The Pirate Princess

By Kary Rader

BY HONOR ALONE

A handsome war hero, Prince Petra can have his pick of any lady in the kingdom. A man of virtue, he's saved himself for just the right one. But when the corrupt emperor of Isa Vis kidnaps a duke's daughter to force her into an alliance, Petra sacrifices himself—and his dreams of love—to save her. Betrothing himself to the distant captive, he leads a daring rescue across the stormy South Sea.

But The Light has other plans. On the voyage, Petra runs afoul of Charlee. Once a prisoner, now a pirate captain, the sultry siren holds him captive with more than just her sword. And when she offers a seductive wager—if he takes her body before they reach the City of Light, she wins absolution for her crimes—it is all he can do to hold firm. While he has every reason to bring Charlee to justice, he’s also finally found a woman he wants more than honor. And he can no more trust her than he can trust himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
• Release date: May 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781941260180

Kary Rader

Kary Rader is a stay-at-home mother of three, avid reader and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head.Always creative, she's drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn't anything that can't be accomplished with words. It's the power of words that creates and destroys.Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day's work. And with the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.Let the fantasy begin...

Book preview

THE PIRATE PRINCESS

A Reign of Light novel

Kary Rader

Copyright 2014 Kary Rader

Smashwords Edition

LOVE & WAR

I’ll race you there.

Charlee’s mind spun in a whirl. She’d never been one to resist a challenge, which Petra well knew. She’d also never been one to play fair.

She softly took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. As soon as he released her, she leaned toward him. His eyes widened and filled with desire. She let a playful smile touch her lips and licked the bottom one with her tongue. Petra sucked in a breath, but before he could make a move, she shoved him back in the sand and took off running as fast as she could, more laughter spilling from her lips—laughter conspicuously sounding like giggles.

She reached the west side of the pool at nearly the same time Petra crested the cliff of the falls. That sneaky prince had found an alternate route.

Their eyes met and locked. She took one step into the water as he dove from the cliff. Her breath caught in her throat. She froze for several heartbeats, the ripples from his splash washing over her toes. Then, out of nowhere, a strong arm rose in front of her, grabbed her leg and pulled her in. She screamed and tried to pull away.

He surfaced in front of her, his arms securely wrapped around her waist. She tried to push and wiggle free, but his arms locked around her more tightly. She tried to splash him, slap him and even butt him with her head, but he captured her hands. Their eyes met unguarded and full of passion. His warm body pressed against hers….

THE PIRATE PRINCESS

A Reign of Light novel

Kary Rader

www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.

THE PIRATE PRINCESS

Copyright © 2014 Kary Rader

All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.

Digital edition created by Maureen Cutajar

www.gopublished.com

ISBN 978-1-941260-18-0

To my wonderful friend, Robin,

whose simple question inspired this story.

CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Map

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Author Bio

Synopsis

Prologue

Lightning flashed across the sky in a muted glow that lit a wide area behind the cloud bank. For a brief moment, Charlee saw her surroundings as if it were day. Hate fueled the fire in her chest, hate for the light that illuminated the endless waves of her shame.

Pacing from the window, she closed her eyes and allowed her body to rock with the ship in the coming storm. There were many storms at sea. She’d never realized how many, and this one would be a tempest indeed.

The squall pitched and tossed the great vessel like a child’s wooden toy. She steadied herself against the bunk and didn’t flinch when the door flew open.

A staggering man in ragged clothes burst in. Grisel. He’d ceased to frighten her. Charlee had found her power over him in the last six months, over all of them. Except Malus. But her victory over him would come soon enough. Tonight even.

Grisel’s black eyes glistened like stolen onyx as his lanky gait covered the distance between them in two strides. Are you ready for me, woman?

A shiver snaked through her, but feigning indifference, she curled her lip at the stink of sour drink. Have you bathed?

Nay. And won’t neither till I had my poke.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her against him. His stench caused bile to rise in her throat.

Shoving his hand down the tightly fitted dressing gown, he pawed her breast.

Though her legs trembled, she forced herself to stare him in the face and steady her voice, If you pop the laces from this gown, I shudder to think what Captain Malus will do to you. She smiled grimly. Remember what happened to Flanks.

The smirk on his face faltered then widened to a wicked grin; the skin at the back of her neck tightened, and the fine hair stood on end. From the defiance on his face, he intended to take her even against the captain’s orders. All the crew knew she was never to be touched, that she belonged to Malus—the thought sickened her—but the recent victory over a large merchant ship and the fresh supply of drink had made the men bold. And stupid. Grisel pulled his hand free. Take it off. All of it.

She turned her back, stepped to the bedside, and began unlacing the stays on her dress. Her mind tossed like the sea and a storm brewed there. She eyed the bolster of her bed. The knife lay hidden but inches from her grasp. Though she’d been saving the sharp blade of freedom for her lover, Captain Malus, she would gladly oblige this ruffian as well.

Turn around. I wanna watch.

They were all the same—not just the privateers but all men. Charlee smirked as she eased her fingers under the downy pillow and clasped the carved handle of the dagger. It was easy to hate Grisel, and it would be easier still to play his body like a dulcimer in the courts of her father. She eased the hem of her skirt up, pretending to give the fool a show, and deposited the knife in the holster strapped to her thigh. She spun to face him, ready to seduce him of his power until he begged her for mercy. As she’d already discovered, there was none to be found.

Slowly, she slipped the gown from her shoulders, allowing it to slide to the floor. Watching his frenzy and assessing his arousal, she sighed erotically, writhed, and touched herself before reaching for the laces on his breeches.

By the time her heated hand hit his manhood, he was so worked up he spilled his seed without even getting near her. In a fury, he backhanded her face. You did that on purpose, wench.

Charlee shrank. Malus had hit her before, but the rage in Grisel’s face made her gut twist in apprehension. She’d gone too far in exerting her power, and he bucked against the hold she had over his body. Good. At least, now he knew how she felt.

He raised his hand to strike again. She clasped the small dagger and braced for the blow. A firm hand gripped his wrist from behind.

Poppy yanked him around and surveyed the man with disgust. Ye be finished here, Grisel. Unless ye want to swim with the storm tonight. Malus gave orders. He eyed the man’s shame and with a chuckle said, Git along wit’ ye and clean up.

Grisel glared at her with a promise—they weren’t done. Her heart hammered against her chest. He yanked on his breeches and shuffled out of the room, slamming the door as he went.

Poppy watched him retreat then rounded to her. Princess? He picked up her dress and handed it to her.

The compassion on his face placed a lump in her throat, and she swallowed it down. Sympathy couldn’t be afforded on the sea. She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her body against him. Thank you, Poppy.

He grimaced and removed her hands from his neck, silently rejecting the reward she offered. Nothin’ but what I’da done for me own. As she pulled the dressing gown back on, he turned his back. The captain is drinking it up. Are ye still to be doin’ this tonight?

Charlee grabbed the knife and held up the blade for his inspection. Aye. I’m ready for him. She sucked in a long breath and paced to the bed, returning the dagger to its resting place as Poppy watched.

His cobalt blue eyes filled with resolve. Princess, there’ll be no hesitating. Strike hard and quick ’fore he sees yon blade. If not, there’ll be no second chance. Understand?

Still trembling from her encounter, she nodded and wrapped her arms around the bulk of his six-foot-six frame and tried to take comfort. The time for doubts had passed. Freedom was a taste away. Are the men ready?

Poppy’s massive arms engulfed her. Arms that could rip the limbs from full-grown men gently held her, and hands that could break her in two stroked her hair. Aye. At least ten be with us. I’m of a mind once we take control others will come along. But not Grisel. I’ll kill the brigand myself as soon as the captain comes to ye this eve. His hand stroked her hair, his touch the only comfort on open sea. I’m sorry for what ye suffer, Princess. I done the best I could.

She pulled from him and looked into his weathered face. If not for you, Poppy, I’d have already died. She patted his chest and met his intense gaze. Soon we’ll chart our own course.

He nodded and pulled from her. Remember what I said. If this goes to the depths, neither of us will survive the night.

Charlee took his hand. We’ll survive.

*****

Pacing the floor of the cabin as the ship rocked back and forth, Charlee was reminded of the small foothills of Isa Vis. Papa had sworn each and every one to her as a child, but after tonight she could never return to the beauty of her homeland or the life she’d lived. Too much had changed.

While Mama had lived there had been hope and maybe even after, if Charlee had understood how the Darkness infested her father, she could have brought back the Light. A mirthless laugh escaped her.

The illusive Light.

No. The Light was another’s destiny. Her destiny was part of the ocean, and after tonight it would never allow her freedom from it. The guilty deeds of the sea would be held to her account, and her price of freedom from men was bondage to its boundaries.

The storm raged. When would Malus come? He loved coming to her during the storm, loved pounding into her with the steep rhythm of a tempest.

The other men were simpletons, and she lorded their lust over them, oftentimes without their knowledge, and found protection from them in the prison of the captain’s bed.

But Malus was immune to her wiles; he was fully in control at all times. Her Light-given Gifts were of no use against the monster who held her chains. Boundless hate welled deep within her, but she hated herself more than her wicked pirate.

It wasn’t that he forcibly took her. She could have withstood that degradation. Or even that his tastes for pleasure ran heinous at times. What she despised the most was the traitorous way her body responded to his touch. That he held her captive wasn’t enough; he reveled in her shame as he brought her body to release again and again. Tonight I take my power back. Tonight I win the battle over what is mine.

The door opened. She lifted her gaze to the golden eyes of the demon pirate who ruled her world. His blond hair hung in thick waves over his shoulders. He staggered with effects of too much drink, his gauze tunic unlaced and untucked from his breeches. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his battle-scarred chest. Dominance mixed with sexuality rolled from him in waves.

He met her gaze with a smirk and slowly closed the door. Amused, her master pirate stared for a long moment as if to steady himself. Wildness raged in his eyes. Her heart quickened, fear mixing with desire to form a deadly cocktail.

Malus stalked to her, the clomp of his boots shooting pulses down her spine. He pulled her into a slow bruising kiss. She tasted salt and rum as his tongue thrashed between her lips. His hands fisted in the folds of her scarlet dress. Charlee reached for the hem of his tunic and pulled it over his head.

Never breaking contact with her, he unlaced the dressing gown and pushed it from her shoulders to the floor. His hot hands roamed her body, palming the hardened nipples of her breasts and sliding down her core to press his fingers between her legs. The tingling pressure built inside her, and with his lips, he withdrew her breath like a sea gale.

She unfastened his breeches and pushed them to his knees then shoved him across the bed.

He grasped her face, staring intently as she climbed astride him. No resistance tonight, milady? His eyes glittered in the light of the swaying lantern.

Oh, he loved when she resisted. Charlee smiled. No, Malus. Only benediction. She thrust down onto his engorged shaft.

With a groan of pleasure he released her face and grabbed her hips, arching in counterpoint. She rocked violently against him as she leaned backward over his thighs. Pleasure filling her empty spaces in mockery, the tension throbbed inside her core. She slipped her hand under the mattress and clasped the knife, pulling it out and gripping it firmly behind her. Her body exploded with the rhythm of pleasure and anticipation, contracting and releasing around him.

His eyes wide with surprise, he fisted his fingers in her hair, jerking her head forward to gaze in her eyes. No other will ever have you. You are mine.

His body shuddered, pulsing inside her.

Her heart cringed at the bitter words, and months of shackled rage bubbled to her surface. You’re wrong. She raised the knife high over her head, and his eyes caught sight of the forged metal, but it was too late. I’m my own.

With one swift move, Charlee plunged the blade deep into his chest.

Blood gushed from the wound, and Malus gurgled as he grabbed for the knife. A faint whisper escaped his lips as his eyes rolled back into his head. I am…dead.

His body went limp beneath her.

So am I.

*****

The wind blew long strands of hair into Charlee’s eyes. She swatted them from her face like she pushed back thoughts of her former life. There was no going back, and even if she could she didn’t want to. She’d made her choice just as those before her had, and might-have-beens were futile in her new world—a world she could navigate and rule. Standing at the bow of the great ship—her ship—as it sliced through the sapphire sea, she reveled in the heady feeling. Great waves bowed to her, tumbling in whitecaps as far in the distance as she could see. Sounds of her crew singing a tune as they went about her orders filled her ears. Master of herself and her ship. No man would ever again rule her.

Chapter One

Dalitus clomped across the bridge over the Itheris River, nearing the outer wall of the castle. Prince Petra patted the faithful stallion that had been his constant companion over his month-long travels to the Eastern Provinces of Jastain, the New Kingdom of Light.

In the five years since the defeat of Darkness and the previous king, Jastain had flourished under new rulership—the rulership of the Queen of Light.

The warm sun of late summer lit his path home, and he breathed in the intoxicating scent gifted by the surrounding lavender fields. Though his heart longed for fields of grain and corrals of horses, Petra’s Light-given Gifts of farming and animal husbandry took second place to the more urgently needed Gifting of diplomacy. His best friend, the queen, required a trustworthy ambassador to those provinces still wary of the new rule, and he’d proven his worth on this latest trip. His bones ached and dust from the long road clung to his body. A steaming bath beckoned and at least a month’s rest before his next assignment.

He smiled at the thought of revealing his news to the queen, but then sobered. Traveling the road for long stretches then dwelling in the homes of the provincial lords struck an acute chord in his heart—loneliness. He’d made many friends and allies on this journey, but he still had not found his own true love. Disappointment flared in his chest.

Since the restoration of the Kingdom of Light, far-reaching lands had finally returned to the realm after the years of separation under the Dark reign. He could take pride in those accomplishments, but he longed for the one most personal alliance he had yet to find.

While in the palace among Abby and Avant, the queen and king, the longings of Petra’s heart—and body—were kept at bay, but alone on the road and in the happy homes of strangers, his stark wanting came to focus. He desired a wife. A family of his own.

Dalitus trotted to the castle wall. The massive gates opened in welcome, the same gates he and his men had stormed to reclaim the throne for the Light.

Rushing to meet him before he cleared the gate, a young sentry sped to his side, panting from exertion. Your Highness, the queen requests your immediate presence.

How is that possible, soldier, when none but you know I’ve arrived?

She ordered it hours ago, Your Highness. There’s a grave emergency in the Southern Provinces that requires immediate assistance.

An emergency? That didn’t bode well for the kingdom—or his bath. Is that all?

The young man bent to catch his breath. Aye, Your Highness.

Petra smiled at the soldier’s zeal. Thank you. Send word to the queen I’m on my way.

The young man’s shoulders sagged, and he nodded before sprinting for the southern entrance.

Petra dismounted his horse and strode to the stables. He handed the reins to a stable boy. After a drink and splash of water over his face, he headed to the castle. What manner of emergency could have Abby in such a state?

Though she was married to the man who had raised him, the ruling queen was Petra’s age and his dearest friend. Abby had come to the land of Jastain six years before by way of