Knowing this would be the last kiss we’d share, I wanted it to go on forever, so it seemed all too soon when he pulled me up and let loose of my lips. “I love you, too, my friend, and like it or not, I will forever remember you as my white lily.”
X
Following Captain Kirkland to Wilshire Willows on a jolly cloud of dreams, I hardly remembered that I was walking into a world I did not belong in. Rather than looking at the wrought iron gates as prison bars, I admired the artwork of the scrolling metal. Instead of looking at the perfectly trimmed lawns and shrubs as a reflection of the fanciful place I fled in London, I admired the scent of the colorful blooms. And when Lord Lloyd Wilshire met us at the door and hugged me, acting like he cared about the loss of my father, it was easy enough to play the part of the polite little girl the world needed to believe I was. The Devil only knew what troubles would unravel as I attempted to settle here, but for the moment, all that mattered was seeing my mother again.
Lloyd ran his pompous mouth as we wound our way up the stairs, and boasted about his ridiculously expensive paintings when we headed down the hall. After showing me the massive bedroom that would now be my own, he said, “Your mother is very happy here and I know you will be, as well. Come this way. She is awaiting your arrival in her study.”
Lloyd let me in the room at the end of the hall, then shut the door behind me. I looked around at the blue room in wonder. The vaulted ceiling had white clouds painted on it, and the walls were covered in differently shaped canvases that I could tell she had painted. The images ranged from flowers to vases and other items from around the house, and there was a large one of a garden in bloom. As lovely as each piece was, the fact that there were no portraits of her favorite ships, and not a memory of the sea was expressed on the walls surrounding the well-furnished room, left me wondering how much she had changed.
From the look of things, it seemed she had spent most of her new life in this room. There was a fancy yellow sofa beneath the painting of the garden, and next to one of the many large windows, was a desk covered with paints and quills and rolls and rolls of parchment. Hell, there was even a canopy bed with layers of colorful curtains draping from the dark wooden rods. The curtains framing the massive windows were the same color. Her blasted bird, Sky, was perched neatly on a golden stand placed before the open veranda door. When an unexpected crack of thunder rocked the earth, he took flight. Watching his colorful wings expand and listening to them flap through the air, I watched with a shiver as he landed on her shoulder.
There she was.
Staring out of the massive window overlooking the rain splattered bay, stood the eye of the relentless storm that was my life. Midnight.
X
Keep a weather eye on the horizon for a new Endless Horizon Pirate Stories series
King of My Nightmare
The King of My Nightmare series will tell the life story of Uncharted Secrets respected supporting character, Mason Bentley.. Intrigued by the power of Mason’s reputation and the myths surrounding his legend, I decided to write about the trials and triumphs that make him into the revered buccaneer captain he is later known as.
This set of five full-length novels will start with his early life in the English countryside, show his rise to power among buccaneers, follow his adventures as one of the original Brethren of the Coast, and eventually throw him into the arms of Hurricane Hannah.
Through these books that are largely based on the true history of the buccaneers of the Caribbean, we will see just how this man who pirates feared, leaders respected, and women swooned for, was able to take reign of the nightmare of a life that he lived.
“My life hasn’t been a dream, either, sweetheart. But at least this way, I can be king of my nightmare.”
Be sure to look for more out & upcoming
Endless Horizon Pirate Stories
Uncharted Secrets
Uncharted Secrets
Queen Of My Nightmare
Every Time It Rains
Never Surrender
*Relentless Storm
X
Justified Treason
Justified Treason
Tarnished Persuasion
Wicked Rose
Gunpowder & Gold
*Honorable Betrayal
X
Tales Of A Navigator
The Only Life For Me
Bloodstained Blade
Tale Of A Traveler
*Two Days From Tortuga
*Upcoming
EndlessHorizonDesigns.com
PIRATE STORIES ARE ENDLESS LIKE THE HORIZON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cristi Taijeron
Other than writing pirate stories, I’m a stay-at-home mother who also does the bookkeeping at the auto shop my husband and I own. I enjoy off-road adventures through the desert as much as I love building sandcastles at the beach, and at home I have a flower garden I tend to. Though I have been passionate about drawing, painting, and writing for most of my life, it has always been my greatest dream to publish a novel. Inspiration is everywhere, and seeking it daily, there is never a dull moment in my world.
To learn more about my inspiration for these stories, along with more information on the history of pirates, please visit:
facebook.com/EndlessHorizonPirateStories
EndlessHorizonDesigns.com
Brighten Your Horizons
Never Surrender (Uncharted Secrets, Book 4): Endless Horizon Pirate Stories Page 17
