Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious (19 page)

“Mother.”

Galene was crying too, wet tracks of tears shimmering on her cheeks.

“You mustn’t be here,” Mary declared. “You should go, immediately.” Pain replaced the joy that had flooded her. How long had it been since she had seen her mother or heard her birth name? She shook her head, reminding herself why she’d turned her back on everything she loved.

“You will end up before a Marshal. Please go, Mother.” Mary looked out the garden window, fearing Guardians would arrive before her mother could escape. “I couldn’t bear it.”

“I entered under the cloak of darkness,” Galene insisted. “Remember who taught you how to disappear, my daughter. Age hasn’t stolen my wits.”

Mary smiled and hugged her mother tightly. “You taught me well. I survived because of your mentoring. But why would you take such a chance? You’ll be brought up on charges, even now, after all this time, if anyone sees you with me. You’ll be convicted of consorting with a traitor.”

“I know the law,” Galene said grimly. “The only way a case of treason is decided is by a Marshal. I couldn’t allow you to face him. There was too much evidence against you.”

“I didn’t betray the Order, Mother.”

“I know, else I would have made you face the consequences of your actions.” Galene drew in a stiff breath. “It would have torn my heart from my chest, but I would have.” She nodded. “But only if you were guilty, which you were not. Now I am more certain of it than ever.”

“Have you found new evidence?” Mary had to press her fingers against her lips to silence herself as hope flared up inside her. How long had it been since she had felt such elation? She couldn’t recall.

Galene offered her a suspicious look. “Marshal Agapitos has had Janette’s Novice tenure cut short.”

“My daughter passed the entrance exam?”

Galene smiled. “Yes, she insisted on challenging it immediately. Not that I blame her—Howard had her admitted to a clinic that was a front for the Helikeians. Thank goodness her friend saw her being locked away and went to Darius Lawley.”

Mary went pale; one hand covered her mouth as horror widened her eyes. “Howard wouldn’t have done such a thing…”

“He did.”

Mary flushed with anger. “He banished me here and then sent my daughter to a clinic? How dare he!”

“Very easily,” Galene said. “After all, he believes himself master of his house and all who live there. You and Janette are his chattel. He is not an Illuminist.”

Mary shook her head. “I had nowhere to go, Mother—and before you say it, I was not going to stay and watch you lose everything by sheltering me. I love you as much as you love me. I couldn’t stand the idea of you tarnishing your name by standing up for me at a trail.

“I would have,” Galene said.

“I know that and I couldn’t let you, not when there was no chance of my name being cleared.”

“They did do a good job of making it look impossible for you to be innocent,” Galene spat. “Damn them. But did you have to wed such a narrow minded man?”

“Howard fancied himself in love with me; it was better than living in the slums. He thought his sons would be men of intelligence if he wed himself an Illuminist.” She laughed softly. “I don’t suppose he ever considered what might happen if we had a daughter. Besides, he was my only option. I used him as much as he used me. It was fitting, in it’s way. Logical…cold.”

“Oh…you always did have a sharp, logical wit.”

Mary suddenly frowned. “Did you say Agapitos?”

Her mother smiled with pride. “Yes, I did. The man is a Marshal now and arrived without any warning to take custody of Janette. He even cut her novitiate short with that authority. He went so far as to attempt to have her secreted out without her Chamber Guardians knowing. I am happy to tell you your daughter is not so easy to dupe.”

“How did he know about her?”

Galene grew serious. “I want to know the answer to that myself—so does Guardian Darius Lawley.”

“But…where is he taking her?” A hundred questions flooded her mind, but so did memories. “Guardian Agapitos was my accuser,” she said softly.

“Yes,” Galene agreed in a menacing tone. “And his father, Photios, was the Marshal who listened to him and placed charges against you. But what you do not know is that he also wanted to wed me. I refused him, a slight Photios never forgave me for.”

Mary frowned. “Why not? Did he love you so deeply?”

Galene shook her head. “He lusted after our bloodline. His mother was a Pure Spirit, but he didn’t inherit the gift.”

“That’s how you kept faith in me.”

“Yes,” Galene admitted. “It is also how I made sure no one ever tracked you down. I changed my duty after you left and changed Solitary Chambers. Oh…many believed it was to hide from the shame, but I was making sure no one could track you, since I had already done so.”

“You knew?”

Galene smiled. “I am your mother, but I was also a Guardian Hunter. Alas, I only had my suspicions and nothing to prove your innocence with. Until now. Photios has exposed his hand now.”

“But not enough so to clear my name.”

Galene’s joy faded, but her eyes still flickered with hope. “It is a beginning. The first crack in their camouflage, and it is a large one, my child. They have underestimated Janette, and Darius Lawley is a formidable man.”

“He is still a Guardian and bound to obey a Marshal.”

“True,” Galene confessed. “However, he resigned his post to travel with Janette. That man knows the scent of trouble.”

Mary frowned. “How could he go with her? Surely Agapitos wouldn’t want anyone along who might expose him?”

“Darius Lawley is Janette’s lover. He claimed they were engaged.”

Mary stiffened, and her mother laughed.

“Oh, do relax, Zenais. I never raised you to be such a prude. There is quite the flame between them. I witnessed it myself. It comes as no surprise to me to see them together. Janette is young. It is summer…”

“Mother, the Regency has long passed. Your granddaughter’s reputation will be shredded.”

Galene drew herself up straight. “I am more interested in restoring your reputation so that we might all enjoy having our family name cleared. Darius Lawley is the man to assist us with that goal. I don’t believe for one moment that Janette truly agreed to wed him. She wouldn’t throw her newfound independence away so quickly, but she is wise enough to not trust Agapitos.”

“Even if Darius breaks her heart?”

“I am spending my effort on worrying about whether the man can save her life,” Galene insisted. “A heart can heal.”

Her emotions were threatening to drown her.

Excitement ruled her as she stepped closer to the escalator that would carry her up to the airship. It was like stepping into a fantasy, only better, because she could hear the gears making contact as they were driven by steam engines. She felt the wooden step beneath her foot when she stepped on it and didn’t need the soft push Darius gave her to move fully onto the escalator.

His hand remained on her back, cutting through some of her elation. The man was guarding her. She could feel it, actually sense his heightened awareness. Lykos and Decima were in a similar state. The three of them never allowed the Marshal’s Guardians near her. They functioned like a team, one stepping in when another was forced to move away from her. The hand on her back almost burned. In a way, Darius was branding her. It was a familiar touch, one uncommon in public, but she felt sure he was doing it to uphold his claim that they were engaged.

She could have disputed his announcement. Part of her delivered a large dose of guilt for not correcting him because it was dishonest to continue such a charade.

But her arm tingled where the Marshal’s Guardians had bruised her in their attempt to drag her away from Darius’s stewardship. The handrails on the escalator were high, obviously to keep passengers from tumbling off.

“The airship travels faster than a train and is far more versatile on the path it may take,” Darius offered as the airship grew larger and larger.

“I would say so.”

The hand on her back rubbed gently, reassuringly. She took her attention away from the airship and locked gazes with him. He appeared surprised for a moment before his lips twitched into a grin.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you enjoying the moment.” His lips returned to a smooth line, while his eyes flickered with a heat she recalled very well. An answering flame licked along her insides.

“Your spirit is truly amazing, Janette.”

His fingers curled slightly against her back, sending a ripple of awareness down her body. She looked away, heat teasing her cheeks. All around them, other passengers were in the process of boarding, and still she responded to Darius so strongly.

She truly was a wanton.

They reached the top and stepped into the cabin of the ship. Large windows were set around its exterior. The design reminded her of a basket set beneath a hot-air balloon—only on a massive scale. The lobby was the size of a hotel’s, and people hurried about.

“Welcome aboard.”

The man greeting them wore a dark maroon coat that ended at his hips. An ear device similar to Darius’s sat comfortably in his right ear, and his Illuminist badge had a small compass on the top of it.

“I am the First Officer, Bion Donkova.”

He was also a huge man. His shoulder span was impressive, and Darius didn’t have to look down to make eye contact with him. There was a sharpness to the way he inspected her, and his dark eyes didn’t appear any friendlier. His brown hair was cut extremely short, and his square-cut jaw was shaved clean.

“Captain Kyros instructed me to welcome you aboard.”

Two more men in maroon coats flanked him, their stares hard.
Welcoming
wasn’t a word she would have used to describe them. Darius and Lykos seemed to agree. They remained close to her, keeping her between them, while Bion gestured one of the men forward.

“We will be under way shortly. Until then, my man will show you to where you may be comfortable.”

“Somehow, I doubt it.”

She hadn’t realized she’d muttered aloud until Bion raised an eyebrow at her. Darius’s eyes narrowed as Lykos shook his head, but her nerves were ready to snap.

“For heaven’s sake, look at the way the lot of you are pressing in on me.” Janette surveyed the group before settling on Bion. “I feel like the only meat pie being set down at the orphanage supper table.”

“Janette—”

“Honestly, Darius, don’t try to warn me to be silent.” She stepped away from him, and Lykos earned a deadly look from both of them. For a brief moment she admired their dedication to their duty, but it gave way to her pride. She was sick unto death of being labeled and having a value placed upon her like a sack of dry goods. They were clustered around her, pressing in on her. Marshal Agapitos came up the escalator with his men behind him.

“You are a Pure—” Marshal Agapitos began, but Janette interrupted him.

“I am a person. A woman. A student, and perhaps a shrew at the moment, but I am sick of the lot of you fighting over me.”

She began walking, desperate to escape, but they moved with her, Darius and Lykos pushing their way to be at her side. The Marshals’ men responded by blocking her path. “Move aside. This is my first journey by airship, and I intend to watch us clear the station.”

“Allow me to escort you,” Bion offered. The First Officer inserted himself into the group surrounding her and offered her his arm, and she took it while feeling Darius’s glare burning into her back. Let him be angry.

At least they would be fine company for each other, a true match indeed.

***

“Are you quite certain, Doctor?”

Dr. Nerval nodded, a rare gleam of enjoyment in his eyes. His wrinkled cheeks rose with a smile as he lifted a withered hand to point.

“I have been waiting for this moment…anticipating it for many years. Carry out my instructions. We need to be aboard the airship soon, or we shall fall short of our time schedule.”

The orderlies inclined their heads before hurrying off. Neither of them wanted to be responsible for a botched time schedule. They didn’t look at each other. Guilt might gain more of a hold over their consciences if they knew their partner was harboring reservations about their task. Better to see it done quickly. At least that way, they could hand off their burden with the sure knowledge that the doctor was gone and their positions secure.

A man did what he had to to survive.

That was nothing to feel guilty about.

***

“She’s got a point, you know. We are a bit fixated on her bloodline.”

Darius tossed back the contents of a brandy snifter. The alcohol burned a path to his stomach and added to the inferno raging inside him. He shot a look at Bion that was a clear challenge. The First Officer watched Janette lean over a nearby railing to peer out the window before he offered Darius a smirk.

Darius felt the need to hit the man grow.

In spite of the airship leaving the station, the First Officer was still with them, and the man looked completely ill-placed as supper was served to them in a windowside table section.

“Forget her point.” Darius cut a sidelong look at Lykos. “Don’t think about her beyond keeping Agapitos and his men away from her.”

Lykos studied him intently. “Fair enough, my good man. It does look like you are doing enough mental deliberation over Miss Aston’s attributes for the pair of us.”

Decima tilted her head. “She is his fiancée.”

“So I heard,” Lykos said loud enough for Janette to overhear. A blush stained her cheeks scarlet when she locked stares with Decima. “It’s my understanding they are very devoted to each other’s pleasure.”

Janette drew in a harsh breath before clamping her lips together to keep from sputtering. She turned on her heel and headed away from the public areas with Darius on her heels before Lykos had stopped chuckling. “You’re very welcome…”

“I don’t believe he heard you,” Decima muttered as she reached for a china teacup.

“He heard me.”

Decima smiled before drawing off a long sip of tea. “He did, and he owes you a debt of gratitude for ensuring he and Janette share some private time tonight.” She fell silent as she took another sip of tea, but this one she didn’t savor. Her eyes remained hard.

“Once we reach the Crystal Fields, there will be little time for pleasantries.”

Lykos nodded. He reached for a plate of sweet breads because Decima was right. Tomorrow, the tension would double.

But for tonight, he was sharing a fine meal with a beautiful woman. It was as good as it got for Guardians such as themselves.

***

Along the interior of the passenger area were passenger berths. Doors were set at even intervals like any steamer ship. Darius caught up to Janette quickly, and with a few turns, he guided her to a cabin for which he produced a key. She was grateful for the privacy, but it seemed to be her undoing as well.

“I’m just sick unto death of it.”

The words bubbled up the moment she heard the door close. Her control was slipping out of her grasp. The cabin was tiny, but the four walls gave her relief from the constant surveillance.

“Janette, you must listen to me. It is imperative that you…”

Darius was using his authoritarian voice again. The same one she recalled vividly from their first meeting, when he’d invested so much effort in attempting to frighten her into submission. She turned on him, her skirt whipping around with her quick motion. “Oh, I’ve listened to you, Darius Lawley. I’ve listened very well to you declaring I agreed to marry you when you never asked me such a question.”

Her temper was rising, and she welcomed it because it cut through the fear twisting her insides. She propped her hands onto her hips and faced off with him.

“I’ve heard everything you’ve said, but I wonder if you’ve listened to me at all. If I desired a life full of being submissive to a man’s will, I could have stayed with my father.”

His visage suddenly changed. The somber, alert expression cracked as a grin appeared, only it wasn’t a pleasant expression. It was menacing, and his eyes flickered with a challenge.

“I listened when you demanded I finish what I start, and I’m in just the right mood to answer the challenge you are flinging in my face,” he said. “Dare me to try you and I will, siren.”

“Only an arrogant knave would view my words as a challenge.” There was too much energy coursing through her. She had to move; maintaining her poise became impossible. “I am no siren, sir. I am—”

“A bitch,” he finished with a smirk.

She gasped, but he smothered the sound with a kiss. It was a hard one, designed to silence her protests. But she wasn’t ready to surrender, wasn’t nearly ready to bend at all. She balled up her fists, just as she’d learned in Asian fighting class, and tried to drive them into the soft portion of his chest below where his ribs ended.

He captured both hands.

“How dare you call me such a thing?”

And how dare her body respond so quickly to his kiss?

“With complete pleasure, I assure you.” He twisted her arms behind her back. She ended up trapped against his chest, unable to do anything more than wiggle.

“You wanted to make me jealous, Janette, admit it.” He released her hands but gripped her bottom and pulled her into contact with his lower body before she might step back. “I’ve been hard since you pranced away ever so saucily on Bion’s arm. But the sight of your hips swaying held my attention, have no doubt.”

The truth of his words was hard against her belly. “You’re being vulgar, Darius.”

He didn’t release her. Instead, his hands smoothed over the cheeks of her bottom, squeezing and rubbing as he grinned. Desire speared through her, awakening her clitoris with a vengeance. All the swirling emotion inside her began to transform. Instead of being furious with him, she was desperate to have him once more.

“And you’re being provocative.”

She should have taken his words as an accusation, but instead, they landed on her like a compliment. “That doesn’t grant you leave to call me such a thing.”

“As a bitch?” His voice dipped low and mocking. His eyes darkened, making him appear sinister, and damn her for a fool if it didn’t make her want to scratch him. Just for the release of energy it would provide her.

“But I prefer to see you sticking your chin out in the face of this situation instead of cringing.” Something flared in his eyes that made her belly twist with lust so tightly, she ground herself against his erection. He lowered his head until his breath was against her neck, denying her the sight of his face and any hint as to his emotions.

“You have strength in you, Janette. I could ignore anything else, but your spirit is indomitable, and it draws me to you.”

He bit her gently, sending an electric urge through her. Thoughts refused to form as she was consumed once more by raging need. His erection teased her, and she craved it, twisting against him while he ran a trail of kisses against the sensitive skin of her neck. It stole her breath.

“I’m happy to see you fighting mad, and very happy to meet you in the middle of the ring.”

He scooped her up and dropped her on the narrow bed. Her simple skirt went flying with a sweep of his hand, allowing the cool night air to brush the insides of her thighs where her knickers were split.

“And I shall be very happy to show you I can tame you.” He’d never seemed so attractive before, so completely irresistible. She stared at the glittering depths but fought the urge to be hypnotized. Submission was the last thing on her mind; in fact, it felt absolutely necessary to refuse him, even as she felt the need licking at the walls of her passage.

“You will do no such thing,” she insisted. “And you can go find someplace else to sleep. This is my cabin.”

He laughed at her, sounding like some demon described in the pages of a horror story. He tore his vest off before opening his trousers. Beneath the vest was a leather harness that held a pistol against his side.

“Neither of us is going to be sleeping.” His cock appeared, swollen and hard. “I thought you spent the afternoon learning how many opportunities to increase our pleasure we wasted last night.”

He knelt and pushed her thighs wide, her split-crotch knickers giving him full view of her sex. She placed her hands behind her on the bed to keep from flopping onto her back. A cry rose from all the emotion swirling around inside her as she struggled to remain upright. Darius took the opportunity to spread her sex open completely and gently stroke it with his fingertips.

“
Oh
my
Lord…
” A hoarse cry escaped her lips without any consent from her mind. The sensation was too intense, too acute, and her body wanted nothing more than to respond. She had never suspected any part of her body could be so sensitive.