Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious (3 page)

Darius released her with a muffled word that sounded very much like profanity.

“Remove your hand.” He sounded annoyed, which pleased her because it placed them back on even ground.

“Are there crystals inside this desk?” She lifted her hand when his expression tightened with determination to maintain his secrecy. “Why does it pain you to touch me when I’m in contact with those crystals?”

Science questions were wonderfully devoid of stimulation, at least the physical sort.

She directed her attention to the desk. Darius reached out and boldly cupped her chin, lifting it so their gazes fused. Her skin flushed uncomfortably hot, her poise deserting her in an instant. Sensation rippled across her skin. She was stunned by just how much she enjoyed his hand on her. So delightful, but wicked nonetheless.

“You’re being quite forward,” she said, but her tone lacked true conviction.

“You are hardly sputtering with indignant, puritan outrage,” he muttered. “In fact, you sound…breathless.”

Now his toying was much more personal and dangerous. Her belly twisted with something that felt like excitement, but her common sense warned her to avoid any further discoveries. He wouldn’t be condemned in his world, but she would be in hers.

“I’m agitated.” She stepped back to remove herself from his touch. “But you clearly don’t recognize civilized emotions.”

“Because I’m an Illuminist?” he offered too quickly.

“Because you are clearly no gentleman, as your behavior proves.” Her father would have approved of her words, but part of her cringed. She was acting the prude when her thoughts were anything but proper. “Why are you being so presumptuous? You judge me, sir, far more than I am guilty of having preconceived notions about your character.”

Darius came around the desk, his large body capturing her attention. An insane rush of heat washed down her body as he came closer. She became more conscious of the lack of skirt hiding her legs. He was the first man to see so much of her form, and she felt her cheeks burning as he loomed over her. The man never averted his eyes, like a gentleman would have, but surveyed her from head to toe without hesitation.

Did
he
like
what
he
saw?

“Miss Aston, I am responsible for security here, and I don’t have time to teach curious girls lessons their nursemaids should have.”

He wasn’t attracted to her one bit, which made her a fool. “You are free with your judgments sir.”

“Perhaps, but I assure you I am very skilled at keeping this Solitary Chamber secure.”

Now he was formal, and she believed him. Duty was something he held very dear; she could see the devotion in his eyes. He reached up and tapped the device covering his ear. She witnessed it glow. Only in a tiny portion, but the light was unmistakable. The door opened with a soft sound behind her.

“I will return once I’ve questioned the doorman,” he said. “By all means, continue to think of me as no gentleman. I find the blush on your cheeks…charming.”

Outrage banished the shame flooding her. “Why, you…rogue.”

The door closed behind Darius, but not before she witnessed the satisfied smirk on his lips.

Ill-mannered, gutter hound!

Insufferable man. She wasn’t going to waste her time on thinking about what he thought of her.

But
you’re still disappointed he is quite out of reach.

Oh
stop
already.

She couldn’t possibly be interested in seeing him again. No. She would deny such feelings, because otherwise she would be doomed to weeping in her bed.

Illuminists and ladies did not mix. Ever.

***

“You seem to be failing to impress our guest, Darius.”

Darius made it to the observation room adjacent to his office to discover Lykos Claxton watching Janette.

“She lacks a sense of self-preservation. I was attempting to motivate her to stay at her friend’s tea table. I’m sure her father would want it that way.” He wished he agreed more with his better judgment, but his tone betrayed just how little passion he had for doing the correct thing when it came to Janette Aston. She tempted him, and that was dangerous ground.

Lykos peered at Janette through the wall screen. “You managed to bring a blush to her cheeks and spirit to her voice. No simpering at all. Interesting.”

Darius didn’t care for the tone of his comment. His comrade was an outstanding guardian, but his second love in life was the art of seduction—a skill he had polished to a high shine with the help of his handsome face. Fair hair and blue eyes added to his appeal with the gentle sex.

“Why are you here, anyway? I can handle a single trespasser by myself. If you don’t have enough to keep you busy at your posting, I’m sure the council would be happy to assign you someplace that can keep you from wandering away from your post looking for afternoon diversion.”

“For a look at a Pure Spirit, I’d sit through tea at Buckingham Palace, boring conversation and all. But that little bit of womanhood isn’t hard on the eyes, even if blondes aren’t my favorite.”

Darius frowned, recognizing the tone of his friend’s voice. Lykos knew how to seduce women far too well. “She’s a Pure Spirit, for all the good it will do us. Her family is upper-crust, not an Illuminist-accepting bone in their bodies.”

“Why so skeptical? Those cycling pantaloons give me hope.” Lykos nodded. “She won’t be so hard to entice into the order. If she found the courage to step out in those, she’s not the model lady her family wishes.” He flashed a grin at Darius. “Maybe I’m being too rash about those golden locks.”

“What’s this?” Professor Yulric came around the corner, his thoughts spilling from his lips in the same moment his mind formed them. “Have you convinced the girl to train for the exam already? Excellent.” He beamed at them, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

“No, I haven’t even broached the subject, and you both know she must ask. It’s a rare young woman who is willing to take such a drastic step in changing her life.”

The professor’s hands stopped, and he stared at Darius like a child being denied a favorite toy. “But we simply cannot allow such a unique discovery to slip away. Need I remind you that the number of Pure Spirits has been greatly reduced due to the nefarious habits of the Helikeians? If she is discovered and refuses to participate in their evil, she will be killed.”

“I am well aware of the Helikeians’ thirst for Pure Spirits, Professor. That does not in any way grant us the right to act as they do and keep Miss Aston simply because we are aware of her secret origins.”

“But can we allow her to return to the outside world when her secret is undeniably exposed now?” Lykos asked. “All it will take is one undetected spy among those at the lecture, and the Helikeians will take her the moment we allow her to leave. You admitted as much this morning.”

Darius didn’t care for the hard truth in Lykos’s words. In fact, there was very little about the day he did like. Miss Aston was in more trouble than she might ever suspect. But there was something about the way she had stood up to him that made him want to resist dismissing the situation as something beyond his control.

That was the true reason he needed her to leave his world. His emotions were boiling dangerously, and his duty required complete control.

“Yes, I agree with Mr. Claxton,” the professor said. “It is simply too great a risk to allow the girl to return to her father’s home.” The professor began rubbing his hands again. “I cannot wait to begin instructing her.”

“You mean to say…you eagerly anticipate being able to use her abilities for your work,” Darius said.

Yulric’s eyes widened. “Well, yes.”

“That makes you no better than a Helikeian.”

The professor frowned. “Now, see here—”

“Professor, the girl has a family, and unless you would like the duty of strong-arming her into a room for the night, legally I have no grounds to keep her here, nor do I have a personal desire to imprison her. She has not asked to challenge the exam, and she is not the offspring of an Illuminist, even a disgraced one, so you both know none of us can put the question to her.”

“Damned law,” Lykos replied. “I don’t suppose the lot of you would care to look the other way while I break that legal noose Parliament insisted on passing to keep us from growing in numbers?”

“The one you need to worry about is her,” Darius answered while studying Janette. “It would be unwise for us to assume she’s willing to walk away from her family and shield us from reprimand. That little dove will no doubt sing loud and clear if we break the law, landing us all in prison.”

“Unless she is motivated by the need to keep her afternoon adventures secret from her family,” Lykos countered.

Darius shifted his attention to his friend. “However passionate we both are, neglecting honor has never been a failing either of us have been guilty of. We’ve both sworn to uphold the law. We break our Oaths of Allegiance if we put the question to her.”

“True,” Lykos admitted. “Frustratingly so.”

Darius discovered himself staring at Janette again, his jaw aching as he ground his teeth. He was tempted, but honor was not optional. If it were possible to will another person into doing something, Janette would have turned toward them and voiced the demand to challenge the exam. Instead, she continued to investigate his desk, blissfully ignorant of the law that bound his hands. Parliament wanted the knowledge the Illuminist community had, but they also wanted their high British society untainted. Recruiting was strictly prohibited, and even now, when Janette had walked through the doors of her own will, he couldn’t ask her if she wanted to join.

Part of him was happy about it—pleased that he wouldn’t be faced with dealing with her. She had too much raw magnetism, and she was also in possession of an uncanny sense of perception. In short, she could see past his hardened exterior too well. That was something he couldn’t tolerate.

The professor’s shoulders slumped. “That is terribly disappointing. Very tragic…and such a loss…”

The man walked away, still babbling. Lykos suddenly started chuckling. Darius turned to see his comrade watching their subject again. Janette had returned to his desk and placed her hands firmly on the surface.

“She’s a curious one.” Lykos cut him a sidelong glance. “About a lot of things.” His words were coated with suggestion. “If she were my sister, I’d have to hit you for how much of a knave you were with her.”

“So hit me,” Darius remarked. “I enjoyed it, so did she,” he added with a wolfish grin.

Lykos smothered a bark of laughter. “It’s about time a member of the fairer sex made a hole in your rough exterior.”

“Don’t start, Lykos,” Darius said. “She’s a lady, and the last thing I need is another lady anywhere near me. One look at my true nature and she’ll have nightmares.”

“Or heated fantasies.” His friend became serious. “Let Miss Aston go if you must, but don’t fail to admit to yourself that you’re interested—besides, maybe you should court her. That’s the only other way around the law.”

“Neither of us would make it past the butler, much less into the parlor.”

It irritated him to discover he admired her tenacity enough to toy with her. To what end? She would return to her father’s house, where an Illuminist like himself wasn’t welcome. No matter how bright the blush staining her cheeks, she’d turn her nose up when her family pressed her to choose him or her standing in society.

He was an Illuminist, and he’d never leave the order. The last thing he needed was another lady of society looking down her nose at him. Better to be done with it quickly, no matter the fact that she was a Pure Spirit. At least she’d be blissfully ignorant of her loss. He wouldn’t be so fortunate.

He’d know what she could have been, and for the first time in a very long time, he was going to lament not being able to get to know a lady better.

***

She couldn’t see the crystals, but she could hear them.

Janette moved around the desk and bent over to look beneath it. The top was a good inch thick, like a baking pan, with room beneath the frosted glass. Once she stood in front of it, symbols appeared on the top. They were vaguely familiar, and she leaned closer to study them.

“Did you open the drawers of your friend’s wardrobe to discover that ensemble you’re wearing while she was fetching the tea service?”

The door had opened, and she’d been too absorbed to notice. Janette quickly removed her hands from the desktop, the hair on the back of her neck rising with apprehension. Just the sound of his voice and her thoughts shifted back to her fascination with Darius Lawley. She forced herself to draw a deep breath before facing him, but it didn’t steady her as much as she’d hoped.

“No, I did not. Sophia knows very well that I am wearing her creations.” At least her voice came out steady. “When are you going to stop insinuating that I’m some sort of criminal?”

Darius closed the space between them. Beneath her corset, her nipples contracted in response. Her mouth went dry, the pure wickedness of the response stunning her.

“What would that leave for us to discuss except improper topics?” His voice was low and suggestive, but his eyes were guarded again, almost as though he didn’t consider her worthy of his attentions.

“Somehow, I’d always thought of an Illuminist as someone more interested in spending their time on facts instead of useless gossip.”

He drew in a stiff breath, all hints of playfulness gone. “Your friend will no doubt be looking for you, Miss Aston. However, it is my duty to warn you not to be so foolish as to believe no one else shares your curiosity about what is inside this chamber.” He walked toward her. “Has it occurred to you that someone might be willing to harm you to learn what you now know about Deep Earth Crystals?”

He half turned and extended his arm toward the door. At the same time he touched the device covering his ear, and the door opened.

“My doorman will not make the same mistake twice, Miss Aston. Do the wise thing and stay where you belong. Only members are allowed inside our walls.”