Captain and a Corset (14 page)

It grew stronger as he heard her words again.

“But you are a man of action.”

“I will do my best to prove my worth to you, sweetest Sophia.”

***

Bion didn’t notice the small knothole sliding back into place. Mr. Graves didn’t hurry away from the cabin. He left with patient steps and stopped to put his boots back on once he was far enough away to make the sounds blend in with the rest of the crew’s movements.

He rapped twice on the captain’s cabin door and waited.

“Enter,” Aetos barked.

Mr. Graves removed his hat before crossing the threshold because the captain had an unpredictable temper at best. A wise man learned that or didn’t last very long among the crew of the Soiled Dove.

Aetos was using a myriad of measuring tools on the Deep Earth Crystals they’d taken from their prey. Length, width, and gender were all being recorded in a logbook.

“How are our guests enjoying their private accommodations?”

“Quite thoroughly,” Mr. Graves answered. “He buggered her up against the wall, just as you suspected he might. The buggering part, that is. I don’t recall you saying just how he’d go about it.”

Aetos grinned and shot his deck master a lust-filled look. “No man is that protective of a female if he isn’t planning on getting his wick wet between her thighs. I suppose you’ll be encouraging me to put into dock soon, so you can find some lovely to entertain you as well.”

Mr. Graves shrugged. “That depends.”

“On what?” Aetos set down the crystal he’d been examining.

“On how long you plan to keep that bloke alive.”

Aetos picked up another crystal and brought it closer to one of the ones lying on the table. They both began to whine, the sound growing louder as the distance between them diminished. “Male and female react to one another in all different sorts of ways, Mr. Graves.” Aetos set the crystal down. “Even in these Deep Earth Crystals. The reaction is strong enough to boil water and produce the steam that powers this vessel.”

Mr. Graves nodded. “Aye. That’s what makes them worth killing for. It sure beats shoveling coal into the boilers. Means we can stay in the air for much longer too.”

“Now, with the case of our Navigator and her trainer, their relationship is the key to controlling them both.” The captain stood up. “She’s a lady and they have sensitive natures. She’d never think that Bion Donkova is poking her simply because he had the opportunity to get her skirts up. No, she’ll think it’s affection and that, my good Mr. Graves, is the means to controlling her.”

“And what about the bloke? He’s a powerful one and not lacking in smarts. When he gets the idea to cause trouble, he’ll do a grand job of it. Mark my words.”

“Leave that matter to me,” Aetos insisted in a tone every member of his crew knew not to argue with. Men who did ended up dead. “The Soiled Dove is mine and I always make sure what’s mine remains mine.”

“Right you are about that, Captain.”

Aetos watched Graves nod before leaving, then reached into a crate sitting on the floor behind his desk. Straw kept the contents nice and secure during travel. Here was the true prize they’d taken, something so rare it made the Deep Earth Crystals look common. He lifted the lid of a tin box to reveal a velvet-lined interior. Nestled in the middle of the velvet was a Root Ball. Composed of thousands of tiny Deep Earth Crystals, they were often absorbed back into the growing crystal. Root Balls were only found near fresh lava flows.

There were always ways to control men such as Bion Donkova. Aetos closed the lid and grinned. He’d never met a man who didn’t have his price. Even Bion would break the tender heart of his mistress in order to get his hands on a Root Ball. Aetos was looking forward to watching it happen.

He chuckled and felt his cock twitch. Virgins didn’t interest him, but an experienced woman set on exacting revenge for being betrayed by her first lover? Now that was something he would enjoy.

***

She heard wood splintering and Sophia sat up.

“My apologies.”

Bion didn’t turn to look at her, giving her a chance to yank the sheet up to cover her breasts. For all that she understood it was permissible to have a lover as an Illuminist, she still blushed scarlet as the reality of her situation dawned on her.

Bion had the cabin’s small dresser on its back. He’d stuffed the parachute into the back of its raised facing on the front. Once he finished, he fit the piece of wood he’d broken free back into place. When he raised it, there was no way to tell that anything was behind the curved face-board of the dresser.

“That should hold, unless someone shakes it.”

“Do you mean to suggest someone might inspect this cabin?” Her chemise was draped over the foot of the bed and she quickly shrugged into it.

“I would,” Bion assured her quietly, “if I was trying to keep a captive Navigator aboard.”

Bion stood up, watching her struggle with her corset for a moment, then came up behind her to press the garment against her sides. With his strength, her rib cage compressed just a little, allowing her to overlap the busk closures in the front. Once it was closed, she felt better but she also realized it was all in the way she thought about it. Being comfortable was really a state of mind, because a few weeks ago, being caught in her chemise and corset by Bion had been unnerving.

She shook her head and looked around for her clothing. “When can we use the parachute?”

Bion was buttoning his vest and offered her a look that wasn’t promising. “Darkness and clouds to make sure the moonlight doesn’t illuminate us to begin with. After that? Some sort of diversion that keeps the crew from their watch stations and firing off a few shots into our parachute. They don’t work very well with holes in them.”

Which meant it was almost impossible. She bit her lower lip to keep from voicing her thoughts aloud. There was no point in bemoaning the facts. Bion cupped her chin and used his thumb to gently pull her lower lip away from her teeth.

“I will get you out of here, Sophia. It’s my duty.”

“Or kill me, right?” She stepped away from him, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. “Isn’t that also your duty, Captain?”

Bion caught her and pulled her against his body. She wiggled, not wanting to be comfortable in his embrace. Her emotions were a tangled mess and she needed space to sort them into order.

“I’d sooner wear the title of traitor.”

It was an admission she’d never expected to hear from him.

Bion chuckled softly at her surprise. “I do believe I should be offended by your lack of faith in me, Miss Stevenson.”

His teasing demeanor frustrated her. “Maybe I wouldn’t doubt you had tender sensibilities if you hadn’t spent the better part of the last six months being so impossible to please.”

“I was ensuring you’d survive. The best path in life is not the easy one.”

“I suppose I see your point.”

For a long moment their eyes held, his dark ones full of confidence. It was so tempting to just let herself drink in that look, absorb it until she believed him. She wanted to, but the ship’s bell began to clang incessantly. Bion’s body stiffened, his expression drawing into a tight mask that betrayed not a bit of his emotion.

“We’ve got to get off this ship,” he snarled.

She couldn’t agree more.

***

“Move your worthless hides!” Mr. Graves shouted at them the moment Bion opened the cabin door. “We’ve a prize to capture.”

Once again, the crew was hurrying below. She heard the cannon doors being opened and froze. If she’d had anything in her stomach, she would have lost it. The images from the last prize ship flooded her mind, sickening her.

“I can’t… do… it.” She shook her head, her composure crumbling as she saw the ship they were bearing down on.

“Get onto the bridge!” Aetos yelled. “She’s making for the dimension seam.”

Bion set his arm around her and moved her forward. Somehow, they ended up on the bridge. She didn’t want to see the seam, but her eyes had finished their transformation. Still, the seam was clear. She could see the light spilling out from the other side. The other ship was preparing to go through it. The large Deep Earth Crystal array mounted on the front of the other ship like a cowcatcher was being lowered. Once in position, the Navigator would lower the top of it so the male crystals fixed in the top moved close to the female ones in the bottom of the array. A current would form, and it would split the dimension seam open. The array held over four hundred crystals and was worth a king’s ransom.

At that moment, it was the difference between life and death for the crew of the ship they were chasing.

“Fire!”

The cannons exploded. Sophia held her breath, watching the ship for signs of distress. The vessel jerked but continued toward the dimension seam. She leaned forward and saw the flashing current beginning to form on the array, but the ship was losing momentum, the large propellers winding to a halt.

“That’s it, lads! We’ve made our mark on them! Fire again, Mr. Graves!”

The cannons responded and this time the ship was knocked off course. She presented her side, and Mr. Graves made full use of the target. They were close enough to hear the screams of the injured. But then came the sound of cannon fire from the wounded vessel as they turned from flight to fighting for their lives. The Soiled Dove shuddered as she was ripped into by the barrage. Bion shoved Sophia down to the floor, curving his body over hers as the remaining glass windows shattered.

“One more volley, Mr. Graves!”

The cannons fired, and this time, the ship was disabled completely. One of the large balloons that held her aloft was punctured and she tipped at an odd angle. The Soiled Dove swooped in like a hawk to claim its kill.

It was only when the boarding hooks were locked around the other ship’s rails that Sophia saw the maroon uniform coats the crew wore.

“It’s an Illuminist ship,” she muttered, too horrified to keep silent. “We have to stop Aetos.”

Bion pulled her close, muffling her words against his shoulder. “We’ll never accomplish that if we’re dead too.”

His words were a bare whisper, but the crewman at the wheel looked at them suspiciously. Sophia struggled to swallow her next comment, gently pushing free once she’d mastered the urge to let everyone know what she was thinking.

Once again, Sophia watched the crew of the Soiled Dove scavenge their prey. Her hope was strangled by every hoot of glee coming from the disabled vessel. The crewmen moved their booty across to the deck of the Soiled Dove. She was surprised that they also herded the survivors over the rail of their defeated ship.

The ship’s captain and some of his officers were forced to their knees with their hands bound behind them. Two men were set to guarding them with long rifles while the scavenging continued. Their maroon coats were marked with soot, and wet patches betrayed injuries, but they never lowered their chins.

At last, Aetos re-boarded the Soiled Dove and stopped in front of his prisoners. He looked them over before raising his hand and signaling to someone. The crew had settled around them, many climbing the rigging to have a better view of whatever was about to transpire. There was an air of expectancy that set Sophia’s nerves on edge. A sense of foreboding tormented her as Aetos inspected the Illuminist crew as though they were livestock being sorted for the slaughterhouse.

“Your captain and Navigator are dead. Which leaves the lot of you with an opportunity to entertain my offer. Who’s the youngest?” he demanded at last, still looking at the men waiting on their knees. He paused in front of one man who still had youthful cheeks. “You?”

“I’m old enough.”

Aetos clicked his tongue. “That’s not what I asked you.” The captain moved to another man who lacked creases around his eyes. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“This one,” Aetos ordered.

The man stiffened, lifting his chin as Mr. Graves came forward and two burly crewmen lifted the man to his feet. The deck master held up something and as it unfolded, Sophia recognized another parachute. The man’s bonds were cut and his arms threaded through the harness of the parachute. Surprise widened his eyes as it was buckled into place across his chest, thick leather straps securing the parachute to his body.

“To the rail,” Aetos ordered loudly.

The crew snickered, some of them laughing as the young man was tugged backward until he was perched on the rail. They made him sit on it like it was a park bench instead of the only thing between him and a fall to the ground below. One of the guards aimed the muzzle of his rifle at the man’s chest to keep him separated from his colleagues.

Aetos looked up at Sophia, ordering her down to the deck with a quick flick of his fingers. There was no point in refusing; the eager looks of the crew made it clear they’d enjoy fetching her.

“Stay right beside me,” Bion ordered softly.

Sophia nodded, but she was torn between wanting to let his presence comfort her and needing to worry about the fact that Bion was more expendable than she was in the eyes of Captain Aetos. She pushed her glasses into place and descended to the deck.

“Behold!” Aetos spread his hands wide. “Your Illuminist brethren, on their knees, where they belong.” He walked down the line of men, shaking his head. “Having a Navigator makes all the difference, and now, we’ll have an array, thanks to this prize.”

Her temper ignited as the Illuminist men shifted their attention to her. The disgust was plain in their eyes. “I will not help you, so your nefarious actions will gain you little.”

Aetos paused, his lips lifting into a smile that chilled her. “Is that a fact, Miss Stevenson?”

“I assure you it is.” Bion was shooting her a furious glare, but she refused to rein in her temper. “I am not like the rest of these cowards who serve you.”

There was a grumble from the crew, but Aetos held up his hand for silence. “That’s something that I really cannot allow to go unaddressed.” He waved to Mr. Graves again and a crewman brought a small table forward. He placed a tin box on the table and a pitcher of water. Aetos tapped the top of the box twice before turning in a wide circle to address his crew.