“A... few?” Tobias repeated his answer with a dry chuckle.
“That's what I'm afraid of. And now that you've almost died, and you could still die, I need to be honest with you. I don't want to have any regrets tomorrow.” Lyneah's hand lightly grazed his chest, where he would have been shot if the pocket watch hadn't saved him. “Tobey, I love you.”
He was momentarily frozen by her words. Since he was incapable of replying, Lyneah continued.
“I love you so much. I love you more than I've ever loved in my life. I need you more than I've needed anything. I adore you. You're my joy. My only joy.” Lyneah pressed her palms against his cheeks, framing his face in her hands. “I love you.”
Tobias took a deep breath and prayed he wouldn't stutter. While his stammer wasn't perfect, it had certainly improved. A moment like this, however, could easily tie his tongue. “I love you too.” He said it. A miracle.
Tears rushed into Lyneah's eyes when she heard him. “You do?”
“I do. I've loved you for a long time, Lyneah. I've loved you since our picnic in Dovyr.”
“You have?” She looked aghast, if not a bit affronted. “Well... why didn't you say anything?”
“W-well... you were engaged, at the time. And you're beautiful. And... you're a princess. I always felt like you were too good for me.”
“Are you serious?” Lyneah pouted at his words. “I can't even begin to tell you all the ways that isn't true! If anything is true, you're too good for me.”
“Don't be ridiculous.”
“No. It's true. You're adorable and sweet and gentle and pure. You're everything I wish I was!” Lyneah's arms slid around him, hugging as tightly as they could. “I want you to be my Tobias. Mine.”
“Of course I'm your Tobias.” When he kissed the top of her head, he was chuckling. “I could have been your Tobias ages ago.”
Lyneah expelled a tensely held breath. Her sigh was simultaneously weary and relieved. “I wish I would have known that. I could have saved myself a lot of agonizing nights, wondering if you could ever love me back.”
“Are you joking? You could have saved me a lot of agonizing nights if you'd have done the same! I thought I was doomed!” Tobias exclaimed. “For all I know, I could still be doomed. I'm not a prince or anyone important. Chances are, I won't have you forever.”
“No... you will!” Lyneah slid an arm under his shirt as they cuddled, which made him gasp a bit. “If I have my way, I'm going to be queen. And believe it or not, I've already given this a great deal of thought. I'll make my own rules, and I'll marry whoever I want to marry!” After a brief silence, she timidly asked, “Wait... is it too soon to talk of marriage?”
Tobias chuckled and shook his head. “I don't think so.”
“Good.” Lyneah led him to the bed and shoved him down on it. Then she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. As she leaned down to suckle his lips, her fingers coiled through his hair. “Mmm. Your lips are so soft, Tobey,” she told him between kisses.
Tobias wanted to reply, but Lyneah had her tongue on his, and his capacity for thought was depleted.
“I feel like I haven't properly kissed you until this moment,” Lyneah whispered, just before her tongue dove into his mouth. When her teeth tugged at his bottom lip, she giggled. “It feels so wonderful to kiss you.”
“I-I... I f-feel...” Tobias could hear his stutter returning, so he waited a moment to gather his thoughts. It didn't help when Lyneah kissed him again. And again.
“Were you going to say something, baby?” Lyneah teased him as she suckled his lips. “Hmm? Hmm?”
“Just that I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now,” Tobias said, grinning. “First, I was one of two people who didn't get killed or injured when we took the Black Wings ship. Then I almost died. I was saved by a pocket watch, of all things. And now...” His hands gripped her hips as he spoke. “Now I have you. That's the luckiest part of all, actually. Any moment now, I'm going to wake up from a dream, and none of this will be real.”
“If you're dreaming, I'm having the same dream. I hope that's not the case, because I'm not sure I'd have the courage to tell you I love you again. I was so nervous, after all.”
“Why, sweetheart? Why would someone like you feel nervous around someone like me?” Tobias stroked her lips with his thumb, which was entirely too tempting. She had to kiss him again.
“Well... because!” Lyneah shrilled. “I didn't know if you only thought of me as a friend... or... or if you didn't think I was good enough for you, or...”
“You...” Her lips were still within range, so Tobias leaned up to kiss her. “Are.” He kissed her again. “So silly. I've told you that before, haven't I? You're just the silliest girl in the world, I swear.”
“Oh my god!” Lyneah sat up and went rigid, though she continued to straddle him. “I just realized something!”
“What?”
“I'm probably madly in love with you, and I don't even know your surname!” She groaned. “Is that bad? It's bad, isn't it?”
“Wait... you're probably madly in love with me?” Tobey's eyebrow mischievously raised.
“No, I'm definitely madly in love with you,” she corrected herself. “Now... please please tell me your name!”
“Tobias Robb,” he answered with a smile. “It's nothing special, just a boring sur--”
Lyneah silenced him with yet another kiss. She grabbed his hair and feverishly devoured his mouth. “Now that you're mine, I can't stop kissing you,” Lyneah breathlessly told him.
“I'm not complaining.” Tobias' hands glided along her back as they continued to kiss. “I like it.”
Lyneah sat up again and tore her shirt over her head. When he saw her brassiere, Tobias' eyes swelled. After tossing the shirt aside, she leaned down to kiss him some more.
“I want you,” she whispered as she kissed him. “I desperately want to tear off all of my clothes. And yours. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything.”
“I want that too... but... mmmf...” Tobias couldn't complete his thought while she continuously devoured his mouth. “But don't you think that, uh... maybe we should... w-wait?”
“Why?” Lyneah whimpered. “We don't have much time before we reach the castle! You could die. What if we never have another chance?”
Waiting was easily the most difficult thing he had ever asked for—but he knew it was the right thing to do. “You were just attacked by a madman. When we're together for the first time, the moment should be perfect. Besides...” He winked at her. “It'll give me something to live for. If I know what I have to look forward to, I have to survive. And you do too.”
“Ohhhh, alright!” Lyneah whined, and with a sigh, she put her shirt back on.
“You... you didn't have to put on your shirt, though,” Tobias said. “I was rather enjoying it, actually.”
When Lyneah tugged off her shirt, she playfully whacked him on the head with it. Then she got back to what was important:
Kissing him senseless.
Twenty Eight
Roderick liked to watch Aislainn move throughout his kitchen. While it was a bit atypical to have a young, unmarried woman living with him, he enjoyed her company, and he felt a lot less lonely. When she smiled, he smiled. When she was nearby, his heart felt a lot less heavy. And when he thought about what King Roen had done to her, he wanted to murder the man with his own hands.
She started gathering his dirty dishes from the table, so Roderick reached for her hand. “You don't have to do that,” he said.
“I want to help. You're letting me live here at no cost to myself. I want to make myself useful.”
“But you're a guest, not a servant.” Roderick sprang from his chair and started gathering the plates on his own. “While you're here, you should relax. Being a handmaiden, I'm sure you're rarely given the opportunity to do... well... nothing.”
“I'm not even sure I know how to relax!” Aislainn exclaimed. “And how long can
I really stay with you? It's been nearly a week already! I'm afraid I've already overstayed my welcome.”
“Not at all.” Roderick gathered every last dish into a wooden basin and temporarily set it aside. “You could be here for ages, and you could never overstay your welcome.”
Aislainn shook her head at Roderick's words. “You're being too kind. Way too kind.”
Roderick felt Barnabus' metal leg pawing at his foot, so he reached down to scratch the dog's head. Barnabus' big eyes were more animated than usual, as if he was excited by something, but Roderick didn't seem to notice. He only had eyes for Aislainn. “I'm not just being kind,” Roderick quietly responded. “I don't think you quite understand. I want you here. If you left, it'd feel like something was missing.”
Before Aislainn could react, there was a knock on the door. When Roderick went to the window and peered behind the curtain, the last thing he expected to see was a gun-wielding Francis Doon. Behind Doon, he saw Lyneah, Tobias, Kieran, and a young woman he didn't recognize. “Um... Aislainn? You won't believe this.”
“What?” Aislainn joined him at the window. “Oh my! Is that...?”
“Lyneah,” Roderick finished for her. “It's definitely Lyneah.”
When Roderick opened the door, Doon was the first to step inside. As soon as Barnabus saw his old master, he had a fit of hysterics. He yipped and thrashed on the floor, flailing at Francis' feet.
“What are you doing here, old dog?” Doon picked up the terrier in one hand and raised an eyebrow. Barnabus desperately tried to lick his nose, but he wasn't close enough to reach his goal. “Did Roddy Rick steal you away?”
“Kitt asked me to take him,” Roderick explained. “She's... in the prison right now, unfortunately. Loreina found out she was an impostor.”
“Really? Damn!” Doon lowered Barnabus to the ground, but the dog never left his side. “I guess that means Kitt has yet another reason to hate me. How long has she been there?”
“A few days,” Roderick replied. When his eyes flickered to Lyneah, he didn't look particularly happy. The last time he saw her, they didn't part on good terms. “Lyneah,” he coldly acknowledged her presence. “You brought your new lover here, I see.”
When Lyneah realized he was eyeing Kieran, she quickly corrected his mistake. “Oh no! No no no! Actually... I'm with Tobias now.” When she clung to Tobey's arm, he smiled down at her.
“Really? Kitt's friend? For some reason, I didn't expect that.” Roderick's eyes narrowed when he studied Tobey, as if he was sizing him up. “The last time we met, you had a gun on me.”
“Um... yeah.” Tobias winced. “Sorry about that.”
“And who's this?” Roderick asked, pointing at the only face he didn't recognize.
Lyneah introduced them. “This is Carol. She's an engineer. Carol, this is Roderick, a knight of the realm and a close personal friend of mine.”
Roderick chuckled to himself. So he had been downgraded to the status of close friend? A lot had certainly changed since Lyneah's escape from the castle. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Carol... although I'm currently not a knight. I was suspended for stealing an airship.”
“Ah, yes. Roderick was suspended,” Doon spoke up, ignoring the fact that Barnabus was clamoring for his attention. The terrier was whimpering pitifully and chewing on his boot. “I guess I forgot to mention that.”
“Wha... huh?” Carol's reaction was laughably delayed. It took her a moment to realize they had talked about her. “Oh... hey, Robert. It's nice to meetcha.” No one bothered to correct her after she misspoke his name.
Lyneah's gaze finally landed on her handmaiden. “Aislainn?” she gasped.
“Indeed, Your Highness.” Aislainn bobbed a curtsy as she greeted her mistress. “It is good to see you well.”
Lyneah was dying to know why Aislainn and Roderick were together, but she had more important matters to discuss. “Listen, Roderick, I know I am hardly your favorite person in the world, but I was hoping we could put our differences aside for the good of the kingdom. I have a small army at my command, and they're gathering in the streets as we speak. I know it's late in the evening, but I intend to attack the castle tonight. I've talked it over with my companions, and we believe that a surprise attack in the middle of the night is the best course of action. Now... I require your help. Are you willing to listen?”
“Sure.” Roderick shrugged. “I'm already listening, aren't I?”
“Um... yes. I suppose.” Lyneah subtly reached for Tobias' hand before continuing her speech. “I'll be honest with you, Roderick. When I said I had a small army, I'm afraid it was no exaggeration. That's why I need you to help me. Surely there must be some soldiers in the castle who would be sympathetic to my cause, who would side with me over my mother? I need you to slip into the castle a couple hours before we attack, to see if you can get them to... swap their loyalties.”
“Oh, I might as well,” Roderick said with a shrug and a sigh. “I have a weakness for women who want me to do impossible things.”
“Getting them to defect won't be all up to you, Robert. Don't worry, I've got you covered,” Carol said. She raised a strange device, which looked like a metal cone with several wires protruding from every angle.
“What's... that?” Roderick dared to ask.
“It's just a little thing I knocked together last night. Check this out!” When Carol pressed a button on the cone, a recorded message boomed: “I AM PRINCESS LYNEAH, RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS NATION. IF YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR COUNTRY, LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND JOIN ME NOW.”
“So you're going to air this message once you're inside the castle?” Roderick asked.
“Yep. That's the plan. I'm going to play it over and over and over again until all of those armored lugs get the message!” Carol exaggerated a grin. She was proud of herself and her little idea. “I mean, if the princess had to keep saying it over and over again herself, her voice would be wrecked! I'm doing her a favor.”
“Well then... should I head to the castle?” When Roderick spoke, he sounded a bit unsure of the plan. “I know several people who are unhappy with the queen, so I'll start by talking to them. If I'm not back in an hour, you should probably assume I've been captured.”
“Roderick!” Aislainn reached for his arm as he headed to the door.
“Hmm?”
“Just... be careful,” Aislainn cautioned him. “I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you.”
Roderick gave her a tiny nod, then he left to undertake his mission. When he was gone, everyone busied themselves in different ways. Aislainn finished washing the dishes, even though Roderick told her not to bother with them. Carol sat on the sofa and tweaked her device—she was trying to get it as loud as possible. Doon was preoccupied with Barnabus, though he tried to make it appear as though he wasn't overly amused by the dog's antics. Kieran sharpened his swords, while Tobey and Lyneah found a quiet corner, where they spent most of the time kissing.
An hour later, when Roderick hadn't returned, Lyneah paced the floor. At least a dozen dreadful questions danced in her head. What if he'd been captured? What if her mother knew she was coming? Asking Roderick to infiltrate the castle was undeniably risky, but she needed as many people on her side as possible.
“Are you sure that man can be trusted?” Kieran asked as he watched her pace. “As I recall, there was a time when you weren't so sure Roderick would be loyal to you and not the queen.”
“I am the queen. My mother is a usurper, plain and simple. Even if Roderick is angry with me, I'm sure he's smart enough to realize that.” Lyneah went to the window and peered outside for the twentieth time. She kept hoping she'd see Roderick round a corner, burst through the door, and announce that everything was ready.
Ten minutes later, her wish was granted. Roderick flew into his cottage and pulled down the hood he was wearing. “Sorry I'm late,” he said, meeting Aislainn's gaze before anyone else's. “Several men have agreed to stand down. You should launch your attack as
soon as possible, Lyn... before word spreads and the wrong people learn of your plans. I'll be coming with you, of course.”
Lyneah looked surprised by Roderick's intentions. “What? Really? Are you sure?”
“Of course. Is that really so shocking? You know, I always considered myself loyal to the crown... when Nikolai was on the throne. But your mother was the one who suspended me. Why should I continue to be loyal to her?”
“Ah... right. Of course.”
Lyneah looked a bit crestfallen, so Roderick gave her a smile as he went to fetch his favorite sword. “Besides, I think we both know you'd make a better queen than her.”
“Damn, I should hope so!” Kieran added with a chuckle. “She'd have to try pretty damn hard to be worse than Queen Loreina, wouldn't she?”
When everyone was prepared, Lyneah assembled her army and led them to the castle gates. While she tried to think of a way inside, the gates suddenly opened, and Roderick's allies ushered them in.
“Well... that was a bit too easy,” Kieran said. “What if no one stands against you? All that time we spent in Dovyr and Sheepsgate will seem a bit useless, no?”
“We won't be that lucky,” Lyneah sighed. “It'd be great if we were... but I don't think that will happen.”
Lyneah was correct. As soon as they were through the foyer, they were attacked by Loreina's knights. Doon, Roderick and Kieran led the charge into the castle, so they were the first to cross blades with enemy soldiers. Lyneah and Tobias weren't quite in the front, but they were close enough to the action that they could fire their guns at a distance. Carol stayed in the back, airing Lyneah's message, but none of the initial wave seemed interested in switching sides.
Doon held a sword in his right hand, and a pistol in his left, simultaneously striking at long and short range. They were barely through the first hallway before a dozen soldiers fell at his hand. Kieran wasn't far behind him. Roderick seemed a bit more reluctant to attack his former comrades, but he injured a few as they made their way forward.
Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3) Page 18
