He barely made contact with that forbidden place and she jumped, the softest pressure sending a bolt of sensation through her passage. It was so intense, she gasped and found her breathing labored. He laughed softly, the sound full of intent. He lowered his hands and pressed her thighs apart once she’d settled.
“Every part of you, Sophia,” he warned again in a tone she knew signaled his intent to bend her to his will.
“You’re trying to frighten me.”
He loomed over her, crawling up her so his face was even with hers. “I prefer to call it trying your nerve. The question is, are you woman enough to meet me on the field?” His breath teased her lips, and he pressed a kiss against her mouth. She lifted her head to kiss him back, needing some outlet for all the excitement brewing inside her. It was like sitting through a thunderstorm and waiting for the next crack of lightning.
“You know I am. I will stand steady while you do your worst.” Her voice was full of husky confidence. His chest rumbled with amusement, but she didn’t snap her thighs closed when he slid down the bed to hover over her open slit.
She’d seen this in a book, and the memory served as an aphrodisiac. Her clitoris throbbed with anticipation, the growing excitement almost too much to contain. She gripped the blanket beneath her, digging her fingernails into it as Bion’s breath teased the moist skin of her slit.
“I hope you will be moved to action…” He separated her folds and stroked the center of her slit with the tip of a finger. “Just as I hope you made it to the erotic section of the library.”
She jerked, the single touch nearly sending her into climax. He pressed her back down with a hand over her belly as he chuckled.
“I believe that means you did, Sophia.” He returned to fingering her, this time drawing his finger back and forth and never withdrawing. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her nipples began to pucker.
“Right now, you are poised on the edge of reason and all because of what you think I might do to you…” He clicked his tongue and looked up at her. “And I promise to do every wicked thing you will allow me to.”
“Oh… yes.” The response came from deep inside her, from that place where she was starving for his touch.
“Yes what?”
She was so needy, her body yearning so much for release that his question frustrated her. She bared her teeth and snarled at him. It was a primitive sound and seemed to fit the moment. Outside the music was still swirling. Lying on her back was suddenly intolerable. She didn’t feel submissive, didn’t think she could control all the impulses filling her body.
“Yes, I want to take you.”
She sat up so fast, he knocked his head on the top of the wagon as he got out of her way. Sophia didn’t care. She pushed him onto his back and climbed over him.
“Then get in the saddle,” he insisted as he pulled the fabric of her skirt out of the way. “And make sure you keep a good grip on me or I’ll toss you.”
“You’ll not find me that easy to unseat.” It only took a moment for her to gain what she wanted. He guided her onto his length, easily penetrating her as she lowered herself. Satisfaction filled her as her body stretched around his flesh. She’d never noticed how empty she felt, not until now when she was finally full.
But she needed friction. The urge was demanding and unruly. She lifted her bottom and Bion guided her back down a second later. When he pressed her down, he bucked beneath her to drive his length deeper into her body. Pleasure speared through her, returning with every thrust. All of her energy was focused on their bodies moving in unison, lifting and plunging, rising and falling in time with the violins.
Her climax caught her off guard, snapping like a corset lace. Delight went rushing through her. Bion bucked frantically, burying himself to the hilt, then flipping her over onto her back. The wagon rocked as he began to piston her. She gripped his hips, locking her legs around him as he growled, stiffening when his seed erupted inside her.
He caught himself on his elbows to keep from crushing her. Her lungs were burning for oxygen, the frantic pace of her heart demanding that she pant. He nuzzled her neck, kissing the tender skin before gently biting her. It was shocking but exciting too. The feeling of his teeth against her skin touched off some sort of trust that she’d never realized she might feel for another human, the sort of trust that meant being completely comfortable with placing her life into his keeping.
Of course, he’d already been responsible for her when she was helpless after the Root Ball had vaporized in her eyes. Now she stretched her neck out, offering the column of her throat to him. He groaned low and deep, grazing her with his teeth, then beginning to move once more.
“This time, we’ll slow down.”
He proved true to his words. The music had become mellow and slow and Bion kept his pace even. It rekindled the passion in her, building it slowly this time. By the time it became a raging need, her skin was coated with perspiration and every muscle ached from straining toward her lover.
Bion rolled off of her once he was spent, pulling her into his embrace as he had before. He smoothed the hair back from her face, toying with one lock that curled in front of her ear.
She should have fallen asleep. Instead, she found herself savoring the moment, lingering in it as she tried to memorize the way his embrace felt. She couldn’t recall ever being so secure, so certain she was safe. It was a whimsical idea, considering their circumstances, but she couldn’t seem to change her thinking—not even a tiny bit.
“Why did you doubt I would join you?” The night was quiet now; the music had died away outside.
His question accomplished what she had been unwilling to do. It forced her to acknowledge reality with all its sharp edges.
“You aren’t sleeping, Sophia, and you aren’t often a coward. Answer my question.”
“How could I not doubt? There must be many Illuminist women happy to be your lover.” It was the closest she would come to admitting her fear that he’d only taken her because she was near. In his society, that was accepted behavior. It was not an injustice if there were no promises between them. And there weren’t. She really needed to remember that before her tender feelings were bruised.
He toyed with her hair. “You have the right to take other lovers too, Sophia.”
His voice was a mere whisper, but she was certain she heard the tone of an admission. She lifted her head so that she might look into his eyes.
“I only want you.”
She was pinning her heart to her sleeve. All he had to do was shatter it now that she was offering it so openly.
“And I cannot seem to ignore you, Miss Stevenson.”
He rolled her onto her back, sealing her response beneath a kiss. He spent a long time just kissing her before rolling back over and holding her against his side once more. The camp was silent and fatigue finally took over. Later, she’d remember that he hadn’t really declared any tender feelings for her. For the moment, while the night surrounded them and the gypsy wagon offered them a hiding place, she would simply be happy.
It had been a very long time since she’d been happy.
***
Lykos felt his hold on his temper straining. He was back in an Illuminist Chamber but the information his brethren were giving him wasn’t very helpful. “What do you mean there are only a few telegraph lines?”
The Illuminist member facing him shrugged. “Winter is hard in those areas. The lines snap under the weight of the ice. It’s pointless to try and repair them until summer. Besides, the Russian government is not very appreciative of our Order. There’s talk of abandoning all the Solitary Chambers inside the country, now that Russia is getting ready to go to war over the Ottoman Question.”
“Damn those fools. Still fighting over land as their fathers did,” Lykos lamented. “They waste their lives on petty squabbles.”
“Cursing them will not change the fact that Russia is intent on scooping up as much of the crumbling Ottoman Empire as she can,”
Decima remarked. “If Bion and Sophia are on Russian soil, it might be impossible to aid them.”
“Difficult, sure, but there isn’t anything I consider impossible,” Lykos informed her. “We’ll have to ride horses from here.”
They were on the edge of Russia. The country was so vast that crossing it on horses wasn’t a pleasant idea. But Bion and Sophia were likely traveling by the same means, so it was still possible to catch them.
“There is something else, sir,” the Illuminist member interrupted. “We intercepted a message last evening.”
Lykos took the page from the man as Decima joined him to read it at the same time.
From Jordon Camden stop.
Reward offered for information stop.
Two Navigators in Russian territory stop.
“Two?” Decima questioned.
“So it would seem,” Lykos answered. “Who is Jordon Camden?”
“He’s a recluse with amazing influence. He has a network of spies that he employs for anyone willing to meet his price. He has Helikeian ties but is more devoted to his own interests.”
“Do we have anyone inside his network?” Decima inquired.
“A few, which is why we have that information. But we do not know who hired him or if he has already found his prey.” The Illuminist member continued, “We do know that it is likely he will sell the information to more than one party.
“This is turning into a fox hunt,” Lykos groused.
“One we’d better plan on winning or the dogs just might tear the prey apart.”
Decima’s tone was dark and fit the moment all too well.
***
Jordon Camden pushed his slumbering concubine away from him, then stood up. He rolled his shoulders and stretched as the early morning breeze blew across his bare skin. His current home had a lovely secret that allowed him to enjoy his collection of females in true Ottoman fashion. The front of the house looked normal enough, but the back was built into an open terrace that faced the Caspian Sea. Lengths of sheer silk hung from the arched openings to the patio, the colored-glass lanterns from the night before having burned out. A soft tinkle of a bell warned him that one of his pets was nearby. A red-haired Scottish girl offered him a robe. He stopped and let her clothe him.
“You may join me tonight.”
Joy lit her blue eyes. She pressed her hands together and bowed. He chuckled on his way to where his pigeons were gathering for their morning meal. He did enjoy seeing obedience in her eyes, but he admitted to missing the defiance she had spat at him for the last year.
Knowing that she was now a truly submissive conquest was all the more reason to ensure that someone had a reason to gift him with another pretty amusement. He detested boredom.
He walked past the gardens and the fountain until he came to where the birds were eagerly enjoying the kitchen scraps put out for them. He watched them, looking for new arrivals. He caught one and pulled the small pouch off its talon. No one opened the messages except for him. He was master of his empire and information—the selling of which was what kept his empire thriving.
Once he’d inspected all the birds, he left with their messages clasped carefully in his hand. The flowers were blooming, but he didn’t let the sweet morning air tempt him into lingering outside. There was money to be made.
Navigators were so very rare after all. A healthy female of breeding age was even rarer. He entered his office and looked through a few of his ledgers. He stopped when he found the information on Janette Aston Lawley. What drew his attention was the notation of Dr. Nerval. The man had been a client from time to time and had a reputation for paying well for information on the location of rare individuals such as Navigators.
He’d never promised Captain Aetos exclusivity.
***
Bion was gone when she woke.
Sophia stretched and paused when she saw her glasses placed carefully beside her. “It does seem that the good captain is feeling better,” she muttered to herself. “Or at least he’s intent on proving he is.”
She opened the door of the wagon and made her way down the steps. She turned around to the back side of camp for a moment of privacy before facing the day. But Bion was waiting for her, his expression one she recalled very well. The man was not pleased.
“Do not disappear on me, Sophia.”
She stopped close enough to him that their conversation wouldn’t drift. “You are the one who was missing when I woke this time.”
Not even a hint of remorse flickered in his eyes. “I was discovering where we are and you are my trainee.”
His tone was condescending, but she was too distracted by the idea of returning to London to quibble with him. “So where are we?”
“It isn’t good news.”
“Well, it can’t be any worse than what’s already happened.”
His lips twitched for a moment, revealing the man she recalled from last night.
Your lover, you mean.
Fine, her lover. During the day it was hard to see him. Bion had his expression controlled just as tightly as he might have while standing on the bridge of one of his beloved airships.
“You aren’t going to abandon your hopeful attitude, are you?” For just a moment, his tone was playful. “I believe we have crossed over into Russia, which is a problem because Russia is moving closer to war in a quest to claim land from the weakening Ottoman Empire.”
“Are there no Solitary Chambers here?”
“Very few, and Abraham is intent on making it farther north now that spring is giving way to summer.”
The gypsies recognized no borders. All around her, they were getting ready to move on. They were tinkers and traders and sometimes musicians for festivals. During the spring and summer, they would follow the merchants on their ways to open-air markets and circuses.
“I am grateful for his help,” she stated firmly. “I’m not sure what I might’ve done if he hadn’t come along.”
“We don’t blend in, so we can’t stay with them.” He nodded, seeming to reassure himself that his logic was sound. “As much for our protection as theirs. Be ready to leave the caravan when I tell you it’s time.”
His on-guard stance swept away the last of her happiness. It had been so simple to relax during the night, but she realized that she’d really just been naïve.
As an Illuminist, she needed to watch out for herself, not depend on Bion. To travel north with the caravan would be foolish.
“You’re right,” she admitted, the admission squeezing her heart a little.
The caravan got underway, giving her the privacy to deal with her emotions without Bion noticing. Being lovers did not mean she didn’t have to make her own way. Even as that idea brought her heartache, it filled her with a sense of pride. Her future would be something she earned. The matrons of society’s upper crust were very fond of preaching about how young ladies enjoyed security, but the same walls were also a method to keep women from achieving the same positions as men. She smiled because she knew that those matrons would never have the opportunity to shred her reputation. Their opinion meant nothing in the Illuminist world and Sophia was going to be a Navigator.
She’d bloody well earned the right.
***
He was being an ass and he knew it. Bion let the label sink in as Sophia settled into the seat beside him. She was struggling with her emotions, her eyes full of uncertainty. But only the strong survived.
Tender feelings could translate into death so easily when fate turned her nose up. Captain Aetos would have gladly used Sophia’s kindness against her. Training her entailed stripping away anything that might hamper her survival. It was his duty.
So why did he feel like such an ass?
***
The caravan stopped outside a small village the next night. They parked their wagons in a circle and began to cook an evening meal. Sophia went with the other women to pull fresh water from the river. But Bion reached out from behind a tree to stop her fr
om returning to the camp with them.
“We need to leave.”
“Now?”
He lifted the yoke off her shoulders and left the buckets where they landed.
“Yes, now. Anyone watching us will think we’ve retired and not miss us until morning. With any luck, there will be a Solitary Chamber in the next village.”
“What if Captain Aetos is there instead?”
Bion motioned for her to begin walking away from the Roma camp. “He might as easily be coming up the road behind us.”
It felt odd to be leaving the caravan, and yet, she hadn’t known their hosts for very long.
“Stop looking back, Sophia. I assure you, there is at least one man among them willing to sell us out for the right price.”
“Well, that is a very harsh way to put it.”
“And you don’t care for how it wounds your pride? As a Navigator, you need to always control your impulses and carefully weigh the consequences of your actions.” Bion peered at her over the rim of his glasses. “It was foolhardy of you to impair my abilities while in such precarious circumstances.”
She propped her hands on her hips, his words stinging. “Do you mean to tell me you are going to quibble over the timing when you have been waiting for years for a Root Ball?” Bion’s face tightened. He was fighting to contain his emotions and that stung her too. In fact, it felt as if he’d delivered a harsh slap to her cheek. “You should be thanking me,” she declared.
“Impossible.” Bion’s tone cut through her attempt to maintain her dignity. “Once again you have failed to grasp my level of dedication to duty. I would never place my needs above the mission goal. You allowed the desire to please me to interfere with sound judgment.”
“You might wear an Illuminist pin, but you still think that because I am a woman, I need a protector. Well, I dealt with things quite well while you needed protecting.”
She almost broke through his stern exterior. Something flickered in his eyes that hinted at his true feelings, but he made a slashing motion with one hand before she decided just what it was.
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