CHAPTER 1
JENNER
The scream split the air.
“Our ship—she’s on us!” my captain shouted, voice raw as the sea itself.
I froze on the deck, salt stinging my lips, the wind whipping my hair across my face. Shouts rose around me. I knew before I even saw them. Pirates.
The black sails cut across the horizon like knives. The closer they came, the louder the cheers of men who had nothing to lose.
“No, no, no…” I whispered. My hands shook, but I gripped the railing like it could save me.
“Miss Jenner!” one of the crew grabbed my arm. “Hide!”
But there was nowhere to hide. The ships collided with a deafening crack.
And then—I saw him.
The pirate captain.
Tall. Broad. Movements like a predator cutting through prey. A scar ran across his cheek, slicing through his beauty and making him mor
