Burning Up

then around the chamber. Hell. Beyond incredible. Though the primary structure of the kraken had remained mostly the same, the modifications she’d made had turned it into this . Functioning. Frightening.
    Yet she’d been hiding from him in Fool’s Cove. He didn’t think she would have, now. Her face shone with animation and joy—but also confidence. She’d always been secure in her work. But he thought that she, too, recognized just how amazing her talent was.
    How amazing she was.
    She moved to the hatch in the center of the floor. “Mary, will you bring in the tentacle?”
    Eben joined her, looking down into the circle of water. “So I’m to go back?”
    “Now you can add surviving a kraken’s belly to your reputation.” She smiled up at him. “As soon as we’ve docked, I’ll ask Mary to fly me out to Vesuvius .”
    Thank God. The six-week knot of frustration and dread that had built up in him suddenly unwound. He nodded and stepped to the edge of the hatch. Ivy’s voice was the last thing he heard before the waters closed over his head.
    “I’ll see you soon, Captain.”
     
    S he’d missed him.
    Since Mary had flown her out to Vesuvius in the two-seater balloon, Ivy hadn’t left Eben’s side. For weeks, she’d feared something terrible had happened, and had forced herself to keep busy rather than dwell on the worst.
    She’d loved showing him what she’d done. She remained with him throughout the day, telling him everything she’d seen on Anglesey, all of the ideas she had for new automatons and machines. He spoke as little as usual, but she could tell that he’d enjoyed being with her.
    And she could tell that something was wrong. That there was something new about him—a certain distance, as if he were looking at her through biperspic lenses and seeing her in a new way. It made her nervous, and so she only talked more and more.
    By the end of the day, anxiety had taken up residence in her stomach, made worse when he left her alone to wash and prepare for sleep. Now she waited in the bed, her heart pounding, and every passing second felt like another week of not knowing where he was.
    She came up on her knees when he returned to the cabin. He smiled when he saw her, but his expression darkened when his gaze fell to her hand, fingers loosely curled to conceal the small package in her palm.
    “No.” He strode toward the bed, pulling off his jacket and tossing it to the floor. “No more money between us, Ivy. You have my word that I won’t take you too far—and you’ll trust me on that alone.”
    “It’s not—”
    His mouth cut off the rest. Oh, blue—she’d missed this, too. Lifting to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, opening her lips to his kiss and moaning at the first, heady taste. Relief and hunger roughened Eben’s answering groan. He dragged her nightgown up her legs and filled his hands with her bare backside, kneading in time to the thrust of his tongue.
    Ivy’s head swam. One kiss chased away every thought, and it wasn’t until she buried her fingers in his hair and felt the crinkle of parchment against her palm that she recalled what she’d tried to tell him.
    With effort, she tore her mouth away. She held him in place with her hands in his hair, preventing him from lowering his head to hers again. Chest heaving, she tried to catch her breath.
    “It’s not a coin,” she managed between pants. She brought her right hand down, opening her fingers. “I looked through your drawers until I found one. I’m sorry I didn’t ask, but I wanted to surprise you.”
    She’d managed that, at least. He stared down at the square oiled-parchment envelope, the red wax seal broken when she’d glanced inside to confirm the contents. The sheath had been shockingly thin, but pliable, and prepared with clear oil infused with a light fragrance that had reminded her of freshly cut oak.
    Eben’s burning gaze rose to search her face. “You’re certain?”
    Her heart pounding, Ivy nodded. And though she was certain, she still had to fight to keep her voice steady. “I built a kraken, Eben. Surely I can support a child, no matter where I go when I leave Vesuvius . So this is a risk I’m willing to take.”
    His face seemed to pale. “Where do you intend to go?”
    “Since our agreement was that you’d take me home after I fixed the kraken, I’ll return to Fool’s Cove, first.” And she’d promised Netta that she’d come back. Perhaps her friend would like to