Steam Guardians 01 - A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious by Mary Wine Page A

heard a set of carriage steps let down, and another unrecognizable man appeared to open the door for Darius.
    “How…how did you know where to find me?” Her voice sounded gravelly.
    “You can thank your friend Sophia. She marched up to the front doors of the Solitary Chamber and demanded to see me. I believe the doorman let her in because he was afraid she would in fact attack the next member who tried to get past her.” Darius deposited her on a padded seat inside the vehicle. “She has your temperament. I see the reason for your friendship.”
    The carriage rocked as the second man climbed in. “They’ll have a fine time deciding how she vanished now. Everything is back in order, not even our footprints left to betray us.” He sat next to Darius, both of them only shadows in the darkness. The door closed quickly behind him, and the carriage steps were pulled up. One of them hit the wall with a fist, and the vehicle jolted forward.
    But there was no sound of horses, only a strange hiss and gurgle. Once in motion, there was a smoothness to the ride she’d only felt once before, during winter on the lake in a sled pushed from behind by a boy.
    “What…manner of…”
    “If you’re set on talking, you need something to ease your throat first.” Darius reached inside his jacket and pulled out a flask. Moonlight came through the windows and flickered off the smooth metal of it.
    “Could use a nip of that myself,” his companion announced.
    “I am…not…”
    “Accustomed to strong spirits? Few ladies are.” Darius cupped her head with a grip that reminded her too much of the way he’d held her while kissing her. Gentle, tender, but firm. Heat surfaced in her cheeks as he placed the flask against her mouth and tipped it up. She caught a whiff of the strong alcohol before it touched her tongue. It was potent enough to send tears to her eyes. It washed across her tongue and left her entire mouth on fire. Janette stiffened and tried to push him away.
    “Swallow it, Janette. Your life has changed irreversibly, so toss your rules aside. You need to adjust to the current moment instead of worrying what anyone will think of your actions.”
    “Sweet Mary and Joseph!” she exclaimed when he released her. “What a vile concoction.” But it was easing the dryness from her throat, spreading warmth through her chilled limbs and making her feel every ache.
    “See? Should have let me have it. After all, I did help rescue her,” his companion interjected.
    Darius handed the flask over. “Enjoy.”
    The second man took the flask and offered her a salute before taking a swig of it. He seemed to enjoy the burn of the beverage and winked at her after taking a second swallow.
    “This is Guardian Lykos Claxton, my counterpart from another Solitary Chamber.”
    The vehicle turned a corner, but there was still no sound of horses. “How are we moving?” She grasped the sides of the window and tried to see out.
    “There’s my thanks for risking my neck and my new waistcoat,” Lykos muttered. “She isn’t aware I’m alive.”
    “Oh.” Janette turned her attention back to her company. “I’m terribly sorry. Thank you. I am deeply indebted to you both.”
    “What you are is completely tarnished now,” Darius grumbled. “Return to your father, and he’ll sign the papers to have you lobotomized.”
    “I refuse to go back to my father.” Her hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt as the horror of the clinic replayed in her mind. “He gave me to that… fiend for treatment, and all Dr. Nerval wanted was for me to handle Deep Earth Crystals. Tell me, my ability to handle the crystals, why is it so important? Unique, perhaps, but nothing a good set of gloves cannot overcome—what is the reason behind all this?”
    Her companions suddenly became deadly serious. She looked from Darius to Lykos and back again.
    “What did I say?”
    They glanced at each other, obviously weighing whether to respond to her.
    “Are