“I was feeling thankful that William paid attention to our warning in time. All those people might have been killed . . . but it ended well, although Etienne must be positively livid that his grandiose attack plans were for nothing.”

“I’m sure the bastard will recover. His sort always do,” I said, wishing I could punch him in the face again.

“Unfortunately, that’s true. That Moghul ship worries me, though. No one knows where it has gone to.”

“You said this ship could outrun it,” I said, not liking the faint line of worry between her brows.

“And so we can. I would simply feel better if I knew where it was.”

“Ah.”

She leaned into me, warm and soft, and so wonderful, it made my heart swell. It made other parts swell, as well, but I was getting used to wanting to pounce on her every time I saw her. I contented myself with just holding her close to me, breathing in her heady scent, and wondering how soon I could reasonably introduce the idea of going back to her cabin. Since we’d just left her bed an hour ago, I figured I’d give her another half hour to recover before I broached the subject.

“And lastly, I was thinking about what’s in store for us.”

“I love how you think the same way I do,” I said, cupping her breasts. “Why don’t we go back to your cabin, and I can tie you down and have my wicked way with your fair, soft, deliciously responsive body.”

She turned a dusky pink, delighting me once again. “But we just got done. . . . Jack, you really do say the most inappropriate things. Someone could overhear us. Sounds echo quite well down these passages, not to mention the fact that it’s wholly inappropriate for a chief officer to mention having his way, wicked or not, with his captain.”

“I’m your first and only mate, my love,” I said, taking her in my arms in my very best impression of a pirate. “Chief officers are for the Aerocorps. What we are, my adorable little squab, are pirates. Nonlethal, but still very manly and tough pirates. And you are our pirate captain.”

“I still don’t feel right about that,” she said, squirming slightly when I spread my hands across her chest and stroked her breasts beneath the soft linen of her blouse. “I would have been fine with you being captain, you know.”

“I don’t know anything about flying an airship, and you do. Besides, I’m secure enough to let my girlfriend have a superior position, especially when it involves riding me like a sweaty mule.”

“Sweaty mule?” Her eyes brightened. “Is that something new you haven’t told me about? I wonder if it’s in the pamphlet.”

“It is—they just don’t call it sweaty mule. But I have a few ideas on things we can do to go above and beyond your precious pamphlet. Yeah? What is it?”

I released Octavia and turned when the gangly Aldous Christian approached. “I thought you would like to know that we’ve crossed over into France, sir, and to ask for coordinates for the navigation machine. The rest of the crew is interested to know where you and the captain think we should go.”

I turned back to Octavia. She was biting her delectable pink lip, looking slightly frustrated. I leaned down and whispered, “You told him he could be navigator when I took over his job. Let him prove himself.”

She sighed. “I know. It’s just that he’ll make such a muck out of the autonavigator. He always has.”

“He wants to learn. Just give him a chance.”

She nodded and raised her voice, giving the young man a list of numbers. “I thought we would go to North Africa.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” he answered, saluting awkwardly before grinning at me, and rushing off to deal with the odd machine used to pilot the airship.

“What’s in North Africa?” I asked her.

She gave me a long look out of those sloe eyes. “Someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Not another lover?” I asked, pretending to be shocked.

She hit me on the arm. “No. The man who raised me.”

I frowned and poked around in my memory. “Robert Anstruther? The famed captain? I thought you said he died?”

“I did.” Her gaze was steady on mine.

I smiled. “It’s like that, is it?”

“I’m afraid so. There are some secrets that are not mine to tell, Jack. I hope you can understand that.”

“I can.” I took her in my arms and captured her sweet breath. “So long as I have you.”

“You have me,” she answered, gently pushing back a bit of my hair off my forehead. “You had me from the first moment you started talking the most incomprehensible gibberish.”

“If you left our world as a small child, I guess it would have been incomprehensible to you,” I allowed. “When I think of the stuff you’ve missed . . . it’s a shame.”

“I’ve learned to celebrate rather than regret,” she said, leaning in and nibbling on my lower lip. “I had wonderful foster parents who loved me and taught me as best they could. I have good friends who would risk their lives for me. And most of all, I have you.”

“Now you’re getting all sappy on me,” I teased. “It’s a good thing Hallie is off embracing her inner pirate and learning how to shoot those damned guns, or she’d be all over you for that.”

Her brown eyes sparkled as she pushed back, reaching into the pocket on her skirt. “That reminds me, I have something for you. Something to celebrate your new position as first mate.”

“An eye patch? A hook? Please tell me it’s not a huge wig of dreadlocks? I don’t know how Johnny Depp stood wearing one.”

She frowned for a moment.

“Never mind, it’s not important,” I said.

“Why would I want you to wear a wig? . . .” She shook her head. “Hold out your hands.”

I did so, gazing in delight at the object she deposited there.

“I had it engraved with your name, and since you

On my hands lay a beautiful specimen, black leather, oiled and rich, brass highly polished, the light from the gas jet glittering brightly off the round glass lenses. Over one lens my name was inscribed; the other bore the word Enterprise.

“I hope you like them. I don’t in the least understand your fascination with goggles, but I decided that you should have a pair worthy of a . . .” She narrowed her eyes in concentration. “Steampunk pirate.”

“Airship pirate,” I corrected her, setting the goggles down so I could thank her properly.

“First and only mate,” she added, melting in my arms.