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  “She’ll perform,” Bion promised. “I do my job so long as I get paid.” He reached out and closed his hand around her upper arm and pulled her away from the captain.

  She should have been relieved—and she was a little—but the problem plaguing her was that she wasn’t sure who was more dangerous—Aetos or Bion.

  She had a feeling she was about to find out.

  ***

  “You’re damned lucky I was able to find you.”

  Sophia turned around in the tiny cabin Bion escorted her to. “I know that,” she snapped, then she shivered, her body refusing to maintain any sort of composure now that there was a solid door shielding her from the outside world.

  “I warned you there would be men willing to kill in their quest to own you.” He shook his head and moved the tattered curtain away from the tiny window the cabin offered.

  “It isn’t as if I ran off,” she replied. “My dorm door was firmly shut, in accordance with the rules, I assure you.”

  “Grainger killed four men to get you out of the Solitary Chamber.”

  “He deserved to be thrown… over.” Her voice caught because it was shocking to realize how glad she was that the man was dead. It wasn’t ladylike, but it was there, inside her—a complete lack of remorse for the man’s demise.

  Bion looked back at her, his eyes narrowing to target the telltale quiver shaking her limbs. He let out a long breath and stepped forward, gathering her into an embrace before she realized his intention.

  “Guardian Pavola is damned lucky my instincts paid off. I think I might have been moved to violence the next time I saw him if I hadn’t found you.”

  His arms tightened and she heard him inhaling the scent of her hair. She should have been offended. Instead, she leaned forward, nuzzling against his body, the scent of his skin sending a new wave of relief through her. She quivered, her body refusing to remain composed. She needed to be closer to him; it was a yearning that was almost desperate.

  “At least I got to kill Grainger.” Bion released her slowly, as though he was forcing himself to open his arms.

  Stepping back was the correct thing to do—but she loathed it. Her feet felt stuck to the floor and she felt the separation like cold water hitting her.

  “I suppose I should thank you for that.”

  Bion’s grin was menacing. “Except that you’ve never had to express gratitude for someone’s death before, Miss Stevenson?”

  “You needn’t quibble with me,” she retorted. “Would you rather I was a woman of rough upbringing? One without a shred of kindness?”

  “You’ll fare better here without compassion.” He withdrew to his favorite pose, crossing his arms across his chest. “These are exactly the sort of men the matrons warned you about.”

  “As if I couldn’t deduce that for myself, thank you very much. I am not a child, Captain Donkova.” She expected at least a slight softening of his demeanor, just a glimmer of shame for his ungentlemanly behavior. Instead, Bion chuckled softly as one dark eyebrow rose.

  “I am not a captain here.” His uncompromising gaze sent heat into her cheeks. “Continue to insist on how much of a woman you are, and I might indeed take notice, my sweet.”

  “I am not your sweet,” she informed him tartly, that yearning making her itch to prove to him that she wasn’t what he thought she was.

  “I could not disagree with you more.”

  She was accustomed to his warnings, and orders, and dictates, but what she heard in his tone was a promise, and it unleashed a need that ripped through her like a bolt of lightning. It was shocking in its brightness, and just as uncontrollable. She remembered perfectly how much she enjoyed his kiss. She looked away from him, seeking a moment to clear her senses, but her gaze settled onto the lone bed in the room.

  There was a menacing chuckle from behind her, rich with devilish intent. “Don’t you know all the really good pirates only have one bed in their cabins? After all, you are trying to impress me with your worldly knowledge.” He reached out and quite deliberately patted her bottom. She gasped and turned, ending up nose to nose with the man.

  “This isn’t a time for jesting, Bion.” At last she managed to sound serious instead of sounding as if she was suffering from the vapors.

  His eyes darkened and excitement twisted through her belly. It was an instantaneous reaction that stoked the memory of the way he’d looked when he’d kissed her.

  “No, it’s a far more appropriate time to kiss you.”

  Bion kept his promise. The words barely had time to register before he’d wrapped his arms around her once more. This time, he cupped her nape, tipping her head so that his mouth might find hers easily. She shifted, not truly pushing against him because he was the only thing in the cabin that she wanted to be near. But she couldn’t remain still either. She grasped his vest, crumpling the fabric.

  That drew a groan from him—a soft, purely male sound of enjoyment that pulled her toward him even more. She wanted to kiss him, needed to hold on to him as the world around her shifted out of control. This kiss was deeper, harder, but she returned it with equal passion. They were like mirrors aimed at one another, each reflection being aimed back at the other over and over until it was impossible to think of anything else.

  Yes, she understood what the sensations threatening to boil up from inside her were now. It was passion, desire, wantonness. And she wanted to experience all of it. The little girl who had so faithfully listened to the matrons was gone, burned away by the need inside her. Touching him was natural, and his scent more intoxicating than any wine. He pressed her lips apart, the tip of his tongue sweeping inside her mouth. It was intrusive but it also built the excitement. She mimicked him, sending her own tongue sliding along his and felt him shudder.

  At last, his iron control slipped in response to her actions. The knowledge soaked into her, making her confidence swell. She slid her hands up his chest until she slid her fingers into his hair, holding him in place for her kiss as well.

  Bion suddenly pulled back, holding her biceps to keep her from following him. His expression was hard, his dark eyes lit by something savage. A tremor shook him as he held her away from him. It was a maddening torment. His scent still filled her senses, his taste still lingering on her lips. She needed more, craved him. Everything that she had deemed important paled in comparison to what she wanted from him.

  “Damn us both.” He uttered each word separately, as if composing a sentence was beyond his grasp.

  It was a feeling she shared at that moment. Her mind didn’t want to function. Her only desire was to feel and experience. She frowned, shrugging to escape his grip. “Why do you say that? Just because I think you’re happiest behaving like a pirate doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy returning your kisses.”

  “I want much more than a kiss, Sophia.” He slid his hands around her back, pulling her close again. He stroked her, his hand traveling along her spine until he cupped one side of her bottom. The touch was startling and unleashed a wave of excitement that fascinated her. He pressed her body completely against his, making it impossible for her to miss the hard presence of his erection.

  That forbidden thing that she suddenly wanted to know everything about—penis, cock, manroot, and a dozen other terms, but it all boiled down to the hard length pressing against her belly.

  “A hell of a lot more.”

  He didn’t think she could stomach the topic. It was there in his tone, the sound of warning that grated on her nerves until taking action was foremost in her mind.

  “So do I.”

  Her cheeks colored, but it was arousal driving the blush now. His eyes glittered with challenge and it was exactly the diversion she craved—something that would overshadow everything happening to her. Something that would wipe every thought from her mind except for the feelings flooding her.

  Something she yearned to do.

  She reached for him, pulling his shoulders down. He stiffened, so she pressed a kiss against his
throat. She’d seen a maid do it once, when no one realized Sophia was peeking through the keyhole. He drew in a stiff breath as though she’d surprised him. His hands gripped her bottom tighter, filling her with an odd little jolt of satisfaction.

  So, she was not the only one who might be affected so dramatically. The knowledge was like fine scotch, rushing through her system on a course directly to her brain. It was intoxicating and she wasn’t interested in any manner of self-control. She kissed his skin again, cupping his nape to hold him in place.

  “Where did you learn to do that?”

  She laughed softly. Actually it was more sultry, the sound reminding her of a cat’s purring. Bion stroked her again, and she arched her back as he petted her. He gripped her hair, angling her chin up so that their gazes fused. Her confidence wavered as she looked into his eyes, because the need raging in them was scorching, uncontrollable. No, not uncontrollable—not if she didn’t let it frighten her. Not if she behaved like a woman.

  “This is a dangerous game, Sophia, with consequences.”

  Her throat was trying to close up, but she swallowed, forcing the lump down. She moved her hands over his chest in the same soothing motion he’d used along her back. Pleasure flickered in his eyes before they narrowed.

  “Since my future lies with the Illuminist Order, there are no consequences to having a lover. I have as much right to ask you to become mine as you do to suggest such an arrangement to me. And you did mention it first. Perhaps I’ve been considering your offer.”

  His lips thinned, a low growl making its way through his clenched teeth. A wave of boldness rose from somewhere deep inside her, some dark corner that she hadn’t admitted to knowing about before. But it was there, locked behind all the boundaries she had been raised to fear crossing. Now, they beckoned to her like the gates to paradise—if she were simply confident enough to take the journey.

  But Bion set her away from him again. She felt the separation as surely as stepping out the front door in the middle of winter. The chill bit into her.

  “You’re in shock.” His voice was gruff. “And you don’t know what you’re saying.”

  She propped her hand on her hip and smiled. “I’ll have you know, Bion Donkova, I have a clear understanding of what lovers do. My father didn’t much care for the current thinking that innocence is the way to keep young ladies from falling from grace. He made sure I’d know if a boy was taking liberties or not. I know what you have in your trousers and exactly what it’s for.”

  It had to be the most provocative thing she’d ever said, but a sense of satisfaction filled her once the words were loose and there was an answering flicker of appreciation in Bion’s eyes.

  He reached out, cupping her chin in a delicate hold, then ran the tip of his thumb across her lower lip. She shivered, his touch instantly drawing a reaction from her. It was shocking just how responsive she was to him. The need to explore it was as close to madness as she’d ever felt.

  “Sweet little Sophia, I believe I could have done very well without you making it clear how much of a woman you are behind that prim and proper exterior. I do believe you have shattered my illusions about you. It’s very much like letting me know that the pie is cooling on the window sill and the cook is out of the kitchen.”

  He leaned forward, pressing a hard kiss against her mouth. Heat curled through her belly, setting her passage on fire. She gasped, never having anticipated just how carnal her own flesh might be.

  Bion smiled and clicked his heels together before offering her a curt bow. “You might know the mechanics of lovemaking, but I assure you, Sophia, you have a great deal to learn about the intimacies.” For a moment he looked ravenous until he hid it behind an expression she recognized from countless times he’d placed duty above all. “Something I am not at liberty to remedy in these circumstances.”

  She laughed at him. “Forgive me, Bion, but there is part of me that simply cannot wonder what more appropriate place there could be than on a pirate ship. Is it not the traditional place for ravishment?”

  He grinned, transforming into the rogue she’d spied a few times when the man was in the mood to vex her. She shook her head and sighed. “I think you are not as much of a pirate as you like me to think.” Her words clearly shocked him, unmasking the man for the first time in her memory. For just a moment, she witnessed his true nature and found it more honorable than she had expected. But that also shamed her. “Or that I might have been hoping for.”

  She’d wanted to lose herself in the moment but that was foolish thinking. Reality would be there waiting, right outside the cabin door. She drew in a deep breath and looked around the cabin for the first time with her wits focused on seeing what was of use.

  “So, Bion Donkova, what exactly is your plan for getting us off this vessel?”

  Bion handed her a pair of purple-tinted glasses. “My entire plan was to join you. Considering just how great a chance I faced of failing in that, I didn’t bother to plan past finding you.”

  Sophia took the glasses and slid them into place over her eyes. “In that case, perhaps we should discover the full extent of our circumstances, so we might strategize a solution to our dilemma.”

  One of his dark eyebrows lifted. “A fine course of action, Miss Stevenson. It seems someone has instructed you rather well on the merits of helping yourself.”

  For a brief moment, they were equals. There was something gleaming in his eyes that she had to look at twice before realizing what it was.

  Respect.

  ***

  “You realize the danger this voyage promises?”

  Lykos nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the pistol he was cleaning.

  “And you are still set to sail with us?”

  Lykos looked up, annoyed with the captain of the Scarlet Dawn. “What is your point, Captain?”

  “The female companion you boarded with.”

  Lykos stiffened. “Are you by chance referring to Guardian Hunter Decima Talaska? Because if you are, I suggest you remember she has earned a rank far above being addressed by her gender. She is my counterpart, not my personal companion.”

  “I have no other female members in my crew.”

  Lykos didn’t back down. “Then you should remedy that fact. We are Illuminists. Our judgment is based on performance, not genitalia. A fact Guardian Talaska has proven to the satisfaction of the same board of peers I stood before when I earned my Guardian standing. You might choose to recall there are also female airship captains.”

  The captain wanted to argue, but shut his mouth and left the small cabin.

  “How very noble of you.”

  Lykos jerked, turning to find Decima in the doorway of the cabin, her dainty foot lodged in the doorjamb to keep the door open.

  “To defend my position so passionately.”

  “Continue to sound so surprised and I shall be happy to behave as you seem to expect I should.” There was a warning in his tone that Decima didn’t miss. Lykos lifted a hand and beckoned her forward with a single finger. “Come here, Decima, and continue to use that condescending tone that insinuates I lack respect for your achievements simply because I think you should admit you are a woman from time to time.”

  She frowned, her forehead furrowing. Lykos chuckled and returned to loading his pistol. He heard her leave, the soft step on the hallway floor and the gentle closing of the door.

  “Later, my sweet,” he promised the empty cabin.

  Four

  “You will see the seams of the dimensions at some point.”

  The bridge of the Soiled Dove was more sophisticated than Sophia expected. It lacked none of the cleanliness she had seen aboard an Illuminist vessel. Every gear was gleaming, the brass levers untouched by tarnish, but there was still a feeling of seediness. If evil had a scent, she was sure the odor was lingering in the raised cabin that allowed her to look out over their flight path.

  It was a shame that she couldn’t enjoy the moment. The heavens stret
ched out before her, golden sunlight bathing the clouds. The ship cut through them in a smooth, swooping motion driven by the propellers attached to the twin steam stacks at the rear of the vessel. It was the sort of thing a child’s imagination might have invented, yet she stood on the deck, watching a member of the crew steer the ship with a large wheel she’d only seen on water-sailing ships.

  Of course Bion had been teaching her about such things, but the reality was far more than any schoolroom preparation could hope to impress upon a student.

  A bell rang on the port side of the ship. A crew member was jerking the rope handle against the brass body of the bell as he kept his eyes on something he saw through his binoculars.

  “Prize at ten o’clock! Bring her around, Mr. Jefferies!” Captain Aetos bellowed as he burst into the bridge. The ship veered sharply as the crewman at the wheel responded. Sophia’s stomach lurched as the vessel dipped and tilted like a child’s top. Bion slipped a hard arm around her waist just as the bow rose as if they were climbing a wave, and they veered to the left.

  “Lower the crystals into the flood basins!”

  Crewmen reached for the levers, pushing them down. From the back of the ship there was a hydraulic sound that grew louder until there was an explosion of steam. It erupted through the stacks and sent the propellers violently spinning. The Soiled Dove jerked and catapulted forward.

  “All hands make ready with the cannons.”

  Men ran across the deck, scurrying down the ladders into the center of the ship. Some leaned over the rail, reaching for the cannon doors with large poles. In the distance, another ship was growing larger.

  “Disable her outer balloons, Mr. Graves!”

  Down on the deck, a man nodded before leaning down and shouting through one of the open trapdoors. The ship vibrated with the explosion of cannon fire, white smoke billowing up and over the rail. Bion was still holding her, and she was clinging to him as the ship in front of them faltered, one of her three balloons punctured. The ship began to turn in a lazy circle, losing altitude as the crew on her deck frantically tried to control her.