Page 16 of Blades of Ice

The waitress approached their booth with a pot of coffee. She poured without asking. “I’ll be back in a few to get your order.”

Lydia perused the menu and narrowed her eyes at the second item down. Leaning forward, she whispered, “Reindeer sausage?”

Beck grinned. “ThisisAlaska.”

Lydia shook her head, scowling playfully. “I can’t eat Rudolph. That seems wrong.”

“They’re just skinny cows with big antlers. I bet you eat burgers. Please don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian. I may have to reconsider this relationship.”

Lydia kicked him under the table but not enough to hurt. “That’s your hard limit?”

Beck reached across the table and took one of her hands, linking their fingers. “One of them.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s—?”

“Ready?” The waitress held her tablet against her chest, eyeing Beck.

Lydia couldn’t blame the woman. Her mate was something to stare at. “You go ahead, Honey.”

Beck winked at Lydia before giving his order. He did not order the reindeer sausage. When it was her turn, Lydia chose the special, opting for bacon. After the waitress walked away, she asked again, “So, other hard limits?” She didn’t want to release his hand, but she needed both of hers to add creamer to her coffee.

“Let’s see.” Beck took a sip of his black brew. “Buttered popcorn at the theater. That stuff is nasty.”

Lydia lifted her mug and took a sip. “I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie at a theater. What else?”

“That’s it. I’m easy going. What about you? Anything that you dislike?”

“Assholes.”

Beck choked on the sip he’d taken, and Lydia burst out laughing, handing him a napkin. “Not literally, you goof. Those who act like one. I dislike mean people.”

“Meet a lot of those?”

“Not if I can help it.” Lydia’s mind wandered to West Virginia, and she shivered.

“What was that about? Do I need to kick someone’s ass?” Beck growled.

“Nah. Just something happened recently I’d rather not talk about. At least not yet.”

The waitress returned with their plates, and they dug in, eating in silence. Lydia hated that she’d brought the mood down.

Beck pushed his empty plate back. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”

Lydia ate as much as her stomach allowed, then tossed her napkin beside the plate and finished her coffee. Beck signaled for the waitress, and when she was beside the table, he handed her a couple of twenties. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks,” she said, giving him a big smile.

Beck ignored her by reaching across the table for Lydia’s hands. He lowered his voice. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m hiding you, but my sister and I had it out this morning. I don’t want to subject you to her wrath, so when we get to the plane, I’m going to put you in the co-pilot’s seat to wait while I get the passengers and their stuff loaded. I’ll explain everything once we’re in Kodiak and have more privacy.”

“I understand.” She didn’t, but Lydia would give him all the time he needed.

Beck rose and walked behind Lydia with his hand on her lower back. Once outside, he turned toward the harbor. “We’ll leave your car where it is. It’ll be safe until we get back later.”

The seaplane was larger than she expected, and when she was safely inside, Lydia studied the control panel. Her Uncle Frey was a pilot. He taught anyone who wanted to fly either a plane or helicopter or both. Lydia knew the basics. She never wanted to fly solo, but she did want to be knowledgeable in case she was ever in a situation that required those skills. Several of her Clanmates, like Anthony and Tabitha, could fly both. Zuri had her license but had only flown the Clan jet a few times.

Beck got the passengers loaded and went through the safety information with them before taking his seat. She put the headset over her ears, having already buckled in. Beck glanced at her and grinned, then flipped the necessary switches. Lydia paid attention. Mostly to see what was different, if anything, than what she’d been taught. Taking off from the water was exciting to her. Instead of taxiing down a runway, they skidded across the bay until they had enough speed to lift off. The passengers talked amongst themselves about what they were going to do in Kodiak. Lydia ignored their chatter as she took in the scenery below.

Beck hit a switch, tuning out the passengers. “You want to take the controls?” Lydia rubbed her hands together, then grabbed onto the yoke, keeping it steady. “You look like you’ve done this before.”

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