City of Light & Steam

by Lexi Ostrow

  “Like this,” the needle was jerked from his hand and stabbed straight into the female’s arm a second later.

  She didn’t so much as flinch at the contact, and Benjamin didn’t understand enough about human physiology to know if that was dangerous.

  “There now, remind me never to request your help again,” the words were harsh, but a smile quirked on his uncle’s lips. “It won’t be long now, assuming she is a survivor.” He tapped the white tubing which grew dark as the blood ran through it. “Let’s get her cleaned up a touch, shall we?”

  Nodding, Benjamin kept his stare on the transfusion device. He knew how it worked and how adding blood into the body worked, but he had never seen it done before – never been witness to a person, hopefully waking from a vicious assault.

  “How did you come to be her knight?” Martin passed him a wet rag as he spoke. “It’s not like you to be . . . so daring.”

  Benjamin wanted to be insulted at the insinuation, but he couldn’t be because it was truthful. He’d never gone out of his way to rescue anyone unless creating his devices counted. Until you learned what it was like to lose someone this way.

  “The driver – he stopped with little warning and I wanted to see what was creating the commotion.” That was his best answer. “I simply saw her and knew I had to help.”

  “My boy, that is the first sign of a healer. Now, why don’t you try using that rag instead of dripping water all over the floor.”

  “Oh,” shaking off the stupor, he delicately placed the brown rag against her neck. The blood was thickest there. The wound became visible as he gently moved the cloth. Two large punctures to the area just above her collarbone left no doubt of what occurred.

  As he moved the cloth, he did his best to apply as little pressure as possible. Still, the blackened blood came off, first from her neck, and then her face. “She’s beautiful.” He said the words without realizing it.

  Martin shoved him and moved his arms in swooping arcs as he stitched the woman’s wounds. She must have been very low on blood because though she twitched, she did not wake from the pain of the needle piercing her skin.

  “She’s also very important.” Martin tsked. “How far away from here did you say she was attacked?” He snipped at the black thread with scissors Benjamin hadn’t seen him grab.

  “Just a street over and maybe seven buildings down – why, Uncle?”

  “Took a closer look.” Martin placed his needle and the rag in his other hand down on the table, so much blood covered it the wet fabric it was hard for Benjamin to believe the woman had lived.

  Not sure what his uncle was driving at, he let his eyes trail over her body, feeling admittedly like a letch. Thick clumps of blood matted curly black hair into thickened chunks and blood loss left her skin pale, but she seemed so white she might always be light in color. It appeared she rarely traveled outside. Her nose was small but came to a point at the end. Her lips were fuller than most women’s, seductive even in their restful state. She was stunning, and thankfully, did not wear a ring on her finger. Yes, because asking to court her is going to be a splendid idea. Ignoring the thought, he continued to stare, taking a step back to look at her from a different angle. She was slim, where he’d once thought her large due to her ample bosom and full hips. Rather, this woman was lithe like a warrior – perhaps it was what saved her.

  His eyes landed on the belt buckle of her seemingly bland attire. “Bloody hell!” He hissed as his finger gently traced over the Steam Guild’s emblem – a puff of steam surrounding a cog – on the buckle. Just as in his guild, only the leader bore anything with the symbol on it.

  “I think you’ve got it.” Martin snickered.

  “Raven Nightingale.”

  He looked to his uncle who merely nodded. The woman was the last remaining in the family line of the founders of the Steam Guild. It couldn’t be anyone but her. What was she doing so near the Electric Guild?

  “Where am I?”

  The gravelly voice pulled his attention to the table, and he found himself looking into the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes he’d ever seen, never mind looked into. Raven Nightingale was every bit as stunning as the scarce photograph of her. The blood had been cleaned away, and her coloring was coming back with every moment the transfuser pumped into her bloodstream. You’ve bloody fucking saved a life.

  Before he could speak, Martin stepped in front of Benjamin’s view of Raven, perching on the edge of the exam bed as he did whenever he spoke to a patient.

  “Lady Nightingale? Lady Raven Nightingale?”

  Benjamin heard the slightest sound of her rustling on the table before she responded. “Yes. Where am I?”

  “You’re at the Electric Guild, my dear. I do not know if we were your intended goal, but you did not arrive in diplomatic means.” Martin’s tone was every bit as gentle as how Benjamin’s father talked to Stella when she’d been scared as a child.

  “Joseph,” the name was little more than a strangled cry, her grief filtered through the room, nearly suffocating him.

  Her sobs broke next, and Benjamin couldn’t help but want to comfort her. That must be what happens when you save someone. You start to feel responsible for them. Every near-silent cry was like a knife to his soul. He seemed to have grown as attached to her as he was his sister, caring for her in an almost overwhelming way.

  “You underwent a traumatic event. Please, take all the time you need. I am Physician Abbott, and I will ensure you are returned safely to your guild once the transfusion is complete.” Martin started to rise when she clutched at his waistcoat.

  “Thank you. My mind is a fog that rivals what lingers in the streets about the events that happened, but I know why I came and why my men gave their lives so I could make it here.”

  “So, your destination was the Electric Guild.” Benjamin wasn’t as surprised as his tone indicated, there was little reason the leader of the Steam Guild would have been on their side of the river Thames than to seek the Electric Guild out.

  “Who’s there?” An edge of panic laced the words as if she expected another monster to attack.

  “Please forgive my nephew.” Martin gestured for him to come forward.

  “I came to speak to him.” Determination replaced panic, and she pushed herself to a supine position when Benjamin stepped around his uncle. “I came to speak to you, Christopher Abbott.”

  Chapter Three

  He heard his uncle clear his throat before interrupting.

  “Why have you sought me out? Our guilds have nothing shared. What purpose did you have coming – and in the dead of night?”

  “Excuse me a moment,” Martin’s hazel gaze spoke volumes of what he thought was occurring. “I need to speak to my nephew in the hall. It is nothing personal, I assure you. Simply something, we must discuss now that you are safe.”

  Her eyes narrowed and displeasure settled in the curve of her mouth, but she merely nodded.

  Following his uncle, he pulled the door closed behind them. “Before you start — ”

  “Before I start nothing. What are you doing?” His uncle rarely ever came across as an aggressive man, but the look in his eyes was murderous. “What are you attempting to achieve?”

  “She sought out my cousin, at great detriment to herself. If we tell her Christopher is dead, we might never learn what she wanted.”

  His uncle was quiet, and very slowly, the expression on his face shifted to understanding. “You were born to lead, Benjamin. Even if you do not know it. While I wouldn’t have informed her of Christopher’s death, I would have informed her of who you were.”

  “Yes, well, if she came looking for a leader, his inventor kin might not be someone she’s willing to associate with.” Talk of leading the guild made Benjamin’s skin crawl, but he would pretend to be his late cousin until he learned what was going on under his nose.

  He didn’t bother waiting for his uncle to respond before reaching behind him, twisting the knob, and letting h
imself back into the medical quarters. Raven was still sitting, clutching a blanket she had likely found near the bed over her body as if she were bare as a babe beneath it.

  “Lady Raven Nightingale,” he cleared his throat as he extended his hand to her. “It is my pleasure to receive you to the Electric Guild, and to extend my good fortune at having stumbled upon your party.”

  The color drained out of her face, leaving her white as a sheet. He watched as a single tear slipped down her face and splashed onto the small exposed skin of her thigh. A vice may as well have clenched his heart, but Benjamin felt it essential she knew she was alive thanks to the Electric Guild. For all he knew, she had come with a declaration of war. For years after the split, the guild members had fought in the streets.

  Yet, the look in her eyes, the pain reflecting from the depths of such beauty, hurt him in a way he’d never experienced before. She was alluring. Even broken and bleeding near death, Raven Nightingale was perhaps the most attractive woman he had ever engaged with.

  “My apologies for the insensitivity. I oft forget myself.”

  Her hand, still covered with dried blood splatters, swiped at the single tear on her face. “I am not weak. I must state that before I continue with why I’ve come.”

  “I assure you, Lady Nightingale, a woman who survives a vampire attack is anything but a damsel in my mind. I simply happened along to finish helping you in your victory over the devils.”

  Her small sniffle nearly brought him to his knees, and she let the blanket drop but didn’t bother to cover herself again. The woman before him was every bit as broken mentally as her body was physically, but he had a feeling Raven hadn’t started her journey last eve that way.

  “I came to speak with you about our guilds.” She sucked in a deep breath, her bosom rising against the stained blouse in a rather alluring way given in the circumstances.

  Benjamin, quell your manhood. Now is not the time to engage in such behavior purely because a stunningly attractive woman is before you in a state of undress.

  “The attacks are moving inward, towards the palace. The villains stalk the streets more boldly than ever. The attack on my steammobile should illustrate that if you were unaware.”

  She paused as if trying to see if he was informed about their city. He found her beautiful but knew her to be deadly if she survived an attack when four guards did not. He would display no weakness, and could only hope Martin left to inform the guild that he was to be treated as if he were Christopher, even though he had not asked that of his uncle.

  “Please, continue, and if you may, start with why you thought it fit to travel in the dead of night. Were you testing out a steammobile? Why would you risk yourself when your guild has suffered such tragedies?”

  “I was not traveling in the dead of night!” The explosion of words was accompanied by a leap off the bed. She stood upright for less than two seconds before tipping sideways.

  Benjamin threw his arms out, catching her and drawing her tightly against him. She was warm, her body already healing. Benjamin looked down, his eyes locking onto Raven’s. Her lips parted as her pupils dilated. His body stirred from the way she fit so snuggly against him. It had been far too long since he’d lain with a woman, and she was too striking to control his reaction, but not his urges. He struggled, forcing himself to ignore the way she fit against him and drew his eyes away from hers to check the machine.

  The needle was out.

  “Bloody hell, please sit down, Lady Nightingale!” He barked, pushing her out of his arms and back down to the bed.

  “B – Christopher?” Martin slammed open the door.

  “Help me, the blasted needle came undone, and I will not prick her for fear of missing the damned vein.”

  Kenner snorted but grabbed whiskey from the cabinet before coming over. “It will need to be sterilized. And I’ll clean up the mess.” His uncle looked over at Benjamin as he poured the alcohol over the needle. “Mind informing me of why my patient was at risk just now?” Martin turned his back to his nephew, blocking Benjamin’s view as he reinserted the needle.

  “We are still learning to speak civilly to one another. Over a decade of ill feelings are not simply vanished in the wake of injury.”

  Martin dropped to the ground, quickly sopping up the wasted blood. “Well, see to it that you restrain from knocking out the needle once again. We need her to heal and not suffer another tragedy – especially not while she is with us.”

  Martin wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t as if Benjamin had sought to provoke her. He blew out a breath and counted a beat to calm himself, both his desires and his annoyance.

  “My apologies for implying you were doing anything foolish – though you were caught after dark if they attacked and nearly paid with your life.”

  Raven’s shoulders dropped, and some of the venom vanished from her stare. “I was traveling to mend the tear that drove our guilds apart. I was not testing my mobile. It was the fastest engine we have yet created, and I did not believe I was putting any at risk.” She bit her lip, likely to stop it from trembling. “I left shortly after the sun went down, there were still traces of light in the sky. I had thought,” she coughed and cried out from what must have been pain. “I had thought the vehicle would have outrun anything in our path.”

  “You risked lives to seek an alliance? Did you honestly feel it was necessary?”

  “Have you or yours ventured to end the turmoil betwixt our guilds?” Her green gaze was fierce as she fixed him with a stare. “I thought not. I wanted to ensure the urgency of the matter was displayed in my choice of time attendance.”

  “Lady Nightingale, if you do not mind my saying so, we are not vile creatures. You needn’t have endangered yourself.” Martin washed the cloth out in the sink as he spoke.

  “I know little of the Great Electric Guild. Communications have been scarce during my time as leader. I could not risk you turning my request away. The matter is too dire. We need to end the feud and work together if we are to protect this city, our city.”

  Benjamin fought to keep his face from showing any kind of expression. It was a well-guarded secret, but Christopher spoke with their governing board for the better part of a moon’s cycle to mend the tear and work together once more with the Steam Guild. That the Steam Guild was on the same page, well, it would seem there could be be a way to destroy the scourge upon the city after all . . . one day at least.

  Yes, and you have no authority to make such a declaration of alliance. Even if you can pass as Christopher to learn of her plans, you cannot get the board to act the farce as well. End it now, perhaps she will not be too distraught at your minor lie, and together you can convince the ruling board to share resources once more.

  “While I too believe what you seek is the only way to save London, and perhaps the world as a whole, I do not have the authority to make such an allegiance.”

  “I understand, Christopher. I believe your council, as I believe you refer to them, will be as interested in our forgiving the past as mine was. It was, in fact, my board who urged my hand. I have dreamed of peace from the disease and vampires, but I did not think to come to you on my own.”

  The distress in her voice made Benjamin want to lie longer, to do whatever it took to make her hurt end. This saving a life makes one think crazy things, else, it’s how attractive you find her steering your motives.

  “Let us work together in quiet. Just you and I. We will see what marvels we can bring to life and use it to show all how imperative a truce is betwixt our guilds.”

  She was quiet, and he wondered if she saw through his farce or was simply weighing her odds. One sculpted black brow marred with blood raised, and her eyes narrowed as if she studied him.

  “I have never heard of your great exploits in a laboratory, Sir Abbott.”

  This time, the color drained from his face. He felt woozy with the blood shifting. Christopher Abbott certainly did not invent anything – and for all he knew, neither did R
aven Nightingale.

  “There is much I do the public is not privy too. If it were believed or known I was more than a man handing out orders the threat to my life would be greater. I believe it is more than the vampires who dislike our guilds.” The second lie did not come as effortlessly as his identity, but it had come, and rolled off his tongue.

  A smile graced her lips, but it was weak and did not reach her eyes. “I find myself unable to do much more.” Her sigh seemed to echo in the chamber. “I have to send word to my guards’ kin.” Her eyes closed, tears showing almost immediately on her thick black lashes. “They took their final breaths protecting me. How is it fair that I continue to draw air?”

  Hurt nearly swallowed them both whole. She was going to agonize over this for quite some time, and he couldn’t shake the way it affected him to see her so somber.

  “I assure you, they would not have taken a position in your army had they not been aware of the danger it held.” He placed his hand over hers and was happy to find all the coldness had left her body. Looking into her gemstone-colored eyes, he found himself lost there, swimming in the pain and distress that threatened to eat a brave and intelligent woman alive. “I will send word to your guild of your whereabouts. My uncle will not allow you to leave until he is certain you have received all that the demons stole from you.”

  Her nod sent a cascade of wet hair over her face, covering her expression from him. “My own physician would behave in a similar fashion, and I find myself quite tired.”

  The word drew a yawn from him. “My apologies, I was not bored in my Lady’s presence. I merely remember I have been up longer than a day. I was returning home to sleep when I found you.”

  A tinge of pink rose to her cheeks. “I never did say this, thank you for saving my life.”

  “I would do it again.” The sentiment slipped out, taking him off guard. Aside from Stella, he never thought he’d be the type to save a person, and yet, he had. “I will take my leave and return upon your waking. We both need rest.”