Cutlass (Cutlass
#1)
by Ashley
Nixon
Release
Date: 11/13/14
Summary
from Goodreads: Notorious
pirate Barren Reed has one thing
on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his
enemy's fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.
Larkin
Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality
is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.
But
when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone,
a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity
to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of
pirates
set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s
own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest
enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than
he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.
Barren’s eyes
grew dark, and his lips twisted into a faint smile. “I was prepared to die,” he
said. “You had everything before you—a way to return home, wealth…”
“But nothing I want,” she said,
quietly.
Barren’s eyes narrowed. “What do you
want?”
Larkin looked away and took a deep
breath. “Not the life I had.”
“When did you make that decision?”
“When you almost died.” She looked
at him again and her eyes were bright with emotions Barren’s couldn’t quite
discern.
“Well, we’re even now—one for one,”
he said and walked forward, taking the helm. “You’ve been going the wrong
direction for the past five minutes.”
“Sorry,” she blushed, stepping away.
“And you’re wrong—it’s two for one. You saved me from the Orient.”
Barren smirked. “Well, you owe me
one then, but I’d rather you not have to save my life again.”
“Why? Because I am a girl?”
“No,” Barren shook his head. “Because
I should be able to protect my own crew.”
“Then what do I owe you?”
“A chance to prove I am not a bad
person.”
“I don’t think you’re a bad person.”
Barren smirked. “Yes you do…I can
see it in your eyes, hear it in your questions. You speak to me with accusation
in your voice.”
Larkin’s eyes grew dark. “Why do you
care about my opinion?”
Barren considered that for a moment.
He supposed he only cared to be understood, and yet he was soliciting
understanding from a girl who’d been fed realities of the world by her father.
She trusted too much in the title of a man, believing that it, not his
conscience, gave him honesty.
Her opinion really shouldn’t matter,
but Barren was confused; if she thought he was such a horrible person, she
should have let William kill him.
“You seem to think you are immune to
the realities of this life, but if you stay in it long enough, they will
corrupt you. It’s already begun. You protected me over your fiancé, wounded him
even. Am I to believe it is because you felt I was the better man?”
“Truly,” Larkin said. “Things are
not always as they seem, but if you are insinuating I will become just like
you, you’re wrong. I have a conscience. I could not live with myself if I hurt
anyone.”
“Oh, I would never believe you’d be capable of
hurting anyone, Mrs. Reed.”
Larkin slapped him. The sting of her
hand made Barren flinch. “That’s for breaking your promise!” she said
vehemently. After a final furious glare, she stormed away, disappearing in the
darkness.
Barren sighed. “I’m an idiot.”
Playlist:
Break of Reality
- Vintage
Eliza Carthy -
Rolling Sea
Paramore -
Renegade
Imagine Dragons
- Bleeding Out
Circadian Eyes -
Rain
Lisa Gerrard -
Aria
Philip Wesley -
The Approaching Night
Plumb - In My
Arms
John Dreamer -
Rise
Apocalyptica -
Epilogue
Kate Rusby -
Sleepless Sailor
About
the Author Ashley
was born and raised in Oklahoma, where the
wind
really does sweep down the plains, and horses and carriages aren't used as much
as she'd like. When she's not writing, she's hard at work on her Master's degree
in Library Science and Information Technology, working out, or pretending
she's Sherlock Holmes. Her obsession with writing began after
reading
the Lord of the Rings in the eighth grade. Since then, she's loved
everything
Fantasy--resulting in an unhealthy obsession with the 'geek' tab on
Pinterest,
where all things awesome go.
Author Links:
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