Chapter 23

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Ana

I squeeze Blade's hand across the narrow aisle as the tiny plane drops lower and lower. As low as we seem, there's nothing visible beneath us except the darkness of forest, bathed in pale moonlight. Tonight is the first time I've been on planes with uncovered windows—we can even see out through the cockpit—and I'm filled with wonder at the miracle of air travel.

Some vampires I know have mastered flight without machinery. Even my sestra Selina can fly for short distances, but the idea that humanity figured out a way for large metal tubes to soar across continents, across oceans… Without being able to see out the windows of most planes I've been on, I suppose tonight's the first time I've truly appreciated the scientific feat.

This part of the world is dotted with multiple lakes that look like drops of moonlight fallen from the sky, but few we've seen look large enough to land a plane, never mind contain an island. Excitement bubbles inside me. I've never been in an aircraft this small, never been on one that can land on water. The new experience is fun, but my excitement is all about Phil. I can't wait to see him.

Phil, along with Ember and Zuben, travelled up here on this very plane last night. They're waiting to meet us, along with Ember's two other mates, Ryker and Axel. From what I remember of Zuben and Ryker, I find it hard to imagine either of them enjoying the wilderness, but Axe is part grizzly shifter, and I love how the others have agreed to make one of their homes somewhere he'll feel comfortable. Ember and her three mates haven't been together that long, but it seems like they've already found ways to compromise, to make their lives work with each other's. That example lets me glimpse a possible future where I could be with Phil and Blade…the others too.

Flame's the only one of the four who hasn't told me he loves me, but I can't picture a future without him—even if that future is mostly a fantasy at this point.

"Where's this lake?" Crusher barks from behind us. "If we drop any lower we're going to crash into the trees." His voice is tight. Is he nervous?

I glance behind me and, as if he can feel me looking, Crusher's gaze snaps away from the window to meet mine. He is nervous.

I offer a reassuring smile. "I'm sure the pilot is experienced."

Crusher nods. Then, what I took for fear in his eyes, turns into something else, something intense I can't handle.

I turn away from him, and Blade squeezes my hand.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Perfect." My chest warms as I say this, because it's beyond true. And if I'm even a little bit honest with myself, the fantasy future I've been glimpsing does include Crusher. Maybe not as a lover, but I can't imagine him not being around.

Even if these four men were willing to separate, I wouldn't want that for them. I wouldn't want it for me . If I don't want to give up my role as an ambassador for vampirekind, I can't expect these men to give up their lives either. And a big part of their lives is the four of them sticking together.

I truly hope they'll no longer kill for a living, but based on what they've told me, their contracts rarely involved murder, more often protection and intimidation.

"Oh, look!" I press my forehead against the window as a lake appears, the moonlight turning its surface to molten silver. The pilot circles, getting lower and lower. This lake is bigger than many others we've flown over, but still seems small and uninhabited. It's the middle of the night, but I can't see any sign of cabins, dock lights, or any signs of housing.

Glancing behind, I check on Crusher, but he's staring wide-eyed out his window, so I do the same out of mine.

The pilot circles again. Our altitude drops below the treetops, and my heart pounds as we come closer and closer to the sparkling water. The pontoons touch down with a jolt, and my heart relocates to my throat as we skip along the lake's surface, bouncing three times before the plane lands.

Then we glide along the top of the water, rapidly decelerating. We slow down so quickly, it's hard to believe we were just in the sky, or that the floats beneath the plane had wheels on them when we took off in Toronto.

The pilot steers us toward a heavily wooded shore. We turn around a point, and then I spot dock lights. Better yet, I spot four figures waving from the dock. One of the figures is large enough to be Phil, but the pilot changes our angle, before I can be sure.

Even if Phil isn't on the dock, any minute now I'll be in his arms.