At All Costs
Finally, it's the day for Odir to go to Cankyoto and he couldn't be more anxious. Odir and Ian are sitting on the executive seats, and behind them, there are two more bodyguards to keep all of them guarded and watched. Ian sees Odir holding his hands together and fidgeting, his legs getting more unquiet as the hours pass.
"Are you OK?" Ian asks Odir.
"Just preparing myself. She will be at work and I won't be capable of hugging and kissing her… I miss her." Odir sighs trying to focus on knowing they will be together soon.
"I see… You can do this." Ian says and watches his brother a bit more. "I was reading about fated mates and what fated Queens mean to our people. We also feel care for her as she could be our mother. I must admit I'm also a bit nervous to meet her personally because of that."
"You will love her." Odir confirms, smiling at Ian.
When the airplane finally lands at Cankyoto Airport, they wait for everyone to disembark to take their items of luggage in the bins. It's better for the bodyguards to have better control of their surroundings when there are fewer people.
Walking out of the airplane, they see Glenn coming down carrying documents and when they reach the gate Odir's heart is already beating strongly on his throat.
"She said she would be here." Odir says softly, looking around and only seeing another agent making a speech to start organizing the lines.
Then they see Aika coming from the finger with Glenn, both wearing yellow jackets and specific boots to walk around the plane on the land road. Odir, Ian and the bodyguards walk to the side of the lounge to watch, next to the balcony of the speaker and next to the glass to watch Aika tracking the passengers with Glenn and the other agent kept with the speeches.
Ian and the bodyguards are watching their Queen with poker faces, but they are amazed from the inside. She and Glenn work fast together, when they finish the line, Aika calls the other agent to teach him to check the missing passengers and to inform Glenn on the radio.
She watches him closely, then teaches him to print the load sheet to take it to Glenn. That's when she finally turns to Odir, she smiles at him and his heart sings.
She's finally going in his direction, he feels like he could just run to her and kiss her in front of everyone, but then she spots many hand luggage gathered next to the balcony of the speaker.
"Sh*t…" She says, pulling her radio to her lips and changing the station channel. "Sidney, do you copy?" She asks.
"Yeah. Roger." A voice of a man answers.
"Did you close everything?" She asks, lowering her body down trying to see around the plane and check if all cargo doors are closed.
"Only one remaining, the front one. We only have five minutes." He answers.
"Hold it!" She says.
She puts her radio on the balcony speaker and runs, and fast.
She puts three backpacks on her shoulders and grabs all the others. Odir and the others watch her pulling at least five hand luggage with wheels at the same time. They're shocked and paralyzed, then see Sidney running to the access staircase on the side of the finger.
Aika and Sidney run to the cargo door and put the remaining luggage there as fast as they can. When Sidney closes the cargo door she is walking away from the airplane and stays in the safety area holding her knees taking her breath back. Watching her exhausted made Odir and the others feel guilty for not helping her.
They hear running steps, it was Glenn and the other agent.
"Aika, do you copy?" Glenn asks on the radio, looking afraid that something bad happened. She doesn't answer.
"She's down there." Odir says, pointing in Aika's direction.
That's when Glenn and the other agent realized he was there.
"Mister Odir?" Glenn is shocked.
He looks down and relaxes a bit when he sees Aika there. He changes the station channel of the radio.
"Aika?" He calls her.
She looks up and the airplane pushes back. Aika cheers happily with Sidney.
"Did you take all the luggage, Aika?" Glenn asks.
Aika takes Sidney's radio to answer.
"Yeah. My shoulders are killing me."
"Oh man… You could bring everything at once?"
"Time runs against me. Was always like that and will always be." She sings, making Glenn and the other agent laugh out loud.
"Sorry. And thanks. I own you one."
"Two. I have two shoulders." She says, and he giggles.
"Sure. The next break for snacks is on me."
"For me too? I held the doors open." Sidney takes the radio and asks.
"Only a coffee for you. Nah. I'm joking, dude. I'll call you next break." Glenn tells.
Aika talks a bit more to Sidney, then Glenn looks to the other agent.
"Aika is officially a super for a little time, but she's one of the best and is a good person. Glue on her so you learn a lot, newbie." He tells the new agent, who nods in agreement.
Glenn faces Odir again, who's still looking down at where Aika is.
"Excuse me, mister Odir. Welcome to Cankyoto. Can I help you with something?"
"No, thank you. We will wait for Aika." Odir answers, with a polite smile.
Glenn nods and walks away to start working on the post-flight. Anyone with a high patent normally walks only with other higher patents like managers or supervisors, so he doesn't question anything and imagines that's why he's waiting for Aika.
Aika comes back and sits down on a chair to change her boots to the usual high heels. Odir anxiously watches her talking to her team. She didn't make Glenn feel guilty and just told him to be more careful next time. She lets them finish the post-flight chores to finally walk back to Odir...
Every step closer Odir feels his world coming back in place. Ian and the others had to hold their breath feeling her presence.
"Hey… I promised to hold myself, but it's hard." He says, desiring so much to just hug and kiss her, even more in front of Glenn when he noticed the way Glenn looks at her, a way that doesn't show only admiration.
"I know. It's super hard." She agrees, chuckling.
"This is my brother, Ian." Odir points at Ian.
Aika and Ian shake hands, and he felt the pressure even more like his body was a magnet wanting to be near her. He's naturally drawn to her and he wishes her protection above anything, her acknowledgment, it's a feeling of wanting to always make her happy.
"Odir said he had a badass girlfriend. Now I know it's true." Ian tells her, after clearing his throat a bit. She softly giggles.
"These are some accessors. Frederick and Paul." Odir points to the bodyguards.
She shakes hands with them too and they feel the same as Ian. She really is their Queen. They can see she's nothing like elven women, who rarely touch others like that, especially lower-rank elves. They start walking away together in the direction of the checkout office, outside the boarding lounge.
"How much longer for you to leave?" Odir asks Aika, tightening his grip on his hand luggage so he can hold himself.
"After finishing the reports I can leave. 30 to 40 minutes, I guess."
"All that?" He mumbles, but then he calms down when he sees her tender smile." Well, what's 30 minutes more?" He can't contain his happiness to see her smile for real.
"I'll quicken the pace."
"All right. We will wait for you at Starducks. Do you want some coffee?"
"Please." She nods.
She goes to the checkout office and Odir, Ian, and the bodyguards walk to a Starducks table.
"Oh my Gods. She's incredible! She really is your fated mate!" Ian says excitedly but in a low voice, feeling overwhelmed.
"Did you feel it?" Odir asks.
"Yes! I could carry her so she doesn't need to walk." Ian answers, and the bodyguards agree after him.
"Get your feelings and triple it, but in a lover's way. You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss her and show everyone she's mine. I was trembling and I looked like an idiot." Odir sighs, holding his head.
"I felt horrible watching her working like that. Does she need a doctor? She said her shoulders were sore." Ian asks, worried.
"I don't know... I'll ask her when she comes. If I go there now and everyone sees me, they will not let us go soon." Odir answers, but looking to the checkout office where she is." If I could choose I would make her my director of airports or something away from operation. She said she even got slapped by a passenger once."
They gasp, astonished to hear that.
"It's very risky for her to work in such a neutral zone where all kinds of people walk freely." Paul softly says.
"That's why, of all bodyguards, your work must be done perfectly. She still doesn't know about our world and we must protect her. This feeling of protection will only grow even more when Odir marks her permanently. She's our Queen and we can't let anything happen." Ian affirms, and the bodyguards nod feeling even more honored.
Their Queen must be protected at all costs.