Alexei and I aren't permitted any time to pack clothing. The man who is retrieving us tells us that it isn't necessary. Luckily, he gives us time to get dressed. He grabs Rory from Elijah who helped carry him down though Alexei is strong enough to. Walking to the car, the man gives us enough privacy to address Elijah.

"I guess you're in charge, big guy." The nickname sounds odd since I've never used it before, but I ignore that. Instead, I throw my arms around the burly man before me. "Thank you, Elijah, for everything. You've been nothing but helpful and kind throughout everything that has happened. If anything happens to me—"

"Aye," Elijah interrupts, patting my back. "Nothing will happen to you. They just want to talk, you're going to be fine."

I sigh, letting him reassure me. "If you see Liam again, tell him that he shouldn't have snuck away so quickly. I think he should join the pack and I'd love to bring it up with him one day. Oh! And please tell the pack I love them."

"Quit saying goodbye, goddess." He turns his gaze to Alexei and raises an eyebrow. She's always quiet when I speak to anyone from the pack. That's something we need to talk about soon.

She grabs my arm and drags me into her side. "Let's go, Sophia-Grace, before they get upset with us for our tardiness."

With a final wave to Elijah, I turn and walk away. We get into the car, Alexei in the front seat with the man and me in the back with Rory. I'm quick to lay his head into my lap and run my fingers through his hair. Hopefully, they'll have the answers we need.

***

The airport comes into view and the man drives through the correct paths. He parks right outside of the doors, turning the car off and getting out. He opens Alexei's door first, then mine. Rory's weight is pulled off of me as the man grabs him. Still, I don't know his name so I can't even thank him.

"Why are we at the airport?" I ask, looking around. Despite the nighttime status, it's bustling with people who rush in and out of the doors.

"The Elders live elsewhere," he answers, turning and walking away. I grab Alexei's hand and we follow after him.

"Where?" Alexei looks around, her question hanging in the air.

With no answer to sate her, Alexei glares ahead. It would be comical if this was a different situation, but unfortunately, it's not. Squeezing her hand, I push myself into her side, causing her walk to shift a bit. She sighs and wraps her arm around my shoulder, letting my hand go. This will be my second time on an airplane and I can't even enjoy it.

We walk for a bit before passing through the security check. It's a slow process that leaves me wondering why the TSA loves their jobs so much. There are more than a few arguments that break out, so maybe they don't love it as much as I think.

Once that's finished, we walk to our designated gate. There's not many people who are waiting, at least not as much as last time. It's easy to find seats, so we all settle down, creating a chorus of sighs. I look at the man accompanying us and take in his gray hair and shaved face. Wrinkles fold his skin and his shoulders are hunched. It makes me wonder just how old he is and how long he's been working for the esteemed elders.

He digs into his pockets before pulling out two little black booklets. The books sit in his reached out hand. Taking them, I stare down in confusion before flipping them open. They're passports and one holds a picture of me while the other has a picture of Rory.

"Where are we going? Alexei doesn't have a passport." I shut the books and look at my mate. She doesn't look worried, contrary to that, she looks calm. Her posture is relaxed and a blank look sits on her face. "Alexei, you don't have a passport."

She reaches over and grabs my hand. "Stop worrying, things will be fine."

Groaning, I shake my head and look away. A woman stands at a podium type desk where a computer sits. She picks up the intercom and speaks into it. "Boarding flight 15-C to Rome, Italy. Flight 15-C to Rome, Italy is now boarding. Thank you."

My mouth drops open once the intercom clicks off. We're going to Italy, one of the most beautiful places on the entire planet. Snapping me from my daze, the man stands to his feet. He reaches into his pocket again, this time pulling out three tickets. Handing them over, he waits patiently for us to grab them.

"Someone will be there to retrieve you," he tells us when I grab the tickets. "Have a safe trip." Then he's walking away without another word.

I have a feeling we'll never see him again. Turning towards Alexei, I see she already has a hold on Rory. The tickets clutched firmly in my hand, I turn and file in line, my mates close to me. The line doesn't take long and we reach the hostess quickly. I hand over me and Rory's passports and then all three tickets.

"Oh, ma'am," the woman calls, stopping Alexei. "I'll need to see a passport."

"You just saw it," Alexei says, turning to walk again.

"Listen, I'll really need to see—"

"You already saw it." Alexei turns and drills the woman with her eyes. The lady's blue eyes grow wide and she stills. Ever so slightly, she cocks her head to the side before nodding. "Good." Alexei nods in approval then turns to me.

I didn't know she could compel people, but I guess I learn something new everyday.

We board the plane and find our seats quickly. This one is smaller than the last we were in, but it's the same company. The blue of the seats are still the same as is the grayish white color of the cabin. People make loud noises as they shove their carry-ons into the overhead compartments. When everyone is settled, we all wait for the take-off time.

"You should get some sleep," Alexei whispers in my ear, leaning over. I sit by the window while she's on the outside and Rory is in the middle. "This is an eleven hour flight."

"Eleven hours?" I gape at her, raising my eyebrows in disbelief. A groan leans me and I huff. "That's too long."

"But worth it," she tells me, smiling. "Italy is a beautiful place."

I turn away from her and glance out the window. "Yeah, and too bad we can't even enjoy it properly. We're going to be having a talk with a bunch of scary people who might send us to our deaths!"

"Sophia-Grace." She rolls her eyes which I catch as I turn to look at her. "You need to calm down, everything will be fine." Reaching a hand out, she presses it to my cheek.

I guess she's right. I need to calm down and be level-headed for Rory.