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Weaving down alleys to move closer to the water, I slipped through a door, then downstairs, upstairs, and through another door. I finally climbed the steps of an abandoned building, hidden away from human eyes in this town.

“Secret code?” a voice asked at the same time a gun was put to my temple.

“Really?” I rolled my eyes.

“You never know. I should fully inspect to see if it’s really you.” A man’s voice nipped in my ear, his hands sliding down my hips. “Caught in your knickers again, Kitty-Kat?”

Only one person was allowed to call me that.

“Fuck off, Gage. And get your hands off me.” I twisted my head close to his mouth; the coyness in my tone was laced with warning. “Or you will have one ball missing by morning.”

“Back off, Gage.” A deep grumble came out of the shadows as the man strolled up to me, no doubt spotting my healing cuts and bruises, taking in my lack of clothing and the scent of sex billowing off me. A flutter of sadness graced his face before he schooled it into a neutral expression. I tried to pretend I didn’t see his hurt every time I came back from a night of “letting off some steam” and that I didn’t feel his disappointment and pain.

We knew each other too well not to recognize what the other one felt. We had been children together. He was the only one here I truly trusted entirely with my life. He found me again after my father was murdered. Had been by my side since, helping while our crew expanded and assisting in developing my plan to take to the high seas and find the man who killed my father, who destroyed my life.

“Kat.” His violet eyes tracked me as I strolled past him, heading into our hideout. He walked next to me.

“I think with this, we can finally afford to get back on the sea.” I handed him the box. As he peered inside, I exhaled. My dream of captaining a ship was so close I could taste the salty air on my tongue. “With you by my side, we can get a ship.” I nudged my friend. “We can track him down…”

“He hasn’t been spotted in decades.” He peered at me, slight annoyance in his gaze. He didn’t grasp my obsessive need for revenge. “Maybe he’s already dead.”

“Oh, he’s out there. And I will track him down for what he did to my father. For what he did to me.” My lip lifted in a snarl, my mind trickling back to when pirates controlled the seas andthe Silver-Tongue Devilwas among the most revered. There was a time when I had adored him, thought the world began and ended with him.

“And, Killian, not only will I find him… I willkillCroygen.”

Chapter 2

Katrina

The 1700s - The Golden Era of Pirates

The sun sparkled off the clear blue water, the warm sun already trickling sweat down my back. A seagull glided overhead, coasting toward the island not too far away. It was one of those perfect days, and all I wanted to do was jump overboard and swim in the cool water.

“Katrina!” My name was clipped, yanking me back to dark eyes narrowed on me from my teacher. “Pay attention!”

“Sorry, Master Yukimura.” I bowed my head, adjusting my stance and gripping the bamboo stick in my hand. The boy across from me snickered. When I stuck my tongue out at him, his response was to do the same back.

“Katrina…” Master Yukimura frowned.

I had been scolded a lot lately because I wasn’t very “ladylike,” as if when I turned twelve, I was supposed to act like a proper girl. I had been raised on this ship with all men, running around, playing tag and hide-and-go-seek, scrubbing the deck, and climbing the shrouds and masts.

It had never been a problem until now.

“Posture straight!” Master yelled at both of us, tapping my back. “Get into strike position.” He circled us, correcting any tiny thing he saw wrong. Sometimes we would train for hours just to get our breathing and stance right.

It started as something to keep us busy, the only two kids on the ship, with abundance of energy. Yukimura started teaching us Kenjutsu and Kendo, sword fighting techniques from his homeland, probably so we’d stop annoying him, but along the way it became a daily occurrence. Something both of us took seriously.

“Let’s see if you can get one hit in this time,Kitty-Kat.” Violet eyes sparkled back at me, a grin hitching his mouth.

“Shut up,Leo,” I taunted back.

“Don’t. Call. Me. That.” His lids narrowed, his shoulders rolling back, his jaw tightening. I always knew how to rile him up. Hehatedhis real name. His father’s name. He hated anything that had to do with his past. A reminder his father neglected and abused him, basically throwing him out on the streets at six years old. He was put into a poorhouse where his supposed best friend, Hazem, tried to kill him in his sleep because he was the favored kid, being far better at pickpocketing, and getting extra helpings and attention. The orphanage owner, a dirty gambler, taught all the kids to steal to pay their way. He was the best thief there, and Hazem was jealous. He still bore the scar where Hazem stabbed him.

He ran away and stowed away on our ship.

That’s where Captain found him, down in the hull. A dirty, half-starved, scrappy kid. He had survived most of his life stealing and pickpocketing to feed himself. Instead of throwing him off at the next port, Captain made him crew. We became instant friends. He’d been with us for about three years now.

“Oh, sorry,Killian.” I smirked, lifting my bamboo sword.