And Then There Were Four
Chapter 48

Taking my seat on the plane, I watched as Damian got himself situated. The swivel of the seats moved as he took his place across from me and continued barking out orders. "Hey, make sure that Jose meets us at the airport when we land. I need to speak with him about something else." Damian tells his Gamma, who nods and quickly exits. "Whose that?" I asked with curiosity as his gaze turned to mine and the airplane door closed.

"Who, Jose?" Damian questioned as I nodded. "Oh. He is just a friend."

"A friend?" I smirked, "Well, I look forward to meeting this friend."

Things had been different between us since the situation with my father and Allison. Damian didn't seem as hostile towards me as he once had been and even though I was keeping my guard up, I was curious. The roar of the engines came to life and before I knew it, the plane was headed down the tarmac. This was putting me one step closer to replaceing James and the others.

If my life was to get better then I needed each one of them at my side to make it happen because the way my father and Allison acted towards, me had me worried.

Allison didn't seem like the type of person to easily give up on something.

"Are you okay?" Damian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and turning to him, I smiled softly.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just all over the place."

Nodding, he pulled out a file from his briefcase and sorted through the photos inside. Handing them over, I saw who lined them. They were photos of James, Hale, and Talon in their current locations.

Just seeing the photos brought a smile to my face and caused tears to brim my eyes. "Oh wow-"

"I thought you might like to see them." He replied, as I chuckled.

"Look at them all." I smiled, "I guess they have changed a lot since being gone."

It had been almost three weeks since the night our bonds were broken, and with the bond breaking, they were torn from my life.

"I promised you I would fix things, Ivy." Damian sighed, "I will make sure that I do."

Regardless of everything that had transpired between us, I wanted to believe him. I wanted to know for sure that he would fix things, but I still felt doubt.

"I know. Maybe I'm just tired. The last few days have been a lot." I mumbled, looking back out the window as I handed him the photos.

Letting a sigh leave his lips, he took the photos, "why don't you get some sleep then. I will wake you when we land."

Six hours later, a gentle nudge to my shoulder stirred me from my sleep, and as I opened my eyes. I realized that it was Damian at my side. His smiling face looking down at me, I sat up, stretching my arms only to realize the plane had stopped. "Are we here?" I asked, with hopefulness in my voice. "Are we in Mexico?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "The plane landed twenty minutes ago. I let you sleep while we finished unloading our luggage. Why don't you come on, and we will head to the villa?"

I wasn't sure exactly where Damian had planned for us to stay, but hearing it was a villa took me by surprise. "A villa? Is that a fancy word here for hotel?

"Hotel?" He laughed, shaking his head, "oh no. I have a house here, Ivy. On the beach."

It never ceased to amaze me the things I learned about. I kept forgetting that Damian wasn't an ordinary human, and had forged a powerful empire as an Alpha.

"Of course you do." I laughed as I descended the stairs of the plane. The warm Mexican sun hitti my skin and caused me to smile as my feet eventually touched the ground.

It was more beautiful here that I expected, and as I stepped towards the open car door, I looked forward to what awaited me further in Mexico.

"So I was thinking we could go out and get something to eat later." Damian stated once we were in the car moving. The way he stated what he wanted to do was done with hesitation, and I found the moment sweet. "That sounds good,"I replied with a smirk. "Did you have a place in mind?"

"I did, but it's a surprise." As I looked at him, I watched the subtle smirk cross his face, and with it, I became curious to know what he had in mind for our evening.

Twenty minutes later, we were pulling onto a long driveway that led towards a bungalow sitting on a cliff. The tan clay roofing accented the magnificent structure, welcoming its visitors warmly against the bright sky. "Wow." As the words escaped me, I heard his chuckle of amusement from beside me.

"I'm glad you like it." He mumbled as he put the car in park, allowing me to step out into the heat and really take everything in properly for the first time.

"Like it more like love it." As my gaze fell upon him, I was surprised to replace him standing there with a small grin on his face, watching me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing-nothing," he blurted as he walked towards the house with me following him.

To say that the outside had stunned me was really a small comment compared to the astonishment I felt from the inside. Wide eyed, mouth partially open. I stood staring at the sight before me.

Not a penny had been spared to create this wonderful home, and with the view of the coast in the distance, I enjoyed the salt air k!ssing my skin as I walked about the large balcony.

"Ivy, if you follow me, I will show you the room you will be staying in. Then we can rest for a bit, and go get dinner-if you still want to."

Damian was trying, and the once aggressive, egotistical attitude he had was diminishing every day that I spent with him. I wasn't sure why, but I was happy to know that he was trying.

It was all I ever asked of him. "Sure. Lead the way."

An hour later, I stepped from the shower with a white towel wrapped around my body. Damian said he was going to take me to a local spot he loved, and as much as I wanted to trust his judgment on authentic Mexican food I was wary. It was, after all, my FAVORITE food to eat, and I was more than picky when it came to it.

Sliding on my white lace summer dress and sandals, I braided my hair and made my way towards the living room. My mind rattled with the anticipation of what this trip could hold. I wanted more than anything to replace the guys, but I also wanted him. Damian. "Wow, you look beautiful." Damian replied with a grin across his face. His eyes took in the sight before him.

"Thanks." The reply was followed by a heavy red tinting of my cheeks as I blushed. "You clean up well too."

With an outstretched hand, he gestured for me to come near him, and as I did, he quickly took my hand and spun me around slowly. "This dress will be great for dancing." "Dancing?" I replied, shocked, "we aren't supposed to be having fun. We are supposed to be replaceing James." I reminded him as he shrugged his shoulders. "We are, but we can have fun while we do it."

Pulling me behind him, I let him lead me to his unknown destination of choice. I wasn't sure what exactly he had in mind, but I had no doubt that it would be interesting.