When her father infected her with his blood on his deathbed, she’d been willing, even eager, to accept. One of the lucky humans; so many others didn’t have that choice, and she understood why it rankled.

Alexa had been a kindred soul, dreaming of something else in life, begging for her moment to appear—that moment when fate separated her from destiny. Her enthusiasm had been contagious, and Mina threw herself headlong into the cause. Why should she be the only young girl able to sidestep her fate? Why could a human not choose her destiny?

And it wasn’t as if she owed the Echelon anything. Indeed, she often thought of them as a faceless kind of enemy, mocking and ridiculing her when she’d first made her appearance as a blue blood.

Sir Gideon sighed. “How much?”

“They’re talking double—”

“Double? The taxes are already high, damn it! Half the people in the poorer sections of the city can’t afford to offer more blood. They’re malnourished and impoverished, living in conditions I wouldn’t even condemn a rat to. This is the type of tax hike that could kill.”

“There’s a rumor that he’s considering dropping the minimum mandatory age,” she added, sipping her smoky liquor. It burned, giving her at least the sensation of warmth. “Perhaps to children as young as twelve.”

Sir Gideon paled. “No. The Echelon’s blood supplies cannot be so dire as that. I won’t believe it.”

“Of course they’re not that dire, but the humanists who burned the factories were never caught—only Mercury, their leader.” Or the man who had sacrificed himself as Mercury. “This is retribution. A means to punish the populace for hiding their humanist brethren among them. A sign that such an outrage will not be tolerated again.”

“I’ll take it to Humans First,” he declared. “With this warning, we can be prepared to argue against it, perhaps rally some—”

“No!” Rallying a gathering to protest had never worked in the past, and she didn’t want those crushed and lifeless bodies on her own conscience. That had been one of her many mistakes in the past, and she’d never forgive herself for it. Stealth and secrecy were the best means to bring the prince consort down. Everything depended on the secret army of automatons the humanists were building beneath London. “I’m only warning you so that you may know what to expect. I intend to vote against it in Council, but it will depend on the others.”

“Is there anything that I can do?” he asked bitterly.

“Yes, there is. I need you to begin selling off some of our investments—” She began outlining the ones she intended to see auctioned for the cause. The sooner they could flood the mechs and humanists with money, the sooner the Cyclops could be built.

Sir Gideon sighed as she took her leave. “Thank you for the warning, then. I’ll do my best to prepare the poorer classes of the city.”

Mina kissed him on the cheek. Scott was one of the few she trusted, and he’d earned her friendship over the years. “Send word when you’ve restructured my assets.”

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the carriage window as Mina made her way to her nine o’clock appointment. Leading this double life often left her tired, and she napped as the carriage swayed.

Galloway’s Aeronautics had purchased an old abandoned factory at Southwark. A series of enormous sheds that faced the Thames, with roofs that could be opened by an elaborate system of pulleys, they housed dozens of dirigibles in various stages of completion.

This was the way of the future. She could see it so clearly in her mind’s eye. An investment in Galloway’s ventures was high-risk, but Mina was certain it would pay a rich reward for her ventures.

Plus, the part of her that was always her queen’s coldly noted that an attack from the air would be the last thing the prince consort expected. He’d had artillery towers mounted throughout London, thanks to his ever-increasing fear of France’s air fleet, but Mina knew their locations. There was a clear path to the Ivory Tower, if she sought to use it. All she needed was for Galloway to build enough dirigibles to use when her humanists decided to strike.

Not that Galloway was aware of that.

Joining the group of investors for Galloway’s latest demonstration, she listened with half an ear as Galloway proceeded to explain his latest innovation—a pleasure cruiser like that he’d designed for Lord Matheson. Mina glanced sideways, stillness slinking through her muscles. A glimpse of darkness caught her eye, a man slipping through the crowd at her back, weaving his way among the men as he moved toward her. Her gut knotted up tight and Mina resolutely turned her attention to Galloway, though she heard not a word of what he was saying. She was too busy straining to listen to what Barrons was doing.

There was a wall of heat and steel at her back, creating the faintest of predatory stirrings that made her breath catch and her nipples harden. Her grip shifted on her parasol. “What are you doing here?”

“Hoping that you’d be here,” Barrons murmured, and one hand splayed over the small of her back. “You spoke of Galloway the other night and I’d heard of this demonstration. It seemed a good chance to see you again.”

“Enjoy the view then,” she snapped, feeling somewhat breathless.

“I am.” Those fingers rippled over her spine in the faintest of caresses. “But I’m more interested in what you think about the future of aeronautics.”

Mina twirled her parasol, the point grinding into the stone floor. She should never have given him an inch the other night, should have kept herself cold and walled off.

As if you had a choice.

Her cheeks heated as she thought about the taste of his mouth, nipples tightening at the flush of remembrance. His fingers becoming a fist in her hair…

Barrons’s hand curled over her hip, his breath whispering along the back of her neck as if he could sense her sudden flare of desire.

“Gentlemen…and lady.” Mr. Galloway tilted his head toward her. “If you would step this way, please. I wish to show you my latest design…the Gilded Falcon.”

A hand curled around her arm. “Stay. I want to see more of the Lionheart.”

The others set off after Galloway, a flock of black-coated businessmen. Some were of the Echelon and some were human investors, economics creating equality for the first time in years. Mina stared longingly after them. “What do you want?”