Fire & Frost

by Meljean Brook

  He looked down at her. No rage burned in his eyes now. Just love and determination.

  “We’ll make it through this, Elizabeth.”

  “I know it.”

  She lifted her face for his hard, swift kiss. A moment later, he closed the vents and the engine rattled to life. Her fingers tightened on Artemis’s ruff.

  Caius jumped into the front seat and shoved the lever between his legs forward, lifting the flaps. The small propeller at their tail began to spin. Slowly, they began to skim a few feet over the snow.

  Not high enough yet.

  Her heart pounding, she looked back. Nothing to see through the smoke and steam, nothing to hear over the engine. But they had to be coming—and a zombie only had to grab on to the frame to pull them back down.

  Higher, higher. They were approaching the outpost wall. Caius banked slowly to the right and the zombies were suddenly there, running just below, grasping over their heads. A zombie’s fingers brushed the bottom of the frame and Elizabeth cried out in terror, leaning over the rail and slapping it away. The two-seater rocked wildly and then they were safe, safe, flying over the courtyard that was teeming now, the zombies following them across the snow until the two-seater passed over the high outpost wall.

  Artemis whined softly and licked her cheek. Laughing, Elizabeth kissed her furry face.

  In front of her, Caius turned his head and she saw his grin. He shouted over the noise of the engine. “You always were good at escaping!”

  Yes, she was.

  NIGHT WAS FALLING again when they flew in to Brighton’s airship field. Exhausted, cold, and hunger digging a hole in her stomach, Elizabeth didn’t wait to land before she was pointing out a skyrunner and calling to Caius, “That one!”

  His jaw tightened, but he nodded and turned the two-seater toward the mercenary’s ship. She tried to stand as soon as they landed, but the second she stepped out of the frame her legs folded. Sitting too long. But Caius caught her and swept her up against his chest, carrying her toward the docking station with Artemis at his heels.

  “Are you certain?” He looked up at the skyrunner. “This one?”

  “I’ve hired her before. Her captain will go anywhere for the right price.” And more importantly, would get them there in one piece. “I used her to escape you once—though she captained a different airship then.”

  “I know,” he said. “I bribed her for information later. She took ten livre of your father’s money and sent me five thousand miles in the wrong direction.”

  Elizabeth laughed, then looked up as the skyrunner’s platform chains rattled and began a slow descent. A woman stood on it—not the captain but the quartermaster, as tall as an Amazon and rigid in her aviator’s uniform, a pistol tucked into her belt.

  She looked them over, her accent heavily French. “You have interest in hiring Lady Nergüi’s services?”

  “A rescue,” Caius said. “Our airship went down on the plain southeast of Old Chartres. We’ve people waiting for our return.”

  “Then we need passage to Krakentown, by way of the Ivory Market,” Elizabeth added, and Caius’s arms tightened around her.

  “Krakentown?” The quartermaster’s brows rose. “That’s a dangerous route.”

  Not for this airship. And it was the reason why Elizabeth had chosen it. These mercenaries weren’t just the best choice for the rescue. They were also as dangerous as any pirate or smuggler that flew round the bottom. “Only because women like your captain are flying it.”

  The woman’s expression didn’t change. “An expensive route.”

  Which was what she’d really meant. “I have the money,” Elizabeth said. “And we need to leave as soon as possible.”

  “Then I’ll ask the captain if she’s interested. Do you have a name?”

  “I hired her before as Katherine Wallace,” she said. “But we are Elizabeth Jannsen and Caius Trachter—and Artemis.”

  The quartermaster nodded and clanged her weapon against the platform chains. As it began to rise, Elizabeth glanced up at Caius, who no longer appeared doubtful at her choice of airships, but slightly stunned.

  Carefully, he set her down. “Krakentown? You’ll come with me?”

  “Yes.” Elizabeth grinned and rose onto her toes, linking her arms around his neck. “We’ll have that airship tryst, after all.”

  Pain suddenly swept across his features and made a bleak wasteland of his face. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

  Her heart clenched. He’d thought that was all she wanted? Urgently, she pulled herself closer to him.

  “No, Caius. I want to go to Krakentown with you. Then I want you to come with me—back to the sanctuary. With Rainbow, too. And your mother and sister. Anyone you want, as long as you’re with me.” She caught his face in her hands. “And I’ll have you forever, if you’ll let me. I’ll even ask the captain to marry us—though she’ll probably ask a fortune to perform the service.”

  Caius stared at her. The pain and bleakness gone, thank God. But disbelief remained.

  Nervous, she said, “Is that all right?”

  “I’m wondering if I’m awake,” he said hoarsely. “You want forever?”

  “I do.” But now she worried. “We don’t have to marry, though. Or return to the sanctuary. If you feel that marriage is another shackle…and at the same place—”

  “No.” Caius shook his head, voice suddenly rough. “It’s not the same, Elizabeth. Freedom is having a choice to make, to be who we want to be. And I want to be yours.”

  And she wanted to be his. “Then I’m going arrive in Krakentown a married woman,” she said. “But first, I’d like to have an exceedingly illicit tryst.”

  He laughed, and she felt his smile against her lips. “I swore that I’d always help you, Elizabeth. As your friend, you can be certain that I’ll help you with this.”

  “I knew you would,” she said, and lifted herself into his kiss.

  Epilogue

  BY THE TIME THE AIRSHIP REACHED Krakentown, Elizabeth had indulged in a tryst that would have set a society matron’s hair afire and married the man she loved. She couldn’t have said which was better.

  With a man such as Caius, both the tryst and the marriage were the sweetest pleasure.

  She stood near Lady Nergüi’s bow as they flew over the darkened town, Caius at her side. Nervousness bubbled in her stomach and perspiration dotted her brow. The cold of winter in the north had given way to summer in the south, and even though night had fallen, the heat of the day lingered on.

  Below, the airship’s lanterns glinted off the carapace that had once been the armored shell of a giant kraken. There were other carapaces throughout the town, large and small. Many of them were used as residences, surrounded by more buildings made of red clay brick. It was a smugglers’ town unlike any other, orderly and quiet instead of a glorified rum dive—and all of it humble compared to the city-towers on the opposite side of the continent.

  At the southern end of town, the airship slowed to a hover over a modest brick house. A woman with dark hair stepped out of the front door and looked up before darting back inside.

  “My sister,” Caius said, and Elizabeth’s nervous stomach tripped over into roiling anxiety.

  As they rode the cargo platform to the ground, Caius’s sister returned outside accompanied by an older woman. Caius’s mother, Elizabeth knew, but she only had eyes for the little girl in nightclothes holding her hand.

  It was like looking at a tintype photograph of herself at the same age. The same hair, the same eyes. And when Caius jumped from the platform while they were still a full three meters above the ground and the little girl flung herself into his arms, there was no doubt: Rainbow was very much like Elizabeth.

  And her heart filled tight as a balloon when she saw Caius’s face, eyes closed as he hugged the girl close, spinning her around. A father, with so much love for his daughter. She wondered how he had any left over.

  But he did. So very much. There was
no doubt of that, either.

  The platform jolted to a stop. Elizabeth stepped off and felt the curious looks from his sister and mother—then from the little girl, who spotted her over Caius’s shoulder.

  Rainbow asked the question that the other women probably wanted to. “Who are you?”

  Who would she be to this girl? A mother, a sister? She didn’t yet know.

  “I’m Elizabeth,” she said.

  “That’s one of my names, too,” she said, but the girl’s interest in Elizabeth vanished when her gaze dropped to the hound at her side. Her eyes widened. “I like your puppy.”

  So did Elizabeth. “I think she would like to have you as a friend. She loves to be petted.”

  Obviously taking that as an invitation, the girl squirmed in Caius’s grip. He let her down, and introduced Elizabeth to his mother and sister.

  Within moments of the word “wife” being spoken, she was surrounded with welcomes and tearful embraces. Elizabeth was barely aware of the airship overhead leaving—heading toward the docks for the night. She’d already paid the fare for passage back to the Americas. By the same time tomorrow, she would be returning to take over the sanctuary. With Caius, her hunter. She couldn’t have asked for more. Yet already, she had more—two women, eager to be family and friends.

  So much—and so overwhelming. His mother must have sensed it, because not much time passed before she was scooping Rainbow up. “All right, love. It’s back to bed for you.” She started back toward the house, stopping to kiss Caius’s cheek. “We’ll hear everything of where you’ve been and what you’ve done in the morning.”

  After a hug from his sister, they were left alone. Elizabeth looked up at Caius—who was watching her, his gaze intensely blue and shadows deepening the sharp angles of his face.

  “And who are you?” she asked.

  His answer came immediately. “The man who loves you.”

  No. He was so much more than that. Caius Trachter, her husband, her hunter, her friend.

  “The man who tied me to a bed,” she said, starting toward the house.

  His voice lowered. “And will again, the next time I catch you.”

  That wouldn’t do at all. She stopped, dismayed. “But I swore to myself that I would never run from you again. How will you catch me without a chase?”

  His slow, predatory grin held a heated promise. “If you run, we could find out.”

  Her heart tripped over with anticipation. Who was he? The man she loved. Who was she? The woman who loved him—and who desperately wanted to know what Caius would do after he caught her.

  Laughing, Elizabeth whirled and ran.

  But not very fast.

  A Note from the Authors

  Thank you so much for reading Fire & Frost! We hope you enjoyed our novellas—but whether you did or not, honest reviews are always appreciated! Not only do they spread the word to other readers, reviews let us know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. Whether you post a review to your favorite online bookstore, Goodreads, or a personal blog—or just tell a friend about our anthology—please feel free to email us individually at carolyn@authorcarolyncrane.com, meljean@meljeanbrook.com, or through Jessica’s contact page; or send a message to all of us at once using anthology@authorcarolyncrane.com, so that we can thank you personally.

  If you are looking for more stories like these now, you’re in luck! Each of our novellas was written to stand alone, but they are all part of a series.

  The Iron Seas by Meljean Brook is a steampunk romance series which combines nanotech and pirates with a gritty, gaslit Victorian atmosphere to create swashbuckling steampunk romance…with an emphasis on the steam. You can find a guide to the Iron Seas world on her website. Meljean is also the author of the Guardians paranormal romance series. To receive notices about her new releases you can sign up to her newsletter, or visit her website for more information, book descriptions, and excerpts.

  www.meljeanbrook.com

  Carolyn Crane’s Code of Shadows is a paranormal romantic suspense spy series with a dash of science-fiction and fantasy. She is also the author of the popular urban fantasy series, The Disillusionists, and a new romantic suspense series, The Associates. You can keep up to date with news and releases through her newsletter, or contact Carolyn through her website.

  www.authorcarolyncrane.com

  Sexy shifters and lonely supernaturals find love in the Midnight Liaisons series by Jessica Sims, who also writes paranormal romance as Jill Myles and hot contemporary romance as Jessica Clare. To be notified of Jessica’s new releases, sign up for her newsletter, or visit her website.

  www.jessica-sims.com

  We've included a list of our available and upcoming titles at the end of this anthology. But if you’re ready for more now, turn the page for a look at our previous anthology, Wild & Steamy, and excerpts from our other works.

  Happy reading!

  Meljean, Jessica, and Carolyn

  Also Available…

  Wild & Steamy

  Three more novellas of the supernatural and steampunk kind…

  THE BLUSHING BOUNDER

  by Meljean Brook

  A Tale of the Iron Seas — While the search for a killer puts Constable Newberry’s life in danger, he faces a danger of another kind: to his heart, by the woman forced to marry him. What will it take for this prudish bounder to convince his wife to stay? (13K words)

  VIXEN

  by Jessica Sims (writing as Jill Myles)

  A Midnight Liaisons Novella — Miko’s denied her were-fox nature for far too long and turned her back on her vixen heritage. But when she meets two very sexy cat-shifters, she has to decide if she truly wants to give up on her frisky side, or embrace it. Because the were-fox in her doesn’t want to choose between both men…it wants them both. (15K words)

  KITTEN-TIGER & THE MONK

  by Carolyn Crane

  A Disillusionists Novella — Sophia Sidway, Midcity’s most dangerous memory revisionist, seeks out the mysterious Monk in the wasteland beneath the Tangle turnpike, hoping for redemption…but it turns out that the Monk is not all that pious, and the turnpike is no turnpike at all. (20K words)

  Wild & Steamy is available now. Turn the page for an excerpt from Jessica Sim’s sexy shifter novella, Vixen, then continue on for a taste of Carolyn Crane’s Code of Shadows novel, Mr. Real, followed by a look at Frozen, an upcoming paranormal romance novella from Meljean Brook…

  Vixen: An Excerpt from

  Wild & Steamy

  MIKO HATED IT WHEN PEOPLE showed up on her doorstep.

  It was the one reason she’d moved to the country, after all. Well, one of many. Modern life involved a great many people crammed into very small spaces, and that was difficult to deal with when you were a were-fox with the constant need to shift to fox form. But even more than that, just being around men made her hormones sing. Were-foxes weren’t called vixens for nothing. Out in the wild, a fox vixen was prone to, well, polygamous relationships, and that carried over to their human counterparts. Spend a few hours of time around a man? She’d start to feel the need to select a mate. But if men weren’t around? No problem. No needs. No worries. No mates. Just peace and quiet, where she could relax and paint to her heart’s content.

  Add in the fact that the country was serene and involved very, very few door-to-door salesmen, living outside of the city in an old farmhouse was perfect for her needs.

  So it was irritating to see two men on her big wrap-around porch.

  Even more irritating, they’d rung the doorbell three times now and didn’t appear to be going anywhere. She’d have to answer at some point because every time it rang, it broke her concentration. Sighing, Miko dumped her pencil into the Mason jar that held her artist supplies and left her studio, moving across the old farmhouse to the front door.

  As she pushed through her kitchen, a particular object caught her ire – a delicate green bonsai tree on the counter, a leafy green oasis in the clutter. Another
one of her mother’s gifts. She hadn’t realized her mother had left one the last time she came over. Seeing the bonsai just made her even more irritated, and she grabbed it and swept it into the garbage before continuing on to the front door.

  That was her mother – never taking no for an answer. No matter how many times Miko told her to butt out, she’d completely ignore her daughter’s wishes. Maybe it was a were-fox trait to be stubborn and independent beyond all reason. Her mother didn’t even like the term ‘were-fox’. She preferred ‘kitsune’.

  Miko preferred were-fox. Which pretty much told everything about her relationship with Yui Woodward.

  Miko jerked the door open, about to snarl something unpleasant through the screen. She didn’t need her roof redone, wasn’t interested in selling the mineral rights to her land, and certainly didn’t need to buy candy bars or Girl Scout Cookies or have her lawn mowed. As soon as she glimpsed the men on her porch, though, she stopped.

  If these men were roofers, damn, maybe she should get her roof redone. Because…wow. Every hormone in her body went instantly on alert. Both men were gorgeous, in that odd, mismatched pair sort of way. One was enormous, with big, broad shoulders, huge muscled arms, and a close-cropped skullcap of dark hair. It should have made him frightening except for the fact that the look in his soft brown eyes was warm and mild, as was the smile curving his mouth.

  His companion was slightly more compact, his frame that of a swimmer rather than a bodybuilder, and his blond hair fell in loose, tousled waves across his forehead. Where his companion had warm eyes, this one’s sharp blue eyes sparkled with a dangerous, fun gleam. Miko could tell at a glance that they were polar opposites. The mild one and the wild child.