She had just washed most of her dinner down the garbage disposal when Rourke appeared in the kitchen.

Sometimes, it was most disconcerting, the way he simply appeared out of nowhere!

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Not really." She didn't think she would ever be ready.

He frowned at her. "What more do you need to do?"

"Nothing. I was just...never mind. The suitcases are by the front door. Just let me grab my purse and my keys."

Taking a deep breath, she put on her jacket, then grabbed her handbag and the keys to the hearse and followed Rourke out the door, wondering if she was embarking on the most exciting adventure of her life, or making the world's biggest mistake.

Chapter 13

Outside, Rourke plucked the car keys from Karinna's hand. "I will drive."

"Do you know the way to the airport?"

"No," he said with a roguish grin, "but you can give me the proper directions."

Kari couldn't help grinning back as she got into the car, partly in response to Rourke's remark, but mostly because she found it morbidly amusing to be riding through the darkness in a hearse that was being driven by a man who was, technically, dead.

When they reached the turnoff for the airport, Rourke pulled onto a side street and parked the car.

"I will see you in Bucharest," he said.

Kari nodded, thinking she would feel much better about the whole trip if he could sit beside her and hold her hand.

"Do not worry." His fingertips caressed her cheek, and then, leaning forward, he kissed her. "I will see you soon."

Nodding, she watched him get out of the car and go around to the back. Looking in the rearview mirror, she watched him lift the lid on the casket and climb inside. She couldn't help but shudder as he closed the lid.

Shaking off her doubts about the trip and her fear of flying, she slid across the seat to the driver's side, put the car in gear, and drove the rest of the way to the airport.

A ground agent told her where to drop off the coffin. She had been told it would be X-rayed before being put on board. She smiled a sickly smile, wondering what sort of reaction vampires had to being X-rayed. But it was out of her hands now.

After dropping off the casket, she left the hearse in the parking lot and made her way into the terminal. Feeling totally out of her element, she went to check in, annoyed to see there were long lines at the check-in agent's desk. But then, you couldn't go anywhere these days without standing in line. The post office, the bank, the gas station, the DMV, Disneyland--there were lines everywhere.

When it was her turn, she handed the agent her ticket and her passport, waited while her suitcase was weighed and labeled. She smiled as the agent returned her ticket and a newly printed boarding pass with her gate number and seat number on it. The agent then pointed her in the direction of the gate where she would be boarding and informed her of the time boarding would begin.

After leaving the check-in counter, she made her way to airport security. She had heard that security was tight since 9/11; now she saw it in action. All around her, people were shedding their coats and shoes, men were emptying their pockets, removing their belts. Her shoes, purse, carry-on bag, and jacket went into a bin that gave way to a conveyer belt to be X-rayed. Barefooted, she got into line to go through the metal detector. On the other side, she grabbed her belongings and moved on. The man behind her set off the metal detector. The sound made her heart skip a beat. Was he a terrorist? She watched anxiously as a guard waved a handheld wand around the man, and finally declared the man's zipper had set off the alarm.

Relieved, she put on her shoes and grabbed the rest of her belongings. She felt like a criminal by the time she reached the international departure area for her flight.

A short time later, she made her way past the two gate agents at the entrance to the Jetway, and past a flight attendant who also checked her boarding pass and directed her to her seat.

The aisle was crowded with people shedding coats and stowing their luggage. One man was trying to shove a large suitcase into a storage compartment.

Kari put her carry-on bag in an overhead compartment that looked surprisingly like an old-fashioned breadbox turned upside down. When that was done, she noticed there was a blanket, a pillow, and what looked like a small cosmetics bag piled on her seat. Moving them aside, she sat down, her heart pounding. Over the conversation of those around her, she could hear the faint humming of the engines, which, in her imagination, grew louder and more ominous with each passing moment.

Hoping to allay her mounting fears, she glanced around the plane.

Flight attendants walked up and down the aisle, helping passengers find their seats and stow their luggage. Other attendants were taking drink orders and passing out newspapers.

One of the attendants, a grandmotherly type with pretty gray hair and silver-rimmed glasses, stopped beside Kari to ask what she would like to drink. Kari requested orange juice, then wondered if she should have ordered something stronger.

She picked up the little leather bag, rummaged inside, and found a mini toothpaste tube, mouthwash, a comb and a shoehorn, a small package of tissues, earplugs, a sleep mask, an emery board, and moisturizer. Grunting softly, she closed it and put it aside.

A dull thud signaled that the boarding door had closed. Kari took a deep breath. This was it. There was movement as the plane taxied to the runway to await its clearance for takeoff.

Kari looked up as one of the flight attendants welcomed the passengers aboard. She stated their flight number and destination, no doubt to give anyone who had somehow gotten on the wrong plane a heads-up. In a bright, cheerful voice, she advised the passengers to pay attention to the safety and emergency procedure film they were about to see.

Moments later, screens were lowered from the ceiling. Kari's heartbeat accelerated when the film began. Emergency exits were pointed out and the passengers were instructed that in the event the plane lost oxygen, oxygen masks would drop from overhead. She wasn't comforted by learning that the seat cushions could be used as flotation devices, or that life vests were located under the seats. She was feeling light-headed as instructions were given on the proper way to put on a life vest.

"Oh, Lord," she murmured. "I can't do this."

"Karinna, what is wrong?"

Startled by the sound of Rourke's voice, she looked up, expecting to see him standing beside her, but there was no one there. The man across the aisle looked at her and smiled.

"Karinna?"

Lowering her head, she whispered, "I've always been afraid to fly. I've never done it."

Again, his voice whispered in her mind. "There is nothing to fear."

"Easy for you to say," she thought. "You're already dead."

His laugh filled her mind. "I will protect you."

"You will, huh? Don't tell me you can fly, too."

"In a manner of speaking. If the plane should fall, I will catch you before we hit the ground."

"I'd like to know how you plan to manage that, seeing as how you're in the hold and I'm here."

"Trust me."

Kari blew out a breath. Maybe vampires were immune to sarcasm.

She swallowed hard as the captain's voice came over the PA. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have been cleared for takeoff. Flight attendants, please take your seats."

Kari grabbed the armrests and hung on for dear life as the engines revved up. She shuddered when the plane did, her knuckles going white as the plane picked up speed. Eyes squeezed tightly shut, she sent a hurried prayer to heaven that the plane wouldn't explode, that the pilot wouldn't make a mistake, that there were no crazed terrorists on board.

Startled to feel a hand squeezing hers, she opened her eyes. She was going mad, she thought. That was the only explanation for the sound of Rourke's voice in her head, the feel of his hand holding hers.

And suddenly she wasn't frightened anymore.

She glanced out the window as the plane gathered speed and lifted into the air, leaving her stomach somewhere on the ground. The plane made a long, slow curve, away from the airport. The ground seemed to be tilted sideways until the plane gradually leveled out.

Sometime later, the senior flight attendant's voice came over the PA. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said brightly, "the captain has now turned off the FASTEN SEAT BELT sign and you are free to move about the cabin. We do ask that while in your seats, you keep your seat belt loosely fastened. Thank you, and enjoy your flight."

Drinks were served again, and dinner menus were passed out. Kari ordered lasagna and a glass of soda.

After dinner, the lights were dimmed. Kari was too keyed up to sleep and opted to watch a movie. It was hard to concentrate, though. She wondered what it was like for Rourke, riding in a coffin in the cargo hold. It was dark outside. Was he still awake? She wondered if he was having second thoughts about rescuing Ana Luisa, and if he would tell her he was a vampire. How would Ana Luisa react after he freed her from the painting, and how would he convince the girl to climb into his coffin?

She shook her head. With Rourke's preternatural powers, convincing the girl to do his bidding should be a cinch.

Yawning, Kari closed her eyes. She would just rest her eyes for a moment....

In the cargo hold, Rourke knew the moment when she drifted off to sleep. Lifting the lid on the coffin, he sat up and stared into the darkness. In his day, he had been a simple man, accustomed to simple pleasures. This new world continued to astound him. Mankind had progressed in the most amazing ways. He supposed people had always dreamed of flying, but he had never expected that it would become a reality, or that he himself would actually take to the skies. He wondered how Ana Luisa would handle the changes the centuries had wrought in the world.

Only time would tell. Time, he thought, the stuff that human life and dreams were made of.

Kari felt like a seasoned, world-weary traveler by the time she reached Bucharest. She collected her luggage and made sure the coffin was loaded onto the hearse she had arranged for in advance. Rourke had told her to have the coffin delivered to the cemetery and he would take care of the rest.