assignment,” Rakawah Fee, a master trainer of the ancients told Chaz Xanadu. “You have trained well and earned your place among us. “You asked how you would know what to do once you travelled to the Earth Realm. Follow your heart. It will lead you to your mission.”
Chaz packed his belongings and bid Rakawah farewell. While making his way out the deep woods in Magic, he kept seeing visions of the dark haired beauty. He hiked his way to Albuquerque, and caught a plane to Chicago.
****
Fawna floated on a cloud and into O’Hare Airport to meet Brock. It seemed like just yesterday her love life had crashed in flames around her. She doubted she’d ever let herself fall in love again. Poof! A book appeared beside her—Alexandru’s Kiss, by S.E. Smith. She tucked it into her purse. She knew it meant she’d be getting in a lot of kissing and romantic reading on this rendezvous.
Over the past few months, things had taken a turn for the better and restored her faith in happily-ever-after. Brock was the key. He’d turned her life around. She was in love again. He was so protective of her—sometimes she thought he was almost over-protective. He wanted her exclusively to himself. Sometimes, he even seemed jealous of the time she spent with Nell, her sister and best-friend. Fawna shrugged off her instincts.
This time, it was with the right man. She was sure of it. He had to be the right one. He was the one she reasoned, who loved her as much as she loved him. He’d told her so often he wanted her with him always—forever and ever, she had no choice but to believe him. He wined her. He dined her. He romanced her and made her self-esteem shoot through the rooftops again. He and he alone restored her faith in her femininity.
They’d spent many weekends flying to far away places, discovering new adventures. Her ex-husband, Stephen, had once said far away places only offered exotic ways to suffer. As a man who traveled the world on business overload as president of an international company, Stephen hated flying. Not Brock. He loved flying as much as Fawna. They were born to soar.
She waved when she saw Brock at the gate waiting for her. They embraced. She felt so safe in his arms. “I have our tickets to Paris, my love.”
Chills raced up her spine. He’d even made special arrangements for them to stay in the Shangri-La Hotel in a suite facing the Eiffel Tower.
“Oooooh la, la,” she said sexily to him as they nuzzled close. “I can’t believe you pulled this off. Surprising me like this!”
With the help of Fawna’s sister, Nell, Brock had made sure with Anna—her office assistant—Fawna’s work schedule was clear. He sprung the surprise on her by showing up at her office dressed in black pants and a striped white and black shirt with suspenders and a black beret atop his head—clutching a red rose in his mouth—dressed like a French mime. He’d mimed the surprise to her. She was bathing in romantic delight.
Once they checked their bags, they walked hand in hand toward the boarding gate of the huge jet headed to the most romantic city in the world. Neither of them noticed the tall man who’d walked by them, sniffed, then turned around and began following. Once he watched them take their seats in the waiting area and used his super sonic vision to view their tickets, he went up to the reservation desk and purchased a ticket two rows behind the couple on the opposite side of the airbus.
****
Fawna couldn’t quite wrap her head around how her stint in hell—her divorce—had led to this. A new life zipping around the world with the man of her dreams. The one who’d taught her how to fly. And now they were here, in first class together.
The flight attendant showed them to their seats, he’d gotten them tickets in the first seats on the plane. “Impressive, she told him.”
“We, we, madame,” he said in a French accent. I have connections.”
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek and sat while he put their carry-ons in the overhead bin. She slipped her purse under her seat.
She recognized the voice on the jet’s PA system—it was her friend, Captain Chavez. She thought back to how fun it was when he let her ride in the cockpit so she could see the city lights of Chicago that night before her world fell apart. “It’s my friend, Robert Chavez,” she told Brock. “I’d love to say hi and let him know I’m a licensed pilot now. He encouraged me to go for my dreams. I’d like to thank him.” Brock called over the flight attendant and he told them he would let Captain Chavez know they wanted to say hi.
Once Captain Chavez announced the passengers could remove their seat belts and safely move about the aircraft, Fawna excused herself to freshen up and get a drink of water.
The first class bathroom was occupied. She waited. When the man came out of the small bathroom, Fawna was struck at how handsome he was. He was tall, lean, unconsciously good looking, with an arrogant swagger. His flowing hair was sumptuous. He nodded and held the door for her. His sexy cologne lingered in the room. A rustic woodsy scent that spelled all man.
Chaz Xanadu sat about two rows back from Fawna and Brock. He went to the bathroom because he wanted to get a better feel for the darkness he felt when they’d walked past him in the airport. The beast inside him growled with want for the woman. He sniffed. She was the one who haunted his dreams. He felt compelled to follow them.
He’d just landed from Albuquerque and was getting ready to make plans to stay in Chicago awaiting the signs Rakawah Fee said would come to him on instinct, but as soon as they walked by him—his intuition told him to follow her. She’s walking arm and arm with death and she has no idea. He didn’t know what Brock had in store for the woman the beast inside him hungered for, but he knew she was the mission that Rakawah had sent him to Chicago to meet. It was time and all he could do was wait.
****
His wait was not long. Soon after the woman came back and sat next to the man, he heard her tell the man, “just like me to be so excited, I forgot to take my purse in the bathroom with me. Oh well, I’ll freshen up later.” Soon after, the flight attendant invited them to the cockpit. He tuned into his shifter powers to listen.
“Hello, Captain Chavez, remember me? I’m Fawna Zanobia. You did a huge favor for me when I chartered a plane in Chicago a couple of years back.”
“Oh, yes, I remember. How are you, Fawna?”
“I’m fine. I wanted to pop in and say hi and introduce you to my friend, Brock Adams.”
“Hello, and welcome aboard.”
“Thanks,” Brock said and held out his hand. Captain Chavez shook it then introduced them to the co-pilot.
Fawna told them about getting her pilot license and Brock training her. They all made small talk before the co-pilot excused himself. “I need to stretch my legs a minute. I’m on a double-shift. I’ve been sitting for hours.”
Once he left the cockpit and closed the door behind him, Chaz heard a commotion. No more talk. His Ripper radar went up. Something was happening. He heard dead silence.
Sssssssssssssssssssst! The spray of pepper streamed into Robert Chavez’s face from a small can encased in a black pouch. Captain Chavez clutched his eyes and cried out in agony. Brock hit him with his fist, knocking the pilot out.
“Brock! What are you...” Fawna grabbed out at him on instinct. He pushed her down into the co-pilot chair, then turned and locked the Kevlar-enforced cabin door. The third member of the crew, the flight planner was already outside of the cockpit talking to one of the flight attendants out of view of the cabin so he didn’t even notice the commotion. Only Chaz knew what danger the flight was in. He moved slowly toward the cabin, not wanting to panic the unaware passengers.
Fawna was thunderstruck. She watched as Brock pushed the disabled pilot out of his seat and sat. He took control of the plane.
“How did you get that on the plane?” She asked, staring at the small pepper spray pouch that looked more like an unassuming keychain.
“I hid it in your purse. Most checkpoints never really inspect a woman’s handbag thoroughly. Especially when it’s someone they already know.” Fawna remembered she’d left it under her seat when she went to the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
“I told you—I want you to be with me forever. I’ve been waiting for the right moment. We’re going out in a blaze of glory. Everyone will remember this day!” He grabbed hold of the wheel and began changing the coordinates. He looked over at Fawna with a wild look in his eyes. He meant for them to crash into the ocean. Her heart stopped as she looked over at this stranger. He was about to kill her and everyone else on board!
