The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

"He's made a lot of improvements since our paths last crossed."

"He invited both of us to join him for dinner tonight," Karl said. "I'd imagine he rates a little better setup than this."

"That he does. You won't likely see the pilot eating down here with the common folk. Or with the cargo."

Karl watched her, trying not to be obvious. He wondered if he'd made a mistake by refusing her the night before, but only for a second.

Something had shifted between them, a change in the balance of power he couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't so much in refusing to sleep with her. He'd done that back in his own apartment. This was more in his confidence, in his ability to take care of himself and of her when she needed it. He doubted she needed it all that often.

"What does an illegal shaw passenger do all day long?" he said.

"I honestly have no idea, Karl. When I first made this journey, I was nothing more than a fugitive, too afraid to show my face outside of the closet I was stowed in."

"Was that with Bill?"

She laughed, pouring more cafei for both of them.

"No, I wasn't that lucky. I hadn't met Bill yet. Rhysto brought me out of the Northlands."

"Oh. I...I didn't know you'd worked together before."

Despite his earlier confidence, heat rushed to Karl's face.

"I don't know that we worked together, exactly," she said. "We each had something the other wanted and happened to be in the right place."

"How did you meet him?"

Loretta watched Karl, her lips curving in a strange twisted smile that made him uncomfortable all over again.

"Sure you want to hear this?"

"No, but that's never stopped me from asking unwise questions before. I don't know a blasted thing about you, Loretta. You know just about everything there is to know about me. If we're going to spend the next couple of days either together or hiding out in those closet rooms, maybe we should at least make an effort."

She shrugged, staring into her cup.

"You asked," she said. "Where I came from, there weren't many options for women. I doubt there are now. I couldn't bring myself into line with the perversion of The Crown's followers, end up forced to be some asshole's wife and have his children until I dropped dead from it. The only other way..."

She sighed and looked into Karl's eyes.

"I could have been a scullery maid and died in filthy rags before I'd earned a single gray hair. Or what I did instead. I took care of other needs, usually what the wives didn't. Or couldn't."

Karl tried to force himself to keep breathing and not drop his gaze. Judging Loretta or any other woman for offering services he'd taken advantage of himself was more hypocritical than he could tolerate. Sitting here calmly discussing such things might turn out to be nearly as difficult.

"How did you end up in Waldron's Gate?"

"Well, I met Rhysto. He was, shall we say, a reliable customer back then. When he mentioned taking me away from such a life, I took him more seriously than I think he'd planned for. But he was true to his word, at least in that instance. When he returned the next time, he was ready to take me with him. Just a little bonus thrown in with all the potatoes."

"What did you..." Karl said, trying to grasp at a coherent thought. "When you got to the Gate, did you..."

"No. I'd decided to leave that line of work behind with my family and their backward views on the world. A woman has a great many more options in the city, and a lot more chances to make her own decisions. No one besides Rhysto knew that part of my life. Unfortunately, he was the only one who wanted to keep it going."

"What did you do about him?"

She smiled again. Karl was glad she wasn't thinking about him when she did. That was not a friendly smile.

"I paid him off. It took a few years, until after I built up my current line of work. By then I was able to save up enough to convince even him to forget about that. It worked for a long time. Until he showed up a few weeks ago, I hadn't seen or heard from Rhysto for almost ten years."

"And you have no idea why he showed up again," Karl said, almost to himself.

"I've been thinking a lot about that," Loretta said, scowling. "He claims he heard I was working with other shaws as suppliers, but that doesn't make a damned bit of sense. I've never needed that kind of supplier, and I've been in business too long for him to just now be figuring that out. Something else has to be going on."

"Does he know what you really do?"

"No one does. Not even my guards. No one besides you. It remains to be seen whether that was a mistake or not."

This time, Karl couldn't help smiling back at her. Both of them had gotten in way too deep to turn back easily now. And it wasn't as if either of them could get away on this airship.

"Well, I don't have any designs on your business," he said. "If that's what you're worried about. Assuming any of this works out, I'll leave you to it."

Loretta stared at him over the rim of her cup, her violet eyes curious. Karl felt that same stirring, one that went far past his unruly cock. He didn't trust her, and he was still drawn to her more than he had been to any other woman.

"Why do you want a Dragon, Karl?"

"I... I'm not sure. Just curious about it, I suppose. I've always wondered what Building was like."

She smiled and nodded, leaving no doubt she'd seen right through him.

"We'll do our best to see if it can work for you," she said. "I'm going upstairs to see where we are."

"I'll go with you." Karl stood. "Rullin's up there. I know you can