The Blade Baroness by D. H. Willison

Lady Sephimara Arazniros strode through the doomed ship with a determination that said it could have been on fire, sinking, and had kraken tentacles writhing through every porthole, and she’d tell the kraken to leave a message.

And I was an idiot for trying to help.

Just a common human man, I trained, studied, worked my ass off to be accepted to the Raloren Academy of Magic. I expected to work twice as hard as the magically gifted elves. I expected hardship, disdain, and a mountain of homework. I did not expect to encounter the mysterious, icy, elven lady aboard a sinking clipper ship on the voyage to the academy. The corpse in the hold she claimed to know nothing about? Also unexpected. Being assigned an obnoxiously flamboyant gnome roommate? Yeah, it was one of those days.

We were both strangers in a city where appearances and propriety reigned supreme. Those subtle innuendos and furtive smiles from her as we crafted magic artifacts in our after hours study sessions couldn’t possibly mean… nah! And stop gazing at her legs, Theodore!

I know nothing about noble politics, even less about conspiracies. But if we can’t find a way to trust each other, we may both get an education in murder.

The Blade Baroness first appeared in Men’s Romance Gallery. This version incorporates seven additional chapters, including a spicier ending. Caution: contains graphic study sessions, gratuitous woodworking scenes, and explicit architectural language.