Page 9 of Kiss of Steele (The Royal Occult Bureau #9)

NINE

MR OLIVER GEORGE had a thin, long nose that tended to stick into other people’s business as I came to learn rather quickly.

After I tried—and failed—to extract information from Rennie about the Royal Occult Bureau and the reason Oliver was with us—was he an expert in catching elusive men on board a ship?—I sat at the dining table with him. Oliver was somewhere on board, investigating, apparently. The information I managed to get from Rennie was always vague.

“Are you going to sleep in my cabin again?” I asked, swallowing a spoonful of pea soup and pretending to be cold and detached.

“Yes.” He stared at me from the other side of the table, his tone unapologetic.

I wasn’t as shocked or outraged as my mother would like me to be. “Am I still in danger?”

He sucked in a deep breath and put down his fork and knife. “Yes.”

But if everyone kept saying I was in danger without telling me from whom or what, how could I protect myself? Right then, a movement from the other side of the room caught my attention. As if summoned by a spell, a vision of Sandro flashed across my mind as he fixed his gaze on me. The scar on my wrist itched, and at the same time, a slash of pain flogged my head. I rubbed my temples.

I saw a long dark corridor. There were no windows. It was suffocating. Anonymous doors lined the passageway. Then blood flickered in my vision, so much blood. My blood. I was bleeding. I was dying. The pain in my arm was burning through me. Mother’s desperate face swept into view. She yelled at me not to leave her and implored me to stay with her. But keeping my eyes open was so hard, and the pain was too intense. My mother shook me by the shoulders, screaming my name.

“Monia.” Rennie was holding my hand, rubbing my inner wrist with his thumb. His eyebrows were drawn together. “What’s the matter? You’re so pale.”

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my forehead.

His thumb stroking my skin helped me focus on the present. His touch was soothing and spilt warmth within me. I didn’t want him to stop.

“Do you need a doctor?” he asked, peering at my face. “Is it the headache again?”

“Yes. It’s killing me.” I inhaled deeply. “I need the ladies’ room.”

“Of course.” He rose to his feet.

An emotion I couldn’t decipher shadowed his eyes. I hesitated, but he didn’t say anything. He went to follow me, but I put a hand on his chest.

“The ladies’ room is just around the corner. Please, I need a moment.”

He scanned the hall before bowing his head. “Please, be careful.”

I slogged around the corner, wondering what the visions meant, when Sandro, in flesh and blood, swept into view as if materialising out of thin air. So he wasn’t a product of my imagination.

I froze, ready to scream. “Sandro, what are you doing?” Before I could finish, he swept me off my feet and kissed me hard, his mouth eager and commanding.

But there was something different in his kiss. The sweet excitement that usually shuddered through me was missing. No spark ignited within my chest, and my skin didn’t tingle with anticipation. It was like kissing a piece of wood unlike the brief kiss with Rennie, which had caused an explosion of sensations within me.

The spot couldn’t be more romantic. The moon was reflected in the dark velvet of the sea, scattering around glittering diamonds of light. Potted plants hid us from prying eyes with their large leaves. But the setting didn’t do anything to make me feel better.

I pulled away from him. “Please stop.”

“How are you?” he asked, caressing the top of my head.

I stepped back from him. “Sandro, I need to know more about the danger you’re in. We’re in. A man broke into my room last night and tried to attack me.”

His gaze shifted to the floor. “The ship is going to stop in Venice.” He took my shoulders and squeezed them lightly. “Come with me. We can find a safe place to stay before going to my kingdom.”

A gasp escaped me. “What are you talking about? Eloping?” My parents would have a seizure. I’d be ruined for life. But that wasn’t what made me hesitate. Did I want to go with him? He was the embodiment of my wildest dreams and the life he proposed was what I’d longed for since I was a girl. Adventure, excitement, and travels in the company of a handsome man who adored me. What more could a girl ask for? Still, I didn’t want to squeal in happiness and jump around. Besides, Rennie... Rennie would... I didn’t know where I was going with that thought, but I didn’t want to leave Rennie.

Also, I didn’t trust Sandro, although he’d never hurt me. He certainly wasn’t the man who had attacked me. I’d never felt in danger with him, and he’d had many occasions to hurt me.

“I’ll protect you. I swear it.” Sandro’s eyes lost their warmth, the warmth that had captivated me, and became cold and calculating. A chill seeped into my bones. I put some distance between Sandro and me.

“I need to think about it.” Actually, I didn’t, but instinct told me not to anger him.

The smile that stretched his full lips was all predatory, sending a shivering chill down my back. “Of course. Take all the time you want.” He kissed my forehead gently before walking away and leaving me confused. But unhurt, admittedly.

As I walked back to the dining hall, I brushed past a table where Mrs Morrison was having dinner with a short, boyish man. She gazed up and shot me a glare of pure hatred before leaning closer to the man and whispering something. He turned towards me, then to her, his cheeks flushing.

“I’ve never seen that woman before, darling. I swear it,” the man said.

“She said she danced with you,” Mrs Morrison said.

I slowed my pace. Wait. Was the man Mrs Morrison’s husband? Edward?

“Excuse me,” I said to the not-so-happy couple. “Mrs Morrison, is this man your husband Edward?”

“Of course he is,” she said at the same time he said, “I’ve never danced with you.”

A new headache started to pound in my temples. What in blazes was going on? “You’re right. I’m sorry. I think I’ve made a mistake.” Blazes, the man couldn’t possibly be mistaken for Edward. If the name of the man I’d danced with was Edward. I flashed a smile and scurried away before Mr and Mrs Morrison could ask me more questions and drag me into their marital problems. I headed to Rennie’s table, the room spinning a little.

The scowl on his face softened when he peered at me, standing up. “Do you feel better?”

I massaged my forehead. “Actually, no. I’ve just met Sandro.”

“What?” He scanned the hall. “Where is he? How did he come here?”

“I don’t know, and before you ask, no, I didn’t help him. His presence surprised me as much as it surprises you.”

“It can’t be,” he muttered through his teeth.

“I just wish to lie down and sleep.”

He folded his napkin and took my elbow. “I’ll take you to your room.”

I let him lead me to my cabin, his arm coiling protectively around my waist. The contact with him felt familiar and comforting. Everyone was lying or keeping secrets from me, and I couldn’t understand whom I should trust, but Rennie cared about me. It was something.

Rennie’s bag and satchel were lying in a corner in my cabin, a sign he meant to stay here. When his arm released me, a tiny pang of disappointment stung my chest.

“Do you have a screen?” he asked.

“No.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll turn around then and give you some privacy while you change.” Facing the wall, he opened his satchel and rummaged through it.

I unbuttoned my shirt and untied my skirt and petticoats. Somehow the fact he could hear the swish of fabric as I undressed and knew what I was doing started an illicit pulse between my legs. I washed using the cold water in the basin and a bar of soap, then I slid into my apparently transparent pink nightgown. While I washed and changed, he didn’t pay me the slightest bit of attention, but kept reading a stack of documents, his broad shoulders facing me.

When I was tucked under the quilt, I cleared my throat. “You can look now.”

He turned around without glancing at me and checked that the door was locked. “Do you mind if I leave the light on for a while?”

“No, I don’t.”

He settled himself in his usual spot on the floor with his back to the door and kept reading.

“What are you reading?” I asked, propping myself on my elbows.

“A scientific document.” A deep line creased his brow.

“Why does every answer you give me have to be so enigmatic?”

“Because the situation we are in is complicated.” He flipped through a page.

“You can’t possibly be comfortable on the floor.” I didn’t like the distance between us.

His head snapped up. “I’m fine where I am, thank you.” To his credit, he hadn’t complained about back pain after he’d slept on the floor.

“Do you want a pillow?” I asked again.

A boyish smile brightened his face. He didn’t look so harsh and menacing with that smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But I do.” Reluctantly, I lay down and tried to relax. The dull ache that had tormented me for days was still humming in my head. Sometimes it flared up, but now it was manageable.

“Monia.” Rennie stood next to the bed, hands clenched around a document. “I need to ask you something.”

“Of course.” I sat up again, careful to keep the blanket around my body. “What is it?”

The boyish air was gone, replaced by his hard warrior face. “The man who attacked us last night. Describe him.”

“What?”

“It’s important.”

I straightened, clenching the quilt. “He was tall, with broad shoulders, dark hair cut short. He had a large, strong neck and big fists. A nightmare if you ask me. I’ve always been afraid of being attacked by a man so big and strong.”

“Bloody hell!” He tossed the papers to the floor and ran his hands through his hair. “It’s not what we thought. We were wrong. So bloody wrong. How could I have made such a mistake?”

“What are you talking about?”

Instead of answering me, he leant closer and put his hands on my shoulders, eyes ablaze with... dread? “Describe Edward.”

“Rennie, what?—”

“Please.”

“He’s blond, quite elegant, and sophisticated with blue eyes. Handsome, but rather cold.”

The colour leached out of his face. “Have you seen him again?”

“Yes.” I swallowed the hard lump of guilt in my throat. “Briefly on the deck. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It doesn’t matter now. Did he tell you he knows that bloody prince?”

I couldn’t suppress a gasp. “How do you know that?”

He released my shoulders, his lips forming a white slash. “Monia, we must go back to England. No, don’t ask why,” he added quickly as I opened my mouth to protest. “When we’re in Venice, we’ll leave this damn ship and go back home.”

Seething anger flamed my blood. “Why can’t you tell me the truth? Do you expect me to follow you like a devoted puppy? I don’t understand what’s happening. I refuse to do anything you ask unless you give me a good reason.”

The sinews on the back of his hands stood out when he tightened his fists. “Believe it or not, if I tell you the truth, you might die. Is that a good enough reason for you?”

“No!” I slammed a hand on the bed, not caring that the blanket was slipping down, revealing my flimsy nightgown. “How can knowing the truth be harmful? I believe it’s the opposite. How can I protect myself if I don’t know the truth?”

“Can’t you just trust me?” There was a note of hurt in his voice, which I promptly ignored.

I wasn’t going to feel guilty for wanting to know who was attacking me. “I do trust you, but we never talk. You often give me orders and never answer my questions. It’s frustrating.”

“Fine.” He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and sat on the edge of the bed, causing it to dip. “Let’s talk. What do you want to know?”

I hadn’t expected that. Squirming on the spot, I wrapped the blooming blanket tighter around me and racked my brain for a question to ask. After a few moments of silence, I asked, “Do you have siblings?”

His fierce expression softened. “An older sister, one year my senior. A pain in the... neck if you ask me. She always said I should write to Mum and visit my niece more often.” It was hard to imagine Rennie playing with a little girl.

“Why don’t you do it?” I asked, curious.

He shrugged. “Too much work. Laziness. Excuses.” He chuckled. “Too many sticky kisses from my niece.”

Something melted in my chest at his chuckle. It held enough love to thaw a glacier. “You adore that girl.”

A light flush crept up his cheeks, and he looked simply adorable. “She’s special, and I’m not saying that because she’s my niece. When I take her out for a walk in the country, she always wants to know the names of the flowers and insects. Sometimes I know the answer, but other times, I just make up a funny name to see her smile. The problem is that she has an excellent memory. She notices when I give the same flower two different, made-up names while I don’t keep track of them. She becomes so angry on those occasions.” He laughed again, and I liked the sound. It was deep and rich and bursting with love. “As a result, she loves checking every fact I tell her. She devours books and tells me all about them. She’s so clever. I’m teaching her to carve wood. She’s a fast learner.”

“I guess she doesn’t trust you?” I quipped.

“Good point.” He laughed. “I prefer talking to her and playing with her tea set to being around some adults. I feel happy just hearing her laugh.”

His love for his niece made my heart flutter. “How did you get this scar?” I traced my fingertip over the pale scar running along his jaw.

He took a sharp intake of breath that did something to my insides. “It happened during a mission.”

I didn’t ask what he meant by mission not to interrupt him. Besides, I guessed I was a mission to him.

“I was chasing a criminal through a maze of alleyways. I got distracted for a moment, and the thug lashed out at me. I managed to jump out of his reach, but I wasn’t fast enough. He slashed me.” He tilted his head to show me the full extent of the cut.

The scar ran along the column of his neck and disappeared underneath the collar of his shirt.

“Good gracious, he could have killed you.” I couldn’t resist and traced the whole scar down to the starched collar, feeling his surprisingly smooth skin and the tension underneath it. “The stab. You healed so quickly from it. How?”

“I can’t tell you.” His chest heaved as he inhaled.

I stroked his neck and chest again. Touching him was mesmerising.

His eyes darkened. “Monia.” There was the same desperate need ringing in my name as that time in Cairo. He swallowed hard.

“What do you feel now?” I asked, leaving my hand on his chest.

“It’s better if I don’t tell you.” He regarded me from underneath his long eyelashes.

“No more secrets. Tell me how you feel.”

He shook his head. “What if I show you, instead?”

He inched closer. The air between us was charged so much that my skin tingled with anticipation. All my blood flew towards my lips and south. The closer he came, the more heat spread from my core. Kissing him in the dark was one thing. But watching him get closer, his chest swelling and his eyes darkening with desire, was quite another. His lips were a breath away from mine. His body’s heat seeped into me, enveloped me, and protected me.

Rennie stopped right when his lips brushed against mine. It was a light touch that sent a shiver up my spine. I parted my lips, and the tip of his tongue darted out. I moaned shamelessly. I clutched his face and held it as his scent filled the air I breathed. Something cracked within me, an explosion of maddening need and passion I’d never experienced. He must have felt it too because he leant into the kiss and bit my lips before running his tongue over them. I opened my mouth, inviting him deeper, but he paused, breathing hard. He touched his forehead to mine.

“I can’t,” he whispered, pulling away from me.

“But...” I didn’t know what to add.

“Your father is going to kill me.” He laughed without humour. “Literally.”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

“I gave my word.” He caressed my cheek, and I leant against his comforting hand. “It means the world to me. He trusts me, and I don’t want to disappoint him, much less lie to him.”

Dash it. “I respect that.”

Without looking at me, he rose and returned to his cold spot on the floor.

We hadn’t decided what to do once we arrived in Venice, but the turmoil of emotions within me was too strong for me to talk to him now. So I lay down and stared at the ceiling, my pulse beating in my ears. My body hadn’t reacted like that when Sandro had kissed me. Rennie nearly kissed me and I was ablaze with desire. What was happening?