Prisoner Princess (Belles & Bullets Book 5)

by Caylen McQueen

“I know, I know... and you'll get it back, I promise.” Julian suddenly grabbed Lettie's hands and tried to get her to dance with him. But she didn't move, even as his hips were wiggling back and forth.

  “What are you doing, Julian?”

  “Dancing. Celebrating. I'm just happy to be alive, quite frankly.” Julian raised Lettie's arms and tried to spin beneath them. She never moved a muscle. “You're not in the mood to celebrate, I see.”

  “Yeah... not really.” Lettie raised an eyebrow. “But it's nice to know you're still happy, eye patch and all.”

  Still holding one of Lettie's hands, Julian pulled her in the direction of the garden. “And why, Captain Jordan, should I be sad about this eye patch? Jolly should have been the world's fashion role model. It's chic. It adds something to my overall look, doesn't it? It's really growing on me.”

  “Oh, Julian... I wish some of your indefatigable happiness would rub off on me. Someone could lop off both of your hands, and you'd still find a way to be happy about it, I swear.”

  “Indeed! Because nothing says pirate like two hooked hands and an eye patch. I'd be the most fearsome fellow around! Anyway...” As he led her through a flower-laden arbor, Julian tucked an arm around Lettie's shoulders. “I might as well go say hello to Gram. I usually greet her as soon as I get here, mainly to get it over with. Hopefully she won't drop dead when she sees the eye patch.”

  “She was mean to you the last time we were here. It made me upset.”

  “Aww... did you feel bad for me?” Julian suddenly plucked two daisies and held them out to her. When she didn't accept them, he tapped the flowers against her forehead, as if her head was a drum and the daisies were the drumsticks. “I have an older sister. She used to make me flower crowns out of daisies. She lives up north with some old codger she was forced to marry. I haven't seen her in ages. Maybe I should visit her sometime?”

  “Maybe you should.” Lettie snatched one of the flowers from Julian's hand and banged it against his nose. “You know, you really are the most ridiculous man I've ever met.”

  “Oh? Thank you.”

  “It wasn't a compliment.”

  “Oh.” His lips turned into a frown.

  “But I like you,” Lettie admitted, immediately flipping his dipping lips. “And right now, there's no one else I'd rather be with.”

  “Not even dear old George, the elusive fiance?” Julian stuck his second daisy behind Lettie's ear.

  When Lettie shook her head, she nearly dislodged the flower. “Not even him.”

  “Well... I'm honored.” Julian raised her hand and kissed it, keeping his lips on her knuckles a bit longer than necessary. “Now, I hate to say it, but I see Gram over there. Now that I've sufficiently girded my loins, let's go say hello.”

  Once again, Gram was having tea with her caretaker, whose eyes were as dead and vacant as they were before. As soon as she saw her grandson approach, Gram unabashedly shrieked, “What happened to your eye?”

  Julian matter-of-factly answered, “I lost it.”

  “Lost it? Lost it how?”

  “Gambling. It was the most brutal round of cards ever played. If you think this is bad, you should see what the other guy lost.” With a chuckle, Julian gestured below his belt. “Gram... how do you think I lost it? I got injured!”

  “Please tell me this is some sort of joke!” Gram exclaimed. “Tell me this is part of some awful costume!”

  “I'm afraid not.” Julian raised the eye patch, letting her have a look at the hole beneath it. When she saw it, a gasping Gram clutched a hand over her chest and tossed back her head. For a moment, he thought her heart was failing.

  The old woman had to avert her eyes. “Good lord, that's hideous! Awful! Grotesque! Please cover it!”

  With a shrug, Julian lowered the eye patch. “I'm sorry you had to see that.”

  “No one's more sorry than me! Don't you dare show that to me again, Julian Featherstone, do you understand? My heart can't take it!” Gram's hand trembled as she raised her teacup to her lips. “You were already getting ugly. Now you've gone and finished the job! My beautiful, beautiful boy is officially a thing of the past!”

  Lettie could feel her eyes narrowing. She didn't care that the woman was old—there was no excuse for such rudeness. For Julian's sake, she kept trying to hold her tongue, but she could feel an outburst approaching.

  “This is the end of the Featherstone line! The end!” Gram claimed. “No woman, even a senseless one, would agree to marry you now. You're hopeless! Our family is doomed!”

  Lettie cleared her throat and stepped forward. “You couldn't be more wrong, madam. I think any woman would be lucky to have your grandson.”

  “Who is this?” Gram gasped. “If she's disagreeing with me, she must have attics to let! Your head is as empty as Julian's eye socket! Why would any woman ever marry a troll with a hole for an eye?”

  “My name is Letitia Jordan,” Lettie introduced herself as calmly as possible. “I assure you, I'm a very sensible woman, and I happen to think Julian is very handsome. He's charming, he's funny, and he's a joy to be around. If you can't see what a wonderful grandson you have, that's a shame, because I think he's a great catch.”

  Julian turned to Lettie and mouthed the word, “really?”

  “Absolutely,” Lettie resolutely replied. “And I know this is true, because I have feelings for him myself. I wish he was mine.”

  “You do?” Julian's eyes swelled. He wasn't sure if Lettie was putting on a show for his grandmother, or if she meant what she said, but he was enjoying the moment either way.

  Without a word of warning, Lettie clutched the back of Julian's head and pulled him in for a kiss. When her lips crashed into his, Julian moaned loudly. Ever since the day they met, he always dreamed of kissing her. Locking lips in front of Gram wasn't his ideal first kiss scenario, but he wasn't going to complain.

  “So... there,” Lettie said. When Julian tried to move in for a second kiss, she gently shoved him away. “Your grandson will have no trouble finding a wife if and when he wants one, I can promise you that.”

  “Well...” As she spoke, Gram haughtily raised her chin. “I suppose if a hussy like you could be interested in him, someone else might like him too.”

  “Ha! Gram... you're always so amusing! So very amusing! Well, uh... farewell!” Before Lettie could say another word to his cantankerous family member, Julian took her by the arm and led her away from the area.

  “Hussy?” Lettie shrieked. “Did she really just call me a hussy?”

  Julian didn't say anything, he simply winced.

  Lettie continued, “Well, I'll have you know, I'm as far from being a hussy as I could possibly be! I'm a good girl!”

  “I know, Lettie, I know.” He kept steering her in the direction of the house, putting as much distance between Lettie and Gram as he possibly could. “You're such a good girl, I occasionally see glimpses of angel wings popping out of your back. Don't worry about Gram.”

  “I don't know how you can stand her! Is she always like that? Insulting you and berating you and making you feel--”

  Julian suddenly held a finger to her lips. “Lettie.”

  “Hmm?”

  “What you said back there... was any of it true? When you said you had feelings for me and you wished you were mine... were you saying that to make me feel better, or did you mean it at all?”

  Lettie timidly closed the space between them. As her hand stroked the front of his coat, she leaned in to kiss him again, deeper and more passionately than she ever kissed anyone.

  She couldn't think of a better answer than that.

  Thirty Seven

  “You two must be my good luck charm, because look.” George Whitley, Lettie's fiance, rolled a map across the table where Mae and Nico were trying to enjoy their supper. Mae had to jerk away her plate before the map's edge tumbled into her steak. “Right now, we're here, just outside the capital.” George jabbed his map with the tip of a knife. “Here, for
the first time ever, I might have stumbled on a decent lead. Look at this.”

  Nico chewed on a carrot as George shoved a paper in front of his face. But he held it too close, so the prince couldn't see it properly. “What's this, exactly?”

  “It's a sign-in sheet from a local inn. Apparently, two days ago, an L. Jordan checked into a room.”

  “L. Jordan?” Mae repeated as she snatched the paper from George's hand. “That could be anyone, couldn't it? It doesn't seem like the most uncommon surname in the world.”

  “No... but it could also be Lettie!” George insisted. “Don't you think this lead is worth exploring?”

  “Not if it's from two days ago.” Mae's eyes skimmed the paper for another clue. “We don't know where L. Jordan went.”

  “No, see, that's where you're wrong!” When George sat across from them at the table, his eyes were wild. “A friend of mind talked to the old innkeeper there, and according to her, L. Jordan rented a carriage to Philio-Delphi. Apparently, the destination stood out in the innkeeper's mind because the city's such a long way from the capital.”

  “So... did you want to go to Philio-Delphi and ask around?” Nico asked. “Even though it might lead to nothing?”

  “Exactly!” Lettie's fiance exclaimed. Despite Nico's reservations, George never lost his enthusiasm. With his knife, he jabbed the map, repeatedly poking the word Philio-Delphi until the Delphi was barely legible.

  “Wait!” Mae held up a finger. “L. Jordan was traveling with someone with the initials J.F. Could that be... Julian Featherstone?”

  “Julian?” Nico's eyes lit up at the mention of his friend's name. “Why would she be with Julian?”

  “Wait, you know Julian?” Mae relinquished the inn's guest list and turned her attention back to her meal.

  “Know him? I practically grew up with him!” Nico exclaimed. “He's a few years older than me, but I guess I'd call him a childhood friend. I've known him my whole life.”

  Mae's eyes bugged out as she studied her food. She nearly had sex with Nico's childhood friend! She could only hope that fact would never come to light.

  “So... what does this mean, exactly?” George asked, hoping for more insight from his guests. “Is she with this Julian fellow?”

  “I don't know. It would be strange if she was. Julian Featherstone is the man who captured her airship,” Mae explained. “But the last time I saw him, Julian was a prisoner, and Lettie had washed her hands of him. It'd be strange if she somehow ended up in his company again.”

  “Could she be in danger?” George started to rise from his chair, panicked. “Would he hurt her?”

  “No, I don't think so. Julian's kind of an oddball, and he's probably not the best decision maker, but I don't think he's malicious.”

  Nico nodded along with her words. He agreed with every bit of Mae's assessment of his friend. “Maybe they went to Featherstone Manor?” he suggested, pointing at George's map. “Julian's estate is just east of Philio-Delphi. It's a possibility.”

  “This lead gets better and better!” George rolled up his map and tucked it under his arm. “We should fly back and inform Admiral Jordan. If we find Lettie, her father will want to be there. It's just a short flight back to Baltmoor... we should be there in about twenty minutes or so.”

  “And then we're going to Featherstone Manor?” Nico asked.

  “That's the plan!” George pointed a finger—first at Mae, then at Nico. “Are you two really alright about sharing a bedroom? I'd spare another one if I could, but the airship's got a full crew. The rooms are already overflowing.”

  “We're fine,” Mae spoke up. She quite liked the idea of sharing a room with the prince. If she had her way, they would be sharing a bed as well.

  When George was gone, Mae and Nico finished their meal in silence, then they returned to their room on the airship. As they walked side-by-side, Nico turned to her and asked, “So... what do you think of George and Admiral Jordan?”

  “I think you already know how I feel about the admiral,” Mae answered with a shrug. “He's not my favorite person in the world. As for George... he's handsome, I guess, but he seems a bit dull, especially for a girl like Lettie. She's so spirited and he's so... blah.”

  “He seems to really like her, though.” When they reached their destination, Nico held the door for her.

  “He probably does, but that doesn't make him any less boring.” Mae shuffled into the room, kicked off her slippers, and dove into bed.

  “You must think I'm boring,” Nico said as he bent down to untie his boots. “I'm a boring prince who lived a sheltered life in the palace. There's nothing about me that could excite a woman like you.”

  “Are you kidding? You're not boring!” Mae tossed a pillow at Nico's head in protest. “You're caring and chivalrous and sweet. But I hope you're not too chivalrous, because I need you in my bed.” When Nico's eyes widened, she giggled and said, “Not like that. I just don't want you to have any issues about sharing a bed with me. We can handle this situation like mature adults.”

  “I don't know...” Nico eyed the ground. “Are you sure I shouldn't make myself a bed on the floor?”

  “I'm sure.” Mae crawled to the end of the bed, grabbed his arm, and dragged him beside her. “Just lay next to me. It doesn't have to be weird.”

  An uneasy expression wavered on Nico's face as he stared at the ceiling. With a sigh, he repeated, “I don't know...”

  “Well, I don't have a problem with it, so stop worrying.” Mae lifted Nico's head and shoved a pillow beneath it. “There. Are you comfy?”

  For the third time, he said, “I don't know.”

  “Ugh! Nico!” Mae laid on her side and pouted at him. “What are you so damn unsure about?”

  “I don't know if I can be this close to a beautiful woman and... stay calm. It's harder than you think.” As soon as he heard her giggling, he winced. “And that sounded way more suggestive than I wanted it to.”

  “Do you really think I'm beautiful?”

  “Of course you are. You know you are.”

  “Really?” Mae's hand boldly caressed his chest. If she was ever going to make her move, it seemed like the perfect time.

  “Really.”

  “I care about you, Nico...” Mae's hand slid down to his stomach, where it stayed for a moment. She wanted him to take the hint. “I've come to care about you a lot, actually. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you.”

  “And I care about you too.”

  Mae held her breath and prayed he wouldn't call her a friend or a companion or anything equally platonic and soul-destroying. “Do you?”

  “I do. I don't know where I'd be without you, Mae. I'm guessing I'd be dead. I'm just... I'm really glad you're with me.”

  Though she appreciated the sentiment, Nico wasn't taking the hint fast enough, so Mae decided to make her intentions a bit more obvious. She tugged at the top of her dress, baring her shoulder.

  Being the dense clod that he was, Nico asked, “Is there something wrong with your shoulder?”

  Mae exasperatedly dragged a hand across her face. “No, Nico. There's nothing wrong with my shoulder. I was just hoping it would... inspire you.”

  “Inspire me?” It took him a moment to grasp the meaning of her words. “Ohhh... you mean inspire me.”

  “Uh huh. I don't know how to make this more obvious. Maybe it would help if I kissed you?” Mae's lips touched his, softly at first, then she gradually deepened the kiss. When he felt her suckling his lower lip, he moaned.

  Then Nico surprised her. He not only brought his lips to her shoulder, he slid on top of her. As he licked her shoulder and devoured her neck, Mae had to pinch herself. She wondered if she had somehow fallen into a dream.

  But the feeling was all too real. As Nico's face dove into her cleavage, she whisked his shirt over his head. “I want you,” Mae whispered into his ear. “I want you, Nico. I've wanted you for ages.”

  He couldn't reply, not when his face was buried
between her breasts. Nico tugged at her dress, revealing more of her. Then he wriggled out of his breeches, which brought a satisfied grin to Mae's face. Once she made it clear that she wanted him, Nico's hesitation disappeared. His desire was always there, he just needed some prodding.

  With any luck, the next day wouldn't be too strenuous, because neither of them planned to do much sleeping—if, in fact, they ever slept at all.

  Thirty Eight

  “Tobias... I think we should get married.”

  Tobey's head slowly raised from his pillow. His hand was cradling her stomach, which was bare, as was the rest of her body. They struggled to get out of bed, as they did on so many mornings. As long as she was naked beside him, Tobias didn't feel like going anywhere. Besides, there was no place safer or more comfortable than the airship of Francis Doon.

  After a few seconds of confused hesitation, Tobey finally replied, “Um... I thought that was something we already decided.”

  “I don't mean we should get married soon. I mean we should get married now,” Lyneah said. “As in, today. Here. Several of our favorite people have already gathered together, so it seems like the perfect time to do it.”

  “Uh...” He hesitated to give an answer. He wanted to marry her more than anything in the world, but he always assumed she wanted an elaborate ceremony, one that was fit for a queen. Tobey didn't want her to have any regrets. “Are you sure about this? I thought you wanted a long engagement.”

  “I thought the long engagement was something you wanted. After all, you're still so young,” Lyneah explained. “But now that we're having a baby, maybe we should push it forward? I already know I want to be with you forever, and... and it seems like we're in danger every day. What if something happened to you? What if I never had a chance to make you mine?”

  “I am yours, whether we get married or not.” Tobias brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them several times. “But if a wedding is what you want, I'd marry you any day. Today, tomorrow, the next day. I'd marry you every day, if I could.”