Clockwork Menagerie: A Shadows of Asphodel Novella Read Free Page B

unproductive, wouldn’t it?” Von Bach smiled. “Good God, man, relax. Russians aren’t so terrifying.”
    “I’ll take your word for it.”
    The waiter served their salmon. Konstantin ate the fish mechanically, barely tasting the buttery sauce or parsley garnish.
    How long would the ambassador keep him in Russia? Why had he ever agreed to this?
    If he even had a choice.
    Konstantin excused himself before dessert. After dinner, he paced along the starboard observation deck as sunset reddened the clouds. He didn’t know where they were. Russian wilderness rolled below, snow and mountains and endless trees. A village glimmered by a river before vanishing into the shadows.
    Pacing was unproductive, and he hated feeling so useless.
    Konstantin returned to his cabin and cracked open a textbook on his pillow. Lying on his stomach, he squinted at the words.
     
    The magical conductivity of electrum varies, depending on quality, and may not always be suitable for technomancy. For instance, electrum with a certain proportion of gold and silver may be ideal for metalworking applications; but it is possible to create a non-magical alloy from these elements. The proportions of naturally occurring electrum should be referenced when manufacturing the alloy in a laboratory.
     
    The word
electrum
certainly had evolved since ancient times. To the Romans, it referred to both the alloy and amber.
    Himmel had electrum eyes. Gold so pale it looked silver in the light.
    Christ, concentrate! Konstantin glowered at the words, though the textbook was innocent. With a growl, he tossed it aside and turned off the light.
    He wasn’t accustomed to sleeping on airships. The massive engines droned in his ears. Wind buffeted the zeppelin and jostled the gondola. He tugged the blanket over his head and pressed his face into his pillow.
    Slowly, the heat of his body warmed the sheets.
    Konstantin opened his eyes to Salzburg, Austria. Snow sugared his hometown, candles glowing in his cottage’s windows.
    When he unlocked the door, Himmel waited for him. “Late again?”
    “I’m sorry, I—”
    Himmel kissed him as he dragged him inside, his lips silencing his excuses, his hands scorching his cold skin. “You’re frozen.”
    Konstantin laughed. “You’re not.”
    “Let me warm you.”
    This sounded sensible enough, considering—
    God, Himmel’s hands. He slid them under Konstantin’s shirt, his fingers branding him, and reached lower. Unbuckling his belt, unbuttoning his trousers. Konstantin backed into the room and fell onto an armchair.
    “Careful.” Himmel’s tone invited him to be reckless.
    Flames crackled in the fireplace, reflected in his eyes. His chest heaving, Konstantin waited for him to make the next move.
    Himmel kneeled before him. “What do you want?”
    Konstantin wished the captain would relinquish control. “Kiss me,” he whispered.
    He tilted his head to meet Himmel’s lips. He opened his mouth to let his tongue taste him and moaned at the thrill of it.
    He wanted more.
    His fingers shaking, Konstantin tugged Himmel’s shirt over his head. He skimmed his hands over hard muscles, scarcely believing he was touching a man this beautiful, too breathless to stop. He explored Himmel’s skin with his fingertips, the captain’s eyes simmering with restraint. Konstantin kissed him again.
    A little lower, this time.
    Rewarded with a gasp, Konstantin smiled against his flat stomach. “You sound surprised.”
    “Surprise me more.”



t ended abruptly, like all good dreams.
    Konstantin woke with a gasp, his heartbeat hammering, and kicked off his blanket. Air cooled his sweaty skin, but his blood still burned in his veins. He gripped fistfuls of sheets and swallowed hard, trying to forget how Himmel’s skin felt. He had seen him shirtless before, of course, but never while alone—
    This wasn’t working. Thinking about the dream made it worse.
    A cold bath would help, though he doubted the zeppelin had one. The zeppelin