bread—not even fit for a hungry shark.

He sat the tray down, then opened her cell.

Despite her gnawing hunger, she met his hard stare. “I refuse to eat that.” She flicked her hand. “Take it away.”

He rushed over to her and snatched her arm, pulling her close. He was more than a head taller and seventy times stronger. He lifted her off the floor, her feet dangling. His thick red beard flickered over her chin, making her shiver, and his red eyes chilled her blood.

~ A Pirate’s Darkness:

June 1671

Isle of Tortuga

The angry flames grew hotter and higher, casting eerie shadows in the witch’s parlor. A glistening of sweat slipped down the temples of Penelope’s face. She squirmed in a wooden chair, winding her shaking hands into the folds ofher dress.

“Morgana, why are we calling upon the demon Natasa?”

Penelope had never met a demon, and the stories of the black-hearted demoness made her want to jump out of the chair and race out of the room. After her mother died, her father had told her that she was the key in protecting her people as long as she remained pure. Before she left to care for Angelica during her pregnancy, he had called her to his private chambers. His words echoed in his head.

“Penelope, your power is growing, and it will be strong enough to protect your people from the humans and the demons that hunt them––as long as you do not taint your soul.”

Unfortunately, meeting with a demon would mean breaking the rule.

Morgana Fey opened an