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    Shattered Queen: Whispers of Steam, #2
    Shattered Queen: Whispers of Steam, #2
    Shattered Queen: Whispers of Steam, #2
    Ebook115 pages1 hour

    Shattered Queen: Whispers of Steam, #2

    By Caylen McQueen

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    About this ebook

    Tish's true identity has been revealed to her airship's crew. She suddenly finds herself surrounded by men who don't think a girl can be a soldier.

     

    But Tish won't miss an opportunity to prove herself. At her captain's request, she sneaks aboard the Wounded Queen, the airship that had become the new home of runaway Princess Mayra.

     

    Everything goes wrong. The airship crashes. Tish is stuck in the company of Jacques, who seems more than a little mad to her.

     

    New couples pair off and new enemies emerge in this sequel to The Caged Princess.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCaylen McQueen
    Release dateJun 25, 2020
    ISBN9781393284031
    Shattered Queen: Whispers of Steam, #2

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      Book preview

      Shattered Queen - Caylen McQueen

      One

      YOU'RE GETTING A LOT better at this, Princess.

      When Mayra didn't react to his compliment, Jossian assumed she didn't hear him, so he removed the noise-canceling muffs from her ears and repeated, You're getting a lot better at this!

      Mayra lowered her rifle and gaped. Kindness from Jossian Rane was rare, and praise was even rarer. On the aft of the Wounded Queen, eight targets were set for practice. In the beginning, she couldn't load a gun or nip a target to save her life. Two days later, she could ready a rifle with relative ease, and she hit more often than she missed. As obvious as the improvement was, she didn't expect him to point it out.

      I'm serious, Jossian reinforced his compliment with a smile. You're getting better than I expected.

      Well, I'm trying really hard. Mayra raised her rifle. She didn't want to be unworthy of his praise, so she focused all of her attention on hitting the target.

      And she did. Without her earmuffs, the blast made her half-deaf, but the pat on the back from her teacher was worth any loss of hearing.

      I want to be useful, Mayra said. I don't want to be a burden or dead weight.

      Jossian squeezed her shoulder. You're not a burden. Hell, keep improving, and I might even let you go on our next mission.

      Mayra's face lit up at the thought. "Really?"

      Maybe, if Rathen allows it. He's really protective of you, you know. As he lit a cigarette, Jossian added, We might want to wait, though. For now, it's best if you lay low. I'm sure the Alymane assholes are still looking for you.

      The Wounded Queen was docked at Mobius City's harbor. For her own protection, Mayra stayed behind. Jossian and Aura guarded the airship, while Jacques and Rathen ventured into the city to collect their double bounty.

      Between puffs on his cigarette, Jossian said, So, I've been reading a biography about Nourmin's royal family.

      What? Mayra gasped. "Why?"

      I don't know. I thought it'd be interesting to learn more about you. Jossian offered her a cigarette, but as always, she declined. Did they really murder your baby brother too?

      Yes... Mayra's fingers tightened around her rifle's barrel. Her brother's death haunted her more than any Alymane knife or torture device. He was only four years old.

      Jossian squinted and blew smoke into the sky. And you're only nineteen?

      Yes. Did you think I was older than that?

      No. Maybe? I don't know. I'm bad with ages. Jossian shrugged. Or maybe I don't want to believe there's a group of men who'd torture a girl as young as you. Seriously, write down all their names, and if I ever cross paths with them, I'll do to them what they did to you.

      Mayra was confused by Jossian's request. A few days ago, he banished her from the airship. Now he was vowing to get revenge on her behalf. Her teacher was a fickle, unpredictable man.

      How old are you? Mayra asked. She had always been curious, but it never seemed like the right time to ask.

      Shit. I don't know. After I hit thirty, I stopped counting. Jossian whistled to Aura, who was swabbing the nearby deck. Aura, how old am I?

      Aura answered with a snort, Thirty-three.

      And how old are you? Jossian asked.

      Twenty-nine, Aura replied—but she couldn't say it with a straight face. A few seconds later, her chortle betrayed the truth. Alright, I'm thirty-seven... but if you repeat that to anyone, I'll gut you.

      Rathen was seven years younger than his brother, so Mayra made the calculation in her head. She had yet to learn Jacques' age, but she always thought he looked the same age as Jossian. Either way, Mayra was the youngest by far, so she had a lot to prove to them. She traded her rifle for a revolver and took a moment to reload.

      Swabbing closer to Mayra, Aura said, You know, Jossian was tortured once.

      Really? Mayra gasped.

      Aye. It was before he met Jacques and me. Aura poked Mayra's teacher with her mop. You should show her, Joss.

      Jossian holstered his pistol, popped his shirt over his head, and shared his scarred flesh with Mayra. His back was a chaos of shiny pink scars, and it reminded her of the the blemishes that covered her arm and leg.

      Assuming she was curious, he explained, I went after a mark, but he got the jump on me and stuck me in a cell. He beat me every day for a month. He used this stringy barbed flagella... and damn, it hurt like hell. I got waterboarded more times than I could count... I almost drowned a few times... and then I almost got used to it.

      Mayra asked, What happened? How did you get out?

      Jossian finished his story as he donned his shirt. The Black Anchor Mercenary Company got me out. They're a lot bigger than just the four of us. Glancing at the gun in Mayra's hand, he added with a wink, Or... I guess I should say the five of us, huh?

      His words made her blush. Mayra didn't know how to react to the newer, kinder version of Jossian Rane. You're nicer to me now, Mayra pointed out. A lot nicer. Why?

      Well, my brother seems smitten with you. For that reason alone, I should try to get along with you. For all I know, you could be my future sister. Jossian's remark earned him a smack from Aura's mop. "Ow! What was that for?"

      Because Rathen wouldn't like you saying that, true as it may be. If he wants her to know he's smitten, let him say it himself! Aura flashed a smirk at Mayra and took her swabbing elsewhere. Jossian was still rubbing his arm long after she was gone. She wasn't gentle with her mop.

      Also, Jossian added, when I saw what Alymane had done to you, I felt like shit. I know what it's like to be tortured. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you.

      But you had to know they'd torture me when they found me, Mayra said.

      "Maybe. Seeing it firsthand was different, though. I got hit with a... I don't know... He paused to scratch his beard and nibble a fingernail. Mayra thought he seemed reluctant to finish his thought, but he finally did. I got hit with an overwhelming urge to protect you."

      Mayra opened her mouth, but her only reply was a squeak. Her tongue was paralyzed by his chivalry.

      He added, Don't think too much of it, though. I feel the same way about Rathen. He's my little brother. He's been through a lot.

      Mayra was curious about Rathen's leg. She wanted to know how he lost it—or if he was born without it—but her lips were still incapable of forming words.

      When I dumped you two from the airship, I meant to come back for him, but by the time I got back, you were captured. I still feel terrible about it. When he saw her struggling to reload her rifle, he took it from her hands and asked, Can you forgive me?

      I already forgave you, Mayra said. 

      Good. That's good. Hell, you're a lot more forgiving than I would be. Jossian finished reloading her rifle and passed it back to her. You're a good girl, Princess Mayra. You deserve to be free from all the shit you went through.

      Since he was considerably kinder than usual, Mayra decided to make a request of him. "Jossian, did I ever tell you why I was

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