Heather Graham - [Camerons Saga - North American Woman 02] Read Online Free PDF

to parry his lethal blow without a second to spare. She could watch no one else, for she was suddenly thrust into a violent struggle for her own life. The blond furiously lunged toward her. She leaped aside and parried, and caught his throat with the tip of her sword. With a peculiar whishing sound, he fell before her. She gasped, staggering. She could hear the clang of steel around her.
    And then, suddenly, she could not.
    The deck had fallen silent once again.
    And even the wind had died.
    Gray rose around her. The gray of the storm that teased and threatened, the gray from black powder and shot, from battle and burning. It rose like a curious fog, as if she had been cast upon the London stage.
    And all those around her were curious players.
    Once again, pirates ranged about the ship’s deck. The crew, she saw, had been ushered toward the aft cabin and were being held there at sword’s point.
    The second officer held young Davey, and Davey, coming to, held his own head.
    One-Eyed Jack would never leer her way again. He lay dead in a pool of blood by the mizzenmast.
    And resting upon the fine teak balustrade leading to the helm was the pirate, Silver Hawk.
    Silver Hawk, standing well over six feet tall, with his elegantly plumed hat, his black-gloved hands resting upon the hilt of his sword, the point of that sword scarring the deck. He stared at Skye, and her fallen, blond-haired opponent.
    “Bravo, milady. Now be a good girl and cast down your sword.”
    He had taken the ship, that much was obvious. But she had not surrendered to the first set of pirates; she was not about to surrender to this new rogue.
    She shook her head. He cocked his own in curious surprise and pushed away from the balustrade, coming toward her.
    “You’ll not surrender, milady?”
    “Never,” she said softly.
    A hysterical cry came her way. “Throw it down! Milady, throw it down, he’ll let you live!” It was Bess. She’d been thrust into the arms of one of the new pirates, a young fellow with dark eyes and striking features. “Mother of God, milady, he’ll let us live, he’ll—”
    “Shush now, ye hussy!” the dark-haired man interrupted her, squeezing her tight about the middle. “Captain,” he complained. “What’ll we do with these ’uns here?”
    The Silver Hawk shook his head, his eyes never leaving Skye’s. “Whatever you so desire, Peter. Whatever you so desire.”
    A boisterous cry went up among the men.
    And then young Davey suddenly broke away from the young ship’s officer who held him. He lunged toward the Silver Hawk.
    The pirate moved back with the speed and agility of a tiger. Davey would die, and Skye knew it.
    “No!” she screamed. She cast herself between the pirate and the lad. Davey flew against her and fell to the deck.Sprawled in her petticoats and torn skirts, Skye tried to rise. The pirate stood before her, reaching down a hand.
    She ignored it.
    She managed to roll, and she leaped to her feet, angling back, her blade wagging before her.
    The pirate paused, laughing. He bowed to her very deeply. “As you wish it, milady.” He cast his left hand behind his back, and raised his sword. “Someone get the lad. He seems to offer his lady a foolish loyalty, and I’d not want to slay him for it!”
    A man came forward for Davey. The boy struggled fiercely, but Skye could pay him no more mind. The Silver Hawk stepped toward her, his blade flashed.
    The clash was terrible. She could barely keep her hand upon the hilt of her sword.
    She had asked for death. She could not fight this man. Yet if she did not fight, didn’t she face a fate worse than death at his hands? She did not know, she only knew that the battle was engaged, and that if she turned to run, he would probably cleave her into two pieces. The man reeked of his bloody strength, of his fascinating agility, of a masculinity so strong that it caused her to quake as well as shiver, to falter when she should have found courage.
    “Milady!” he