Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious

by Mary Wine

  “You certainly do enjoy telling me what to do.”

  His gaze slipped over her, and his lips curved roguishly. “That is not the thing I enjoy doing most with you.”

  She blushed scarlet and heard him chuckle on his way out of the entry room.

  “Knave…” she said as she rose from the bed.

  “Rogue…”

  Her next thought got stuck in her throat when she looked at the bed. It was marked with her blood.

  Had he used her?

  Guilt chewed on her as she began to dress for the day. If the man had only been interested in satisfying his lust, there would have been no reason for him to wake her and promise to return.

  Had she used him?

  Was she just trying to prove she was no longer her father’s obedient child? If so, she should be ashamed. Darius might be an arrogant rogue, but he deserved better than to be used.

  ***

  “Why hasn’t she been put into service?”

  Darius fought to maintain his control. His office was full of Illuminists from different branches of the Order. Grainger was a Guardian of the highest rank like himself, but there was also a Marshal and a Cultivator. Lykos had ushered them all in with a frown darkening his face.

  “Miss Aston is installed the same as any novice. She has taken well to her regimen of classes,” Darius answered.

  “Yes, yes, indeed she has,” Professor Yulric agreed. “Quite the bright and very inquisitive young student.”

  “She should be in the field,” the Cultivator insisted.

  Darius felt his temper straining. “Without proper training? Are we so desperate we would forget the foundation of our Order and leave her ignorant while utilizing her natural abilities like a beast of burden?”

  “I think of it as more of an acceleration of her training,” Grainger said, “and a recognition of just how important it is to be ahead of the Helikeians in the hunt for Deep Earth Crystals. The recent eruptions in the Hawaiian Islands have produced perfect conditions for crystal growth. Now is the time to ensure we harvest the new crystals.”

  Darius directed his next comment to the Marshal standing by silently. “What about her Oath? She isn’t bound to the Order. Showing her the Crystal Fields might well see us handing our critical information over to the Helikeians.”

  Everyone turned to see what Marshal Agapitos would decide. As a Marshal, he could adjust the time frame of a novice’s training, but Darius had never witnessed it in his lifetime. It was one of those laws put down for the direst of circumstances.

  “I am willing to hear her Oath now. Captain Kyros is ready to depart for the islands as soon as we transport the girl to the airship port.”

  “How did you know about the girl?” Darius demanded, losing control of his composure for a moment. It was suddenly very personal, their desire to rip Janette away from his authority. Lykos eyed him curiously but held his tongue for a change.

  “Yes, an excellent question,” Professor Yulric said. “Rushing leads to mistakes. The girl should observe our laws. A fact made more important by her unfortunate upbringing outside the Order. She has a great deal to learn about Illuminist life, facts she needs to accept and understand fully before taking the Oath of Allegiance.”

  “She is not a normal member,” Grainger insisted. “As a Pure Spirit, her posting will be in the field. Since she knows nothing of life at a Solitary Chamber, better not to risk her forming any attachments here.”

  Grainger sent him a pointed look, one that made Darius suspicious. It was early afternoon, just enough time for a spy to have reported where he had been last night.

  “Since the Marshal has made his decision, I will have Guardian Decima assigned to Miss Aston on the journey,” Lykos announced.

  Grainger frowned and cut a look toward Agapitos. The Marshal waved his hand. “That will not be necessary.”

  Darius raised an eyebrow. “It is the law and the right of any female novice Pure Spirit to have a Guardian of the same gender. Since I do not have one under my command, I am grateful to Guardian Lykos for sharing Decima.”

  “Yet—”

  “I am not finished,” Darius interrupted Grainger. “I am also resigning. Effective immediately.”

  “You are what?” Professor Yulric demanded.

  Darius grinned at him. “My apologies for the abruptness of my announcement, Professor. I hope you will forgive me, but I intend to accompany my fiancée on her journey to the Crystal Fields.”

  “Your what?” Marshal Agapitos demanded.

  “Miss Aston and I have discovered a strong draw to each other.”

  Marshal Agapitos stepped forward. “Spending the night in her bed does not mean you have the right to accompany her. She is a Pure Spirit. It is in the best interest of the Order for her to be put to work in the Crystal Fields. As a Marshal, this is my decision, and you are out of line to dispute my dictate, Guardian Lawley.”

  “Her field assignment clearly falls under your authority,” Darius countered. “Which is why I have resigned my posting. A spouse or soon-to-be spouse of a Pure Spirit has the right to accompany them to their posting. Only a Helikeian would be savage enough to deprive her of her happiness.”

  The Marshal was turning red. “One visit to her bed does not make you her fiancé.”

  “I beg to differ with you, Marshal,” Darius cut through the man’s sputtering. “Miss Aston was raised among high society. She never would have shared her bed with any man she did not believe would do the honorable thing. Besides, I’m curious as to where you are gaining your information about my personal relationship with Miss Aston.”

  “I’m quite curious myself,” Lykos added, the tone of his voice menacing. “None of this was revealed to me when I brought you here.”

  Marshal Agapitos glared at him. “Your duties as Guardian do not include being present for decisions about where Pure Spirits are deployed.”

  “But it is our duty to understand just where your information on private matters is flowing from,” Darius interrupted. “Miss Aston was in the hands of the Helikeians before we rescued her. Information on her has been held secret, and yet you appear here with full knowledge of who she spent the night with. If we serve the same Order, why are you gaining information about my Solitary Chamber through any other channel than myself? I have approved no information transferred on Miss Aston.”

  “Members talk, Mr. Lawley, especially when a man in your position is getting involved with a novice,” Agapitos said. “You are jumping to conclusions. We have been wrestling with this decision for some time now, ever since her membership was recorded—which is common information, I would like to remind you. The news that she was forming a relationship with you only urged us to take her in hand before there were any complications. Explain to the girl that she needs to go and think over such a serious matter as marriage. It is only an emotional response to her unfortunate incident at the clinic.”

  “That would be futile,” Lykos insisted smoothly. “They are quite taken with each other.”

  “Nonsense,” Agapitos insisted.

  Darius leaned forward. “I assure you, Marshal, I will be accompanying Miss Aston.” His tone had become deadly.

  “Only if she supports your claim of an engagement,” Agapitos shot back. “Something I wish to hear from her lips before you have the opportunity to inform her of my decision. You will remain here while two of your men find her.”

  ***

  She had a lover.

  Janette found the knowledge distracting. By midafternoon, it was bordering on being irritating. She attended her classes, but her thoughts shifted to Darius more and more often.

  That sinful thing matrons whispered about and preachers warned all good souls to avoid. Lust was the instrument of the devil, an occupation of the low-bred. In short, the pa
th to damnation.

  Or was it simply the truth of human nature? Many of her classes had opened up her thinking on the matter of right versus wrong. Among the Illuminists, honesty was more important, which made taking a lover acceptable…so long as both partners were honest, and a man never forgot to ensure his partner didn’t conceive without her consent.

  Having a lover was such a foreign idea, and then again, she realized her mother had always answered her questions about intimacy. It was an oddity she hadn’t questioned but should have when she considered the other girls in her age group hadn’t been raised with such openness. Most of them eagerly awaited enlightenment on just what their wedding night would consist of, and they whispered during balls.

  Well, she wasn’t wed, but she’d lost her virginity. Obviously her father was correct about the Illuminist teachings taking her away from the path of straight and narrow because she didn’t feel any shame. In fact, she was relieved to have finished what Darius had walked away from before.

  Maybe she was wanton, but at least she was honest—an Illuminist trait. She smiled as she walked back toward her quarters, but the men stationed at the gate made her pause. They recorded her comings and goings, and today, it chafed to know she was scrutinized so closely. Yes, she was a Pure Spirit, but there were moments when she felt branded by it instead of unique.

  Was that the reason Darius resisted her so strongly?

  Was she a pariah? Destined to be set apart simply because of her ability? She fingered her badge, marking the lack of Deep Earth Crystals. She was different. Uncertainty chewed on her, and she turned her back on the gate. The Guardians watched her curiously, but she left them wondering where she was going.

  She found herself in the library. It wasn’t the first time she’d wandered among the aisles of literature. Housed in the back of the complex, it was filled with books on every subject, not just the society-approved ones.

  She often ignored her fatigue because of some engrossing book she’d discovered here, but now, she found her thoughts returning to Darius. He’d always held the superior position, always looked at her like he knew more than she did. When it came to being lovers, she wanted to change that, which sent her searching out books she wasn’t even sure the library would have—erotic books.

  There had been rumors of young boys being caught with such books and in high-priced brothels that promised patrons delights found among the pages of some Eastern manuscript.

  Would Darius enjoy such things?

  Heat stung her cheeks. She was assuming the man would be interested in another night in her bed. In spite of his promise to return, she really needed to prepare for the night to pass without him making an appearance.

  Illuminists did not place the same moral importance upon coupling.

  She cringed at her own harshness. Perhaps she was not as converted as she wished because she could not label her night with Darius as coupling. It had been vexing, irritating, frustrating, and satisfying like nothing she’d ever experienced or even suspected she might. A storm of sensation she discovered herself longing for now that she had sampled it. Ignorance truly could be bliss.

  She frowned, rejecting that logic. She had known there was something she craved from the moment she met Darius. Something she felt only he would be able to satisfy. It had always been between them, the urge to needle him or stand firm in the face of his arrogance to prove…to prove…well, to prove that she was worthy of his attention. Many would label her primitive, and she had to agree that their encounter had indeed been primal. A combination of urges and responses she didn’t contemplate. She had merely responded.

  “What you’re looking for is farther down.”

  Janette jumped, startled by Decima’s voice. “Excuse me?”

  Decima smiled, a small, knowing curving of her lips. She lifted one hand and pointed to the back of the aisle.

  “Down there. You’re correct to be searching under ‘erotic arts.’”

  “I…umm…”

  Decima shook her head and walked past her until she reached up to pull a book from the shelf. When she looked back at Janette, there was a wicked gleam in her green eyes.

  “All the female novices make their way here.” She looked up at the row of books in front of her. “And why shouldn’t they? Men do not hold the exclusive right to enjoyment when it comes to intimacy.”

  Janette moved closer, excitement sending her heart beating faster. Decima offered her the book, and she reached for it while fighting off the urge to look over her shoulder.

  “This social trend of insisting women be ignorant of sexual pleasure is relatively new,” Decima added before pointing at some of the books. “Many of these are translations. The pleasures of the flesh have long been recorded so the next generation can learn and enjoy producing the following generation. Many cultures believed sexual gratification kept one’s life energies in alignment.” Decima looked back at her. “That’s a pillow book. They used to be given to brides to enhance their wedding nights. Be careful. Once you look at those illustrations, you won’t be able to stop thinking about them until you try them.”

  There was a promise lurking in her tone, but what interested Janette the most was the hint of challenge shimmering in her eyes, a sort of test from one confident female to one who wanted to be on even footing with her.

  “Not that I wouldn’t mind you employing some of those tactics on Darius.”

  The book nearly slipped from her fingers. Her cheeks burned, but she bit back the stupid question that tried to pass her lips. Of course people knew where their head of security had spent the night.

  “Why would you say that?” Her second question was more thought-out. Decima nodded with approval.

  “He’s too arrogant,” Decima announced. “Forgive me for being so forward, but it would delight me to think of him being at your mercy with his ever-so-solid control shattered for once.”

  Janette covered her mouth before her laughter traveled through the maze of bookshelves to others nearby. She actually had to run her fingers over the small silver pin on her lapel to remind herself that the topic wasn’t scandalous. At least, not for an Illuminist.

  Decima reached up and pulled another book free. “Mind you, that’s just the woman in me talking. Darius is a fine Guardian, one of the best. I respect him. Highly.” She opened the book and smiled when she viewed the illustration. “And still, the woman in me would like to know that he is just as capable of being reduced to a quivering mass of cravings like everyone else.”

  She snapped the book closed and returned it to the shelf. “Under the cover of privacy, of course. I’d never wish him to be undermined where others might see. He has honor, something too rare to be tarnished.”

  There was a hard warning in her eyes that fascinated Janette because Decima looked so feminine and fragile. But the spot on the side of her head throbbed, reminding her just how capable the Illuminist woman was. Janette’s gaze moved to the Guardian symbol on Decima’s lapel pin. Even among Illuminists, a female Guardian was rare.

  “I’ll leave you to your studying.”

  The Pillow Book felt heavy in her hands once she was alone.

  A quivering mass?

  She opened the book, curious to know how a man such as Darius might be made to quiver. Her cheeks never cooled, but heated up until she was sure they were likely to catch fire, but she didn’t stop turning the pages. The book was illustrated with bold colors. The first pages were innocent enough, with the couple meeting each other. But then they appeared without their clothing, and her nipples tingled before drawing into hard points when a turn of the page offered her a view of the male suckling at the breasts of his female consort.

  Darius had done that to her…

  Her hand shook, and she did look over her shoulder before turning the page again. Now the male was unclothed, his cock standing
swollen and hard. His consort was taking the head of the engorged member between her lips while he leaned back in ecstasy.

  Could she really do that to Darius?

  The whispers of the good wives and matrons filled her ears until she forced herself to turn the page.

  Now her jaw dropped because the male was returning the favor his companion had just done for him. Clearly depicted, the female had her thighs spread while her lover lapped at her open slit.

  Her heart was beating faster, and between the folds of her sex, her clitoris began to throb. She had enjoyed Darius fingering the sensitive nub, which made Decima’s words echo in her thoughts.

  Be careful. Once you look at those illustrations, you won’t be able to stop thinking about them until you try them.

  At least that way, she’d get a look at the man’s cock. She smothered another round of giggles. Cock indeed. Well, she knew what it was called and not just the scientific term.

  You know what it feels like too…

  But she hadn’t seen it—Darius had made sure to control the pace of their encounter. She returned her attention to the pages of the book, determination cutting through her astonishment. She would look and learn, and if Darius returned to her bed, she would do her best to make sure the man spent as many hours thinking about her as she was about him.

  ***

  Decima felt the tension in the air. It prickled along her nape as she entered the security offices. There were too many hats on the stand, announcing visitors. She ducked into the closet and discovered three overcoats. She reached for one and turned back the lapel without hesitation. In the business of being a Guardian, there was never a time when unusual circumstances shouldn’t be investigated—especially when they had a newly discovered Pure Spirit installed as a novice. There would be more than one Solitary Chamber that would like to take her under their wing, and there were also the field councilors, who would enjoy getting their authority on the table before Janette completed her training and understood fully what she would face as a full member of the Order.

  Men and their ambition. They always tried to take advantage of women.