City of Light & Steam

by Lexi Ostrow

  That drew a bark of laughter from both men, though Martin nodded.

  “Very well then, I shall show you around.” Christopher extended his hand like a perfect gentleman. “If you are ready, Lady Nightingale?”

  “Raven,” she ran a hand through her hair, cringing as it grew stuck in what could have only been a clump of dried blood. “I should think even with a professional, working relationship. It is only proper to forgo our surnames.”

  His smile was slight but nearly made her swoon like a young lass waiting for a man to select her for courtship.

  Do not act daft. You are here to do one thing, Raven. One bloody task.

  The thought was useless, as Christopher offered her his arm, whisking her effortlessly toward the entryway. Of course, he can make you flush. He is a hero, an inventor, and a member of the aristocracy – any woman would desire him.

  “Please do speak up if at any point, you feel faint. I spoke with my uncle while you rested, and he threatened me if I let anything happen to my guest.”

  A smirk appeared on her lips, laughter itching to find its way out. Pursing her lips, she forced back her amusement. She hadn’t known the elderly man for longer than a few hours, but she knew physicians, and the treatment was not unusual.

  “You have my word.” Following a slight step behind him, she noticed the way he seemed to glide over the floor.

  Despite her tour only just beginning, she could not help but notice the bright lighting in the hall – or the giant rattling copper . . . pot in the center. It was as if the interior of the building had been cored to place the massive device. It could have been similar to the steam vat at her guild, but it was too dissimilar. The power core of her guild was stories underground and not even half this tall. Raven could see a scarce vibration running through it, but it was soundless.

  “What is that device?” She pointed, not bothering to look at Christopher as she spoke.

  “That is a generator. We generate electrical currents, and store it in the copper silo.” He cleared his throat. “Well, that is not entirely accurate, but it is close enough.” He stepped past her and leaned on the metal railing, looking over and down. “This is the heart of the Electric Guild. Without it, nothing would function.”

  That was a startling thought. Her guild had electric bulbs, but they were tied to nothing. She’d never ventured a thought as to how electricity might be different inside the Great Guild. “How does it work, if that is not a guild secret.”

  Christopher chortled, and she couldn’t ignore the familiar way it washed over her.

  “I believe you are likely questioning how the electricity works in your guild.” Pushing back from the bar, he winked impishly at her and continued to walk toward a stairwell.

  He left her no choice but to follow. Something she was exceedingly not accustomed too. “Yes, I suppose that would be a more accurate question.”

  Starting down the stairs, he turned back to look at her, offering his hand. She shook her head no but did hold tight to the rail for fear she was weaker than she realized. Thankfully, though jarring, stepping down the stairs did not make her faint.

  “Everything runs to that little beauty there. Wires . . . copper, aluminum and even some steel . . . connect everything attached on top of the underground tubes right back through the walls here.”

  “So if a vampire were to strike this building, all of London would do dark – even inside buildings.”

  He paused, shoulders rigid. “It appears I did share something of a secret. You are correct, Raven. Should anything happen to that generator, evenings would no longer be safe ever for there would be no way to see the creatures coming.”

  The implication brought bile in her mouth, but she merely nodded.

  “We’ll turn here. I believe the best to see is my quarters.” With a playful wink to her, he led them around a corner.

  “Good eve’ Be –”

  “Good eve to you, inventor Connor. Back to my uncle for a test?”

  The young man with dark black curls scrunched his brow but nodded. “Yes . . . are you in a hurry?”

  She looked at her host and noticed a small sheen of sweat on his brow – as if he was uncomfortable engaging with the man before them. Which would not make any sense as the other gentlemen were eager to converse.

  “I have an important guest,” Christopher gestured in her direction. “I should like to show her around. Godspeed.”

  “You do not seem as if you enjoy interacting with those who work in your guild.” Though she had not meant to chastise him, there was a bite to her words.

  “I wish to keep our goal a secret. As I mentioned, if we are to foster an alliance, I should like to ensure we can work well together, and that you are not merely here to pilfer an idea.”

  “How dare you,” her words were a low sneer, whereas another female might have shrieked them. As anger coursed through her, heating her blood, she feared she made a dastardly error in judgment seeking out the Electric Guild.

  “I am a businessman before I am a gentleman. I presume the same can be said of you being a businesswoman.”

  It was not an incorrect assessment. Raven had forgone all womanly ways when the guild leadership had been thrust upon her. For a time, she had delighted in the theater and stolen kisses. Now, she spent all her time in her chambers, with only Levi for companionship. Christopher’s actions made perfect sense. He was protecting his people, something she would undoubtedly have done if he had been at her guild.

  “I apologize. I do not take kindly to besmirching my name. I journeyed here at great risk. I was the woman who led four men to their deaths. I overreacted, but your words were callous.”

  Pulling open a door, he gestured her inside. He did not close it behind her as he stepped in, and she was shocked he did not wish to grant them more privacy, as the secrecy was his making and his concern a moment prior.

  “Where are we?” She spun a slow circle, taking in the tiny quarters.

  “My chambers, my working chambers.”

  A rather magnificent birch desk took up a portion of the wall, but it was the only sign of grandeur in the room. Christopher had no lavish drapes adorning the window – and he had but one small window at that. The desk was a mess of scattered bulbs, tools, and balled up paper. The chair was rickety at best, and not even a matching piece to the desk. Perhaps men are not as whimsical as women.

  Striding closer to the desk, she noticed all the tools were on the left side. “You are left-handed?”

  “Ay, a sign of the devil, I know.” He winked again, and again she noticed she enjoyed his attentions.

  “And this?” she lifted a rather common-looking bulb. “Whatever were you tending to before I dropped into your life?”

  He shifted in front of her, seamlessly guiding her away from the desk, though she still held the bulb.

  “That is a guild secret.” His eyes were stern, his mouth no longer smirking.

  “Then how are we to invent something together if you are keeping your work a secret?” With a sigh, she let herself slip onto the chair, her body weaker than she wanted to admit. “My guild has been purely on the defense, creating mechanisms to allow us to escape, speedier engines, faster firing weaponry, devices of that nature.”

  Some of the tension left his face, but it was clear he was not interested in telling as much as he was in showing.

  “It is to hopefully be a heat bulb.”

  “A heat bulb? As in a device that can radiate the heated qualities of the sun in order to obliterate the vampires on sight?”

  Annoyance was wiped away by shock, he obviously had not realized she indeed was a woman of intellect.

  “That would be the goal in the end, yes.”

  “That’s impossible. There is no way to harness, or even charge, anything to the levels of the sun. Are you mad? Am I seeking to partner with a man, with a guild, that has its head in the clouds?”

  Chapter Five

  Benjamin was torn between being fas
cinated by the woman standing over his desk and terrified. Working with her was going to be as frightening as completely nullifying the past between all guild members would be. He had not been truthful about his personage, and now with the time that had passed, he was uncertain he ever could be. When Raven had initially re-awakened, he could have utilized the moment to tell her she’d been mistaken in her assumption of his identity. Now the rouse had gone on too long to take back.

  And you almost had a catastrophic failure mere moments ago. Martin had explained to the guild that he would be assuming Christopher’s identity to secure a trade deal. None had questioned his mission when he’d checked in while Raven slept, but he hadn’t realized not all Electric Guild members had been present at his briefing. You need to ensure every person from acolyte to master is aware, or you’ll have another foul up.

  “Christopher, I do believe I posited a rather important question, and yet, you stand there as if you’ve not heard a word I said.” She was practically dangling the bulb in front of his face.

  What in the bloody hell had she been going on about? His head had been focused on his lie, not on the present, and it might bite him.

  “I apologize, since your rescue I have spent many hours awake. I find my attention span is darting to and fro.”

  Her expression softened, likely at the mention of her predicament and his part in it. Yet, she did not cease to shove the bulb at him. “I apologize, I had not realized you’d forsaken sleep.” She stepped closer, their bodies nearly touching.

  Benjamin could feel her body as if she were pressing against his. Forcing himself to swallow, he narrowed his gaze across the visceral stitches on her neck, the only thing he could think to distract him from the heat passing between them. Thankfully, seeing the blood red reminder of how they met under the stitches was all he needed.

  “Please, ask once more. I assure you, I will pay close attention this time.”

  Her mouth parted, a gentle “O” as if she also experienced whatever drew him to her, and then continued to speak. “How do you believe you could create a bulb that generates ultraviolet heat?”

  She was unaware of what created such a tremendous and powerful divide then. Her family, her guild, sought to keep it a secret. He would not divulge his guild’s greatest asset then. There was simply no need.

  “Guild secret.”

  Her low growl was sensual, even though it was unlikely she had meant for it to be. “Are you all lunatics? Has anything been developed in the time since our guilds went their separate ways?”

  He let his lips curve into a smile, her personality was intriguing. “I assure you, the secret all Electric Guild members share is not one of lunacy. Should we continue to work together, I swear to you, you will learn it. We have created much in the past decade, many items grace the home of the gentry every day.”

  “You’ve avoided one question in its entirety, and you’ve answered another as vaguely as possible. Am I wasting my time, Lord Abbott?” She’d marched up so close he could feel the line of her breasts in the bloodied tunic she still wore.

  He did what came naturally. What his brain demanded, he let his lips touch hers.

  Sensation flooded him, as did the smallest spark of electricity. A little jolt, likely caused by one of them dragging their feet over the rugs as they’d walked. Risking more, he deepened the kiss, pressing his lips more firmly against hers and sinking his hands into her hair. It was soft, despite the clumps and knots his fingers found.

  She was soft, willing, wanting.

  He felt her moan against his mouth and lean against him. Her mouth opened for him, allowing him to escalate their dalliance in a most inappropriate manner. She tasted of the tea she’d sipped on previously, black chamomile that only urged him onward to taste more. Their tongues stroked and tangled together with a slow calmness and all the intention of practiced lovers. His mind swam with possibilities and desires he’d long since forgotten to think on. There was no way to deny the way his body awoke from her touch. She melted against him, a glorious fit, which sent a pang of lust straight through him. He hadn’t touched a woman in months, and his body was showing him the error of his ways.

  As his hands gently tugged on her hair to press them closer together, he groaned as her hands wrapped around his waist. There was no prompting, only two people discovering one another in ways that were not only inappropriate but horribly wrong given who they were.

  Yet, neither stopped the slow and graceful torture as they stood still, entwined in a way that would shortly damn them both. They explored one another. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, and he could feel hers doing the same. Fast, rapid pulsations rocked through them both. He hadn’t been the only one to feel an intense attraction. He’d blame it on playing her hero, but she was stunningly beautiful, and that too had played a part in the way he’d desired to taste her. Now that he had, and she had reciprocated, his passion was turning darker, to things women of her stature did not do unwed. His hips circled, pressing his erection against her, and when she moaned, he knew he had to be the gentleman he’d been raised to be.

  “Raven,” he muttered her name as his lips pulled away from hers as he fought to find the strength to push past the sensations pushing him to go further so that he might tell her they needed to distance themselves or he would do the unthinkable.

  “Christopher,” the name was a gentle whisper, gone was the haughty accusatory tone.

  It was an ice bath even a peasant would shy away from.

  It mattered not that her attraction was likely based only on his good deed and physical appearance. She was intimate with a liar, a cad.

  “Raven, I have not been truthful — ”

  “Yes, secrets do imply that. It’s alright, Christopher. I haven’t allowed myself stolen kisses with a man in some time. This was a welcome distraction and reminder of what I’ve missed since I became head of the Steam Guild.” Her lips brushed along his ear as she nipped at his earlobe. “I’ll let you keep your secrets, for now.”

  “Bloody fucking hell.” She’d all but admitted she was no longer untouched. Something that was rare for women of her stature, but not impossible. Not to mention the small and subtle way she’d approved of his touch.

  No, his lie was told, he was lost to be more than the costume he paraded around in before her. There was no turning back now that Benjamin had learned those details. He was tired of being lonely, and if he could spend his days with a beautiful, intelligent, and apparently fiery woman of class, he was not going to damage that. At some time, he would have to let the truth be revealed, but not until he’d had his fill of the enchanting Raven Nightingale.

  “What do you propose we do now that our abject curiosity regarding one another has been met?”

  Abject curiosity my arse. Benjamin’s body still hungered for hers, and his brain continued demanding he keep the workings of the guild a secret, so allowing her time to pepper him with inquiries was not an intelligent idea.

  “I was not merely going to show you my quarters. Shall we take a gander at the rest of my guild?” My Guild, Benjamin scarcely held back his smirk. He’d never fancied himself a leading bloke, but he was rather enjoying it now that he was engrossed in it. Many of his inventions were what kept the guild in greatness . . . seeing to the day-to-day matters wasn’t the worst way he could help his family.

  Some of the lust left her eyes and was replaced with fierce enjoyment. “I should like that. Perhaps some of your guild secrets will not remain as such if I am poking around.”

  She slipped by him and out the door, all while he was trying to ascertain if she’d been poking fun at him, or if she were indeed about to attempt to discover the secrets of the Electric Guild.

  “Raven,” calling after her, he ducked out of the room, only to catch her retreating form as she turned a corner. “Raven!” A new fear raced through him, she was too close to danger and not heeding his call.

  Picking up his pace, he caught up to her, barely grabbing back h
er hand from the knob. “Lady Nightingale.” Spinning her around to face him, he hoped his concern was etched on his brow. “The lever you were about to pull would have sent jolts of electricity through your tiny frame. Now, after a close call with a vampire, I should think facing death for a second instance is not in your best interests.”

  “So I was right,” she crossed her arms over her chest and fucking beamed at him. “That door is housing everything before it filters into the generator.”

  Sighing, he stepped between her and the door to ensure she didn’t dare to open it. “Not entirely correct. That is simply a door into the generator itself. A door that none open. Ever.” His heart continued to thump like a frightened fox during a hunt despite her second near death experience over before it truly began.

  “I trust you. I should like to remain healthy for as much time as possible. Thank you for the warning.”

  “It would not promote our cause if I allowed you to be injured or perish while here.” Daring to settle his hand on the small of her back, he politely guided her backward from the door. “Shall I show you to the workstations?”

  That drew light into her eyes and a genuine smile on her plump lips. “Yes. I had hoped there was sort of a group area to see.”

  Chuckling, he used the hand on the small of her back to usher her past the generator and down the stairwell. “We are merely two levels down. After you,”

  She didn’t hesitate to ascend the stairs. She either finds pleasure diving headlong into danger or makes quite foolhardy decisions. Bloody hell, don’t let her become acquainted with Stella. He shuddered at the thought. While he was progressive and enjoyed a woman with brains, he did not need another woman as quick to enter a fray as his sister.

  “Your guild, it is . . . rather plain.” Raven did not look over her shoulder as she spoke, but the words echoed off the corridor walls.

  “Forgive me. I have never seen inside your guild for any sort of comparison. Could you elaborate?”

  She nodded, what hair remained in the messy bun bobbing up and down her back as she did. “Your walls, they are plain. Not just here, but in the large open space as well. There are no letters of commendation or legacy photos hung in the hall.”