Free Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) by R. A. Gates Page A

her,
    picked up the jacket and shoved it at her.
    “Quit being a baby and put the damn suit
    on.”
    She glared at him and he glared
    right back. Seconds ticked by without
    either backing down. Finally, she took
    the leather coat and put it on, cursing
    Garren under her breath as she jammed
    her arms into each sleeve. As soon as
    the last piece was in place, the entire
    suit squeezed around her like shrink
    wrap. It was a bulky second skin,
    insulated and water-tight.
    All I need now are some tusks
    and my walrus transformation will be
    complete .
    Garren gestured to the open door
    on the side of the plane with a wave of
    his hand. “After you.”
    She hesitated for a moment, not
    sure if she could put her trust, and her
    life, in a magic plane. But if Thane and
    Garren could so easily take the risk, she
    would suck it up and follow their lead.
    That didn't mean she had to like it.
    It was like walking underwater
    as she approached the plane. There were
    no steps, so she gripped the sides of the
    doorway to pull herself up when Garren
    put his hands on her back.
    “I don't need your help.”
    “Fine,” he said, as he took his
    hands away.
    She flexed her arms and lifted
    her legs to the bottom edge of the door.
    Because of the extra weight, it was
    harder than she thought, but she managed
    to pull herself inside. Garren followed
    after her.
    The interior of the plane was
    narrow and she had to crawl along the
    floor to where the machine guns were
    before she could stand up. They pointed
    out open windows on either side. Sitting
    next to them along the wall were
    wooden crates filled with ammunition
    belts.
    She pointed at the boxes of
    bullets. “Seriously?”
    Garren nudged her forward. “It's
    nothing to worry about. I'm 85 percent
    sure we won't even have to use them.”
    Her eyes grew wide. “What?”
    “Don't overreact.” He led her
    toward the front of the plane where he
    sat down on the floor and leaned against
    the wall. There weren't any seats or
    cushions of any kind, so she sat across
    from Garren on the cold, metal surface.
    “In what situation would we
    need to fire a gun?”
    The first propeller sputtered to
    life, shaking the plane. The engine's roar
    was muffled under one of the plane's
    enchantments, allowing them to talk
    without shouting.
    “Well,” he started slowly as the
    second propeller turned on. “We have to
    fly through dragon territory before we
    get to Washington.”
    Dragons? Machine guns? Okay,
    this whole trip is so not worth it. She
    struggled to stand up as another
    propeller added to the vibrations. “I'm
    getting the hell out of here.”
    He leapt over and tackled her
    back to the floor. “Ivy, you need to calm
    down.”
    “Calm down?” She had to
    remind herself to breathe as dread
    pressed down on her. Garren's heavy
    frame pinning her down wasn't helping
    either. “We're flying in a contraption I
    would only loosely call an airplane into
    dragon territory. What if I get flambéed
    or fall out?” She pushed against his
    chest, trying to wiggle her way out from
    under him.
    “Look at me,” he commanded.
    Reluctantly, she met his gaze and
    was surprised to see compassion
    looking back.
    “You won't fall out of the plane.”
    His voice was soft and low as he spoke.
    “If you don't calm down and shut up, I
    may push you out, but you won't fall.”
    She let out a deep breath, finding
    his sarcasm oddly soothing. She closed
    her eyes and concentrated on the
    positives. The others wouldn't have
    gotten on if they didn't feel it was safe.
    Captain Burgandy had many, many years
    of experience. And, if she was going to
    plunge to her death, at least Garren was
    going down, too.
    Once she was sure she wasn't
    going to panic again, she pushed Garren
    off her. “I'm fine now.”
    He backed away and sat next to
    her, probably poised to take her down if
    she tried to bolt again.
    She nervously surveyed the
    cramped space and noticed something,
    or rather someone, missing.