“That’s the best plan we’ve got, but let’s not forget, our first priority is to get off this makeshift island,” Tyler said. He turned to address Danny. “Are you going to just fly on out of here? Or take a boat?”
“Fly,” Danny answered. “I enjoy flying, really. The wind in my hair, a beautiful woman with her arms wrapped tightly around me, gripping me in all the right places. It’s quickly become my favorite method of transportation.”
“You’ve only done it once that I know of,” I said, chuckling. Naomi had flown him one time at the vamp headquarters. “And this is going to be a much longer journey. You might not love it as much as you think you do at the end.”
“Oh, we’re not flying straight through.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “I’m certain there will be plenty of pitstops, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy our flight time together as well.” He turned toward Naomi. “Can you snog while you’re flying, love?”
She elbowed him in the stomach, and then wrapped her arms around his middle, a slight grin playing on her lips. I’d bet money that she was going to be doing her fair share of snogging during the flight to make up for lost time. She turned to me. “Thank you, Ma Reine. We will see you soon.” As they shot upward, Danny’s shouts echoed on the air.
I snickered. “She’s going to teach the boy a lesson or two he won’t forget, guaranteed. I think they are a perfect pairing.”
“I agree,” Tyler said. “Never in a million years did I think I would, but seeing them together makes sense.”
My father grunted as he turned to go. “We leave at first light, which is only in a few hours from now. I’m going to get the wolves started on packing the boats now.” I could tell he respected Naomi and loved Danny like a son, but that’s all we were going to get from him. A wolf-vampire pairing was unprecedented.
Like everything else in my life. That’s why it made perfect sense.
Tyler trailed after him, adding, “Get some sleep, why don’t you? And no more talking. You can hear a pin drop in this godforsaken place.”
“All I hear are the frogs. So many frogs,” I joked as Rourke folded me into his arms. I turned into his chest and murmured, “Home will feel nice for us too. I can’t wait.” My apartment was still pretty bare, but I did have a bed.
“Waiting is not my strong suit,” Rourke whispered, “but it looks like we have no other choice.”
“Well, there might be a few other choices,” I said as I leaned up and kissed him.
20
“You brang it back?” The shorter guide scratched his head like the concept was too much to process. “And you don’t want no money for it?”
The airboat we’d purchased was already parked on top of the dock, and Rourke, Ray, Tyler, Nick, Marcy, James, and I stood there waiting for the guides to get over their shock. My father and the rest of his wolves had gone back to the place they’d purchased theirs from and were heading back home by plane. No one thought getting on an airplane with me was a wise plan, so we were going to rent a vehicle and drive home. We figured it would be safer that way.
“That’s what I just finished telling you,” Marcy answered. “The boat is yours, but on one condition.”
“And what’s that?” the taller guide asked, his voice indicating that he knew there was going to be a hitch.
“We need a vehicle. One that will carry all of us. And once we’re gone, you saw nothing, you remember nothing.” A little magic shot out of Marcy’s fingertips as she said the last part and I knew she was insuring us with a spell.
Once we left, we’d fade from their memories altogether.
The taller guide sized her up for a second before he answered, glancing around our group, trying to read our inscrutable faces. He was clearly the more intelligent of the two. He saw his opportunity to gain back what he lost, and then some. “Deal.” He drew a cell phone out of his overalls pocket. “My nephew Teddy might have what you need. He’s got a few of them big old vans he takes gator tours in. I’ll dial him up.”
The shorter guide assessed us. “Well, the least we can do is get you some more of that moonshine fer your troubles. I don’t see the jug in the boat, nor the guy who had it, so I’m ’ssuming that he enjoyed his drink.”
I couldn’t tell him we’d lost his precious hooch in a scuffle with a bunch of possessed snakes. “That’d be… nice of you,” I said. Nothing like a jug or two of moonshine for the road. “And one more thing—if you hear any gossip in this area, or if any of the other guides start talking, we’d like you to assure them that everything is back to normal. No one is going to bother anyone here anymore. No more mysterious disappearances.”
“Good to know,” the taller guide said as he clicked off his phone. “The lot of you are welcome in these parts anytime. Free airboat rides for the family for life. Anythin’ we can do, consider it done.”