Masters of the Sky

Chapter 28 Constricting. Demanding. Selfish.

Flying was the most fantastic thing in the world. Celia was elated that she could feel the sturdy wood of the helm in her palms while the strong breeze whipped her hair, leaving a salty taste on her lips. The air was cold and crisp and wonderfully clear of smog and other poisons humans loved to produce. That's what freedom felt like.

"You were right. This is amazing!" Gabriel exclaimed, leaning over the railing, his fair hair dancing around his head wildly.

Celia laughed. "You sound as if you've never flown a ship."

He turned to look at her with an awkward smile, as if he was embarrassed she caught him getting excited about such an inconsequential thing. "I did, but not a ship this size. Percy is huge. Magnificent! And her weight increased even more with all the new weapons we added. But it feels like she's light as a feather here in the air."

"That's my girl." Celia smiled smugly, her fingers stroking the helm gently.

Gabriel strolled towards her with his hands behind his back and a shy smile on his lips.

"Thanks for inviting me to your ship," he said quietly, his gaze focused on the deck where Lyra, Abner and a few other crewmembers worked the sails to catch the breeze to give Percy an extra speed boost. He was so close now their shoulders were almost touching. "After our parleys, I was sure you would never allow getting anywhere near her."

Celia shrugged. "The cat is already out of the bag. You know how to make your ships fly now, so I saw no reason to keep you out anymore."

"And here I thought you invited me because I've managed to charm you, and you wanted to spend more time with me."

She scoffed. "You are not as charming as you think, lordling."

"You wound me, my lady. I'll have you know that there are ladies out there begging for a chance to meet me."

"What stops you from indulging them? I recall you said you get lonely at times."

"So, you do pay attention to what I say. That's encouraging." He grinned, and Celia nudged him with her elbow. "But truth be told"─ he leaned closer, and his breath tickled her ear─"they are all dreadfully boring. Unlike you."

Celia ignored a pleasurable shiver running down her spine. She'd hate to admit it, but Gabriel's charming personality worked on her. It's been a while since Celia had someone who brought such thrill into her life. Not a thrill of dodging the bullets and running for her life──that she had plenty every other week. But finding a person that made her heart race with every smile and compliment, who made even the most mundane things like studying the old treaties exciting, was a whole other type of adventure.

Maybe she could let herself enjoy it for a bit, considering she didn't have to run for her life anytime soon. After all, it was not like she was falling in love or anything. What could possibly go wrong?

Celia turned slightly towards him, cocked her head and smiled the way she knew worked on all kinds of men. And women too. "My, my, aren't you a charmer. Why don't you come to my cabin after dinner tonight so we can spend some... quality time together?"

Gabriel's mouth fell open, and his face got instantly red up to the tips of his ears. "Celia, I... I didn't mean to imply...."

Celia burst out laughing. She couldn't help it; she just found flustering him entertaining. It was very curious that he was so calm and collected most of the time, and she knew he was excellent at showing precisely the face he wanted to other people. But when they were alone, he wasn't playing anymore, and he could sometimes get helplessly awkward. Celia found it more charming than all his compliments.