The man behind the counter nods slowly, eyeing me and Ethan. “For what day were you looking to fly with us?”
“Your next flight, if possible,” I say with a breathless giggle. “There’s no time like the present.”
“I’m afraid that flight is fully booked, unless ...” He trails off as though he sees no point in continuing.
“Unless?” I widen my eyes and flutter my lashes a couple of times.
“We had a cancellation for two first-class seats.” The man purses his lips like he tastes something sour. I look like a college-age kid at best, and Ethan doesn’t look much older in his Henley and jeans. And neither of us looks like we have money. “First-class seats, especially those purchased at the last minute, are quite expensive.”
“I’ve been saving up for eighteen years to visit Korea. And lo and behold, my schedule cleared up unexpectedly. It’s now or never.” I plunk a roll of hundreds on the counter, then another. The man’s beady eyes reach their maximum roundness. “I have a huge family, and that adds up to a lot of birthday money.”
“My girlfriend is a force of nature.” Ethan picks up a lock of my hair and wraps it around his finger. My toes curl up like roly-poliesat his hooded glance, even though he’s just putting on a show for the airline man.
Well, my toes are being ridiculous. It’s just Ethan. He used to get choked up every time that car commercial with the golden retriever came on. Never mind that I did too. I refuse to be dazzled by his sex appeal. I lean into his touch and nudge my cheek against his hand, playing along with the act.
“I ... um ...” Ethan’s heated glance drops to my lips, then he shakes his head. “When she sets her sight on something, she won’t stop until she gets it.”
The man sniffs and clacks something into his computer. Then he flashes us a smirk that begs to be punched off his face. “So she’ll pay twenty-two thousand dollars? In birthday money?”
“Yes, she will,” I say and slam three more rolls of cash onto the counter. The airline man jumps a little. “Like I said,somuch birthday money.”
I take my time counting out the twenty-two thousand in hundreds as the dickhead watches with his mouth gaping. Once I’m done, I push the money across the counter to him. He takes it, with his Adam’s apple bobbing. He moves around in a nervous rush, then produces two tickets and boarding passes for us.
“Thank you so much,” he says with a sad excuse for a smile. “Have a safe flight.”
Having gotten what I came for, I drop my smile and turn my back on him without replying. I’m proud of myself for not giving him the finger.
“Do you think he’ll report us?” Ethan says once we reach the security check line.
“He doesn’t have the balls.” I pull off my damp sneakers as we inch toward the conveyor belt. “Besides, our flight already started boarding. Once it takes off, no one can get us, and we’ll have thirteen hours of peace.”
I unzip my backpack just enough to put my hand inside and grab the hilt of my sword. A spark of magic pulses out of my palm as I glamour my hwando. It’s a necessary risk.
“Is that”—Ethan’s eyes go wide—“a recorder?”
“I like to play for relaxation.” I close my backpack as we near the front of the line.
“Did you use ...” He makes a hapless gesture with his hand. His hesitation rubs me the wrong way, and I rise to my tippy-toes, grabbing onto his shoulder.
“Magic?” I breathe huskily into his ear. A muscle jumps in his jaw as I move away from him. I sigh. I shouldn’t have taunted him. He has every reason to be hesitant. “Don’t worry. Remember what I told you about magic and disbelief not mixing?”
Ethan nods curtly.
“Well, science and magic confuse the hell out of each other, and we’re about to board an airplane. It takes a lot of science and technology to make two hundred tons of metal fly. What does all that mean?” I ask like I’m in an infomercial. “Airplanes eat magic traces for breakfast.”
He doesn’t laugh. We didn’t have a chance to talk since we ran from that sad little diner. And I just reminded him that I still owe him a shitload of answers.
“Not even the Suhoshin will be able to track me while I’m flying in one,” I babble on, because Ethan’s stoic expression is making me nervous. “Maybe I should become a flight attendant in my next city.”
His brows furrow above the bridge of his perfectly imperfect nose. “The Suhoshin?”
It’s our turn to go through the security check. I put my backpack and my soggy shoes onto the conveyor belt and step through the metal detector. Ethan follows behind me with bare feet. My recorder passes the x-ray scan without issue. He grabs both our shoes and shoulders my backpack, despite my impatient scoff. We find a bench against the wall and sit down.
“The Suhoshin are the guardians of the Shingae. They are sworn to protect all beings and maintain order in the worlds,” I say quietly. “That guy from the diner with his eyes on fire?”
“Silver fire,” Ethan says darkly. “Never mind. Keep going.”
“Well, he’s a suhoshin.” I shrug, pulling on a damp shoe.
