“I should slow down—”
“Don’t.” Her voice was just as raspy as his. He stroked her sides, his hands pausing for a moment on the curves of her hips. He gripped them slightly harder than before, and it jolted her with pleasure that went all the way into her bones. Between the folds of her sex, her clitoris began to throb. It was so intimate a feeling that all she wanted to do was close her eyes so that she might be immersed in the sensation. “I don’t want to think.”
“Neither do I.”
He grasped the backs of her thighs and lifted her. He pressed her back against the wall and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips. Bion held her away from him for a moment. She could feel him shaking with the effort, then he gently eased forward, his cock parting the folds of her sex gently. Fluid eased his way, as his cock sought the opening of her body through the folds. Her body protested the first thrust, pain interrupting her euphoria, but he didn’t prolong the torment. Bion thrust smoothly into her, stretching her passage as she gasped and wound her arms around his shoulders. He pressed against her completely, his body holding her against the wall as he waited for her to adjust to the hard presence of his cock.
“It won’t hurt like that again,” he whispered. His tone was tender. She opened her eyes in surprise and found him watching her. For a moment they locked gazes, and she was sure she had never really understood what intimacy was because she felt him touching her soul.
But he groaned, his face creasing with strain. His grip tightened before he withdrew. It felt as though he’d been ripped from her, the loss tormenting her with how much she wanted to be filled. Bion didn’t let her suffer the need for long. He thrust forward, filling her again and, true to his word, the pain was only a memory. Now there was satisfaction and a growing need to move in unison with him. She met his next thrust, lifting her hips to help him enter her faster. Both their hearts were racing, their breathing more like panting as they strained toward one another. There was no thinking, only responding as her hunger dictated what actions to take.
Something was building inside her. Sensation was gathering beneath the spot that the head of his cock returned to again and again. She wanted whatever it was building up to—needed it—and worked her hips faster in her quest. Bion didn’t disappoint her; he kept pace with her, driving into her again and again until she felt something being unleashed inside her. It was a brilliant burst of pleasure, unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It wrung her like a dishcloth, twisting every fiber of her being until she cried out because she just couldn’t contain everything she was feeling any longer.
Bion bucked between her thighs, growling as he buried his length deeply inside her. For a moment that felt far longer than it really was, his body was drawn taut, straining toward hers before his seed filled her. The hot spurt set off another ripple of delight that wasn’t as sharp but felt deeper.
“Christ that was too quick.” Bion sucked in a deep breath before pulling away from the wall. “And I didn’t mean to deflower you against the wall as if I couldn’t control myself long enough to take you to bed.”
He laid her down in the bed, then joined her before the bed ropes finished creaking.
“I believe I rather like knowing you were not completely in control.”
Sophia moved over to make room, but Bion hooked her around the waist and pulled her back against his body. She shifted, wiggling because she was suddenly unsure of how she felt. Nothing made sense as she tried to return to not letting him see her feelings.
“You would feel like that.”
Bion smoothed her into place along his side. He pressed her head onto his shoulder, doing it a second time when she lifted it to get a look at his expression. He crossed his legs around one of her ankles to keep her in place as he drew in a deep breath and let it out.
“Relax, Sophia. For the moment, the rest of the world may rot.”
She choked on a giggle, holding her breath to try and smother the ones that wanted to follow. Giggling was for girls. The stinging walls of her passage made it quite clear that she was a woman now.
“Now that wounds me.” He tipped her chin up. “Why can’t you laugh in my presence?”
“Because it’s, well… girlish to giggle.”
He stroked the side of her face, the touch so tender tears burned her eyes. Why was she so emotional so suddenly?
“I do believe we’ve passed the point of maintaining appearances.”
She lowered her chin, uncertainty making her look away before he read how unsure she was.
Bion let out a frustrated sound. “I suppose it’s my doing, but I won’t apologize for trying to harden you against those who would try to use you.”
She sat up, managing to escape his hold and lock gazes with him. “You were correct.”
For a long moment he stared at her. He was every inch the stern taskmaster she’d struggled with for the last few months, and yet, he was something else too—the man she’d just clung to in need and hunger, allowed into her body without any hesitation. Somehow, it felt like the climax in their relationship, as though they had been circling one another in a slowly decreasing circle that had finally diminished so much, the only thing they might do was collide.
“Yet we are still landing here.”
He reached for her, pulling her back down into his embrace. The facts of their circumstances floated through her mind, but she could not seem to worry very much about any of them. Not while she felt the steady heartbeat of the man holding her. His scent filled her senses, lulling her to sleep where nothing was so bad as it seemed in the darkness of night.
“But you are a man of action,” she muttered in the last few moments before surrendering to slumber completely. “You’ve proven it so many times…”
***
Sophia settled into sleep but Bion stayed awake. He would have liked to think that the reason he wasn’t resting was because of the lumpy parachute beneath his head. That wasn’t exactly true—it was certainly a factor, but that wasn’t what his mind was truly occupied with. He was fixated on the woman in his arms—the way her skin felt, the way she lay so trusting in his embrace. Even her scent was alluring, captivating him as though he was some bloodhound that couldn’t stop tracking until he found the source of the trail he’d been following.
She believed in him. It wasn’t the first time someone had depended on him. Being a captain meant shouldering responsibility for the well-being of others. But this was different. There was no denying it, just as he’d failed to mask the fact that he was in fact jealous of her beau.
Jonathon Saddler. Bion stroked her hair and felt his teeth grinding. It was an irrational reaction, but he was fascinated by it because he had never felt anything like it before. Miss Sophia Stevenson seemed to carry a great number of new experiences with her—at least as far as he was concerned. It was both vexing and surprising. He’d be lying if he tried to tell himself that he wasn’t fascinated by her effect upon him. Raw cadets had loose emotions, not seasoned captains such as himself.
But he was still jealous of Jonathon Saddler. It was an unruly emotion he wasn’t comfortable with.
Sophia shifted, making a delicate sound as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. He toyed with the tendrils of hair that had escaped her braids and hairpins, and felt fear rip through his confidence. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d admitted to being afraid of anything. Facing the fact that their circumstances were dire sent an unmistakable bolt of fear through him. But there was something else too. Determination.
It grew stronger as he heard her words again.
“But you are a man of action.”
“I will do my best to prove my worth to you, sweetest Sophia.”
***
Bion didn’t notice the small knothole sliding back into place. Mr. Graves didn’t hurry away from the cabin. He left with patient steps and stopped to put his boots back on once he was far enough away to make the sounds blend in with the rest of the crew’s movemen
ts.
He rapped twice on the captain’s cabin door and waited.
“Enter,” Aetos barked.
Mr. Graves removed his hat before crossing the threshold because the captain had an unpredictable temper at best. A wise man learned that or didn’t last very long among the crew of the Soiled Dove.
Aetos was using a myriad of measuring tools on the Deep Earth Crystals they’d taken from their prey. Length, width, and gender were all being recorded in a logbook.
“How are our guests enjoying their private accommodations?”
“Quite thoroughly,” Mr. Graves answered. “He buggered her up against the wall, just as you suspected he might. The buggering part, that is. I don’t recall you saying just how he’d go about it.”
Aetos grinned and shot his deck master a lust-filled look. “No man is that protective of a female if he isn’t planning on getting his wick wet between her thighs. I suppose you’ll be encouraging me to put into dock soon, so you can find some lovely to entertain you as well.”
Mr. Graves shrugged. “That depends.”
“On what?” Aetos set down the crystal he’d been examining.
“On how long you plan to keep that bloke alive.”
Aetos picked up another crystal and brought it closer to one of the ones lying on the table. They both began to whine, the sound growing louder as the distance between them diminished. “Male and female react to one another in all different sorts of ways, Mr. Graves.” Aetos set the crystal down. “Even in these Deep Earth Crystals. The reaction is strong enough to boil water and produce the steam that powers this vessel.”
Mr. Graves nodded. “Aye. That’s what makes them worth killing for. It sure beats shoveling coal into the boilers. Means we can stay in the air for much longer too.”
“Now, with the case of our Navigator and her trainer, their relationship is the key to controlling them both.” The captain stood up. “She’s a lady and they have sensitive natures. She’d never think that Bion Donkova is poking her simply because he had the opportunity to get her skirts up. No, she’ll think it’s affection and that, my good Mr. Graves, is the means to controlling her.”
“And what about the bloke? He’s a powerful one and not lacking in smarts. When he gets the idea to cause trouble, he’ll do a grand job of it. Mark my words.”
“Leave that matter to me,” Aetos insisted in a tone every member of his crew knew not to argue with. Men who did ended up dead. “The Soiled Dove is mine and I always make sure what’s mine remains mine.”
“Right you are about that, Captain.”
Aetos watched Graves nod before leaving, then reached into a crate sitting on the floor behind his desk. Straw kept the contents nice and secure during travel. Here was the true prize they’d taken, something so rare it made the Deep Earth Crystals look common. He lifted the lid of a tin box to reveal a velvet-lined interior. Nestled in the middle of the velvet was a Root Ball. Composed of thousands of tiny Deep Earth Crystals, they were often absorbed back into the growing crystal. Root Balls were only found near fresh lava flows.
There were always ways to control men such as Bion Donkova. Aetos closed the lid and grinned. He’d never met a man who didn’t have his price. Even Bion would break the tender heart of his mistress in order to get his hands on a Root Ball. Aetos was looking forward to watching it happen.
He chuckled and felt his cock twitch. Virgins didn’t interest him, but an experienced woman set on exacting revenge for being betrayed by her first lover? Now that was something he would enjoy.
***
She heard wood splintering and Sophia sat up.
“My apologies.”
Bion didn’t turn to look at her, giving her a chance to yank the sheet up to cover her breasts. For all that she understood it was permissible to have a lover as an Illuminist, she still blushed scarlet as the reality of her situation dawned on her.
Bion had the cabin’s small dresser on its back. He’d stuffed the parachute into the back of its raised facing on the front. Once he finished, he fit the piece of wood he’d broken free back into place. When he raised it, there was no way to tell that anything was behind the curved face-board of the dresser.
“That should hold, unless someone shakes it.”
“Do you mean to suggest someone might inspect this cabin?” Her chemise was draped over the foot of the bed and she quickly shrugged into it.
“I would,” Bion assured her quietly, “if I was trying to keep a captive Navigator aboard.”
Bion stood up, watching her struggle with her corset for a moment, then came up behind her to press the garment against her sides. With his strength, her rib cage compressed just a little, allowing her to overlap the busk closures in the front. Once it was closed, she felt better but she also realized it was all in the way she thought about it. Being comfortable was really a state of mind, because a few weeks ago, being caught in her chemise and corset by Bion had been unnerving.
She shook her head and looked around for her clothing. “When can we use the parachute?”
Bion was buttoning his vest and offered her a look that wasn’t promising. “Darkness and clouds to make sure the moonlight doesn’t illuminate us to begin with. After that? Some sort of diversion that keeps the crew from their watch stations and firing off a few shots into our parachute. They don’t work very well with holes in them.”
Which meant it was almost impossible. She bit her lower lip to keep from voicing her thoughts aloud. There was no point in bemoaning the facts. Bion cupped her chin and used his thumb to gently pull her lower lip away from her teeth.
“I will get you out of here, Sophia. It’s my duty.”
“Or kill me, right?” She stepped away from him, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. “Isn’t that also your duty, Captain?”
Bion caught her and pulled her against his body. She wiggled, not wanting to be comfortable in his embrace. Her emotions were a tangled mess and she needed space to sort them into order.
“I’d sooner wear the title of traitor.”
It was an admission she’d never expected to hear from him.
Bion chuckled softly at her surprise. “I do believe I should be offended by your lack of faith in me, Miss Stevenson.”
His teasing demeanor frustrated her. “Maybe I wouldn’t doubt you had tender sensibilities if you hadn’t spent the better part of the last six months being so impossible to please.”
“I was ensuring you’d survive. The best path in life is not the easy one.”
“I suppose I see your point.”
For a long moment their eyes held, his dark ones full of confidence. It was so tempting to just let herself drink in that look, absorb it until she believed him. She wanted to, but the ship’s bell began to clang incessantly. Bion’s body stiffened, his expression drawing into a tight mask that betrayed not a bit of his emotion.
“We’ve got to get off this ship,” he snarled.
She couldn’t agree more.
***
“Move your worthless hides!” Mr. Graves shouted at them the moment Bion opened the cabin door. “We’ve a prize to capture.”
Once again, the crew was hurrying below. She heard the cannon doors being opened and froze. If she’d had anything in her stomach, she would have lost it. The images from the last prize ship flooded her mind, sickening her.
“I can’t… do… it.” She shook her head, her composure crumbling as she saw the ship they were bearing down on.
“Get onto the bridge!” Aetos yelled. “She’s making for the dimension seam.”
Bion set his arm around her and moved her forward. Somehow, they ended up on the bridge. She didn’t want to see the seam, but her eyes had finished their transformation. Still, the seam was clear. She could see the light spilling out from the other side. The other ship was preparing to go through it. The large Deep Earth Crystal array mounted on the front of the other ship like a cowcatcher was being lowered. Once in position, the Navigator would lower th
e top of it so the male crystals fixed in the top moved close to the female ones in the bottom of the array. A current would form, and it would split the dimension seam open. The array held over four hundred crystals and was worth a king’s ransom.
At that moment, it was the difference between life and death for the crew of the ship they were chasing.
“Fire!”
The cannons exploded. Sophia held her breath, watching the ship for signs of distress. The vessel jerked but continued toward the dimension seam. She leaned forward and saw the flashing current beginning to form on the array, but the ship was losing momentum, the large propellers winding to a halt.
“That’s it, lads! We’ve made our mark on them! Fire again, Mr. Graves!”
The cannons responded and this time the ship was knocked off course. She presented her side, and Mr. Graves made full use of the target. They were close enough to hear the screams of the injured. But then came the sound of cannon fire from the wounded vessel as they turned from flight to fighting for their lives. The Soiled Dove shuddered as she was ripped into by the barrage. Bion shoved Sophia down to the floor, curving his body over hers as the remaining glass windows shattered.
“One more volley, Mr. Graves!”
The cannons fired, and this time, the ship was disabled completely. One of the large balloons that held her aloft was punctured and she tipped at an odd angle. The Soiled Dove swooped in like a hawk to claim its kill.
It was only when the boarding hooks were locked around the other ship’s rails that Sophia saw the maroon uniform coats the crew wore.
“It’s an Illuminist ship,” she muttered, too horrified to keep silent. “We have to stop Aetos.”
Bion pulled her close, muffling her words against his shoulder. “We’ll never accomplish that if we’re dead too.”
His words were a bare whisper, but the crewman at the wheel looked at them suspiciously. Sophia struggled to swallow her next comment, gently pushing free once she’d mastered the urge to let everyone know what she was thinking.
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