Davies, Corinne - Steam-Driven Seduction [Steampunked Lust 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Corinne Davies

  “Yes, ma’am.” The twins spoke in unison and then concentrated their attention on the maps and windows in front of them.

  “You have the wheel, Raz. Gabe, make certain he doesn’t get lost.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they replied in tandem, making Kass smile as she left the bridge.

  Miguel was completely silent as he led the way back to their quarters. Kass allowed herself a small amount of pleasure, thinking of that. Part of her wanted to believe that she could stay between him and Julien forever, but her heart ached with the memory of a whip in Julien’s hand. How could she stay with a man who found pleasure in being so brutal toward another human being? She alone wasn’t enough for Julien before, and her stomach clenched at the thought of Miguel being treated so viciously. No, she couldn’t live like that. She wasn’t certain her heart would survive leaving again, but it was something she would have to do.

  The moment they entered their rooms Miguel backed her against the door and kissed her as if it was vital to his very existence. She returned the passionate attack. Part of her knew this was Miguel’s way of avoiding what was upsetting him. He’d been silent ever since returning from the drop-off, and she’d planned to press him for information, but for now she wanted to feel and not think.

  They tore at each other’s clothes, ripping what wouldn’t part quick enough as they staggered to the bed. She fell back along the mattress and kicked off her underclothes, and he pounced. Lifting one of her legs over his shoulder, he plunged his cock into her.

  It was a frenetic meeting of bodies desperate for reassurance. Miguel was as concerned for Julien’s safety as she was. He would be as terrified as she was that they wouldn’t make it on time. He plunged into her body, the angle allowing him to gain a deeper penetration and have easier access to her pussy. He swept Kass along in his passion, quickly working her up into a frenzy of want and need.

  His teeth were clenched, his expression almost primal in nature. It inflamed her, seeing him like this, on the border of losing control. She gripped his shoulders, curling her fingers against his skin.

  “Oh yes, mi corazón. Scratch me, make me yours.”

  Kass wanted to mark him as hers. She pressed her fingers closer and scratched him down the backs of his arms. Miguel snarled out an almost inhuman sound. “Again.” He slammed his hard cock into her again. “Punish me.”

  Kass reached around his chest and clawed at his back. His eyes blazed, and he pulled out of her. Flipping her onto her stomach, he slammed into her again. A sharp smack connected against her hip, but instead of hurting it ratcheted her pleasure higher. He did it again and pistoned his cock into her.

  “I’m going to tie you down, Kass, and I’ll spank your ass until it’s red if you do anything to endanger yourself. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes!” She could feel the heat from his hands on her skin and wanted to feel it again. She envisioned being at his and Julien’s mercy. Instead of fearing it, she craved that moment.

  “Then come on my cock and swear you will stay safe.”

  “I swear, I swear!”

  Miguel reached under her and manipulated her clit, stroking his roughened fingers over the swollen button of nerves. Kass screamed out her release, feeling the heart of Miguel’s as he slammed into her over and over.

  They collapsed, but Miguel braced himself over her. “Lie on me, Miguel,” she whispered, “I need to feel you.”

  Miguel lowered himself onto her, pinning her to the bed, trapping her underneath his body. She felt safe and secure and floated in her calm bubble until he rolled off her and tucked her up next to him. “Remember your promise, Kass. I will.”

  Kass smiled. A promise made in the middle of a screaming orgasm wasn’t fair, and she would argue that as soon as she was able to form words.

  * * * *

  Miguel could tell by the smile that curled Kass’s lips she’d no intention on following through with his request. It was a spontaneous moment, and he knew he was setting her up. Kass would do something rash and no doubt put herself in danger at some point.

  He felt as though he’d betrayed them to a certain extent. He should’ve paid closer attention to the crew on Hedon Dubrova’s ship. This Walter Miller, whoever he might be, had to have snuck on board much the same time he did. Miguel hated the fact that he’d left Julien behind unguarded.

  All he could think about was being too late. He should’ve stayed behind. Kass was right. She could’ve handled this drop-off on her own. He was certain she wouldn’t have gone off with Devon and Gilbert. Once this was all settled, he was going to dig a bit deeper into the lives of those two and make certain that they were as honest as they tried to portray.

  “You’re thinking so loud I can’t sleep,” Kass mumbled and pulled herself up, leaning her head on her elbow. Miguel smiled and rolled them over so that she lay on her back and he draped over her. Tucking his leg between hers, he rested his arm across her chest. He braced his elbow next to her shoulder and propped his head up. Her body relaxed even further as his partially trapped hers against the bed. Interesting. She’d reacted beautifully to the couple of smacks he’d given her. All pointed to her increased compatibility with him and Julien. She might never feel pleasure at the end of a whip as he did, but he didn’t want her to see it as something to be feared. He prayed that this threat turned out to be nothing and he had the ability to redeem himself.

  “I’m afraid that this Mr. Miller came aboard Atlantis much the way I did. This entire threat may be my fault.”

  Kass yawned and pulled at his shoulder. Miguel lay down and tucked his face into the crook of her neck.

  “Do you know him or his plans?”

  “No, of course not.” I would’ve killed him first. Kass stroked her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. The movement soothed him, easing his thoughts.

  “Then how can you be to blame? This hasn’t been the first time that someone has tried to attack Julien, and it may not be the last.”

  “He needs better security.” Miguel thought of all the holes he noticed in the overall safekeeping of Atlantis. There were many ways someone as trained as him could exploit them.

  “You can talk to him about that and make all the plans you two want.”

  “What would you do?”

  “That’s easy. Stand behind Julien and shoot anyone who comes near him.”

  Miguel grinned at her simplistic answer. “In that case, I’ll stand behind you and do the same.”

  “You are one of only a couple men that I would trust behind me, Miguel.” She patted his back and yawned. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  Miguel felt a slight sting against his back from her nails, but he loved it. She’d marked him, and he’d proudly bear her marks. “I’m fine. You’ll have to try harder next time.”

  She snorted lightly but he heard the change in her breathing as she drifted off to sleep. He lay there in the quiet, listening to her breathing and the soft hum of the ship’s engines. The next couple hours would be the calm before the storm. They had no idea what they were flying into, and he didn’t like that feeling at all.

  * * * *

  Julien sat behind his desk contemplating how many minutes would pass before the Aphrodite would dock again. They had to have made the delivery by now and been on their way. Avoiding any strongholds and heavily populated areas, they had to be at least another four hours out.

  He got up and paced the length of his office. Knowing that Miguel was with Kassandra eased his mind somewhat. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing either of them. How had he managed to survive two years without either of them? Perhaps because until now I didn’t realize how many risks she’s taken with her life. It would be impossible to make her stay here like the porcelain doll she accused him of treating her as. But, if he could get her promise to stay safe?

  A repetitive clicking noise had him swinging around.

  “Mr. Miller, is there any reason why you didn’t leave with the Aphrodite?” Julien looked
closely at the weapon the shorter man held on him. It looked to be a regular six-shooter that was so popular in the West. “You do realize that if you fire that weapon in here the bullets will bounce around, ricocheting off the walls?”

  “I’m not stupid, I don’t plan on missing your heart.”

  “It’ll take more than that to put me down, Walter.” Julien put as much derision as he could into his tone when he said the man’s name. If he could get him off balance, he might have a chance…

  “See this?” Walter Miller held up a small brass device in his palm.

  Julien recognized a detonation device when he saw it and his blood ran cold. There were many innocents on this ship. His crew was a ragtag bunch who’d made the decision to trust him and followed him out into the middle of the sea. They were people he trusted, and over the years they’d grown into a clan of their own, a family by choice and not obligation who trusted and cared for each other. “Why? Atlantis isn’t a battleship, it’s meant to be a safe harbor.”

  “We don’t like who you harbor. Dirty Old Worlders and abominations to nature.” Walter paced opposite to Julien, not allowing him to get an angle on the door. His attitude revealed his true intentions. Atlantis had become a meeting point of Old World pirates and rebels against the New World militia over the years. He should have paid closer attention to Hedon Dubrova’s excuse for his unscheduled visit.

  “This Gomorrah has become a beacon of evil and should be purged from the seas.” Walter raged, “Then your kind won’t pollute our lads and we’ll make an example out of those who have.”

  “How can you justify killing innocent people in the middle of the sea?” Julien placed his hand on the edge of his desk, pressing a button on the underside that would alert the crew of danger. “Most don’t believe in our existence.”

  Walter shrugged and thumbed the switches on his device.

  “No!” Julien lunged for the man, but Atlantis lurched to the side as the rumble of an explosion shuddered in the walls around them. He fell across his desk as all his papers and notes scattered to the floor. The cup of tea he’d been drinking, along with the pot, crashed against the carpet. A second explosion caused everything to violently tilt back, throwing them off balance again. A sickening lurch drove him to his knees, and Julien felt the pressure of his ship rushing for the surface.

  “You blew the ballasts?” He didn’t understand. All that would do was force them to the surface. There had to be more to this. “What was the point of forcing us to surface? Didn’t you arrive on Dubrova’s ship?”

  “Dubrova is a pathetic Midnighter with delusions of grandeur. He’d no chance of infiltrating your ship, but he didn’t hesitate to sell us the coordinates to where you were and accepted money to bring me here. All I had to do was board while his arrival distracted your crew.”

  Julien hoped Hedon didn’t waste any time spending the money the militia paid him. Because the next time their paths crossed, he would kill him. The rocking of the vessel calmed down, and Julien got to his feet again. He could still feel them rising and knew they’d breach the surface any moment.

  “We have no plans to kill the crew right away.” Walter’s evil smile made Julien’s blood run cold. “We’ll gather them up and make an example of them. Some will be sold for profit. The others will be burned or hung.”

  “That will not stop the fighting. You have no right to dictate how human beings are allowed to live.”

  “Those that follow the Old World dictates are nothing more than animals.”

  “Then I’ll fight you with my last breath.”

  Walter narrowed his eyes and sneered. “You just took it.” He whipped his pistol up and fired.

  Julien heard the explosion almost the same moment the impact hit him in the chest. He felt weightless for a moment and then crashed back into the floor.

  Chapter Ten

  Few things were more impressive than the sight of Atlantis rising from the depths of the sea, but Kass watched in horror as the vessel lurched to the surface like a ship caught in a violent storm.

  The flight here was treacherous and they’d almost been shot down over the militia stronghold, but thankfully her theory was correct. By the time the soldiers had assembled enough to fight back, they’d been out of range. The couple of shots they’d gotten off had fallen short of the ship and the Aphrodite had carried on.

  “Incoming!” Raz hollered and angled Aphrodite into a steep dive. Kass gripped the navigational table in front of her. She reached over and hit the master alarm switch. A loud alarm sounded, alerting the entire crew. Red lights flashed on in the corner of the room and across the entire ship. This way her crew would be ready for anything.

  Miguel made his way over to her. She was amazed at how gracefully he moved under the circumstances. He stood behind her like a wall, gripping the table on either side of her hands. If she lost her grip, she would fall back into him and not the floor. “I’ll always have your back.”

  A deafening explosion vibrated the ship. She quickly checked the panel of lights on the wall. No warning lights of a hull breach came on. “That was close.”

  “It’s going to get closer.” Gabe strapped himself into a seat. Raz leveled out and arced the ship in a wide turn, giving them a view of what was happening. Three large ships were approaching Atlantis and firing on her. Kass could see the explosions on the surface of the vessel.

  “It looks as though the ballasts have been activated.” Gabe pointed to the side. “They must’ve surfaced in a hurry.”

  A large machine rose up from the center of the ship. It unfolded in an impressive display of technology and turned on one of the ships.

  “That’s the biggest cannon I’ve ever seen,” Miguel commented. But as the cannon launched its first attack, the other two ships retaliated. “What do we have for weapons on this ship, Kass?”

  “We have some, but Raz will have to get us closer to use them. I have a few bombs, but again those ships are equipped to fight against large ships.”

  “A small vessel might manage to pass their defense mechanisms, but Atlantis doesn’t have any. We’re going to have to do our best with what we have.”

  Kass turned and grabbed Miguel by the lapels. “Strap in and be careful. I’m going down to help the crew.”

  Miguel opened his mouth to argue, but she pressed her fingers against his lips. “I have the best sense of timing. We don’t have many chances and can’t waste a single one.”

  “You remember your promise to me, Kass.” He fingered a curl that lay against her neck.

  “I’ll never forget it,” she replied, knowing damn well she was about to break it inside of five minutes. Her heart clenched as she looked up into the emotion shining in his eyes. “I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Even though she hadn’t admitted it to herself it didn’t make it less true. If the worst happened, she wanted him to know the truth. His smile made her heart skip a beat. He pressed a quick passion-filled kiss against her lips. “I love you, too.”

  She reached over and pointed to a button on the table. “This will give you direct communication to the lower level.”

  He stepped back and gave her room to move. “You had better answer, Kass.”

  She winked at him and then ran for the door. “Raz, give me a minute to reach the lower level before you make any drastic moves.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Kass ran for the pole next to the stairs and dropped to the lower level. The crew had already gotten what bombs they had in position. The bay doors had been opened and wind tore through the space like a tornado.

  “Weapons ready, Captain!” Connor shouted over the noise.

  “Kass.” Miguel’s voice came through the speakers.

  “Weapons ready!” she called out. “Make the first pass as smooth as possible.”

  She watched as the sea whipped below them and one of the ships approached. It got larger and larger as it approached. Kass could already smell the acrid
stench of smoke in the air from the weapons that had been fired.

  Several of her crew fidgeted in place. “Steady, everyone,” Connor called out. “Let him get us in place.”

  Kass was a moment away from shouting launch when there was a flash from the ship and a screaming noise coming straight for them.

  “Brace yourselves!” Miguel’s voice shouted through the intercom. The ship angled sharply to the left. This time the explosion was a little farther away and didn’t endanger the ship as much. As she feared, Raz couldn’t get them close enough to one of the ships to deploy one of their weapons.

  “Connor, we need to get closer.” Kass pointed to the flight room.

  “We’re going to try to time the next pass when they’re reloading.” She appreciated Miguel giving her updates of their plans, but she had a better idea.

  “They have an automated system, Miguel. We won’t make it,” she called out, knowing that Raz and Gabe would hear her. “They’re prepared to battle a larger ship. If the Apollo was here, we might have a chance, but they’re at least an hour out.”

  Connor came back with a harness that Kass quickly began to strap to herself. “A smaller target has a better chance of slipping through their defenses.”

  “We don’t have anything like that.” Kass heard the mumble of the twins’ voices in the background and knew they were telling on her.

  “Kass, don’t you dare!”

  She heard the fear in Miguel’s voice and understood, but she had to do this. She knew she could help. “Keep the weapons steady. Be ready to launch when you get close enough.”

  The members of her crew nodded and turned to watch. They had faith in her as their captain to succeed, and she hoped this wasn’t a mistake that cost her life. She followed Connor into the flight room and locked the door behind them.

  He was already wearing a pair of wings and held up a second set for her. It took a moment to strap them on and then attach the belt of ammunition to her waist. He opened the launchpad and she gripped the wall to keep her balance as the wings on her back shuddered.