Mine to Claim

Chapter 19

"It was a smooth landing!" exclaims Alcina while getting out of her seat and walking towards the woman, Gerri, who is the pilot. The woman blushes at Alcina's comment and then nods her head in acknowledgement.

"Come on, everyone. There are two SUVs waiting outside. Cayden and Fenris, you can move out and help with the luggage. I will stay back," says Dominic. Fenris nods and then gets up from beside me. He looks at me once and then smiles.

"You did good, Nikita. I am proud of you," he says, smiling down at me and I remember how I had squeezed his hand when I saw the ground becoming smaller and smaller in size. It was a totally exhilarating moment to see the clouds floating beside me.

I had seen both Fenris and Dominic smiling at me when I turned back towards Fenris; after observing the clouds to my heart's content. Dominic has been a constant presence in my mind, a calm presence, making sure that I don't panic.

I don't know why his mental presence calms me more than my brother's physical presence.

However, I don't let my mind dwell on those thoughts.

"Come on," whispers Sierra and I blink to look at her as she leans over to shake my shoulder. I nod at her and then unlock my seat belt, shaking my legs a bit before standing up. My legs feel like jelly and I almost collapse but then Mila steadies me from beside Sierra and I smile at her.

She chuckles and turns back to look at Christine who's holding onto Mila's shoulder, supporting her.

"My legs feel like jelly too," Mila whispers while chuckling.

A chuckle is heard and I belatedly realize that it's me who's chuckling. Sierra stares at me in wonder and then beams at me, reaching out to me with one hand while the other is holding onto a sleeping Selene.

"You are very brave, sestra," she whispers and then leans forward to rub her cheek against mine in an affectionate gesture.

"It's your confidence, Sierra," I whisper back and let her pull me out into the aisle and then I follow her. Mila and Christine walk out first. Alcina is nowhere to be seen and I breathe in a sigh of relief.

I do not know why but she feels a little different. She feels off. As if she's hiding something. It makes me nervous about her presence.

"How was your experience?" asks Dominic breaking my chain of thoughts. I blink and look up at him, only to realize that Sierra has waked out and I am standing alone inside the jet with Dominic in front of me.

Does that scare me? Surprisingly Dominic doesn't scare me.

"It was good. A very pleasant memory. Thank you," I whisper and smile up at him, feeling grateful for the experience. I was really excited and it turned out to be much better than I had anticipated.

"The pleasure is all mine, moya Zvezda," he whispers while bending down to drop a kiss on my head. A shiver threatens to run down my spine but I squish the urge.

This intimacy that's developing between us, it's causing havoc of emotions inside me. I am afraid but not of Dominic, I am more afraid of this unknown emotion.

He frames my cheek with one hand and then squeezes my neck once with the other, before dropping another kiss on my cheek and then lifting his chin towards the door. I blink from the pleasurable tingles that are running through my body and then let him steer me towards the door.

The moment I step out of the door and onto the staircase to climb down from the jet, I sense something. It's tiny but it's there.

It's a call.