“Hannon, you have to stay vigilant, especially when the supernatural world is coming at you with a vengeance. What if I was some vamp coming to kill you? I would’ve had the jump on you just now.”
“Spoken like a true cop, Ray. I guess some things never change.” I chuckled. “But since it’s daylight, and you and Naomi are some of the only vamps who can withstand the heat, thanks to my blood, I’m not super worried about a flying sneak attack.”
“You never know, you just never know.” Ray shook his head like he was sorry to have to breathe the same air as such a moron.
“Where’s Naomi?” I asked. “Wasn’t she with you?”
“She went a little farther to investigate. We spotted one plane coming out of the east. Not sure yet if it’s headed this way.”
“Once Marcy is finished with her spells, I want you guys to head out,” I said.
“Directly north,” Ray said, “about thirty miles you’ll hit some dense sawgrass. The area is more exposed but looks easier to navigate and, from the sky, seems to have less water.”
“That sounds good. We’ll rendezvous with you guys soon.”
Marcy stuck her head out of the plane. “All done,” she chirped. “Now let’s get out of here. This swamp is making my skin crawl. Ray, can you come and get me? I don’t want to have to use another drying spell. I’m taxed.”
Ray grunted but moved forward to get her. “I’m sorry, but did you just use your brute strength to stop an airplane from crashing? If you did, I missed you out on the wing.” Once he was positioned below her he said, “Jump and I’ll catch you.”
“Fine, but if you drop me, I will retaliate.”
“I’m not going to drop you, witch. You weigh next to nothing. And as long as you keep your mouth shut on the flight and don’t complain, the ride out of here will be stress free.”
Marcy arched a look at the vamp. “You’d like me silent, wouldn’t you—” The you ended on a long, extended high note as Ray snatched her up, tired of waiting for her to make up her mind and agree with him, and took to the air.
“They get along like Jekyll and Hyde,” I said as Rourke walked up to me, taking my hand and leading me to a place where we could shift. “I hope Marcy spelled the area before Ray hijacked her. If not, we’ll leave tracks.”
“She said she did,” Rourke said. “She also said we’d have exactly eight minutes after she left or it wouldn’t cover us.”
A whooshing sound came from above two seconds before Naomi landed ten feet in front of us.
“Did you see anything of note?” I asked, starting to disrobe in front of her.
“Non, there was nothing. And I don’t believe there’s any hurry. It’s most peculiar, but it seems no one knows the plane went down. I found an airport in a city not too far from here. It would be a logical place to send out a search party, but there is no panic or activity whatsoever.”
A plane doesn’t usually pop off the radar without someone knowing. “That’s great news for us, but bad for the pilots.” I glanced over at the damaged plane.
Rourke nodded, and said, “Naomi, since there’s no immediate pursuit, I want you to fly to the closest town you can find and call the crash in. Be obscure about how you discovered the information and make sure you use a phone that can’t be traced back to us in any way. Snatch one from a human if you need to, and then meet up with Ray. We’ll see you in two hours.”
“Oui, no problem,” Naomi said.
“Also,” I added, handing her my shirt, “I want you to take our clothes after we shift. Tyler and Danny will need clothes too, once they arrive, which we hope will be in a few hours.” I eyed my mate’s white linen Bahamian outfit and tried to stifle a smile. They had been the only duds we could find on the island before we left. “Rourke will also need some… alternative clothing. Island linen isn’t his first choice.” He growled at my comment and I started peeling off my pants. I addressed my mate. “Tell her what size you need. She can stop somewhere after she calls in the crash.”
“XXXL.”
3
Naomi left after we undressed, taking both sets of our clothes and my backpack from the plane. I called to Rourke, who had stationed himself behind the plane to disrobe so he wouldn’t embarrass Naomi. “Where do you want to shift?”
He walked around the plane looking strong, virile, and very, very naked.
I wished, with every fiber of my being, that we were back on Rum Cay at this very moment. But we weren’t, so we had to make do. And we only had about four minutes left to get out of here before Marcy’s spell ran out.
“There’s no great place.” He gestured in front of me as he came forward. “Pick anywhere. We’re going to get wet, but it can’t be helped. And, Jess, once we’re in our animal forms, I need you to follow me no matter what.”
“I have no issue with you taking point.” I waded toward a very narrow patch of land surrounded by knee-deep water. “I haven’t fully shifted in a long time, so my body feels itchy. I’m so ready for it.” I lay down in the prickly brush trying not to be too disgruntled about where we had to make our transformations. However, my wolf howled in pleasure at the prospect of shifting. Once we start running, I’m giving you control. She barked her agreement. Having my wolf at the forefront in animal form was the best for both of us.
Rourke made his way to another small patch of marsh nearby and dropped to his knees. “I keep forgetting you haven’t shifted very many times.”