On Doon's airship, they were preparing to rappel onto the ship below them. When the Black Wings vessel tried to increase their altitude, Doon's ship went even higher. They stayed right on their tail, mimicking their every move.
Everyone was dead silent as their airship drifted closer. Doon buttoned his coat, made sure his weapons were loaded and ready, and donned his favorite hat—a dusty old gray one. As they waited, he turned to his men and told them, “No one has to come. We're not getting paid, so I won't ask you to risk your lives for this. This is something I want to do. For myself. For Kitt. It's going to be dangerous as hell, so if anyone would like to back out now, I won't judge you for it.”
No one moved. Tobias, Roderick, Bryce, and at least two dozen pirates stayed at the captain's side. Whether they were getting paid or not, he had their loyalty, and he appreciated it. “Well... this is it, everyone,” Doon said, tightening the rope around his waist as he prepared to descend. “Good luck.”
Doon leapt over the side of the rail, dropping down to the Black Wings airship. He landed on his feet with such grace, no one could hope to match him. As soon as he was on the deck of the enemy ship, three of the queen's guards swept in on him, each with a sword in hand. Doon tore his swords from their sheaths and waited for his enemies to reach him. His blades launched into a furious dance as he somehow managed to block each incoming attack.
Roderick leapt to the deck after Doon. As he descended, he whipped out a gun and shot one of Doon's attackers, which evened the odds a bit. Fighting three was a challenge, but Doon could handle two with ease. Roderick had barely landed before Doon sliced one opponent's throat, and stabbed the second in the heart. Blood splattered his coat as he yanked his sword free.
“There are more of us this time!” Doon spoke to Tobias as he rappelled. He sheathed a sword, freed his pistol, and shot a man in the head. “I'm going to get to Kitt as fast as possible, so I won't be around to babysit you this time. Will you be alright?”
It took Tobias a moment to realize the captain was talking to him. “Who... me? Of course. I'm fine. Go.” As soon as he was on his feet, Tobias took out a gun, closed one eye, and lined up his shot as carefully as he could. When his bullet struck a man in the chest, Tobias tried to remember how many people he had killed, but the number escaped his memory. Maybe he wasn't as haunted by his kills as he thought?
After more of his men had landed, Doon took off running. On the other side of the ship, he could barely see someone who looked like Kitt. Her red hair made her stand out. She was wearing a white dress, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was being held at gunpoint—which meant he had to get to her even faster.
Doon charged forward, shooting and stabbing as he ran. He expected to move at such a brisk pace that he would leave everyone behind. But when he glanced over his shoulder and saw Roderick and Tobias trailing behind him, he was impressed. Roderick even shot a man who was aiming at Doon.
“Twice!” Roderick shouted at him. “That's two times I've saved you now, Doon. I believe you owe me one!”
“It's nice to know you're watching my back, Roddy!” As they spoke, Doon raised his gun and fired at a man who was sneaking up to Roderick's flank. “And... we're even again.”
When an incoming bullet grazed Tobias' arm, he sucked air through his teeth. Doon briefly stopped firing and turned his attention to the younger man.
“Are you alright?” When he noticed the blood on Tobias' sleeve, he frowned.
“I'm fine. It just scratched me, I think.” Tobias fired back at the man who shot him—and Tobias' aim was more precise. He dropped him in an instant. “Keep going. Don't worry about me.”
A dozen of Loreina's men suddenly surged forward, slowing their progress. Fortunately, most of Doon's men had boarded the ship by then, and they clashed with Loreina's knights in a bloody frenzy.
Doon kept moving forward, firing a shot and swinging his sword whenever he found an opening. His one and only goal was to get to Kitt's side as quickly as possible. When he made it to the middle of the ship, he tried to spot her again. Kitt was on the bow, and she was in the company of Loreina, who was forcing her to walk down a narrow plank. Loreina was tossing her overboard! A cold dread gripped the center of Doon's chest when the realization dawned on him. He rushed forward faster than ever, firing madly. His accuracy suffered because of it, but he didn't care. No matter what, he needed to get to Kitt.
Even when he felt a sting in his leg, just below his hip, it didn't slow him down. Doon assumed he was shot, but his adrenaline kept him going. By the time he reached the bow, Tobias and Roderick were far behind him—he was completely alone.
Loreina and Kitt were guarded by two enemy sentinels: Marius and Ewan. Doon flung his gun, which was out of bullets, and exchanged it for a loaded one. While he was busy changing weapons, Marius tried to take a shot at him, and missed. When he saw Doon aiming back at him, Marius tried to take cover behind Ewan, but Doon was too fast. Loreina's lover was gone in an instant. Doon shot him in the center of the forehead.
“Noooo!” Loreina belted a bloodcurdling scream when she saw him go down. “Marius... shit! Oh God no!” In a fit of rage, she tried to shove Kitt overboard, but Kitt was ready to fight back. She seized Loreina's hand, the one holding the gun, and pushed it aside. Then she tried to shove Loreina backward, off of the plank and back to the ship. Together, they toppled from the plank and collapsed on the deck. As both women struggled to reach the gun, Doon attacked Ewan. The giant knight blocked him, and while their blades were crossed, Doon studied him for a weak point. There had to be some way to penetrate his massive wall of armor.
When Ewan countered, his swings were so powerful, Doon could barely block. Kitt and Loreina continued to grapple for the gun. Loreina tried to throw herself on top of Kitt to prevent her from reaching it, then she crawled on top of her body, desperate to reach the weapon first. Kitt's fingers barely brushed the edge of the pistol before Loreina shoved her face against the deck. Kitt's forehead clunked against the wood, making her grunt. Before Loreina could seize the gun for herself, Kitt rolled. She knocked Loreina off her back and slammed an elbow into the queen's gut. Kitt scrambled toward the gun, grabbed it, and pointed it directly at Loreina.
“Sheathe your sword, Ewan!” Kitt screamed. “If you don't, I'll shoot the queen!”
Ewan didn't listen. He kept swinging mindlessly at Doon, who looked more determined than ever to beat him.
“Ewan, for goodness sake! Did you not hear the girl?” Loreina wailed. “She said she'll kill me if you don't stop! Well... it seems likely that she'll kill me either way, but I'd prefer it if you didn't take any chances with my life!”
Ewan's sword soared in Doon's direction. The captain ducked, dove forward, then swung his blade upward, knocking Ewan's helmet off his head. Doon got to see his opponent for the first time. He was a stern-looking, middle-aged man with a bushy black mustache. And he didn't stop fighting, no matter how many times Kitt threatened him.
“I will shoot her if you don't lay down your weapon!” Kitt yelled. “I'll give you five seconds! Five... four... three...”
“Nooo... please!” Loreina tried to plead with her. “I lost Marius. Have I not been punished enough? And do you really want my death on your conscience? You don't strike me as the killing type, dear.”
Kitt never had a chance to find out if she was the killing type. After blocking one of Ewan's strikes, Doon raised his gun and shot him in the head. Ewan's metal armor clamored as he dropped to his knees, and then to the ground.
“Kitt...” As Doon took a step toward her, Roderick and Tobias suddenly joined him on the bow. Kitt looked way more surprised to see them than she was to see Doon.
“Oh my god, Tobey, you're bleeding!” Kitt's hand trembled as she continued to point the pistol at Loreina. “Are you alright?”
“It's just a sm-small scratch.” Tobey rolled up his sleeve, showing her the mark where the bullet had grazed his arm. “See?”
Doon had his gun pointed
at Loreina, so Kitt lowered hers, ran to Tobias, and threw her arms around him. They could hear chaos on the other side of the ship, but for the moment, it was safe on the bow. “I haven't seen you in so long!” Kitt murmured against his shirt as she hugged him. “Have you gotten taller? I swear you were never this tall!”
Tobias chuckled and shook his head. “No. I've always been tall.”
“Hmm.” When Kitt released Tobias, she turned to Roderick and hugged him too. “Thanks for coming, Roderick.”
“Of course.” Roderick lightly kissed the side of her head as they embraced. “I'd always come for you, sweetheart.”
When she released Roderick, Kitt turned around and met Doon's gaze. It didn't escape his notice that he was the only one she didn't hug. “What are you going to do with Queen Loreina?” she asked him.
“I'm not sure yet.” Doon scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun as he considered his options. “Should we kill her?”
“No, you shouldn't kill me!” Loreina shrieked. “Are you seriously considering that? I treated you so well, Doon! Don't you have a soft spot for me somewhere in your heart?”
“Not especially, no.” Doon shrugged. “Nevertheless, I'd rather not hurt you... but if Kitt wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't object.”
Kitt shook her head. “Loreina's wicked. Evil, probably... but I don't know.” She looked down at the gun in her hand, sighing. “As rotten as she is, I don't know if I'd actually execute her.”
Roderick spoke up. “Since I was a knight, I'd struggle with it too. She was my queen. And even though she murdered King Nikolai...”
“Please,” Loreina pleaded with them again. “What could I possibly do now? I'm harmless! I have no title, no army, no money, and you've taken my ship. I'm just one lone woman. I have nothing. And it was Marius who decided to kill the king, not me! Besides, Nikolai was already ill ... he was going senile... we only helped him along! It was merciful, if anything. So... let me go, and I swear I won't bother you again!”
Kitt's gaze shifted between Doon and Roderick. She wasn't Princess Lyneah, but she knew they were waiting on her to make a decision. “I guess... maybe... we should let her go,” Kitt decided with a sigh. “Loreina's right. There's really nothing else she could do to oppose Lyneah. She's lost everything. In a way, I feel sorry for her.”
“You're such a sweet girl!” Loreina gasped, resisting the temptation to throw her arms around her daughter's doppelganger. “You're a dear, dear girl. I always knew you were kinder than Lyneah! I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your mercy! I won't forget this! I swear I won't!”
“Do you think this is what Lyneah would do?” Roderick asked. “Would she let her mother walk free? Would she not arrest her, at the very least?”
“Perhaps. But to me, it seems just as cruel to drop her in the middle of nowhere without a penny to her name.” Kitt drew a deep breath and held it for a moment. “I just hope we don't live to regret this.”
Thirty Five
“I dunno...” Tobias mumbled as he watched Loreina disembark from the airship. “Everything in me is telling me we're making the wrong decision. Should we really just let her go like that?” He waited for Kitt to answer, but when she didn't say a word, he turned to Doon instead. “Shouldn't we just leave this up to Lyneah? It's her mother!”
“Don't look at me!” Doon said with a shrug. “Loreina's fate really doesn't matter to me either way.”
“R-really?” Tobias' nose wrinkled at Doon's answer. “So you have no opinion on it whatsoever?”
“I mean... not really. I know others had issues with her, but Queen Loreina was always good to me. She made me a privateer. She gave me a title, jobs, rewards. Killing her would almost feel like a betrayal.”
Tobias thought about asking for Roderick's opinion, but they barely knew each other. Besides, he didn't really feel like interacting with Lyneah's former lover.
“So what are we going to tell Lyneah when we get back to the castle?” Tobias asked. “That her mother escaped? That she's dead? That we just let her walk away?”
“We're not going back to the castle. Not yet.” Doon studied Kitt's face. He wanted her attention, but she was too focused on Loreina's departure to pay him any mind. “I'm taking Kitt home... like I should have done weeks ago.”
That got her attention. When she whirled in Doon's direction, her eyes were wide. “Wait, what?”
“I'm taking you back to Lundun, Kitt. Officially this time. I should have taken you back a long time ago. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am.” Doon held a hand to his heart as he made his apology. “When you're back where you belong, I'll take these other two wherever they want to go.” He flicked a thumb in the direction of Tobias and Roderick.
“You can drop them off first,” Kitt said. “I'm really not that eager to get back home. Just ask Tobias. My life in Lundun isn't exactly stellar.”
Doon stroked his chin, on which there was a considerable amount of stubble. When Loreina was off the ship, he signaled one of his pirates, and they lifted off immediately. The familiar hum of engines resonated in Kitt's ears as the airship rose from the ground. No matter how many times she was on Doon's ship, it never stopped thrilling her.
“You look like you're deep in thought,” Kitt suddenly said to Doon.
“I am, actually. It's a rarity to find me so deep in thought, isn't it?” He winked at her. “I was thinking... you want me to take Roderick and Tobey back to the castle, but it might be dangerous for you there. Lyneah might arrest you again.”
“No, she wouldn't!” Tobias quickly spoke up in defense of Lyneah. “Right before Loreina took you away, Lyneah was going to release you! I'm absolutely certain she wouldn't arrest you again.”
“I agree.” Roderick's opinion mirrored Tobey's. “If she arrested you again after everything you've been through, I'd be shocked. She's not malicious. Lyneah's a good woman.”
“Well then... I'd like to meet her,” Kitt said. “We've never actually met, but we look like twins, apparently. I think I'd enjoy talking to her.”
“Only if I can go with you,” Doon insisted. “If she tries to arrest you again, I'll carry you out of there. Now... I've had enough of these two. Come with me.” Doon suddenly seized Kitt's hand and pulled her away from Tobey and Roderick.
“Where are you taking me?” Kitt didn't get an answer, so she tugged her hand away and shouted, “Doon!”
All of a sudden, he pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Sadly, Kitt's arms stayed at her sides, refusing to touch him, but he enjoyed having her close. “If you won't hug me, I'll just have to hug you.” He buried his face against her hair as he held her, subtly breathing her in. “And you know I'm not a big fan of this hugging nonsense, so you should consider yourself lucky.”
“Hugging nonsense?” Kitt repeated his words with a roll of her eyes.
“Yes. Nonsense. Of course it's nonsense! Why would you want someone squashed up against you like that?” Doon felt her trying to pull away, so he held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “Besides, you were doling out hugs to Roddy and Tobias. I was starting to feel excluded.”
“Maybe I don't bother hugging you because I know you think it's nonsense!” Kitt grumbled. “You haven't changed at all, Doon. Even though you can be infuriating sometimes, it's strangely comforting to know you haven't changed a bit.”
“You don't know what I've been through to get to this moment,” Doon whispered against her hair.
“What moment?”
“This.” He squeezed her in his arms. “Getting to hold you again. Knowing you're safe.” When Doon finally let go of her, he backed away, looking a bit sheepish.
“Do you care about me, Doon?”
“I... do.” He looked embarrassed to admit it.
“Do you really?” Her eyebrow was skeptically raised.
“You know I do.”
“Then... I suppose I can hug you.” Kitt wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close aga
in. “Just this once.”
“Just once? What about tomorrow? Will there be no hugs for Captain Doon?”
Kitt nuzzled her face against his chest as they embraced. In truth, for the last several days, she was dying to be in Doon's arms again. Of course, she couldn't confess such a thing to him. Every time she tried to confess her feelings to him, it never went well. “I guess... if I must hug you... I might be able to give you one tomorrow.”
“And the day after that?”
“Nope,” Kitt playfully shook her head.
“Damn. I guess I better enjoy the moment while it lasts.”
“Enjoy?” When Kitt looked up at him, she looked amused. “Doon... are you actually enjoying a hug? I thought this was just nonsense?”
“I should have said most hugs are nonsense,” Doon corrected himself. “But hugs from you? They're much more tolerable.”
Kitt suddenly broke away from their embrace and gasped, “Oh... there's Miles! I'm going to go hug him too.”
“How easily you hand out hugs to everyone but me.” Doon exaggerated a pout. “You're very cruel, you know.”
As he watched her go, Doon heaved a sigh. For the first time in ages, his heart was content.
It was good to have her back.
Thirty Six
Kitt's heart thumped wildly in her chest as they approached the castle. For the first time, she was actually returning by choice. She half-expected Doon to drag her to the audience chamber and present her to Loreina. But there was a different queen now, newly crowned. And this queen didn't wait for them to enter the castle. As soon as she learned of their arrival, Lyneah ran out to greet them. Specifically, she flew into Tobey's arms, tackling him with a hug.
Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3) Page 22
