Of Silk and Steam
Page 7
“What have we here?”
She looked up into the face of a Falcon. There was no mistaking the hard edge in his eyes or the complete lack of empathy there. “Please, sir,” she stammered. “It’s so awful! I saw a man die!”
“Did you now?” His voice roughened, excitement gleaming in his eyes. “That’s a pity—”
Barrons hit him from behind. A slim stiletto to the base of his neck, directly severing a pair of vertebrae. The Falcon went down with a strangled gurgle, his eyes bulging. It was a silent death. No kicking or fighting. Somehow more efficient than anything she’d ever seen before.
Removing his blade, Barrons tucked it back up his sleeve, bending to rifle the man’s pockets. This was the second one they’d killed. His hands patted the fellow’s waistcoat, then paused, coming up with the waxed note. “Is this—” He saw her expression and smiled grimly. “I’ll assume that’s a yes.”
Mina stepped forward, shedding her submissive persona. Her heart thumped into her throat. “Give it to me.”
He yanked it out of reach and stood. “Let’s not be hasty. You promised me a kiss.”
“Now is not the time.” She spared a look around. There was movement nearby.
“No, it’s not. And until that time”—the note vanished into the inner pocket of his coat—“I’ll keep an eye on it.”
“Barrons!”
“Not here.” He grabbed her wrist, dragging her behind a hedge. “I count three men,” he whispered in her ear. “And I’m not quite good enough to handle three. Run, Mina. And don’t argue. I’ll draw them away.”
She hadn’t gotten where she was by foolishness. Mina grabbed her skirts and bolted into the darkness, her slippered feet light on the graveled path. Few had been able to catch her as a girl, and she was no less fleet of foot now.
A stranger materialized out of nowhere. Mina ducked beneath his arm, but some last snatch of his hand caught in her skirts and she found herself ensnared. Arms locked around her chest, and her feet were lifted off the ground. She wasted no time. She cracked her head backward, feeling the impact of his nose at the base of her skull. The man screamed, his arms loosening, and Mina struck with an elbow to the throat, followed by the chop of her hand for good measure as he dropped her. Her pistol sprang into her hand, and she shoved it in his face just as Barrons swung a kick into the back of the bastard’s knee.
The Falcon caught Barrons’s leg as they went down and Mina cursed, jerking her pistol up as both of the men rolled.
“He was mine,” she snapped.
“My apologies.” Barrons grunted as a kick struck him in the thigh.
The Falcon spun, blood streaming from his nose as he whipped Mina’s feet out from beneath her with an ankle. She hit the ground, hearing several scuffling blows, a grunt, and then…silence. Mina rolled to her feet. Barrons was there, bleeding a little, from the scent of it. Their eyes met and Mina felt the rush of hunger as her mouth dampened.
“Thought you had it in hand,” he said with a bland expression.
That roused her ire as she choked back the heat of the hunger, leaving little more than a ragged burn in her throat. No other man ever got beneath her skin like this one. “I thought you were creating a diversion.”
“I tried. They’re not interested in me. It’s your perfume,” he said, stepping closer and offering her a hand. “They’re tracking the scent.”
Some cheap concoction she’d worn to complete her disguise. She could barely smell it anymore, but she knew others would be able to. A blue blood’s senses were too superior, but she’d never expected to be on the run for her life tonight. “You believe the rumors, then? That the prince consort is infecting his Falcons with the craving virus?” A highly illegal act.
“Obviously. I have an idea of how to counteract the scent, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
She didn’t trust the sudden gleam in his eyes, but she was hardly a fool. “Do your worst.”
Barrons smiled.
Half a minute later, she was shivering from the cold, her mouth opening in shock as water rose over her breasts to her chin. It filled her petticoats, sinking her farther and causing a sudden surge of panic to rise. Clamping her teeth together, Mina dug her fingers into the brickwork under the bridge and drove her whole body beneath the water of the canal.
The bridge above her blocked out even the moon, plunging her into darkness. Slowly she let herself float up, breaking the surface inch by silent inch as she listened.
Barrons had disappeared over the bridge with her dress, leading the perfumed scent away. She could still feel the echo of his fingers on her body as he’d tugged her out of it.
A stealthy footstep landed on the bridge above her. Mina stopped breathing. Could she trust him? Leaving her here would be an excellent distraction if he wanted to escape.
Another slow, almost listening step.
“This way,” a man murmured. “I can smell her.”
The rumors were correct, then. The prince consort had supernaturally strong assassins at his beck and call.
The footsteps died and Mina ducked back under the water, leaving only her face clear of its icy depths.
Something sleek splashed nearby.
She had her knife in hand before she could think. Barrons surfaced in front of her, his dark blond hair wet and dripping, raked back from his forehead. Rivulets of water ran down his skin, hovering in the dip above his darkly smiling mouth.
“You’re taking far too much enjoyment from this.” Her lips quivered with the cold.
He flashed her another smile, his teeth gleaming in the night.
“Want to have more fun?” she asked.
He swam closer, pressing up against her as his arms trapped her against the wall. She could feel every hard inch of his body locked against hers, leaving her frightfully aware of just how little she wore.
“What kind of fun?”
She wasn’t going to be tempted. Not even for a moment. “Lord Matheson arrived in a pleasure dirigible. A grand entrance to awe the masses.” Her tone told him what she thought of that. “It’s currently moored by the eastern gates, along with two attendants. I could distract them while you cut the tethers. It’s the easiest way out of here without going through the gates and risking further interaction with Falcons. No matter what reinforcements they’ve sent for, they would never be able to capture us.”
She looked up into the face of a Falcon. There was no mistaking the hard edge in his eyes or the complete lack of empathy there. “Please, sir,” she stammered. “It’s so awful! I saw a man die!”
“Did you now?” His voice roughened, excitement gleaming in his eyes. “That’s a pity—”
Barrons hit him from behind. A slim stiletto to the base of his neck, directly severing a pair of vertebrae. The Falcon went down with a strangled gurgle, his eyes bulging. It was a silent death. No kicking or fighting. Somehow more efficient than anything she’d ever seen before.
Removing his blade, Barrons tucked it back up his sleeve, bending to rifle the man’s pockets. This was the second one they’d killed. His hands patted the fellow’s waistcoat, then paused, coming up with the waxed note. “Is this—” He saw her expression and smiled grimly. “I’ll assume that’s a yes.”
Mina stepped forward, shedding her submissive persona. Her heart thumped into her throat. “Give it to me.”
He yanked it out of reach and stood. “Let’s not be hasty. You promised me a kiss.”
“Now is not the time.” She spared a look around. There was movement nearby.
“No, it’s not. And until that time”—the note vanished into the inner pocket of his coat—“I’ll keep an eye on it.”
“Barrons!”
“Not here.” He grabbed her wrist, dragging her behind a hedge. “I count three men,” he whispered in her ear. “And I’m not quite good enough to handle three. Run, Mina. And don’t argue. I’ll draw them away.”
She hadn’t gotten where she was by foolishness. Mina grabbed her skirts and bolted into the darkness, her slippered feet light on the graveled path. Few had been able to catch her as a girl, and she was no less fleet of foot now.
A stranger materialized out of nowhere. Mina ducked beneath his arm, but some last snatch of his hand caught in her skirts and she found herself ensnared. Arms locked around her chest, and her feet were lifted off the ground. She wasted no time. She cracked her head backward, feeling the impact of his nose at the base of her skull. The man screamed, his arms loosening, and Mina struck with an elbow to the throat, followed by the chop of her hand for good measure as he dropped her. Her pistol sprang into her hand, and she shoved it in his face just as Barrons swung a kick into the back of the bastard’s knee.
The Falcon caught Barrons’s leg as they went down and Mina cursed, jerking her pistol up as both of the men rolled.
“He was mine,” she snapped.
“My apologies.” Barrons grunted as a kick struck him in the thigh.
The Falcon spun, blood streaming from his nose as he whipped Mina’s feet out from beneath her with an ankle. She hit the ground, hearing several scuffling blows, a grunt, and then…silence. Mina rolled to her feet. Barrons was there, bleeding a little, from the scent of it. Their eyes met and Mina felt the rush of hunger as her mouth dampened.
“Thought you had it in hand,” he said with a bland expression.
That roused her ire as she choked back the heat of the hunger, leaving little more than a ragged burn in her throat. No other man ever got beneath her skin like this one. “I thought you were creating a diversion.”
“I tried. They’re not interested in me. It’s your perfume,” he said, stepping closer and offering her a hand. “They’re tracking the scent.”
Some cheap concoction she’d worn to complete her disguise. She could barely smell it anymore, but she knew others would be able to. A blue blood’s senses were too superior, but she’d never expected to be on the run for her life tonight. “You believe the rumors, then? That the prince consort is infecting his Falcons with the craving virus?” A highly illegal act.
“Obviously. I have an idea of how to counteract the scent, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
She didn’t trust the sudden gleam in his eyes, but she was hardly a fool. “Do your worst.”
Barrons smiled.
Half a minute later, she was shivering from the cold, her mouth opening in shock as water rose over her breasts to her chin. It filled her petticoats, sinking her farther and causing a sudden surge of panic to rise. Clamping her teeth together, Mina dug her fingers into the brickwork under the bridge and drove her whole body beneath the water of the canal.
The bridge above her blocked out even the moon, plunging her into darkness. Slowly she let herself float up, breaking the surface inch by silent inch as she listened.
Barrons had disappeared over the bridge with her dress, leading the perfumed scent away. She could still feel the echo of his fingers on her body as he’d tugged her out of it.
A stealthy footstep landed on the bridge above her. Mina stopped breathing. Could she trust him? Leaving her here would be an excellent distraction if he wanted to escape.
Another slow, almost listening step.
“This way,” a man murmured. “I can smell her.”
The rumors were correct, then. The prince consort had supernaturally strong assassins at his beck and call.
The footsteps died and Mina ducked back under the water, leaving only her face clear of its icy depths.
Something sleek splashed nearby.
She had her knife in hand before she could think. Barrons surfaced in front of her, his dark blond hair wet and dripping, raked back from his forehead. Rivulets of water ran down his skin, hovering in the dip above his darkly smiling mouth.
“You’re taking far too much enjoyment from this.” Her lips quivered with the cold.
He flashed her another smile, his teeth gleaming in the night.
“Want to have more fun?” she asked.
He swam closer, pressing up against her as his arms trapped her against the wall. She could feel every hard inch of his body locked against hers, leaving her frightfully aware of just how little she wore.
“What kind of fun?”
She wasn’t going to be tempted. Not even for a moment. “Lord Matheson arrived in a pleasure dirigible. A grand entrance to awe the masses.” Her tone told him what she thought of that. “It’s currently moored by the eastern gates, along with two attendants. I could distract them while you cut the tethers. It’s the easiest way out of here without going through the gates and risking further interaction with Falcons. No matter what reinforcements they’ve sent for, they would never be able to capture us.”
