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Killian
“Ainsley?” I arched a questioning brow, completely caught by surprise with the way her eyes darted around the room. “What’s wrong?” She was acting as though she were trapped, or a startled beast who’d been backed into a corner.
“I heard you and your crew, Killian,” she snapped at me, but there was fear laced in her voice that made my body recoil. “And I will not be kidnapped for whatever reasons you deem appropriate. Not even by you,” she said, clearly distraught by what she’d convinced herself to be true.
This crazed woman had no idea the power she held over me, but hearing the crew fearfully speak of her would certainly give her cause for speculation. Although, I’d already proven myself to her, and this sort of behavior lay in stark contrast to what I’d expected.
“Kidnapped? Are you mad, woman?” I stalked toward her, not wishing to startle her further. She took another step back. Before she could run, I wrapped my hands around her arms. “Ainsley, stop this. I don’t know what you think you heard—”
Her icy-blue stare bore into mine as she gave me a stern look of disgust. “I know you wanted my money, but whatever new deal you have worked up in your head, I refuse to allow you to use me in such a manner.” Ainsley’s eyes appeared to blaze with fire and fury then. “I will not be a prisoner to you and your crew because of what I am.”
I shook my head as she yanked one arm away. Instead of letting her leave, however, I spun her around, pressing her back against a shelf of books. Decorum be damned.
Cupping her beautiful face with my free hand, I moved the other to her arm and then down to her waist. In an instant, my body pressed fully against her svelte frame, and I brought my lips crashing into hers.
I told myself to fight it. The need I had for Ainsley. But her magic had triggered a reaction I hadn’t been prepared for. Her spell in the skies had instead been cast upon me.
She took me by surprise as she grasped me by my shirt collar, pressing her lips right back against mine, demanding and as hard as she could.
Drawing away, I sucked in a deep breath. “Dammit, woman! Will you listen to me for a bloody moment? Our bargain has changed.” I rested my forehead against hers in a futile effort to control myself.
She huffed. “Oh, now you wish to speak to me about our so-called bargain? Instead of only your crew?”
Nodding, I captured her lips once more, pulling her body closer to my own, feeling the softness of her curves. I growled low in my throat and deepened the kiss even further. I could never get enough of this infuriatingly stunning woman. Her whimpers only continued to drive me mad, and I had to force myself to pull away. “The bargain has changed,” I repeated more forcefully this time as she breathed heavily, her hooded gaze staring into my own. “I want—no, I need you, Ainsley.” I shook my head. “Bloody hell. I’m buggering this up. Woman, you drive me mad, yet the thought of not having you at my side does something to me right here.” I clutched her hand in my own and placed it upon my restless, beating heart.
“Killian, I-I…” Without words, she encircled her arms around my neck, drawing my mouth to hers and sealing it with a bruising kiss.
An uncomfortable-sounding cough broke us apart, and I turned my head to find the elderly man looking on, appearing very unamused, holding a piece of parchment in his hands. His eyes narrowed at me, seeming to avoid Ainsley altogether.
“Perhaps this is not an appropriate place for such dalliances, Captain,” the attendant sniffed, indicating his obvious distaste.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Apologies, but she’s—” I was unable to finish the playful thought before the man thrust the paper toward my hands.
Ainsley leaned over my shoulder immediately. “There are a few more names than simply Silverthorne’s here,” she said. “Why?”
The old man laughed. “I was given the task of identifying all possibilities of the seal and its location. With only a partial, there’s no way of knowing. Perhaps your sender used another’s seal.”
I shook my head, reviewing the parchment. “Not likely.”
“How will we get everywhere with so many—” Ainsley paused, glancing toward the attendant who had yet to back away from the conversation. Whatever social skills he had, clearly realizing we had something to discuss was not one of them. “So many people following,” she finished as abstractly as she could. I knew what she meant, and she had every right to be concerned.
Running my hand over my mouth, I scanned the list of places. Nothing was close together, meaning each journey would put us in the skies for longer than I had hoped. Unless we travelled by foot on land, but that was dangerous as well. At least in the skies there were less ships, and more opportunities to maneuver away.
Ainsley’s worried expression deepened, and she wrung her hands together. I had no idea, and couldn’t begin to speculate, the thoughts running through her mind. Only minutes ago, she’d accused me of kidnapping her. The absurdity.
“I shall have to be smart about this. Methodically break them down place by place so that I…” She was mumbling to herself, and I reached for her hand.
“I gave you my word, Ainsley. I shall aid you as promised. You will not do any of this on your own.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” She snatched her hand away.” Just because your lips have thrown me into a tizzy does not mean I trust you. How often have you used that tactic, Killian Flynn?”
The old man snorted next to me, and I glared at him. Would this man not leave us be?
“We will find Silverthorne,” I vowed again, hoping she would take a breath and pause to remember I was on her side. I would have thought my lips had done the explaining, but the lady clearly still wasn’t convinced.
“Silverthorne you say? You won’t find him at any of those addresses.” The attendant folded his arms across his chest, studying me in particular. He’d taken issue with me—it was beyond evident now.
“With all due respect, this is a private matter,” I responded with a curt nod. I didn’t want Ainsley revealing any more than she already had about herself, specifically to someone I didn’t know, elderly attendant or not.
“It can be as private as you want.” The man’s snort was louder than his tone had been since we arrived, but his face hardened, and his voice grew sinister. “It still won’t change the facts.”
Ainsley perked up at his words and narrowed her eyes. “And what facts would that be, sir?”
She had more patience than I did. At that very moment, I wanted to ditch the old man and perhaps even leave, first providing him a lesson on etiquette.
“Wyatt Silverthorne is dead.” His words came out harsh and cold, the finality of them causing Ainsley’s face to pale in an instant. “And there’s not an address on that sheet that would lead you to him. Not even his grave.”
