Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3)

by Caylen McQueen

  “N-No!” Tobias practically shouted his reply.

  “And you do have a little hard on for the princess, am I right? I'm not imagining that?”

  “Kieran.” Tobey whined the other man's name. “Do you think we could not have this conversation?”

  “Why? We're talking about women! And that's the best conversation in the world, mate!” He suddenly pointed at Doon. “And you know I don't like you, but I've got some advice for you too, Captain Doon. You look so damn unpleasant, but I bet some of that unpleasantness would melt away if you got a good shagging from time to time.”

  “I neither want nor need your advice, McCray,” Doon grumbled. “Now... please make yourself scarce. I'd pray to all the gods in the world if they would make you go away.”

  “That's not very nice, is it?” Kieran suddenly drew his gun. Before Doon could slice off his head, he passed the gun to Tobias. “Your old teacher has a final lesson for you. Try firing a gun and swinging your sword at the same time. If you can combine long distance fighting with some close range fighting, it'll give you an edge.”

  Tobias looked to Doon for a second opinion, but he simply shrugged, so Tobias drew one of his swords and waited for Kieran to continue. “Do you see those empty bottles of whiskey over there? They were freshly drained. By me, of course.” Kieran was grinning, as if his excessive drinking was something that made him proud. “I'm going to swing at you a few times, and while you're blocking, see if you can make the shot.”

  “This seems... complicated,” Tobias groaned. “Are you sure I'm ready for something like this?”

  “I've been watching you. You're more than ready.”

  Doon snorted. “If he's ready, it's because of my tutelage.”

  “Yeah, yeah. No one's doubting your value, mate. I'm sure you're the best damn sword instructor in the world. If I find a smithy, I'll be sure to make you a medal to celebrate your excellence.” As he heckled Doon, Kieran swung his sword at Tobias, who quickly blocked the incoming blow. After blocking a few more times, Tobias tried to swing back at him, but the blow was easily evaded. “Now, fire your gun!”

  In the middle of their sword battle, Tobias raised his gun and aimed at the bottles behind Kieran. He shattered the first bottle, but missed the second.

  “Not bad!” Kieran exclaimed. “At least you hit one.”

  All of a sudden, the second bottle exploded. When they turned around and saw Lyneah behind them, raising her gun, the men looked shocked.

  “Good shot, Your Highness! You hit that at quite a distance,” Doon praised her. “Who taught you to shoot like that? Was it Roddy Rick?”

  “Roddy... oh, you mean Roderick?” As she holstered her gun, Lyneah turned in Doon's direction. “He taught me the basics, but I practiced and improved on my own. I'd say the credit goes to me.”

  “Well, I'm impressed.” Doon suddenly swiped the pistol from Tobias' hand and tossed it. “And now I'm reclaiming my student, if you don't mind. Tobey's already a decent shot, so we're focusing on swordplay.” Before Kieran could protest, Doon silenced him with a glare.

  Tobias was already exhausted, but if Doon wanted to continue, he wasn't going to protest—especially when Lyneah was nearby. Unfortunately, Lyneah's presence had surprisingly adverse effects. Seconds after they resumed practice, Tobey failed to block an incoming blow, and Doon's blade sliced his forearm. The pain was sharp, but he was determined to continue undeterred.

  However, as soon as Lyneah saw the blood soaking his sleeve, she gasped. “Tobias... oh my god! Are you hurt?”

  “It's nothing. Just a tiny scratch,” Tobias insisted. He tried to turn away from her, hiding the wound from view. “Let's just continue...”

  “No!” Lyneah ran to his side, grabbed his arm, and rolled up his sleeve. “You're bleeding a lot! Let me take care of you.”

  Take care of him? The last thing he wanted was to be babied by Lyneah in front of other men, so he pulled his arm away and insisted, “I'm fine.”

  “Hmm... I don't know, Tobey. That cut looks pretty deep to me,” Kieran said. “I'd let her treat it if I was you.” He leaned closer to his young protege and whispered, “And while she's doing that, you damned well better grope her tit or give her a kiss, or I swear to god, there's no hope for you.”

  “How could you be so careless, Doon?” Lyneah shouted as she ran to fetch some bandages. “You shouldn't try to hurt him!”

  “Don't listen to her,” Doon grumbled. “A little nick won't kill you. But it will teach you to block better.”

  Tobias was getting so much contradictory advice from so many people, he wasn't sure who to listen to and when. Sighing, he sat on the ground and waited for Lyneah to return. As soon as she did, she dropped to the grass beside him and lightly stroked his arm. “Poor Tobias,” she cooed, which simultaneously soothed him and made him feel worse. “My poor, poor Tobias. You poor thing. This is a lot of blood! It upsets me greatly.” As Lyneah tended to his wound, she sent a heated glance in the direction of the man who caused the injury, but Doon didn't seem to care.

  “It's really not so bad. I barely even f-f-feel it!” In reality, Tobias' arm felt like it was stuck in a bag of razors. Despite his pain, he was determined to sound tough in front of the princess.

  Assuming the lesson was over, Doon returned to his airship, where Miles and the rest of his cooks were feverishly trying to prepare a meal for a camp of over one hundred. Kieran tried to gesture and mouth the words “grope her breast” to Tobey, but the younger man shook his head and ignored him. Kieran even tried to give them some privacy, hoping the magic would happen if he was gone, but Tobias kept his hands to himself.

  “You shouldn't train so much,” Lyneah complained. “You've been at it all day! You'll tire yourself out. You'll make yourself ill!”

  “I c-can handle it,” Tobias assured her.

  “I don't doubt that you're capable, Tobey, but I know why you're doing this. You've been so determined to make yourself useful. To prove yourself.” Lyneah's fingers suddenly curled around Tobias'. As she held his hand, she raised it to her lips, kissing his palm. “But I barely see you anymore. And it's making me... sad.”

  “I'm... sorry.” Tobias' voice was barely more than a whisper. After she kissed his hand, his skin tingled for the longest time. “I didn't know you felt that way.”

  “Well... I do. You're my strength,” Lyneah confessed. “You don't have to fire guns and swing swords until you find a purpose, because you already have a purpose. I need you. If you weren't with me, I honestly doubt I'd have the willpower to keep going.”

  “Then it's a good thing I quit working at Lucky's, huh?” Tobey added with a wink. Before he could say another word, his gaze was caught by an approaching stranger. He was a tall, broad, black-haired man with an immaculately trimmed goatee. His top hat was steel gray and twice as tall as the average hat. When he came closer, he grinned at the princess.

  “Hello there, Princess.” The man tipped his immense hat as he bowed to Lyneah. “It's been a few years, but you haven't forgotten me, I hope?”

  “Oh god... Anthony!” Lyneah gasped.

  The man named Anthony held out his arms, and when Lyneah didn't fly into them, he chuckled. “What... no hug? You're just going to leer at me like I'm a stranger? That's no way to greet an old lover, is it?”

  Old lover. Tobias' ears perked up at the words. Lyneah's former lovers had a tendency to pop up every now and then, and he was starting to see the similarities between them. Roderick, Anthony, and even Kieran—they were broad, dark-haired, and considerably older than Tobey was. If Lyneah had a type, Tobias could see he wasn't anywhere close to fitting it.

  “I'm just not sure why you're here, Anthony.” Lyneah rose to her feet and smacked the blades of grass from her skirt. “We didn't exactly part on the best of terms.”

  “True, but messy break-up aside, it should be obvious why I'm here. Like everyone else, I want to help you!”

  “If you're staying here, I'm going to have to tak
e your guns,” Tobey said. When he got to his feet, he ripped the pistols from Anthony's holsters before he had a chance to react. “They'll be returned to you before we storm the castle. Weapons and ammunition will be provided for you at that time.”

  “Who is this, Lyneah? Not your latest lover, I hope?” The nostrils of Anthony's long, Roman nose were flaring as he glared at Tobias.

  “Tobias is... special to me,” Lyneah admitted.

  “So he is your lover?”

  “Not exactly. And besides, it's none of your business.”

  Tobias patted Anthony's coat, checking him for more weapons. When he tapped the pockets of Anthony's breeches, Lyneah's former lover was grinning. “Is this how you treat all your new guests, or am I the only one who gets rubbed down by the pretty boy?”

  “We're careful with anyone we can't trust,” Tobias told him as he extracted a folded knife from Anthony's pocket.

  “Ah, but surely Lyneah can trust me?” Anthony winked at her. “I'd never harm a hair on her pretty little head. At the very least, I have to be more trustworthy than Francis bloody Doon!”

  “Tobias is right,” Lyneah supported her friend. “We can't trust anyone right away. Within a few days, if you've proven yourself, your weapons will be returned.”

  “Very well. I can accept that, if it's the price I have to pay to be close to you again.” After Tobias found the knife in his boot—which was his last concealed weapon—Anthony slipped an arm around Lyneah's back and escorted her away. “Now... let's go for a walk, Lovely. We have a lot to catch up on.”

  As Tobias watched them go, he felt his heart breaking once again. If Lyneah had someone else's attention, he was afraid she would forget all about him. His fears were confirmed at supper, when Lyneah chose to dine with their new guest. Tobias ended up eating with Carol, who fed him from her fork and cooed about his hair. Then he was visited by Kieran, who murmured some nonsense about Tobias “missing his opportunity.”

  At night, Tobey's fears intensified when Lyneah didn't join him in his tent. She didn't always come, but he had gotten spoiled by her company. He was paranoid. What if she was with Anthony? What if a night with an old lover was exactly what she needed? What if she wanted a man and not a “boy,” as Kieran would call him. He couldn't even blame Lyneah if she thought of him that way, since he was barely even capable of growing a beard.

  Tobias tossed and turned for an hour or two, haunted by the images that flooded his mind. When he finally slept, he didn't sleep for long, and when he rose the next morning, he was temped to turn around and go back to his tent. As soon as he emerged, he saw Lyneah and Anthony eating breakfast together. She was leaning toward him, touching his arm, giggling about something he said. As he watched them, Tobey imagined himself pulling a gun on Anthony, escorting him out of the camp, and claiming that he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

  When Anthony asked the princess to join him for another walk around the camp, she happily accepted. She didn't trust him at first, but the more time they spent together, the more she let her guard down.

  “You know, I'm actually happy that you're here,” Lyneah confessed. “It's nice to see a familiar face. There are so many strangers here, it can be a bit disheartening.”

  “I'm glad I'm here too.” When Anthony tried to reach for her hand, she gave him a rigid smile and recoiled from his touch. “I'd forgotten how beautiful you are, Lyneah. By god... you are stunning.”

  “And I thank you for the compliment.”

  Anthony took her hand again, a bit more roughly. When she tried to pull away, he held her even tighter. “What I wouldn't give for another night with you...”

  “Please don't hold my hand right now,” Lyneah calmly requested. “Tobias is nearby, and I wouldn't want him to think I--”

  Before she could finish her thought, Anthony ripped Lyneah's gun from its holster and held it against her throat.

  “Actually, Lyneah, I'm not here to help you.” Anthony shoved the gun's barrel into her neck and whispered in her ear. “I'm taking you to your mother.”

  Twenty Two

  “Let go of me!” Lyneah shrieked, which attracted the attention of several concerned onlookers. Many of them looked like they wanted to help, but as long as Anthony had a gun to her throat, they were powerless to act.

  “Let go of you? You must know that's a useless request. I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon, Lyneah.” Keeping the gun against her neck, Anthony lifted her up and carried her a few feet backward. “Just so you know, I'm taking you to my airship. It's waiting for us on the edge of Sheepsgate.”

  “Why?” Lyneah hissed. “Why are you doing this? Why would you side with my mother over me? It doesn't make sense!”

  “Because your mother pays better.” Anthony ran a hand along her neck, then dipped a finger into her cleavage. “I'm sorry it had to be like this, love. It really does feel wonderful to hold you again.” He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. “And my god, you smell good.”

  “I swear to god, Anthony, if you don't let me go right now, I will see you punished in the severest way possible!” Lyneah's eyes helplessly scanned the crowd of bystanders. They were people who had agreed to follow her. They were people who needed to see her as a strong leader. Lyneah could only imagine what they were thinking of her now.

  Anthony's hand dipped into the top of her dress. When she felt him fondling her, she wanted to scream. Lyneah knew she had to free herself—because who could she rely on, if not herself? While his hand groped her bosom, Lyneah's fist sailed backward, punching him in the groan. Anthony roared with pain, and while he whimpered, she slammed her elbow into his nose and tried to grab the gun. Somehow, her plan worked. A few seconds later, the gun was in her hand. As Anthony staggered backward, moaning and gripping his nose, Lyneah turned around and raised her weapon.

  In the corner of her eye, she saw Francis Doon rushing toward them, drawing his sword, presumably to skewer her attacker. Before Doon could reach him, Tobias charged forward, seemingly out of nowhere, and tackled Anthony to the ground. As he pinned him down, Tobias drove his fist into Anthony's face, again and again. He felt the man's nose shatter under one of the blows, but he didn't stop. He pounded his mouth, his jaw, his forehead. As she watched Tobias pummel her fallen attacker, Lyneah shuddered. She had never seen him look so enraged.

  When Anthony tried to fight back, Tobias ducked the incoming fist and pulled out his gun. He slammed the gun's muzzle against Anthony's front teeth, breaking one of them. As he shoved the barrel between Anthony's gasping lips, he roared, “Is there any reason why I shouldn't scatter your brains right now?”

  “Tobey...” Lyneah whispered his name, hoping to call him back from his rage. “You don't have to do this.”

  Tobias removed the gun from Anthony's mouth and pressed it against his forehead, as roughly as he could. Anthony tried to spit blood at him, so Tobey punched him again—a few more times.

  “We'll take it from here, Tobey,” Kieran said, gesturing toward himself and Doon. As soon as Tobey slid away from the battered Anthony, the two men lifted Lyneah's attacker to his feet and hauled him to the gaol on Doon's airship.

  Tobey's hands were shaking as he dragged his fingers through his hair. When he turned in Lyneah's direction, her eyes were sad. He staggered toward her and cupped her cheeks between his palms. “Are you alright, Lyneah?”

  “I'm alright. I mean, I'm not hurt.” Lyneah briefly glanced in the direction of the many onlookers who continued to watch the spectacle. “But I'm a bit embarrassed that they had to see me like... like that.”

  Tobias continued to stroke her cheek with a single hand. As he traced her cheekbone with his thumb, he flexed his right hand, which he had used to pulverize Anthony's face. A few of his fingers were aching, but he tried to ignore the pain. “I'm so sorry this happened.”

  “It's alright, Tobey. I mean... it's horrible, but... I'll survive.” Lyneah sighed. “Do you think we could go somewhere? I want to get away. I don't
want to be stared at right now. Because I know they're thinking about what just happened to me, and it makes me--”

  Without another word, Tobias lifted Lyneah off her feet and carried her to her tent. He didn't even think about it, he simply reacted. As soon as they were alone, she threw her arms around him and buried her face against his shoulder. Tobey lowered her to the ground as gently as he could, then he wrapped a blanket around her body and sat on the ground beside her. All the while, she never stopped holding him. In fact, she couldn't cling to him tightly enough.

  “I'm so sorry that happened,” Tobias repeated his apology as he lightly stroked her hair. “I'm so, so sorry, Lyneah. We should be more careful. You should have a bodyguard or... or we shouldn't let you wander off with just anyone.”

  “No... it's my fault,” Lyneah whispered into Tobey's shirt, near his shoulder, where her face was burrowed. “I knew him. I thought Anthony was someone I could trust. Clearly, I was wrong.”

  “It won't happen again,” he promised her. “We won't let it happen. I'll talk to Kieran... we'll come up with some kind of plan. One of us should be with you at all times, and if it can't be one of us, it should at least be someone who's proven their loyalty, like Soren or Arthur.”

  “Tobey...” Lyneah lifted her head and stroked his cheek. “May I... sit on your lap?”

  Tobey didn't reply, he simply scooped her into his arms and pulled her onto him. Her blanket slipped, so he readjusted it, covering her shoulders. As he tucked the blanket around Lyneah, she caught a glimpse of blood on his knuckles. Tobias was always so gentle with her, it was hard to remember what he had done to Anthony only minutes ago.

  “Is your hand alright?” she asked. “I can't tell if that's his blood or yours.”

  When Tobias realized there was blood on his hand, he tried to hide it from view. “I... I think it's his, actually. But it does hurt a bit... not that I'm complaining.”

  “He was barely recognizable when you were done with him. His face was practically rearranged. I'm... not sure how I feel about that, to be honest.”