and sage while Sophia chose seared trout with lemon parsley brown butter. They all had sides of quinoa pilaf and roasted asparagus.
‘Oh my goodness, ’ Sophia gushed after her first mouthful. Eating with bandaged hands was a bit of a struggle, but nothing was going to get in-between her and this plate of food. ‘This is delicious . What a treat. This sure beats a gas station sandwich in the car. I can’t thank you enough for letting us use your plane, Wilbur.’
‘You’re most welcome,’ Wilbur replied, touching his lips with his linen napkin. ‘Food is one of life’s great pleasures and too often we forget how important it is to enjoy the ceremony of eating.’
‘I totally agree,’ Sophia said, taking another mouthful. ‘I said that exact thing just last night, right Van? Van?’
He looked up distractedly. ‘Sorry, what?’
Sophia frowned. ‘Are you alright?’
He sighed and put down his fork. ‘I am. It’s just… I guess up until this point I’d been focusing on getting us to Weiser State Forest, and now that we’re only a few hours away and there’s nothing else to concentrate on anymore, I’ve started thinking about what it will be like to see that grey werewolf again.’
‘How are you feeling about it?’ Sophia asked gently.
He paused while the hostess came in to check on their meals and refill their drinks, continuing once she was out of earshot. His grip was tight around his glass.
‘I’m not a hundred percent sure how I feel. It was like fate when I first saw that wolf and he jumped up onto my shoulders to bite me. I mean, what are the chances of our paths crossing at that exact moment within that entire vast wilderness? It seemed like he’d been looking for me and then he just needed to go about completing some exchange that was already predetermined. I don’t know if that’s even possible. But, fate or not, for many years I carried a lot of hate in my heart for that wolf. I hated him for what he did to me and for his lack of restraint. Whenever I’m in wolf state, I’ve still got control over myself. I didn’t bite Sophia; I’ve never bitten anyone. The urge to do harm is part of the darkness that resides within every werewolf, but the strong learn to master their desires. I hated that grey wolf for not containing his.’
‘Do you still hate him now?’ Sophia asked.
‘Since meeting you, the loathing has abated. I’ve started to wonder if perhaps I was meant to be bitten so that I’d be able to live until you came into my life. But I can’t banish that deeply entrenched reaction altogether. The fact is I do hate that wolf and it’s going to be a challenge to hide those feelings when we find him.’
Sophia leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. Wilbur, who was sitting opposite them, had been listening quietly. He said, ‘Life has many challenges, and forgiveness is one of the most difficult. Only you can truly know the difficulties you’ve faced in this life under the werewolf curse, and you must also be the one who finds it in his heart to let the past lie where it belongs; in the past.’
Van nodded slowly and they all finished their meals quietly. Each seemed deep in thought. Once the plates were cleared, Wilbur moved to the front of the plane to make some business arrangements – including personally covering for Sophia with regards to her delayed book launch – giving Van and Sophia some welcome time alone.
Sophia kissed the back of Van’s hand and stroked her fingers up his strong forearm, with its thick dark hairs. It was warm inside the aircraft, and he wore a simple black t shirt that showed off the muscles of his chest and arms, as well as his slim waist. Sophia felt a welcome tingling between her legs and she rubbed her lips against his. With Wilbur’s tiger vigor and a delicious meal on board, the urge to be intimate with Van began to take serious hold.
‘What do you say we
‘Oh my goodness, ’ Sophia gushed after her first mouthful. Eating with bandaged hands was a bit of a struggle, but nothing was going to get in-between her and this plate of food. ‘This is delicious . What a treat. This sure beats a gas station sandwich in the car. I can’t thank you enough for letting us use your plane, Wilbur.’
‘You’re most welcome,’ Wilbur replied, touching his lips with his linen napkin. ‘Food is one of life’s great pleasures and too often we forget how important it is to enjoy the ceremony of eating.’
‘I totally agree,’ Sophia said, taking another mouthful. ‘I said that exact thing just last night, right Van? Van?’
He looked up distractedly. ‘Sorry, what?’
Sophia frowned. ‘Are you alright?’
He sighed and put down his fork. ‘I am. It’s just… I guess up until this point I’d been focusing on getting us to Weiser State Forest, and now that we’re only a few hours away and there’s nothing else to concentrate on anymore, I’ve started thinking about what it will be like to see that grey werewolf again.’
‘How are you feeling about it?’ Sophia asked gently.
He paused while the hostess came in to check on their meals and refill their drinks, continuing once she was out of earshot. His grip was tight around his glass.
‘I’m not a hundred percent sure how I feel. It was like fate when I first saw that wolf and he jumped up onto my shoulders to bite me. I mean, what are the chances of our paths crossing at that exact moment within that entire vast wilderness? It seemed like he’d been looking for me and then he just needed to go about completing some exchange that was already predetermined. I don’t know if that’s even possible. But, fate or not, for many years I carried a lot of hate in my heart for that wolf. I hated him for what he did to me and for his lack of restraint. Whenever I’m in wolf state, I’ve still got control over myself. I didn’t bite Sophia; I’ve never bitten anyone. The urge to do harm is part of the darkness that resides within every werewolf, but the strong learn to master their desires. I hated that grey wolf for not containing his.’
‘Do you still hate him now?’ Sophia asked.
‘Since meeting you, the loathing has abated. I’ve started to wonder if perhaps I was meant to be bitten so that I’d be able to live until you came into my life. But I can’t banish that deeply entrenched reaction altogether. The fact is I do hate that wolf and it’s going to be a challenge to hide those feelings when we find him.’
Sophia leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. Wilbur, who was sitting opposite them, had been listening quietly. He said, ‘Life has many challenges, and forgiveness is one of the most difficult. Only you can truly know the difficulties you’ve faced in this life under the werewolf curse, and you must also be the one who finds it in his heart to let the past lie where it belongs; in the past.’
Van nodded slowly and they all finished their meals quietly. Each seemed deep in thought. Once the plates were cleared, Wilbur moved to the front of the plane to make some business arrangements – including personally covering for Sophia with regards to her delayed book launch – giving Van and Sophia some welcome time alone.
Sophia kissed the back of Van’s hand and stroked her fingers up his strong forearm, with its thick dark hairs. It was warm inside the aircraft, and he wore a simple black t shirt that showed off the muscles of his chest and arms, as well as his slim waist. Sophia felt a welcome tingling between her legs and she rubbed her lips against his. With Wilbur’s tiger vigor and a delicious meal on board, the urge to be intimate with Van began to take serious hold.
‘What do you say we
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