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Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Copyright
  3. Author's Note
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. Other Books by Pam Godwin
  63. About Pam Godwin
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Everything inside me cried out, begging him to meet my eyes and reassure me that he had a plan, one that wouldn’t end us. Not like this.

But he didn’t. He didn’t look, didn’t try to send me a hint or give me a sign. Nothing.

It hurt. God’s wounds, it hurt far more than I thought it could. This didn’t even feel like a good-bye. I just felt…forgotten.

Fingers curled around my arms and wrenched me toward the stern, where the ladder to the jolly boat waited. Fighting my escorts and the hundreds of other armed men around me would only speed up my execution. I had no choice but to comply.

As I was ushered off HMS Blitz, I twisted my neck, trying to find Ashley among the scattering of soldiers. When I spotted him, it was only his back, where he vanished below deck. He hadn’t glanced back to check on me, hadn’t waited to see me off his ship and out of his life.

As I slid over the gunwale and descended the ladder, I couldn’t feel the rungs beneath my hands. As I was rowed to the flagship, I couldn’t hear the waves over the drubbing of my heart. As I climbed aboard my new prison, I couldn’t see the horizon through the blurry smear of wetness in my eyes.

Priest wouldn’t know to look for me here. This wasn’t the ship he was hunting.

Every plan I’d made to escape lay in ruin.

Because I’d fallen in love with yet another man who would never choose me first.

The desolation was all-consuming, unfathomable, dragging me into the unsearchable depths of the darkest abyss. And that was nothing compared to what was coming.

Little did I know, I’d just been delivered into an infernal hell that would surpass the very limits a human soul could withstand.

35

I was immediately put under the decks by two of the admiral’s lieutenants, who looked like brothers with their matching stern expressions and white periwigs. They handled me with less care than one would give a goat as they kicked, shoved, and dragged me to the bilge.

I’d expected the rough treatment but not what followed.

A wad of cloth was forced into my mouth. A ring of iron went around my neck, attached to a chain. Shackles were clapped onto my wrists and ankles. My boots came off. Then I was stripped to my skin.

They didn’t bother with the laces on my bodice and stays. Steel blades ripped through the fabric, removing the gown in strips. Thankfully, they left the jade stone on the choker at my throat. Perhaps because they didn’t see it beneath the iron collar.