An Airship Named Desire by Katherine McIntyre

Author:Katherine McIntyre
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Steampunk, Action & Adventure, Literature & Fiction
Published: 2015-12-31T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

We filed back on board, and true to our plans, Spade and Geoff set sail. Lucky for us the captain already paid her fee, so we were free to go. Unlucky for us, we hadn’t bought the new parts Seth needed to fix Desire. We’d have to find them in Reno and pray we didn’t have any interceptions along the way.

I stalked along Desire’s whorled wooden planks and wandered over toward the navigation bay. Her limbs creaked as we ascended into the night sky, and a full moon cleared our path. The stars glittered like gold in a pan rushed by a stream. I leaned against one of the beams supporting the canopy, and my shoulders slumped. Desire’s steam engine kicked in as her ivory balloon inflated in full again. Moonlight glinted off the steel bands around the lookout, and the nickel plating held the navigation bay sturdy.

With her full colors on display, the ship ascended, and we cleared the dock. Spade stood by the helm with both hands guiding the wheel, and Geoff took his position at her thrusters. He pressed on them in slow spurts to drive the power necessary for full sail.

“I hope the sudden change didn’t shock you boys out of your panties. I assumed you’d both be man enough to handle the position.” I passed them a saucy wink. Spade smirked back, but Geoff’s expression didn’t change. “Anyway,” I continued, “I hate to break up this perfect romance here, but we’ll be finding you a new helmsman, Spade. When we begin our search for someone else, I’d like your input since they’ll be working alongside you.”

I placed a hand on Geoff’s shoulder. Warmth emanated through his clothes like the heat of a boiler tank, and I briefly recalled the honeyed taste of his lips. “And you get to do your favorite thing, keep me in line.” He didn’t say anything. Had last night had been too much for him?

Geoff shook his head, and strands of his wild brown hair swung with the motion. “Well, someone needs to. Let you run rampant with a ship and a crew and within weeks we’ll resort to cannibalism.”

My voice dropped low. “Good. I’m glad you’re okay with it. I’m sure you never wanted the burden, but there’s plenty of that going around these days. How far to Reno?” I turned to Spade.

“Morning.” He grunted. Shadows coated his stubble, emphasizing the seriousness of his gaze.

“Lovely,” I replied. “Why do I get the feeling I won’t sleep a wink tonight?”

“Jitters?” Geoff raised a brow. “That’s unlike you, doll.”

“That was before I had real responsibility. Now I have to wave my fingers and make these ‘decision’ things. And they affect people now too, not just my own sorry hide.” I ran my fingers through my tousled strands. Jitters indeed. More like tensed violin strings right before a concert. The wind picked up with our speed and ruffled my long curls to sweep against my shoulders. We were aloft again, and that

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