3. Layover

(Karin POV)

'So do you want to grab some lunch?' I heard Don ask as he reached up to get our carry-on bags from the overheard compartment.

The checked luggage would be transferred directly onto the next plane, so we had about an hour to kill before we had to board again for the final leg of our flight to Pittsburgh. Thanks to my moroi metabolism I wasn't really hungry, but it would be nice to have a friend to pass the time with. 'Sure, that'd be nice,' I replied with a smile, unzipping my bag to take out a light cashmere sweater and slipping it over my head before turning my phone on.

One missed call – Sonya. 'Do you mind if I take a minute to check this first?' I asked, wiggling my cell at Don as we joined the line of passengers heading out into the busy arrivals lounge.

'Sure. I've got to use the bathroom anyway – meet you at the food court?'

'Great, see you soon,' I said, already turning to dial my message bank and stepping off to the side of the room. I wasn't expecting any calls so I hoped everything was still okay for my visit.

Karin! It's Sonya. I guess you're already in the air. I can't wait to see you. How was Michigan? How was Emily? Did you remember to give Em the photo book from Mom & Dad's anniversary? (Short pause.) Sorry. Talking too much. Just nervous and excited about the wedding I guess. Anyway, I was just ringing to let you know that Misha's sorted a guardian to pick you up from the airport when you arrive, so have a safe flight and we'll see you soon!

When the message finished I hung up, feeling suddenly lighter. I was going to visit Sonya and help her prepare for her wedding. I was truly happy for her and Mikhail. Whatever crazy feelings had happened in my head a few years ago didn't matter anymore – things worked out the way they were supposed to and I was finally ready to move on. I smiled and pocketed the phone then made my way to the place where I'd arranged to meet Don.

My new friend was already waiting for me when I arrived, his posture relaxed but alert like he was ready to move at a moment's danger, making me wonder if guardians were ever really off-duty. As I approached slowly from behind I realised this was the first time I'd actually seen the dhampir outside of the cramped airplane cabin, and now he was standing in an open space I could fully appreciate him. I guessed he was about six foot two, a few inches taller than me, and his broad shoulders and chest filled out his open suede jacket very nicely. I'd seen plenty of fit guys who were all puffy up the top and weedy down the bottom, but as my eyes wandered down to check out his faded black jeans I was happily surprised to see that he had a firm arse and muscular thighs to complete the package. Hmm... I'd take a dhampir guy over a moroi any day (not that I was looking for a fling, of course).

Don must have sensed someone was looking at him because he swung around suddenly, his eyes locking onto mine. 'See something you like?' he asked with a wink, stepping towards me and offering to take my bag.

'Maybe,' I answered boldly. Getting involved with a guardian was undoubtedly a bad idea but there was no point denying he was an attractive man. At the same time, I didn't want Don thinking that I was about to suddenly fall at his feet and let him take charge. Working in a male-dominated workplace my entire career had taught me a lot about how men think, and I knew the best strategy with Don's type was to gain the upper hand early. 'So, what are you going to do about it, hot stuff?'

The dhampir faltered briefly – clearly used to dishing out the smart-arse comments but not as accustomed to taking them. Amateur. I gave myself a mental high-five and chuckled at the surprised expression that flashed across his face.

He recovered quickly enough, though, instantly parrying back in an effort to restore his sense of control. 'How about I start by buying you lunch?'

'Fair enough, as long as I get to choose where we eat,' I retorted, adding my own condition to retain my level of power in the exchange. 'There's a wine bar here that does nice meals – Vino Volo – does that suit you?'

'Yes Ma'am,' Don was gracious in defeat and soon we were seated at a table in the far end of the restaurant, relaxing into a pair of deep leather armchairs. My lunch date looked over his menu suspiciously. 'So you've eaten here before?' he asked. 'Seems to me there's plenty of wine on offer but not a lot of food options.'

'I can recommend the smoked salmon crostini – I've had that a few times when I've come into Philly for work. Or if you feel like a drink we can order a bottle of wine to share and get the platter of cured meats on the side?'

He didn't look entirely convinced. 'I'm more of a beer man, myself, but I'll give anything a try once. How about you order and I'll pay?'

'Just what I hoped you'd say,' I smiled winningly, then caught the waiter's eye to order the share-platter and the West Coast Noire trio of wines for tasting – if Don liked any of them we could always order a bottle later.

When the waiter moved off to take another group's order I returned my attention to the dhampir across the table, only to find him surveying me with unabashed interest. Not letting myself be cowed by his gaze, I settled into the comfortable leather chair and stared right back. It was like a Mexican stand-off, with each of us waiting for the other to crack and say something. I couldn't quite figure out if the intense eye-contact was sexy or just intrusive, but after my near melt-down in the plane there was no way I was going to give in first. I could sit here all day.

(Don POV)

'So, Karin, do you normally pick up strangers on planes or is it just me?' I broke the silence, arching an eyebrow. This girl was too sassy for her own good and needed taking down a peg or two, or else she'd be walking all over me in no time.

'I told you I had a wild side,' she mirrored my expression and I let out a low chuckle.

Okay. I'd let her walk all over me. It was kind of hot.

'About that,' I interrupted, 'I think I need a little more proof. I still don't believe you're that tough.' Actually, I thought she was as tough as hell, but I wanted a chance to find out more about her, and we only had forty minutes left before we were due to board the next plane and possibly never see one another again.

'Really?' I knew she couldn't resist taking the bait. 'Why don't you try living outside of Court for a while and then tell me I'm not tough?!... I live in a human city without a guardian to protect me from the low-lifes and rogue strigoi that lurk around practically every corner. I'm a successful woman in a predominantly male industry, which is not as easy it sounds, and I work during daylight hours, which means I take my lunch breaks in full sun – this skin tone isn't just passed down from my exotic Spanish forebears – I've got a tan, buddy.'

She hitched her sleeve up to the elbow and extended her arm for me to inspect. I reached out and took her hand, twisting it over gently in my fingers as I studied the smooth, olive skin. 'Nice,' I breathed, genuinely impressed. I knew exposure to direct sunlight caused extreme discomfort for moroi – some were even susceptible to sun-stroke in the part-shade, so Karin's tanning feat was quite incredible.

The waiter arrived then, with a tray of three wine glasses, and I let Karin guide me through the finer points of wine tasting. Honestly, they all tasted pretty much the same to me, but I sniffed, swirled and sipped like a pro in some desperate attempt to appear cultured in the eyes of the woman who had me more intoxicated than the alcohol I'd just imbibed.

'And what makes you so awesome anyway?' the moroi asked some time later, taking a sip of the 2012 pinot noir, closing her eyes briefly as she contemplated the bouquet of light, fruity flavours then sliding the glass across the table for me to try.

A little shot of electricity tingled up my arm when our fingers brushed and it took me a second to focus on what she was saying.

'I mean, sure, you're fit and you had that wise Yoda thing going on earlier in the plane, but what makes you different from all the other guardians out there?'

'Good question,' I peeked at her from over the rim of the wine glass, washing down another mouthful of the red stuff. It wasn't too bad really, but it wasn't a beer. I set the empty glass down on its coaster and leant back. 'I'm not that special I guess, but I have been incredibly lucky. I turned thirty-five this year, and that's a milestone lots of guardians don't get to celebrate.'

The feisty edge to Karin's expression faded as she understood what I was referring to. The guardian lifestyle was brutal and a huge percentage of our number lost their lives in their first five years of service. This was mostly due to a lack of battle-experience, but ever since Queen Tatiana had adjusted the age-law – lowering the novice graduation age to sixteen – we were forced to send kids into situations they just weren't prepared for.

'Happy birthday, Don,' she reached over to squeeze my hand. 'I'm glad you made it.'

I smiled grimly then looked around at the sound of a waiter approaching with our meal. 'Thank God the food has arrived – I was starting to think I'd die of hunger before I got the chance to make it to thirty-six.'

As soon as the waiter set the platter down and removed our empty glasses from the table, I eagerly tucked into the meat and cheese while the moroi nibbled at some apricots and almonds, and all too quickly the plate was cleared of every last morsel. We didn't have a lot of time before we were due back on the plane and it was with some regret that I made my way up to the counter to pay. Soon I'd be back on duty at Guardian HQ and this unexpected meeting with Karin would just become a pleasant memory. Reality sucked.

'So what did you think of the restaurant?' Karin asked, as we exited the wine bar.

'Very nice,' I answered non-committally, trying to ignore the still-empty hole in my stomach.

'But…' She was onto me.

'But I could eat that meal five times over and still go back for dessert. I'm a dhampir, woman. Are you trying to starve me?'

She laughed and looked down at her watch. 'We still have ten minutes before we have to get back to the departures lounge. Do you want to stop past the food court for something extra? My shout of course.'

I wasn't going to say no to that. 'Great, but not the food court. There's something you've absolutely got to try,' I said, grabbing her hand and hustling her towards a doorway further down the terminal. Moroi were so picky with their food that I knew she wouldn't have tasted my favourite fast-food treat. Minutes later, we were heading back out of Chickie's and Pete's, with me happily clutching a take-away box of steaming crab fries – those succulent, spicy little fingers of potato tantalising me with every waft of their sweet, salty aroma.

'So this is what a man in love looks like,' Karin teased me. 'Do you want me to go back and get you an extra napkin – I think you're drooling.'

'You have no idea what you've been missing,' I shook my head at her and veered over to a vacant bench-seat at the side of the terminal. 'Try this,' I ordered, dunking a couple of fries into the small tub of creamy cheese sauce and practically stuffing them into her mouth.

'Hmmm,' she faked enjoyment, sauce dripping down her chin from the handful of fries that were still sticking out of her mouth at crazy angles.

I wish I had a camera handy to capture the moment but my phone was tucked away in my bag, and I had a feeling Karin would kill me if I let any of the sauce get on her expensive-looking cashmere sweater. I grabbed the only napkin I had and carefully wiped the gooey mess from her face as she did her best to chew and swallow her mouthful. One particularly long fry was still protruding from her lips, and I couldn't resist plucking it out, greedily shoving it in my own mouth. It was heavenly.

'Wow. Just… wow,' she finally choked out, wiping her face with the back of her hand. 'That was the most disgusting and most delicious thing I may have ever tasted.'

'I told you...' I began my victory speech, but then froze when an announcement came over the intercom.

This is the final call for passengers travelling on the American Airlines flight AA4051 to Pittsburgh. If Mr Don Kardos and Ms Karin Torma are in the terminal, please report to the departures desk immediately.

Shit. We were at the opposite end of the airport.

Author's Note:

A lot of teasing in this chapter, and it's only going to get worse as Don & Karin decide what to do next - run for the plane, or ditch their flight to spend some more time together!

I've been avoiding the 'see something you like?' line, but I thought it made sense here! A little Rose tribute :-)