“Well, he's a lot nicer than you.”
Doon chuckled again. “I'm sure he is! Although, to be fair, it doesn't take much to be nicer than me, love.”
When Roderick approached Kitt, he ignored Doon's existence entirely. “Princess,” Roderick spoke, “may I escort you away from here?”
“I...” Oddly enough, she felt guilty about abandoning Doon in favor of Roderick, but Doon didn't look like he cared. In fact, she had already lost his attention—he was looking around the room for more drinks. “Yes, Roderick.” Kitt accepted his proffered arm. “Let's go.”
When Doon was behind them, Roderick whispered, “I don't think you should have to spend another second in that blackguard's company! Isn't Francis Doon the man who captured you, who dragged you here against your will?”
Kitt nodded. It wasn't as if she hated Doon, but she couldn't disagree with what Roderick was saying.
“So...” Roderick led her away from Doon, toward the opposite end of the room. When they stopped, he told her, “I've come to claim my prize.”
“Oh.” When Kitt glanced around the room, she noticed some people had stopped to stare at them. They must have realized the kiss was coming. Kitt already felt nervous enough about kissing him. The dozens of onlookers only unsettled her further.
“You don't sound too happy about it.”
“No, I am happy!” Kitt objected, perhaps a bit too eagerly. “I... mean... I am perfectly content with the thought of kissing you, but I feel nervous now. There are a lot of people watching.”
“Naturally, they're curious. Just ignore them.” Roderick lightly caressed her cheek with his thumb.
Kitt could feel her heart drumming rapidly. She felt it all the way up in her throat. The last time Roderick kissed her, he had kissed her as Princess Lyneah. It was officially the first time he would be kissing just her. “You know, you don't have to kiss me if you really don't want to,” she told him.
“Why on earth would I not want to kiss you?” Roderick looked baffled by the thought. “Of course I want to kiss you!”
“Doon said he would forego the prize... if he won.”
“Well, Doon's an idiot. No sane man would turn down such a prize.” Roderick brought his face closer to hers. She studied his lips as they descended. “Let us both be glad he didn't win.”
When Kitt felt Roderick's lips on hers, she whimpered softly. They were soft and warm, gentle yet sensual. She enjoyed it so much, she nearly forgot there were others observing their kiss. A few people even clapped, which brought a furious blush to Kitt's cheeks.
“How was that?” Roderick whispered the question as his lips departed.
“It was... good.” Kitt giggled at her answer. “Uh huh. Good.”
“I'm glad I won. My strategy was to hold back in the beginning, to start off less aggressive, to make others think I wasn't much of a threat.” Roderick reached out, boldly taking her hand in his. “I'm so glad my tactics paid off.”
Not long after their kiss, the festivities were interrupted by the sound of several earsplitting shrieks. Kitt seized Roderick's arm. “What's going on?” she gasped, hoping he had a better vantage point of the room than she did. He wasn't too terribly tall, but he was definitely taller than she was.
“Oh no,” he whispered.
Kitt hoped he would elaborate, but when he failed to do so, she had to ask, “Oh no what?”
“King Roen's dragging out the whipping boy. It looks like he intends to beat him, right in the middle of the ballroom.”
“What? Are you serious?” Kitt tried to push past the people in front of her, to get closer to the action, but there were too many curious onlookers blocking her path. Even for a princess, they refused to budge.
Then she heard the unmistakable sound of Ryas crying out in pain.
In the middle of the ballroom, Malik watched in horror as his father shoved the whipping boy to the ground and clobbered his head with a rod. The first strike reopened Ryas' head wound, and he fell on his belly with a sob.
“Stop!” Malik screamed. “Father... no more. Your behavior, especially on a night like tonight, is utterly unacceptable!”
“What?” When Roen whirled in his son's direction, he tightly gripped the club in his hand. “Are you telling me what to do?”
“I am!” Malik defiantly raised his chin. It was the first time he had ever spoken against his father or disagreed with anything he decreed. “You mustn't hit this boy again. And if you must hit someone, hit me instead.”
“No.” Roen turned his attention back to Ryas. “Why should my own son suffer when there are others who can suffer for him?”
“But it teaches me nothing!” Malik cried. Everyone had gathered to watch the spectacle, but all Malik cared about was getting through to his father. “In fact, there is nothing to be taught! I've done nothing wrong! You have no reason to hit this boy!”
“Don't be a fool. I have a damn good reason!”
When Roen started to raise his club and bash the boy again, Malik captured his father's arm, halting him. “Everyone, my father is beating this young man for absurd reasons!” The prince announced to the crowd. “He asked if I was disappointed to see my fiance kiss another man. I said I didn't care, and my father interpreted this as an offense. He thought I didn't care about the princess.” Malik's gaze swiveled around the room in search of his betrothed, but when he didn't see her, he continued. “But I did not mean that I do not care, only that I know I will be fortunate enough to have an entire lifetime with her. By comparison, a mere kiss is such a trivial thing.”
A few boos rippled through the crowd, which made King Roen more incensed. “How dare you!” Roen waved his cudgel at his son. “How dare you speak out against me!”
“I'm not ashamed of speaking out against you!” Malik roared. “I am only ashamed that I did not speak out against you sooner. I've been a coward in the past, but I will be a coward no more!”
Kitt, who was standing beside Roderick, could hear the conversation, but she couldn't see it. “What's happening?” she whispered.
“He's grabbing the weapon out of his father's hand,” Roderick quietly reported. “And now Malik's helping Ryas to his feet.”
“Wow...” Kitt brought the palms of her hands together in silent applause. She was so proud of him. “Thank you, Malik,” she whispered under her breath.
“And now he--”
Before Roderick could finish his report, he was interrupted by something unexpected.
The skylight suddenly shattered, and at least twenty men in black robes dropped into the ballroom from the sky.
27
Everything went to hell, and it happened fast. Pandemonium erupted everywhere as panicked partygoers attempted to flee. When Kitt saw an old man slaughtered not far away from her, she clapped a hand over her mouth and screamed into her palm.
“We have to get out of here! Head to the exit!” Roderick hollered. But the ballroom was so crowded, they could barely inch forward.
Two robed assailants closed in on Kitt, at which time she realized she was one of their targets. Roderick tried to shield her with his body, but without a weapon, there wasn't much he could do to defend them. As the attackers advanced, Kitt and Roderick tried to back away. He kept staring at the swords in their hands, wondering if there was some way to disarm them.
When the first attacker swung his blade at Kitt, Roderick tried to block with his hand. He roared with pain as the cold steel sliced into the soft skin of his palm.
A second attacker lunged, piercing Roderick's side. Kitt suppressed a scream as she scanned her surroundings for some kind of weapon. While Roderick was doubled over in pain, she seized a bust of Cupid and hurled it at one of the robed men, hitting him squarely in the head. As he fell backward, another attacker approached from behind, plunging his blade into Roderick's shoulder.
“Roderick!” Kitt screamed his name when she saw the patches of blood covering his shirt. “Oh god! Roderick!”
This is it
, Kitt thought to herself. The end of her life was near. As the two men crept toward her, she kept trying to pull Roderick backward, but they would reach her eventually. Backing away only delayed the inevitable. Their blades would pierce her skin, the blood would drain from her body, her breaths would slowly fade and her heart would finally cease.
Then she heard the sound of gunfire, and the two attackers dropped to the ground in front of her. When they fell, she saw Doon standing behind them with a pistol in each hand. He leapt forward and fired over Kitt's shoulder, dropping a third assailant who, unbeknownst to Kitt, was creeping up behind her. When she realized one of the villains was so close to her, she gasped. And when she saw the dripping wound on her attacker's head, she gasped again. Doon had ended him with a headshot of remarkable precision.
“I thought I was going to die!” Kitt wailed.
“You're in the same room as Francis Doon and you really thought you were dying today? My dear, I'm afraid you've insulted me.” Doon closed one eye, took aim, and shot one of the robed men from clear across the room. “Get to the balcony! I sent Miles to fetch the ship! We'll alight from there.”
“Roderick's hurt!” Kitt exclaimed. “Very badly hurt, I'm afraid!”
“Well, then grab him by the shirt and drag his ass with you!” Doon commanded her. “Now go. And you needn't look so frightened. I'll get you out of here in one piece, Princess, I can promise you that.”
“Can we trust him?” Roderick asked in a voice that was incredibly strained.
“I... I think so,” Kitt stammered a reply. “At least, I hope so.” She seized Roderick's arm and tried to hold him aloft. But he was weak and heavy, which made their progress slow. As they made their way forward, Doon flowed around them, shielding them at every angle.
Before they made it to the balcony, two more assailants blocked their path. Doon was on them in an instant, obliterating both of them with shots to the head. When he realized one of his guns was out bullets, he quickly returned it to its holster. With one hand free, Doon drew his sword. The metal sang sharply as it slid from his scabbard.
“Behind you!” Kitt yelled when she saw another robed attacker closing in on Doon. He whirled around, kicking the man backward. Then he struck the man's blade with the side of his sword, disarming him in a flash. As soon as the man was disarmed, Doon stabbed him in the throat. A spray of blood showered the floor as Doon yanked his sword from the man's neck.
When they reached the balcony, Roderick could barely stumble forward. Doon's ship hadn't arrived yet, but they could see it in the distance, making its way toward the castle. Doon stayed by the balcony entrance, waiting to see if anyone else was foolish enough to take him on. Lucky for him, there was no shortage of fools. Two more attackers rushed forward with brandished blades. Doon shot and killed them before Kitt could even blink.
Kitt was starting to understand why Doon had a fearsome reputation. He was fast, ferocious, and devastatingly accurate.
Doon was out of bullets in his second pistol by the time the ship arrived. His men dropped down ropes as the airship moved in as close as it could.
“Grab the ropes,” Doon commanded them as he waited for more opponents to kill. When he peered into the ballroom, he saw several more robed attackers in the far corner of the room, possibly closing in on Queen Loreina. “My men can pull you up.”
Kitt stood beside Roderick, hopelessly shaking her head. “I don't know, Doon. Roderick's lost a lot of blood. He might be too weak to hold on.”
Doon quickly coiled a rope around Roderick's waist, tied it tightly, and forced the end of the rope into the knight's trembling hand. Just before Roderick started to ascend, Doon slapped him on his uninjured arm and exclaimed, “Good luck, mate!”
“Doon!” Kitt screamed. “There's another one coming!”
Doon pulled a small blade from his pocket as he spun around. When he flung the knife, it landed directly in the center of the other man's chest.
Doon finally turned his attention to Kitt. “Alright, Princess, now it's your turn. Upsy Daisy, let's go!”
Kitt started to reach for the rope, then she withdrew her hand. “I... I don't know if I can!”
“Of course you can. You don't really have a choice, do you?” From the ballroom, they could hear the agonized cries of others in pain. Kitt knew she had no choice, but that didn't make her any less afraid.
“No... I don't know! I really don't know if I can!” Kitt shrieked. “I'm not that strong! What if I can't hold on? What if I fall to my death? I'm really scared!”
“Oh, for the love of...” Doon dragged a hand over his face and returned his bloody sword to its sheath. He grabbed one of the ropes, tied it around his wrist, and wrapped an arm around Kitt's waist. As he pulled her body against his, he said, “Hold on to me. As tight as you can, alright?”
Kitt squeezed him and whimpered, “Oh god...”
“I'll be holding onto you too, alright?” Doon told her, hoping to quell her fear. “I swear on my life, I won't drop you.”
“O-okay...” When Kitt felt herself being lifted off her feet, she whimpered pitifully. As the ship started to ascend, it carried them with it. Kitt tightened her grip on Doon, squinted her eyes, and crushed her face against his chest. Until her feet were back on solid ground, until they were away from people who wanted to kill her, her entire body insisted on trembling with fear.
“You're alright, Kitt.” Doon could feel her shaking as he whispered words of comfort into her ear. “You're alright, I promise.”
Kitt dared to open one eye. They were so high, it looked like they were spiraling straight to the moon. When she glanced below them, the castle was already a tiny dot beneath her dangling feet.
As soon as Doon's men pulled them onto the ship, Kitt heaved a never-ending sigh of relief. And even though her feet were safely on the deck, she didn't let go of Doon. She kept hugging and squeezing and holding him tightly. Doon let her hold him for a moment or two before he finally said, “Well then, that's enough of that!” Then he stepped out of her hug and gently brushed her off.
“I-I'm sorry. I know you don't like affection, but I can't help it!” Kitt exclaimed. “You saved me. I can't believe you saved me!”
Doon didn't say anything right away. He just pointed at Roderick, who was lying on the deck, groaning in pain as he gripped his bleeding wounds. “You might want to check on Roddy.”
“Oh god, Roderick!” Kitt ran to Roderick's side and knelt beside him. “Roderick, are you alright?”
“I'll... live,” Roderick said, wincing. “I think?”
“Oh, you'll live,” Doon said, scoffing at the other man's doubts. “You're lucky. Their swords didn't hit anything vital.”
Kitt sat back with a sigh, then she glanced around the airship. In some strange way, being back on the ship almost felt like returning home. She had developed a fondness for soaring through the clouds—even if she used to be a prisoner there.
“Tend to your Roderick,” Doon suggested as he started to walk away. Kitt thought he sounded remarkably cool and collected for a man who had recently slaughtered at least ten people. “There are a few things that require my attention.”
“Doon!” Kitt called to him. “I'll see you later, won't I? Can I talk to you later?”
“I'll be around,” he curtly replied.
And then he was gone.
Kitt turned her attention back to Roderick and combed her fingers through his perspiration-soaked hair. He was sweating profusely, he was pale, and his face was twisted in pain. Miles appeared at her side a moment later, and together they escorted the injured Roderick to one of the airship's empty rooms. When they dropped him into bed, Miles removed Roderick's shirt and proceeded to clean his wounds.
“Thanks, Miles,” Kitt said as she hovered at his side. “Sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without you.”
“Oh, I'm always happy to help!” Miles dismissed her gratitude with a shake of his head. “This young man has lost a lot of blood, but I've seen
a great many wounds in my time, and I'm fairly certain he will be alright.”
“That's what Doon said too.” Kitt's gaze dropped to the ground, where she watched her own foot shyly scuff across the wooden floor. “He saved me, you know. Doon saved me. I don't know why, but I'm really surprised.”
“I'm not,” Miles objected. He leaned closer to Roderick's bloody body, donning his monocle as he observed one of the younger man's wounds. “It doesn't surprise me at all, in fact.”
“Really?” Kitt's eyebrow was raised. “Why?” Roderick appeared to be unconscious, and while she was truly worried about him, she was glad he wasn't awake to hear their conversation.
“It's really rather obvious, if you think about it,” Miles said with a shrug. He leaned closer to Roderick and started stitching the deepest of his wounds. “Doon may be a hard man to deal with, but he certainly has a soft spot for you.”
28
To Kitt's surprise, she slept much better on Doon's ship than she did at the castle. When she woke up, only to realize she had been dozing for nearly nine hours, she was shocked. Either she was exhausted from the previous night's turmoil, or she truly felt more comfortable on the airship. In the castle, she was lucky to get three or four hours of consecutive sleep. She wondered if she felt safer on the airship for some reason. It was odd, but she couldn't think of a single good reason why she allowed herself to fall into such a deep sleep.
Miles dropped by at noon with cake and tea, at which time they chatted about all manner of things, including the weather. According to Miles, they weren't heading in any particular direction; Doon was sailing aimlessly, trying to avoid a storm. When Kitt asked about Roderick, Miles told her he was steadily improving, then he offered her an extra slice of cake to take to the “nice young man.”
After tea, Kitt decided to check on Roderick herself. She was no longer locked in her room, nor did any of Doon's men hassle her. In fact, even the most terrifying and craggy pirates were nodding and smiling as she passed. It was certainly a different experience than the last time she was flying with them.
The Barefoot Barmaid (Belles & Bullets Book 1) Page 16