Page 24 of Wolf Fated
Wind beat at my hair, and I cursed myself for not braiding it this morning. Once the helicopter landed, Axel put his arm around my waist, guiding me to the open door. I climbed in, my hands shaking as I tried in vain to get the seatbelt to latch.
Axel didn't mock or scold me, he merely did up my buckle, then did his own. "Do you have a fear of flying?"
"No. Yes." I shook my head, letting out a slightly hysterical giggle. "Takeoffs and landings are the most stressful to me."
He nodded and took my hand, not even commenting when we took off in an upward jerk and I squealed, squeezing his hand with all my might. I'd flown in airplanes before, but something about a small chopper with mostly glass all around made me want to suffocate a parachute... maybe two parachutes. Above us the clouds looked like cotton balls and the view around was like being on a roller coaster more so than an airplane.
We passed rivers and forests and even a patch of dried sand that I guessed was Death Valley. At a cluster of mountains, we turned a sharp right and my body slid sideways into Axel.
"Sorry." I pushed back into my seat, but Axel only nodded. He was a rock, not moving one way or the other no matter the dips and rises we did.
The ocean rolled in the distance, and I bounced in my seat. "Are we going to the beach?"
"Not exactly." He grinned.
Before I realized it, the trip was over, we descend onto a helicopter pad.
The chopper slowly wound-down, and Axel took off his headphones, motioning for me to do the same. I followed his lead and we exited out and raced down a pathway toward the ocean. Excitement burst through me. I loved the beach—though I wasn't dressed for it. Axel would blend in since he wore shorts and a T-shirt. As we hurried, I wanted to ask where we were going but his earlier words of not ruining the surprise echoed in my head, so I kept my mouth closed. Axel took my hand and warmth crawled up the back of my neck. I was so aware of his presence like I had been in the helicopter when we were side by side.
Axel's dark hair had copper highlights in the sun, and he only stayed half a step in front of me. Figuring I was staring too much at a man I had no right to gape at, I looked around at the scenery. Ships dotted the horizon, and a few were in port with white puffs of smoke trailing upward to the cloudless turquoise sky.
We walked down a plank onto a boat the size of a bus.
An older man with a wizened face and a bright yellow baseball cap nodded at us. He was about five feet tall with a beer belly and skinny legs that poked out of his shorts. "All aboard," he called.
After we took the small leap off the deck onto the boat, the old man pulled up the anchor.
"The supplies are in the cabin," he said, touching the tip of his baseball cap.
"Supplies?" I asked, turning back to Axel.
He let go of my hand and opened the cabin door for me. I ducked inside and Axel followed behind me.
The cabin held fishing poles of every size and color along two walls. The other walls had plastic pants hanging on pegs, various sun hats, fishing nets, and a stack of metal buckets lined up in a corner.
"We're really going fishing?" I asked, semi-stunned.
"Not just fishing." He went over to the wall and pulled down a silver fishing pole. "Deep-sea fishing." His amber gaze lifted to me. "Ever been?"
"No." I shook my head. "My dad had always wanted to go, but there was never time." My voice grew tight, and I stopped. This was where Stephen usually told me to stop talking about the past.
"Then any fish you catch, we will send him pictures and let him pick his favorite." Axel grabbed a metal bucket from the stack.
My throat got thick, and I swallowed hard. "He's dead."
Axel didn't even blink. "But he looks over you from the afterlife."
"I-I like to think he does."
"It is okay to miss our loved ones, Brook. But do not allow grief and sorrow to drown you." He cupped my cheek, his amber eyes fierce like he was telling me more than his words were saying. "Honor your father by living. Show him how his daughter learned how to be a fisherwoman because of his guidance."
Tears pricked the back of my eyes, but I marched forward and chose a blue pole from the wall.
"Suit up." Axel laid his fishing pole on the table, then grabbed a pair of fishing pants off the hook and pulled them on.
The boat chugged along the water as Axel, and I gathered our supplies and went onto the deck. Land was behind us and before us was nothing but blue ocean water.
"What do you think?" Axel asked, setting his pole onto a metal clamp hooked onto the boat's railing.
