Prisoner Princess (Belles & Bullets Book 5)

by Caylen McQueen

  “Eversio is...” At first, Vee couldn't complete the thought. She didn't want to be judged for being part of a group that could commit such unthinkable atrocities. She was loyal to Tom, but she wouldn't be chained to a group of murderers, not even for him. Drawing a deep breath, Vee finally finished, “they're purging the city.”

  On the other side of Bordeaux, after the first building exploded, Kieran and Doon parted ways. Kieran and Miles stayed with Ella, while Doon and Kitt returned to their airship. A moment later, the Eversio ship unleashed a second wave of cannon fire, destroying an entire city block.

  “We should have gone with Kitt and Doon, Ella!” Kieran had to shout over the screams of Bordeaux's panicked citizens. “We shouldn't have stayed here!”

  “I can't just leave everyone I know and love, Kieran! My friends, my neighbors... the house I've lived in my entire life! I just can't!”

  Kieran grumbled a quiet curse as he followed Ella into the house. “Then... if that's how you feel, and I can't convince you to go, I'll stay and protect you as long as I can.” With his sword in his hand, Kieran stood at the door, ready to guard it against anyone who dared to enter. “They'll have a difficult time getting past me.”

  “Kieran...” Ella paused beside Ben's bed. “You don't have to do this.”

  “I know. But I want to.”

  All of a sudden, one of Eversio's foot soldiers chucked a lit torch through Ella's open window. Miles was closest to the blaze, so he tried to stamp it out, but the fire leapt to the bottom of his breeches. Thinking fast, Ella grabbed a blanket from Ben's bed, raced toward Miles, dove on top of his leg, and quickly doused the flame.

  “Ellaaa!” Ben cried her name. “Ella, what's going on? Are we going to die?”

  “No, Ben.” As soon as she spoke, an airship ominously soared above their rooftop. It fired again, obliterating buildings on an adjacent street. “We'll be alright.”

  “Don't lie to the boy,” Kieran spoke up. “One shot from that airship, and it's all over for all of us.”

  “Kieran!” the boy's sister shrieked. “You shouldn't say that!”

  “The boy deserves to know the truth, though.” When Kieran's eyes met Ben's, he shrugged. “He's old enough to know.”

  It was getting dark, so Ella lit a candle and whispered a prayer into the flame. If they were going to survive the night, they would likely need a miracle. “It's still not too late to go with Kitt and Doon, Miles. I wouldn't blame you if you left.”

  “I'm not going anywhere, dear!” When Miles peered outside, he saw two of Eversio's men bludgeon an old woman to death. “Besides, I don't think I'd be safe on my own. No... I'd rather be with my family right now. We'll have a better chance if we stay together.”

  As Doon charged back to his airship, Kitt could barely keep up with him. He was determined to get back, get airborne, and get away from Bordeaux as fast as he could.

  Like always, Kitt had some strong opinions to share. “Doon, we can't just leave! If we leave, the airships will blow the city to bits! We have to help!”

  “No. We don't.” When Doon glanced at Kitt, his eyebrow was raised. “We really don't.”

  “So you'd just let everyone die? You're the only person here who could actually do something to help, and you're just going to take off?”

  “I think you're mistakenly under the impression that your boyfriend is some kind of hero. I'm not.” Doon indolently twirled his gun on his finger as he surged ahead. “I have three goals. Protect you. Protect my men. Protect myself. In that order. Staying in Bordeaux wouldn't help me accomplish any of those goals. In fact, it'd be quite the opposite. Why would I risk my own ass... not to mention, the asses of my men... to save a shambles of a city?”

  “Because there are people here who need your help!” Kitt was desperate to convince him. “Kieran stayed behind! Does that mean he's a better man than you?”

  “Kieran stayed behind because he wants in Ella's knickers, love. It's as simple as that.” When they reached the airship, Doon sprinted up the gangway and holstered his revolver. “And Ella stayed behind because she's an idiot. I would've let them come with us, so if they die, that's not on me.”

  “Miles stayed!” Kitt reminded him, hoping to use that fact to convince him. Miles was probably one of his favorite people in the world, so if Doon wouldn't stay behind for him, he wouldn't stay for anyone.

  “I know. His brand new grandchildren are more important than me, apparently, even though I've known him for years.”

  “Doon, you're such an ass!” Kitt shrieked. “I have no idea why I don't give up on you! You're a hopeless human being! You have no heart, I swear!”

  “What's going on?” The question was asked by an approaching Tobias, who was drawn in by their argument.

  “Bordeaux's under attack,” Kitt explained the situation as quickly and concisely as she could. “They're blowing up houses and slaughtering people! I wanted to stay behind and help, but Doon won't listen!”

  “Bryce!” Before Tobias could respond, Doon shouted a command at his passing crewman. “Get us in the air, on the double! We need to put some distance between ourselves and this doomed city.” Then he turned to Tobias, who unsurprisingly supported his friend.

  “You have to help!” Tobias exclaimed. “If p-p-people are dying around you, you can't just look the other way!”

  “Exactly!” Kitt was so happy to have Tobias' support, she nearly hugged him. “Doon... please listen to us!”

  Bryce didn't obey his captain's command. Instead, he went to Doon's side and asked, “Wot's goin' on?”

  “Kitt seems to think I need to stay and save a bunch of random strangers,” Doon explained. “Can you help her see reason?”

  “Is these people gonna die if you don't help?” Bryce asked.

  Doon answered with a nonchalant, “Most likely.”

  “Ohhh... then Cap'n, you gotta help,” Bryce said. “That'd be the right thing to do.”

  Doon's gaze shifted between the faces of his three companions. They were all watching him with silent expectation in their eyes, waiting for him to change his mind. So he finally capsized, “Oh, alright! We'll help. Bloody hell, you're all relentless! Let's hope Carol's repairs can hold up in a fight.” As he walked toward the helm, Doon muttered to himself, “Of course, I'll be the one taking the brunt of the risks...”

  A disgruntled Doon turned his airship in the direction of the Eversio vessels, which were scattered all over the city. The distance between them was preferable; he wouldn't have to take them on at once. As long as they stayed apart, he could pick them off, one by one.

  One of the enemy ships must have spotted his approach, because they immediately changed course and drifted toward him. Doon left the airship's wheel in the hands of a capable pilot and turned his attention below deck, where the ship's cannons were prepped and ready to fire. With a wave of his hand, Doon signaled his men, who unleashed a volley of synchronized blasts on the enemy ship. Unfortunately, only two shots hit their mark, and the Eversio airship stayed adrift.

  The firing cannons attracted the attention of a second Eversio vessel, which increased its altitude as it approached Doon's stern. While Doon and his men feverishly reloaded the cannons, the deck fell under attack. At least a dozen Eversio soldiers from the second airship rappelled onto the back of their airship. When Tobias saw them swooping down, he shouted at Kitt, “Get below deck! Quick!”

  Kitt, who was studying the Bordeaux city streets through a monocular, didn't hesitate to follow Tobey's advice. She raced down the stairs in search of Doon. Since she had minimal training with swords and guns, avoiding conflict was the smart thing to do. Besides, she knew Doon would want her to stay out of it.

  As Eversio's men descended, Bryce didn't hesitate. First, he shoved a pistol into Tobey's hand. Then he raised his oversized shotgun, taking aim at one of the men swinging down from the ropes. When he fired, bits of an exploding body rained down on the deck below.

  Tobias was slightly out of p
ractice, but he could still remember how to fire a gun. He stayed half-hidden behind Bryce, using his comrade's massive body for cover. Every now and then, he peered around Bryce's arm and fired a shot. Tobias' accuracy suffered during his months without a lesson, but he managed to hit a few targets.

  Kitt found Doon as his cannons were in the middle of firing a second round. When the enemy airship ignited and plummeted to earth, a chorus of cheers erupted from his crew. With one airship out of the way, the odds were a little less against them.

  Doon's throat succumbed to a tiny groan when he saw her heading toward him. “Kitt, what are you doing down here? It's not safe, you know.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “If it's about what we're going to have for supper tonight, or anything equally inane, I'm afraid it'll have to wait. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of in the middle of something.”

  “It's not about supper, you ass!” Kitt lightly punched his arm. As much as she loved him, there were days when Doon's sarcasm was a test for her patience. “First of all, the enemy's boarded our ship. Secondly, I was just studying the city through a monocular, and I think we need more people on the ground. The citizens of Bordeaux can't defend themselves. They're getting picked off.”

  “Perhaps you're right.” For once, Doon was more pliable than she expected him to be. “As soon as the enemy's been wiped off our ship, I'll take a small group of men to the streets.”

  Before he could get away, Kitt grabbed his arm. “Francis...”

  “Yes, angel?”

  Doon's nickname for Kitt momentarily caught her off guard. It wasn't one he used too often. “Um... be careful. And good luck.”

  Suddenly, Doon brought a hand to Kitt's waist and pulled her against him. When his lips crashed into hers, she was caught off guard again. His kisses were relatively rare, and passionate kisses were even rarer.

  Kitt had seen him perform incredible feats. In her eyes, Francis Doon was virtually invincible—but he wasn't. She was the one who forced him to be a hero. If anything happened to him, how could she ever forgive herself?

  By the time Doon reached the deck, Bryce and his men had already dealt with the invaders. When he was sure no one else would board them, Doon made an emergency landing and led a dozen of his finest fighters onto the streets of Bordeaux. Nearly half of the city's buildings were either burned, destroyed or gutted, and a pile of fresh corpses littered the road. Eversio was all over the city, infesting every corner, so Doon told his men to scatter. He told them to cover as much ground as they could, quelling chaos wherever they found it.

  Eversio's black uniforms made them easy to identify. Right away, Doon saw two of them dragging a young woman out of her house. He immediately raised his revolver, dropping the first man with a head shot. The fired gun caught the attention of the second man, who hadn't expected any opposition. As soon as his eyes found Doon, the pirate flung a knife, hitting him in the center of the chest. Within seconds, the woman's attackers fell.

  “Are you alright, miss?” Doon asked as he collected his knife from the corpse's chest.

  “I-I... I think so...”

  He almost told her to go back to her house, but as long as the airships circled the skies, there wasn't a safe place in the city. Since he had no advice to give her, Doon rushed off in search of more unsuspecting fools to crush.

  On Ella's street, Doon saw Kieran McCray taking on three of Eversio's men at once. For a few seconds, he stopped to watch, mainly because he was impressed by Kieran's artful parries and pivots. When he got bored, he shot one of Kieran's opponents in the back of the head, giving the mercenary the opening he needed. One throat was slashed by Kieran's blade, and then another. Within five seconds, both men went down.

  “I hate to say it, McCray, but we'd make a good team,” Doon said as he swaggered forward with outstretched arms. “Would you care to join me?”

  “As tempting as that offer is, I should go back to check on Ella and Ben,” Kieran said, trading his sword for a pistol. “Be careful out there.”

  “Did I hear you correctly? Did you actually tell me to be careful? It's a rare day when Kieran McCray doesn't want to see my head on the end of a spike.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Kieran said with a shake of his head. “Tomorrow I'll go back to hating you, I'm sure.”

  “Good,” replied a grinning Doon. “I'd expect nothing less from you.”

  “Isabella would be disappointed in you too!”

  Vee's words haunted him. As Harriot glanced around at the carnage caused by his men, he knew it was true. If Isabella knew what he was doing, she would hate him forever. Unlike his men, he wasn't slitting the throats of the elderly, but he was at least partly responsible for everything going on around him. It was his job to oversee and orchestrate the attack, and he wasn't putting a stop to it.

  I'm only following orders, Tom tried to convince himself. It was his father's plan, his father's men, his father's fault—but how much blood would stain his hands before he would stop blaming his father? Vee was right. He could think for himself, but he chose not to.

  When he reached Bordeaux's abandoned pier, Harriot saw something unexpected. A solitary man cut a path through a half-dozen of Eversio's soldiers. Harriot hadn't expected anyone to put up a fight, so to find a skilled warrior was a shock.

  By the time Harriot reached Doon, the latter was out of bullets. Doon started to draw another gun, but Harriot's two swords swirled in his direction before he had a chance to pull it out. Doon blocked with his sword. When he tried to draw his gun again, Harriot's blade easily knocked it from his hand, as if Doon was a child holding a toy.

  Harriot's swings were so fast and powerful, Doon couldn't find an opening. He couldn't even spare a second to free his second sword from its sheath. All he could do was duck and dodge as Harriot's swords danced around him. Evading attacks was all he could do; Doon was caught in a funnel of slashes and strikes. Each forceful swing had Doon leaping backward—and backward again and again. When they reached the end of the pier, Doon had no choice but to dive into the water.

  Harriot started to climb down and pursue him, but an explosion in the sky drew his attention. Two of Eversio's three airships had gone down in flame, and without an airship, they wouldn't be able to return to the capital. He was left with one option.

  Harriot had to call off his men and retreat from the city.

  As Callum dragged Ben to the middle of the street, a screaming Ella followed them out.

  “Please!” she cried. “Please let go of my brother! You can't do this! He's sick!” As Miles hovered behind her, his lips quivered with panic.

  “He'll be a lot more than sick in a second, sweetheart,” Callum snidely promised her. “He's going to be dead.”

  “Please!” Ella got down on her knees as she begged him. “I'll do anything... anything you want! Just don't hurt my brother!”

  “Anything?” Callum was amused by her tears, so he decided to let her suffer a little while longer. He lifted the boy off the ground, chuckling as Ben wriggled helplessly in his arms.

  “Anything.”

  “Alright then.” A crooked smiled tipped his lips. “How about you strip naked, right here in the middle of the street? You do that, and I'll let the boy go.”

  “Don't do it, Ella!” The response came from Kieran, who returned to the scene with an upheld sword. He silently cursed himself for ever leaving her side.

  “No, Ella, do it,” Callum urged her, tucking his blade under Ben's small throat. “If you think I won't kill a child, you're wrong. So take off your little dress for me, then we can talk about letting the boy live.”

  Tears soaked Ella's cheeks as the dress slipped down her shoulder. She tugged at her sleeve, shivering as her undergarments came into view. “Don't look, Ben!” Ella spoke through sobs. “Just close your eyes. Please.”

  When both of her shoulders were bared, Ella heard a voice that didn't belong to either Callum or Kieran.

  “Let the boy
go.”

  Ella's body shivered more intensely when she saw the speaker. He was a tall, dark-haired man with a mask over half of his face.

  “Let the boy go,” the man repeated calmly. “I won't ask you again.”

  “With all due respect, Sir Harriot, we were supposed to purge the city,” Callum reminded him. “I heard your father's orders, and I don't remember him saying anything about sparing random people.”

  “With all due respect, I outrank you,” Tom Harriot coldly stated. “And if I'm telling you to do something, you have to obey. So... for the last time, release the child, or I'll have to tell my father of your insubordination.”

  Grumbling a curse, Callum shoved Ben aside and fled the scene with the president's son.

  “We have to go, Callum,” Harriot said. “They've somehow managed to destroy two of our airships. We need to retreat before we lose the last.”

  “But the job is only half-finished. Hell, Bordeaux is even more of an eyesore than it was before. This will be seen as a failure. Your father won't be happy. He won't be happy with you, and he won't be happy with me.”

  “So be it. I really don't care.” When Tom glanced over his shoulder, he saw the sobbing, half-dressed girl embracing her terrified brother. “Because lately... I haven't been feeling entirely happy with him.”

  Thirty Four

  “Nico... I should probably let you know... I lied to you.” Mae's confession was sheepishly given as they rode to Baltmoor in the back of a carriage. “I lied to you about my age.”

  “I knew that already.” Nico answered as he watched the passing scenery.

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. At first, you told me you were twenty-three, and then you changed your answer to twenty-six.”

  “Oh... well...” Mae's thumbs nervously twiddled in her lap. “Twenty-six was a lie too. I thought Kieran told you, but I guess he didn't. I, um... I...”

  “It doesn't matter.” Nico turned toward her with a shrug. “I don't care if you're twenty or forty or anything in between. It doesn't change you as a person, and it certainly doesn't change how I feel about you.”