The Pirate Prince (Pirate's Booty Series, Book Five) Read Online Free PDF

for he would be her husband and only through him could she gain great power. That was truly what women must seek, Hasna had explained. Love was a luxury women couldn’t afford, a fairytale, for no such thing as true, selfless love existed except between a mother and her child and even then it was questionable at best.
    These insights puzzled Azara. She knew Oma loved her and she loved Oma, but she was always uncertain about her mother’s feelings, which seemed to center around her father. Her father, in turn, took her mother’s adulation as his due and paid her little attention except at state affairs and even there if a pretty face caught his eye, he felt no hesitation to flirt outrageously and leave the salon with a woman other than her mother on his arm. Many times, Azara had seen her mother turn away in tearful humiliation. So she’d come full circle then. Hasna’s words were true. Her thoughts turned to Rajak and her heart hardened to him.

 

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    “Land, ho,” came the cry from the crow’s nest.
    All the men rushed to the rail to see for themselves. Even Rajak turned hungry eyes to the smudge of land on the horizon, the first of the islands that ringed Madagascar. Within a fortnight, they’d reach Port Dauphin. Though he’d grown used to life aboard a ship, he’d not come to enjoy it. He much preferred firm earth beneath his feet and broader places to roam than a ship’s deck. Now he thought of the lush greenery of the island, the sweet water of its streams and the palace he’d built high above the brawling pirate village and its minions. Ocean breezes cooled him, exotic birds called from the swaying trees and perfumed scents wafted from the tropical forests. His life was not unpleasant. Still, he was restless, in need of his life back the way it was meant to be. He was a shah, not a pirate.
    The fact that his brother sat on his throne rankled more than anything else. Rumors of Mohan’s excesses and his laziness in defending his borders, of his self-indulgences and his failure to take care of his people, came to Rajak, further galvanizing him to anger and unrest. If things continued, the kingdom would suffer beyond repair.
    “Pah!” Rajak said, turning away from the ocean and glancing along the deck.
    A radiant patch of color caught his eye. Princess Azara had come on deck with her ladies and the old crow of a servant, Oma. His men had long since given up their quest to see land and were intently watching the women who lined the railing dressed in bright silks made brilliant in the sunlight. The wind blew against them, alternately billowing the delicate garments and plastering them against their bodies. Rajak could almost hear his men salivating but didn’t rebuke them. His own gaze was pinned on Princess Azara. She stood braced against the ship’s roll, her legs slightly apart, her face turned to the ocean breeze. The wind tangled in her veil, unraveling it from her head so her hair blew free, blue-black and glossy in the sunlight. Her silhouette was easily revealed from her delicate features to the shape of her breasts and thighs. The silk bunched against her crotch, causing his mouth to water. How could such a small, dainty woman be so desirable? She was little more than a child, but he knew that wasn’t true. With the help of one of the amir’s women, he’d been allowed to observe the princess when she rose from her bath and he’d seen she was unblemished and perfect in her form. But more than that, her hips and breasts had revealed she was a woman—full grown.
    She turned to clear the wind-blown hair from her face and caught him staring at her from the top deck. Her look of abandoned ecstasy was replaced with a frown of annoyance. She drew herself up and wrapped the silks about her securely, even covering her hair. Sharply, she called to her serving women, and they clustered around her so all he could see was the top of her head.
    Angered that she’d caught