Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3)

by Caylen McQueen

  Thirty Nine

  When Kitt heard the knock on her door at nine o'clock in the morning, she wanted to roll over and tell the morning pest to leave her alone. She wanted to sleep until at least ten, preferably noon. It didn't escape her notice that she slept better on the airship than anywhere in the world. It was certainly more conducive to sleep than her most recent residence: the castle dungeon. Whoever woke her was being cruel.

  The person at the door refused to go away, so Kitt dragged herself from bed and donned some wrinkled clothes. Doon let her borrow more of his clothes, which were as comfortable as they were crumpled and worn.

  Kitt heard yet another knock, so she grumbled, “I'm coming, I'm coming!” to her persistent visitor. When she threw open the door and saw Doon on the other side, she was surprised.

  “Good morning!” Doon's greeting was surprisingly cheerful, especially for him. “How are you, Kitten? If I had to guess, I'd say the answer is... not good. You're looking like you want to throttle me.”

  “Just a bit,” Kitt admitted. “Until you disrupted me, I was really enjoying my sleep. I was enjoying it immensely, in fact.”

  “Well, you'll enjoy this even more.” Doon kept her in suspense as he pulled on a pair of leather gloves, which he used to hide his missing fingers. “We've arrived in Lundun.”

  “Are you serious?” Kitt gasped. “Given your history, I half-expected you to tell me we were back at the castle... or better yet, that you'd managed to track down Loreina and decided to hand me over to her after all.”

  “Ha. Ha. Very funny,” he sarcastically replied. “No, we really are in Lundun. Whenever you're ready, I'll escort you home.”

  “You're escorting me home? Really?” Kitt looked shocked. “You'll be riding the train with me and everything?”

  “Sure. Why not?” Doon's eyebrow was raised as he glanced around her room. “Is there anything you need to pack? Because if there is, I could provide you with a small but slightly damaged valise.”

  “Ooo. While that offer is very tempting, I don't think it's necessary.” Kitt chuckled at her own sarcasm. “I can't imagine what I would need to take with me. I'm ready to leave this life behind.”

  Kitt caught a glimpse of Doon's shifting expression before he turned in the direction of the door. He looked sad. “Well then... if you're ready...”

  “I'm ready.”

  Kitt's stomach knotted as she followed him into the hall and up to the deck. It was so long since she'd been in Lundun, Kitt almost felt like she was returning to another life. When they reached the deck, they were greeted by Bryce, whose lips sagged into an obvious frown.

  “Buh-bye, Miss Princess,” the big brute said. “I'm gonna miss having you around.”

  “And I'll miss being here!” Kitt exclaimed. “And... you do know I'm not actually a princess... yes?”

  “Oh, aye.” Bryce suddenly clapped her on the shoulder. It was meant to be a gesture of affection, but he nearly knocked her over. “But you'll always be a princess to me. If you ever come back, I'll make you a real nice cookie.”

  “Thank you, Bryce. That's... very sweet.” Kitt caught a glimpse of Miles, so she said goodbye to Bryce and approached her old friend before she lost sight of him. “Miles!”

  “Ah, Kitt!” When she reached him, Miles gave her a hug. “I was hoping to see you before you left! Oh, how my heart breaks to think of you leaving us!”

  “I'm going to miss you!” Kitt felt tears building in her eyes as she embraced him. “I'm going to miss you so, so much! I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you, Miles. You helped me get through some really difficult days.”

  “It was my pleasure, Kitt. You really were like a daughter to me... or, perhaps, a granddaughter. It was an honor to get to know you, and I hope to see you again one day.”

  Kitt nearly sobbed against his shoulder. Miles wasn't getting any younger. He seemed to be in decent health, but she had to wonder—how many years did he have left? What if she didn't see him for another year? What if she didn't see him for two years? What if she didn't see him ever again? Her heart was crushed by the thought.

  “I love you, Miles,” Kitt whispered the words. She was almost reluctant to say it, because she feared he would reject her affection the same way Doon did. Of course, she didn't love Miles the same way she loved Francis Doon—but Miles was family. That's how she felt.

  “I love you too, dear,” Miles said as he patted her on the back. “Now... you better get back to the captain. He's looking rather cross.”

  When Kitt looked back at Doon, she had to agree. “You're right. He is looking pretty impatient.”

  “And I would expect nothing less of him.” Miles chuckled. “Farewell, dearest Kitt. I will try to convince our captain to return for a visit. Sooner than later, I hope.”

  “Farewell.” Kitt's heart felt immense and heavy as she walked away from Miles. When she was back at Doon's side, he disembarked from the airship and motioned for her to follow. On the way to the train station, Kitt was silent. She had so many memories, and all of them flooded her head at once.

  “How does it feel to be back in Lundun?” he asked.

  “Odd.” As they passed through the Lundun skyport, Kitt's eyes soaked in the sight of the many massive airships. She was probably biased, but she thought Doon's was the best. “You know, the last time I was in Lundun with you, you tossed me over your shoulder and carried me down the street.”

  “I can do that again, if you'd like.”

  Kitt snorted at Doon's remark. “I think I'll decline, thanks.”

  A few minutes later, they walked past Lucky's, which wasn't too terribly far from the skyport. Kitt was tempted to pop in and ask her former boss for a job, but she doubted she would be well-received after her extended absence.

  “Are you happy to be home?” Doon asked, leading the way to the train station.

  “I'm not sure.” Kitt's honest answer was accompanied by a seemingly endless sigh. “I suppose it's a bit bittersweet. In a way, I'm relieved. But in another way...”

  “In another way...?” Doon encouraged her to finish her thought.

  “In some strange way, I'm going to miss everything,” Kitt confessed. “The adventure, the airships, the peril. It's going to be strange to return to a depressingly normal life.”

  When they reached the train station, Doon had to ask, “Is there anything else you're going to miss?” With a smirk, he pointed at himself. “Me, perhaps?”

  “Of course I'll miss you! Do you really need to ask that question?” Kitt sighed again. Was he teasing her, or was he really that oblivious to her feelings? “Do you think you'll ever come back to visit me?”

  Doon shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “Perhaps,” Doon added, as if the two words didn't suggest the same level of uncertainty.

  “God, Doon... you can be such an arse!” As soon as Kitt heard the stream train whistling down the tracks, her shoulders fell. She was so close to being home in the slums. So close. She could only imagine how her stepmother would react when she saw her face.

  When Kitt and Doon boarded the train, many of its passengers were shrinking in their seats and avoiding eye contact. Either they recognized Francis Doon from old wanted posters, or they sensed an air of danger from him. He was, after all, heavily armed.

  Kitt and Doon sat across from each other in one of the train's many compartments. Doon temporarily removed his top hat and held it on his lap.

  “I'm glad you decided to escort me home. It's... sort of nice of you.”

  “Oh, so I'm not always an arse?” Doon asked with a chuckle.

  “No. You're only an arse about... mmm... maybe half of the time,” Kitt teased him. “Maybe a little bit more than half. Sometimes, you can even be rather kind.”

  “Shh.” Doon leaned forward and held a finger to his lips. “Don't go spreading that around, Kitten. You'll ruin my reputation.”

  When she saw him winking at her, Kitt's heart was scr
eaming in agony. Francis was still the man she loved—and he was leaving her behind in Lundun. He gave her no reason to think he felt the same way as she did. The pain in her chest was so great, Kitt wondered if her unrequited love would eventually be the death of her.

  As the train roared away from the platform, a wave of nausea washed over her. In just a few short minutes, she would be home. As much as a part of her had always hoped to return, going back to her old life almost felt like a nightmare.

  Ask me to stay with you. Kitt tried to transmit the thought to the man sitting across from her. Invite me to live on the airship. Keep me with you. Let me stay.

  She was dying on the inside, and yet Doon looked as calm as ever. Did nothing ever bother him? Would he miss her at all?

  Too soon, the train arrived at its destination. Doon didn't know where she lived, so he let her lead the way. Kitt's shoulders sank as they approached her home. Beg me to stay with you. In her mind, she continued to beseech him. Tell me you can't bear the thought of leaving me behind.

  “Well...” When they reached her front door, Kitt was fighting back tears. “Here we are.”

  “Here we are,” he idly repeated.

  “It's a bit of a hovel, isn't it?” Kitt's nose wrinkled as she stared at her childhood home.

  “It's not bad.”

  “Not bad?” Kitt rolled her eyes at him. “If it's not bad, then you're not a good liar!”

  “No, actually, I'm an excellent liar,” Doon corrected her with a chuckle. “But it's truly not a hovel to me. It isn't as though I come from riches, love.”

  Love. It probably meant nothing, but her mind hovered on the word. “But you're the Duke of Suffick, aren't you? Now you have riches.”

  “Eh.” Doon shrugged, as if the massive amount of money he inherited was of little consequence to him. Kitt knew that wasn't true. Doon loved money.

  “So, um...” Kitt thought she saw movement behind the window. Was it Raine? If her stepmother was coming out to greet her, she needed to get rid of Doon as soon as possible. She cringed at the thought of Doon crossing paths with her cantankerous stepmum. “I guess this... is... goodbye?”

  Doon nodded. “It is. I'm...” For a fleeting moment, he looked every bit as reluctant as she did—but his composure didn't suffer very long. “I'm glad I got to know you, Kitten.”

  “Uh... yes.” Kitt wanted to grab him, hold him, kiss him, scream at him to let her stay at his side. But she stood still, even as her heart was breaking. “I'm glad I got to know you too, Francis Doon. You're really not as bad as everyone says.”

  Doon slammed his hat onto his head and thrust his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Farewell, then.”

  “Farewell.” Tears flooded Kitt's eyes as she watched him go. She kept expecting him to turn around, to come rushing back to her, but he never did. Maybe he wanted to wash his hands of her?

  When the front door opened, she heard Raine's shrieking voice. “Kitt? You're back? I was beginning to think you'd never show your face again! You just missed your father... again. We had a very lengthy discussion about your recent behavior. If you're sneaking off to be with men, you should be ashamed! And if you sneak off one more time, we won't be welcoming you back!”

  “Right... because I feel so welcome right now!” Kitt expelled a weary sigh as she stepped into the house.

  “Your old room is still intact,” Raine informed her. “You should be glad. A few days ago, I came very close to renting out your space!”

  Kitt suddenly ran upstairs and peered out the window. She wanted to get a final glimpse of Francis Doon before he was gone—but she was too late. Even from the second story window, she couldn't see him.

  “Kitt, are you listening to me?” She could hear her stepmother shouting at her from the bottom of the stairs. “You have been very disappointing to me lately! Very! And if you don't change your ways, I swear I will--”

  Kitt went into her room, slammed the door behind her, and collapsed into bed with a sob.

  Forty

  The next morning, when Kitt woke in her own bed in her own house, she was crushed all over again. Doon was gone. Miles was gone. Even Tobias was gone. She was stuck in Lundun, and all the people she treasured were somewhere else. To make it worse, she had no idea when she would see them again—if, in fact, she ever did. Doon could probably survive without her a lot easier than she could survive without him.

  Kitt stayed in bed for the longest time, unable to move, and barely able to process a thought. Her mind was as numb as her heart. On the bright side, she was happy to be reunited with her own clothes. After over an hour of wallowing in misery and self-pity, she rose from bed and went to inspect her wardrobe. As she hopped into her breeches, she started to feel a bit more like herself.

  Kitt tried to creep downstairs as silently as possible, to avoid Raine, but her stepmother was alerted by the sound of a creaking floorboard. She ordered Kitt to make tea, as if she thought she was a queen. Even though it was frustrating, Kitt obeyed. She didn't want her stepmother to throw her out of the house, as she so often threatened to do.

  After delivering Raine's tea, Kitt decided to leave the house and seek employment. She had only been back for a day, and her body still wanted to rest, but she didn't want to be stuck in the house. No job, no matter how demeaning, could be worse than sharing a space with Raine for the rest of the day.

  When she was out of the house, Kitt shoved her hands into her pockets, kept her head down, and charged in the direction of the train station. She was so determined to put distance between herself and her stepmother that she unknowingly breezed past Francis Doon. He was standing below a streetlamp with a cigarette between his lips. As soon as he saw Kitt, he removed the cigarette and crushed it beneath his boot.

  “Kitt!”

  When she heard Doon calling her name, Kitt nearly screamed. She was tempted to run to him and fling her arms around him, but she wasn't sure how he would react.

  Kitt's cheeks were glowing with heat as she approached him. “I... thought I'd never see you again,” she confessed. And it was true. Seeing Doon's face was such an overwhelming relief, she was choking back a sob.

  “Never see me again?” Doon raised an eyebrow. “You really think I'd abandon you forever?”

  “Well... yes! When I asked if you'd come back to visit me, you said maybe.”

  “A maybe is almost a yes.”

  “A maybe is a maybe and a maybe can also mean no!” Kitt argued. She had another question on her mind, but she was reluctant to ask. She had to force the words through her lips. “So... you're still in Lundun? You haven't left yet?”

  “I leave in a few minutes.”

  Doon's answer made her shoulders sag. “Oh.”

  “No. I'm teasing you. We left yesterday,” Doon admitted. “But I... came back.”

  “Came back for... what reason?” she dared to ask.

  “I forgot to buy baguettes. You see, there's this really nice bakery on the east side of Lundun. They have some amazing bread. Really great muffins, too.” Doon chuckled at his own reply. As soon as he saw Kitt's eyes narrowing, he added, “No, actually... I'm teasing you again. I came back for you.”

  “For... me?”

  “No, you misunderstand. I actually said I came back for Hugh,” Doon teased her yet again. “Hugh Carruthers. He's a damn good pirate if you ever did see one. I wanted to see if he'd join my crew.”

  “Doon,” Kitt whimpered his name. “Will you please stop making awful jokes?”

  “Sorry,” Doon apologized. “I'm not very good at expressing my feelings, as I'm sure you're aware. But... yes. I came back for you, Kitt. I came back because I didn't want to live without you another day.”

  Kitt couldn't believe her ears. It was so close to what she always hoped Doon would say. Kitt wondered if she was in the middle of a dream. Any moment now, she'd be back in her bed, waking up, grumpy and groggy.

  “Kitt, I...” Doon started to walk toward her, then he halted himself. “I w
ant you to come with me. The airship doesn't feel the same without you. I don't think it ever would.”

  “Doon...” Kitt's body felt so weak, all she could do was whisper his name.

  “I could make you happy. Or... I could... try.” Doon's veneer of confidence was shattered. He finally closed the distance between them and reached for her hand. “I want you to travel the world with me. I want to take you everywhere I go.”

  Words continued to fail her.

  “Do you think you could ever want that? Could that ever be the life for you? Sailing around on an airship, exploring the world?” Doon nervously scratched his head. “I, uh... I think I was afraid to tell you how I feel. I was so afraid of letting you change me that I failed to see what had already happened. You've already changed me. But it's not something I should be afraid of. I think I'm better now... because of you. You've made me happier than I've ever been. My life could only be better with you in it. So...”

  “Is that...” When Kitt started speaking, her words crackled in her throat. “Is that really how you feel?”

  “Indeed. I know I don't deserve you, but I want you,” Doon said. “Let's be honest, Kitten. You deserve far, far better than me. But... I'm selfish. So here I am, asking you to come back with me. I won't force you, of course, but I--”

  Doon's voice trailed off as soon as Kitt threw her arms around him. She squeezed him tighter than she'd ever squeezed anything. She squeezed him so hard, it was as if she feared he would disappear forever if she ever let go. When Kitt glanced up at him, Doon suddenly kissed her. The feeling of his lips on hers made her gasp. Kitt swore she could feel her entire body melting into his.

  “Do you remember when you told me you loved me?” he asked.

  “I do. And you were an ass,” Kitt reminded him. “You really hurt me that day. You... didn't want me to love you.”

  Doon shook his head. “That isn't true.” Cupping her cheek in his hand, he kept his face close to hers. Kitt kept wishing he would kiss her again, but he didn't. Her close proximity to his mouth was way too tantalizing. “If you still feel the same way, tell me again. Give me another chance. Say it again so I can do it right this time.”