I expected resistance, but this is outright defiance. It was easier when it was just the two of us. Our plans always included each other. With his new mates, perhaps his loyalties have shifted. Maybe they’ve steered him in a different direction than he is meant to go. Especially that shifty ox, Bo.

The Titanic rolls and shifts, but I hardly notice. “Has all this salt water made you slow, Jamie? You were meant for better things. Think of this as a door to a larger world. You always wanted to study astronomy. With our talent, we can get into America, and then you’ll have your chance.”

“I study astronomy every night.”

“I meant in the scholarly sense.”

He lets out a frustrated groan, and a group of men cuts their eyes toward us from one bench over. “I like what I do.”

“Fine. Do what you like to do. But I’m not going back to London. I’m going to New York, with or without you.” I get to my feet, and a cold breeze slices through my thin blouse.

Dragon and phoenix twins are yin and yang opposites that usually create harmony together. But when we disagree, we won’t easily stand down, especially the more masculine “yang” dragon, which in our case has always been me.

“Come on, don’t be that way. Where are you going?” He follows me to the stairs.

“I’m tired, Jamie.” Our footfalls clatter on the steps. “I thought scaling a crane or hiking for miles through this wobbly maze just to find you had wrung me out. But you know what really put me through the wringer? Talking to an ungrateful clod like you who wouldn’t know a good opportunity if it bit his Queen Mum.”

I let that sink in before crossing the well deck. Jamie tails me to a doorway into the superstructure marked “First and Second Class Only.” Somewhere in there lies Mrs. Sloane’s trunk, which I should fetch before they move it into the cargo hold. Plus, I’m getting cold, and I’m not asking my gobby goat of a brother for a coat.

“You can’t go there,” Jamie hisses from behind me.

“Watch me.” Emboldened by my anger, I reach for the door handle.

A crewman appears on the other side, holding up a hand like a stop sign. Another stone in my path. “It’s only the upper classes here.”

Jamie’s grimace burns the back of my head. But instead of pulling me toward safety, that damnable expression prods me forward.

6

I summon Mrs. Sloane’s commanding tone, ignoring the pounding of my heart between my ears. “I am a first-class passenger, and I seem to be lost. Which way to B-Deck?” I hold my breath, hoping my deception works at least long enough to retrieve Mrs. Sloane’s trunk.