The plane’s recycled air was warm and stifling. It also smelled like turmeric, lavender, and something like lemon Lysol. It wasn’t the best scent to be trapped with, but it also wasn’t the worst.
Barbara, however, had no problem dozing off.
Ambrose looked down at her head and smiled. “Barbara. My love. My wife.” My wife. For the first time in my long life, I am married. I am married to someone who loves me. To someone I love and respect. He strokes her head. “It’s a whole new life for me. One that I have never known.”
He thought about his hideously botched proposal to Maria. If she had been foolish enough to accept it…to accept me, what would have happened? Would I have made her happy? Could I have done so? Or would I have dragged her into pits of unhappiness and misery? Would I have hurt her on our wedding night? Would I have killed her when I woke up beside her? Would I have changed her?
Would she have left me? How would I have even begun to handle that?
He chuckled softly. “I would have handled it poorly. To put it mildly. Ridiculously mildly.” He kissed her head and inhaled her sweet scent. But it doesn’t matter. None of that matters. I am Barbara Addleston’s husband.
She sighed and nestled closer to him.
He put his arm around her. And I am completely hers — in heart, in mind, and in body.
The airline attendant’s voice came over the overhead speaker. “Hello! Welcome to Airline Extraordinary Express. On this airline, we respect extraordinaries of all types and welcome their patronage. Please refrain from any magical displays while the plane is in the air. Please refrain from magically draining the plane’s power. Please refrain from biting the airline personnel while the plane is in flight and while it is grounded. Please refrain from any and all territorial displays. Please refrain from tapping into any innate powers that will make the plane crash. Thank you so much! We will be taking off shortly. Please buckle your seatbelts and keep all electronic devices off until we are in the air. We will let you know when it is safe to turn them back on. Thank you for flying Airline Extraordinary Express!”
Ambrose smirked. “I don’t think she was nearly specific enough.” His smirk fell away as a particularly bad smell broke through the turmeric, lavender, and lemon Lysol.
It smelled like an outhouse that hadn’t been cleaned in a year. And at least five things had died in it.
He covered his nose and mouth with his hands. It should be illegal to go on a plane when one’s scent reeks that bad. His stomach clenched up on him. He doubled over, pressing his forehead against his knees. I’m gonna die. I’m going to throw up everywhere and DIE.
****
Barbara yawned. “Ohh. Has the—Ambrose?” She leaned forward and touched his back. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”
Werewolf. His mentally projected voice was absolutely wretched sounding.
“Oh, my poor kitten.” She rubbed his back. “It’s okay.”
Like hell it is.
She smiled sympathetically. “We’ll land in a little less than two hours.”
He didn’t bother mentally projecting any response. He simply groaned.
ambroseandelsie 