“What do you think?” He lightly tapped her on the lips. “I love you, silly girl. And it's impossible to be angry with you when you look so adorable.”
“But you were angry with me?”
“A bit,” Tobey admitted. “You left Kitt in the prison, and I thought you were ignoring me. It was breaking my heart!”
“I'm sorry,” Lyneah apologized yet again. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I would never ignore you... you're my world.” She laid her palms against his cheeks, capturing his face between her hands. “And you're so adorable, too. I don't think you know how adorable you are.”
Tobey rolled his eyes. “I'm not adorable.”
“See?” Lyneah lightly kissed his forehead. “You're entirely oblivious to how adorable you are. Women are always throwing themselves at you, and yet you somehow manage to remain entirely oblivious! It's one of the things I love about you.” Lyneah leaned forward, sampling his lips. Her fingers coiled through his hair as she deepened the kiss. “And you're mine,” she whispered. “How lucky am I?”
“I'm lucky,” Tobey corrected her. “I'm still trying to figure out how this beautiful woman would actually be interested in m-me.”
“I imagine it could be a bit strange to think the queen was in love with you,” Lyneah mused. “Or rather... the soon-to-be queen.”
“I'll never figure it out, quite frankly,” Tobey said. And he wasn't lying. He was a boy with a stutter from the Lundun slums. If she had any fond feelings for him, it was nothing short of a miracle. “I really do love you, you know.” His thumb gently stroked her cheek as he spoke.
“And I really do love you.” When she started tugging his shirt over his head, Tobias' eyes widened. “Why do you look surprised? Am I not allowed to undress you yet? You did say I could have you if we both survived!”
“Uh... um... yes.” Tobias was blushing and blinking rapidly. “I-I, um... I... um...”
“You're so cute when you're speechless,” she said, kissing him again and again. “You do want me, don't you?”
“I... um...” Tobey squinted briefly, trying to gather his thoughts. “Of course I want you. I want you more than--”
Lyneah silenced him with a kiss, and while her mouth was on his, she untied her dress. When it was loose, she stood up and wriggled out of it, letting it fall to her feet. She kicked the dress aside, removed her petticoats, and stood before him in her unmentionables. Tobey's jaw dropped open, as if he wanted to speak, but he was too stunned to utter a word.
“Do you like what you see?” Lyneah asked, turning around, modeling her undergarments for him.
“Yes.” Tobey's answer came out with a squeak. “You're so... b-beautiful. All of it... you...”
Lyneah giggled at his inability to form complete sentences. His speechlessness was flattering, if anything. She sat on the table in front of him and unhooked her brassiere. As she slipped the straps from her shoulders, she studied his face. “Are you ready for this?” she asked him softly.
Tobias' mouth continued to hang open as he nodded. Lyneah removed the brassiere, tossed it aside, and sat back, letting him get a good look at her chest. He was blushing and blinking so rapidly, she had to giggle.
“Give me your hand.” When he heard Lyneah's command, Tobey's hand flew up right away. At that moment, she could have commanded him to do anything, and he would have happily obliged. When she held his hand against her breast, Tobey's eyes widened, and a slightly dopey smile spread across his lips. “It feels nice to have you touch me.”
“Uh-huh.” Tobey knew he should have said something more clever—or maybe romantic—but the thoughts in his head had abandoned him.
“I love you so much,” Lyneah reminded him as her fingers went back to toiling in his hair. His hand continued to cup her breast. When she felt his finger brushing her nipple, she moaned. The fact that it was Tobias touching her was driving her mad. She had never anticipated something so much. “You're so sweet.”
“I'm... sweet?” Tobias chuckled. “The thoughts in my head aren't very sweet right now. I'm sorry.”
Lyneah giggled yet again. “You're so cute.”
She started to pull his head to her chest when there was a knock on the door. Lyneah nearly screamed when she heard it. “What?” she hissed.
“Your Highness, it's time for the coronation,” murmured a voice on the other side of the door. “Should I have them postpone it, or...?”
Lyneah heaved a weary sigh. His timing couldn't have been more terrible. “I'll be with you in a moment!” she called out to her unwelcome guest. “Just... give me a few moments to prepare myself.” When Lyneah looked down and realized Tobey's hand was still on her breast, even as she conversed with the man behind the door, she erupted in her biggest fit of giggles of the day.
“Why are you laughing?” asked a blushing Tobias.
“Your hand!” she cackled her answer. “Are you going to leave it there all day, or...?”
Tobias jerked back his hand so quickly, it was as if he'd touched something scalding. “You're the one who put it there! D-don't tease me!”
“I'm not teasing you. You're just so adorable!” When she saw him retreating, she seized his arm and pulled him back for a few more kisses. “We'll have to continue this another time.”
“You're killing me, you know. These little teasers... they're going to kill me eventually.”
“Don't blame me, blame that man behind the door! If not for him, I might have been entirely naked right now.”
Tobey's devastated expression had her laughing yet again. “I hate that man,” Tobias said, thrusting a finger at the door. “I'm not kidding. I hate him. I actually hate him.”
Lyneah hopped up and collected her clothes. As soon as her dress was on, she ran to Tobey and gave him a hug. “Soon,” she promised him. “When the madness dies down, we need to find some time for us.”
“I can wait.” As Tobey leaned down for a kiss, his eyelashes were fluttering, as if he'd been punched in the gut. “I think.” When she hugged him even tighter, he prayed she wouldn't be able to feel how aroused he was. “Somehow.”
Thirty Three
“I can't believe I'm stuck in a cell across from you, of all people!” Loreina squawked. “When I look across the way and see a face like my daughter's... it feels like a cruel joke!”
“Believe me, Loreina,” a sighing Kitt replied, “I'm not especially happy to see your face, either.”
“I like both yer faces,” Mad Petey added his opinion to the conversation. He stroked the self-inflicted scab on his cheek as his maniacal gaze shifted from Kitt to Loreina. “Yer both real pretty ladies.”
Loreina crossed her arms, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes. Being stuck with Kitt and a man named Mad Petey was the biggest insult of her life, and someone would have to pay for it. “If my daughter had a heart, she'd put me in a nicer cell than this!” the former queen complained. “Forcing me to keep company with common criminals is beyond rude! It's unacceptable!”
“I've been here a lot longer than you have,” said Kitt. “You get used to it.”
“Of course you can get used to it! You're one of the aforementioned common criminals, dear!” A sneer appeared on Loreina's nose as she studied Kitt's face. “Or were you actually starting to think you were a princess?”
“I know you killed King Nikolai,” Kitt suddenly said, which had Mad Petey whooping with excitement. “I saw the proof with my own eyes. You poisoned him. When I get out of here, I'm going to make sure everyone knows the truth.”
“Hmph!” Loreina scoffed at the thought. “Do you think to scare me with that knowledge? I'm sure Lyneah already has her suspicions. You'll shock no one.”
“I'm shocked! Shocked shocked shocked!” Mad Petey exclaimed, then he started dancing around his cell chanting, “regicide, regicide, regiciiiide!”
Loreina's eyebrow raised as she watched his vulgar dance, which unfortunately involved a lot of pelvic thrusting. “I'm surprised he knows th
at word,” she said. “Regicide.”
“Uh huh,” Kitt quietly agreed. “Me too. Perhaps Petey wasn't always so mad.”
“Perhaps he was a great scholar once, driven mad by this place,” Loreina mused. “Or maybe he was... an inventor and a poet.”
“Or a minstrel,” Kitt added, “which is obviously how he learned to sing and dance so well.”
When Kitt heard Loreina chuckling, she couldn't believe her ears. It was as if they were actually getting along—of course, their odd camaraderie didn't last. “When I get out of here, I will kill you, you know,” Loreina promised her. “It'll be the first thing I do... right after I kill my daughter, of course.”
“Are you sure you don't want to kill me before you kill Lyneah? It'd probably be easier,” Kitt sarcastically suggested.
“Hmm. Perhaps you're right.”
Kitt and Loreina were silent for the next few minutes. They quietly listened to Petey's crooning, which was sadly the only entertainment Kitt had for days. She kept hoping Tobias, Doon or Roderick would show up and release her—or even better, all three of them at once. It didn't even have to be one of them. If anyone showed up to let her out of her cell, Kitt would be eternally grateful to them.
Or so she thought. There was suddenly a tremendous explosion, and the dungeon wall was blown to bits. When Kitt saw a Black Wings airship drifting toward a gaping hole that was blasted in the wall, she was gripped by a strange feeling of foreboding.
“Marius!” Loreina shrieked when she saw her lover dropping down from a rope. “Marius, I knew you'd come! I knew it and I never doubted it!”
“Of course I'd come, my love!” Marius rendezvoused with one of the guards, who handed him a massive keyring. Apparently, some people in the castle were still loyal to Loreina. The guard helpfully identified the key they needed, and Marius unlocked Loreina's cell. Kitt failed to suppress her groan when she saw Loreina fly from her cage and into Marius' open arms.
“Ohhh thank you, thank you!” Loreina cried as she caressed her lover's face. “Please tell me you aren't the only one who still supports me? Or has everyone abandoned me to join my daughter's cause?”
“I won't lie. Too many were eager to lay down their weapons and fight for her instead,” Marius reported with a frown. “However, I have a ship and nearly one hundred men, including Ewan. As long as we have that, at least, I refuse to believe we've lost.”
“It all happened so quickly. Lyneah took over so fast...” Loreina lamented. “A part of me is angry, and yet, a part of me is impressed. I taught her well.”
“Lyneah is a tenacious girl, to say the least.” Marius took his queen's hand and pulled her in the direction of the ship. “Now... come. We need to leave as soon as possible, before your daughter's guards come and--”
“Wait!” Loreina sharply interrupted. “Let her out. I want to take her with us.” She thrust a finger in Kitt's direction.
“No!” Kitt immediately backed away from the bars. “It's, a, uh... generous offer, but I think I'll take my chances in here, thanks.”
“You say that as if I'm giving you a choice!” As soon as the guard identified the appropriate key, Loreina seized the keyring from Marius' hands and opened the cell door. “You're my consolation prize, dear. If I can't take my daughter's life, taking yours might give me some comfort.”
“No! No no no no nonono!” Kitt kept trying to protest as Loreina dragged her from the cell. The queen shoved her toward Marius, who tied her to the end of a rope. He tied it so tightly, she feared he would crush one of her ribs.
“Can I come too?” Mad Petey asked, as politely as he could. “I can make a jolly good onion stew if you lets me! I'll make it worth yer while, I will!”
“Don't be an idiot!” Loreina barked at the prisoner as she watched Kitt ascend. Her daughter's doppelganger was squealing and squinting as they hoisted her up. “I'm sorry, Petey, but you're not even worth the effort it would take to turn the key!”
They could hear commotion down the hall, so Marius seized Loreina's waist and pulled her to the ropes. He tied her up, gripped the rope, and tugged it, letting their crew know they were ready to ascend. As soon as Marius and Loreina were on board, the ship sailed straight into the sky, away from the castle.
“Ugh!” Loreina griped as she pushed Marius away from her. “I feel so filthy! I need a bath and a sleep and...” Her voice trailed off when she saw Kitt's panicked face. “Oh, and let the girl get clean, and give her a nice room. I want her looking pretty and rested when I kill her tomorrow. The more she looks like Lyneah, the better.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Marius said with a bow. “It shall be done.”
“And where's Ewan?” Loreina searched for the huge, silver knight who used to follow her everywhere.
When she heard his voice behind her, Loreina nearly leapt from her skin. “Yes, milady?”
“I want you to stay close to me. Follow me around. When I'm sleeping, I want you outside of my door... do you understand?” Loreina's lower lip protruded into a pout. “Unfortunately, after getting betrayed by Doon, I no longer know who to trust.”
Doon. Kitt's skin prickled when she heard his name. If he hadn't come for her yet, she doubted he would come at all.
Of course, she was wrong. As soon as Francis Doon realized she was gone, he was the first to spring into action. “Miles!” he turned to his old friend, who was standing at his side. “Get to the ship and tell them to prep for departure. We need to leave at once!”
“Of course, Captain,” Miles dutifully agreed, then he set off to complete his task.
“Tobias!” When Doon spotted his young protege at the hallway's end, he tried to call him over. Tobias approached, though he looked a bit confused by Doon's urgency.
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“I just talked to a man in the dungeon. At Lyneah's request, I was going to release Kitt... but she was already gone.”
“Gone?” Tobias' brow furrowed. “How could she be gone?”
“Well, apparently...” Doon sucked air through his clenched teeth as he told the tale, “there was a minor attack on the castle. The queen was freed, and they took Kitt with them. I need to follow. I need to get to her as soon as possible!”
“Damn,” Tobias groaned. In a way, he blamed himself. Only twenty minutes ago, he'd asked Lyneah to release his friend. If he'd gotten to her a little bit sooner—if he had tried a little bit harder—maybe he could have gotten Kitt out of the dungeon before they took her? “Can I come with you?”
“I was hoping you'd say that.” Doon clapped Tobey's shoulder in silent gratitude. “This could very well be another suicide mission. I'm going to need all the men I can get.”
“Suicide mission?” asked a voice from behind. Even before he turned around, Doon knew it was Roderick.
“Indeed, Roddy. Kitt's on an airship with Loreina. We're going to catch up to the ship, jump aboard, and get to her as soon as possible. If you could get a nice, big Black Wings airship to come with us, now would be the time to do it.”
“I can't,” Roderick sighed. “I'm not even a knight anymore, unless Lyneah's reinstated me. Even stealing a ship would be beyond my capabilities right now.”
“Well then... where's Lyneah? Maybe she'd help?” Doon suggested, giving Tobias a nudge. “She likes you, doesn't she? Can't you just bat your eyelashes and get her to cough up an airship?”
Tobey shook his head. “She's in the middle of her coronation. Besides, I wouldn't ask for something like that. I don't want to push my luck.”
“Then we should probably get going. The more time we waste, the further away they get... and I doubt they'll be slowing down anytime soon.” Doon gave Tobias a little shove, pushing him toward the skyport. “Let's go.”
“Am I invited?” Roderick asked as he followed them down the hall. “I mean... it's Kitt we're talking about, right? I care about her too!”
“Sure, Roddy Rick, sure. We've got room for one more.” As he charged down the
hall, Doon glanced at Roderick over his shoulder. “Even if the one more is you, I guess I can find a way to tolerate it.”
Thirty Four
Kitt was in the middle of a bath when she heard someone banging on her door. She wasn't entirely sure her new captors wouldn't barge in on her, so she jumped from the water and threw on her clothes as quickly as she could.
“Open up!” she heard Loreina shrieking on the other side of the door. “Open up, or I'll get Ewan and he'll tear down the door!”
“I'm coming!” Kitt yelped. “For goodness sake, just give me a moment to put on my dress!” Her body was still damp from the bath, and the dress was sheer and white, so she didn't feel particularly covered, even after she was clothed.
Loreina's frantic knocking didn't cease until Kitt was at the door. When it opened, she found herself staring down the barrel of Loreina's pistol.
“Come with me,” Loreina commanded. “I wasn't going to kill you until tomorrow, but I'm pushing it forward.”
“If you're going to kill me, why don't you just shoot me now? Kitt asked. “Why wait? Where are we going?”
Loreina didn't answer her question, she simply shoved her in the direction of the deck. As they marched down the hall, the queen kept pushing her along, so Kitt picked up her pace. By the time they reached the stairs, they were practically sprinting.
“Your boyfriend came for you after all,” Loreina grumbled as they climbed the steps. “I'm sure you're happy.”
“Boyfriend? What? Who?”
“Oh, please! You really have no idea who I'm talking about? You're so dense, girl.” Loreina ripped a monocular from a nearby guard and handed it to Kitt. “Look.” She pointed in the direction of the airship's stern.
When Kitt raised the monocular and gazed in the indicated direction, her skin prickled. Francis Doon's airship was chasing after them, and it was quickly gaining ground.
“Now that he's here, I'll have to kill you sooner than later. And I thought... what could possibly give me greater satisfaction than killing you right in front of him?” Loreina snickered at the thought. “He'll be so very, very sad, I'm sure, when all his efforts go to waste.” She suddenly pressed the barrel of the gun into Kitt's rib cage, as hard as she could. “Now walk.”
Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3) Page 21
