Calthraca: Secrets And The Sea [A Calthraca Novel]

by Camryn Cutler

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  Whiskey Creek Press

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Copyright ©2008 by WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Published by

  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT

  Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press:

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  About the Author

  For your reading pleasure, we invite you to visit our web bookstore

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  CATHRACA: SECRETS

  AND THE SEA

  by

  Camryn Cutler

  WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Published by

  WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

  Whiskey Creek Press

  PO Box 51052

  Casper, WY 82605-1052

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Copyright © 2008 by Camryn Cutler

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-60313-367-8

  Credits

  Cover Artist: Nancy Donahue

  Editor: Kate Scott

  Printed in the United States of America

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT

  CALTHRACA: SECRETS AND THE SEA

  "Kate Lamb always wanted to take a vacation hiking in the Alps but she never expected to end up in a completely different world from her own. In fact, she ends up in a world where slavery is a common occurrence and women are rarely free to live their own lives. After being captured, she is purchased in the slave markets by Esteban Magalia, for a reasonably low price, considering she's a hellion who refuses to bend to the rules of a slave. In order for Esteban to enjoy his new slave, he must first earn her trust but how do you instill trust in a woman who refuses to agree to be his slave?

  "Secrets and the Sea has a unique blend between fantasy, historical romance and piracy on the high seas. I couldn't put this book down and spent hours holed up in my room, eagerly reading. Kate has a strong personality, unwilling to be the victim and stands up for herself, even when she probably shouldn't. Esteban has the heart of a gentleman, although he fights his dark pirate side that wants to take what he perceives as his. The blend of these two characters makes for exciting fireworks, even as the flame dies down and the passion ensues ... With a quick pace and unique storyline, Ms. Cutler has written a keeper that is instilled with a sense to historical poignancy and true love. Overall, I enjoyed it."

  Francesca Hayne

  Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  Rating: 4 Stars

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press:

  www.whiskeycreekpress.com

  Calthraca: The Tiger

  Tengri Khan, requires a wife to inherit his kingdom. Used to taking what he wants, he finds his mate and kidnaps her.

  Princess Adama Fawkes is strong and determined, she is a formidable match for the man who has no idea she will melt his frozen heart and seize his very soul.

  Calthraca: Adamare

  Adama Fawkes, now queen, is kidnapped by a ruthless bounty hunter. To make matters worse, her daughter is missing. Adama must plan an escape.

  Kesim Trasain is a powerful sorcerer placed in the court of the Basaltic Empress. Sent to aid Adama, he does not yet realize that she is the woman fated to be his.

  Calthraca: Surrender Love

  He had been her first lover. When Tengri-Khan, died, Adama had wanted to die with him.

  Now older and wiser, Adama has found her fated love in Kesim. They thought their journey was over and they had earned some peace. But fate had other plans.

  Black Angel in Torrid Teasers Volume 35

  Isobel Carter finds herself in and unlikely position; captive upon a Spanish galleon and bed wench to a pirate. Alejandro Garcia Ramirez, has shown her incredible pleasure, but desires her complete submission. Can she resist the will of the Black Angel or will she be consumed?

  Calthraca: The Fox

  Adama Fawkes has loved three men in her life but a new trial faces her. When Kesim and Adama are forced to return to Lyros, what they do there will determine the course of their lives forever.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my best friend Kristen.

  Although you're no longer with us, I think of you often and I know you're proud of me.

  I wish I'd told you how much I loved you more often.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter 1

  Kate Lamb brushed a fallen blonde lock from her forehead and looked up at the clock. The stress from her last day of work before her vacation started to ebb away immediately, and she smiled—it was ten minutes to five, almost time to leave.

  She closed the portfolio in front of her, an ad for a new ISP called Delcom. It featured a scantily-clad model, reclined on a red sports car and read Crazy, Sexy, Fast! An upstart internet provider, the company promised to do well since it had gone public, and she briefly wondered if she ought to buy some stock on the ground floor.

  Maybe when I get back.

  Hopefully her work on this campaign would solidify the new vice president's position she'd been given this week.

  Working insane hours and having no social life had rewarded her with the promotion, and she knew crazier hours and even less personal time would be the way to keep it.

  Of course, the incredible vacation she was about to take was part of her bonus for all her hard work. Mr. Bline—Matt, she corrected, had been so impressed he'd given her what he'd called ‘a small incentive reward', but to Kate it was a dream vacation. A walking trip through the Swiss Alps. An avid hiker, she'd dreamed of one day doing this trip, and now it was finally a reality.

  Her plane would leave Newark at nine tonight, and she'd be in Bern by tomorrow morning.

  It amazed her how well Matt knew her. Instead of a fancy luxury vacation, he'd arranged this walking trip from one hostel to another until she reached Montreaux, where she'd stay in one of the
finest hotels on the continent.

  Never in a million years would she have guessed that he knew about her hobby, but she supposed it went with the territory, knowing one's employees.

  After shutting down her computer and locking her files, she moved from her new, mostly empty office out to the common area.

  Linda, the secretary for the entire office, sat with her headphones on, reading from a glamour magazine. She was young, maybe twenty, with a sweet face and a nice personality. She went to school part-time and worked here full-time, and Kate liked her despite the difference in their ages. Around them, she noticed the other artists and personnel getting ready to leave for their weekend, too.

  When Linda saw Kate, she removed one of her earbuds and smiled. “Getting ready to go?"

  "Yes, I am ... God, I can't wait!” Kate set her keys on the shelf in front of Linda who stashed them in her desk drawer. “Remember, only Mr. Bline has access to my files, okay?"

  Linda nodded. “What about your emails?"

  "He's got my password info, and I auto-forwarded everything to him, plus I'll be able to check from the hostels when I arrive."

  "You're so brave to do this trip alone. I mean, I don't think I could go to a foreign country by myself. I'd be too scared.” Linda shuddered and closed her eyes theatrically.

  "It's really not a big deal; I've traveled by myself before,” Kate replied.

  "Yeah, but I'd keep thinking of that movie, you know? The one where those people get killed while they're on vacation in Europe?"

  Kate rolled her eyes and briefly considered telling the girl that she was in more danger going to the parking garage, but decided not to. “Yes, I know the movie. Don't worry, Linda, I'll be back in two weeks, and I'll bring you some Swiss chocolates."

  "Thanks, Kate. Have a safe trip, okay?"

  "I will.” Kate moved away to the elevators and paused briefly outside Mr. Bline's closed office door for a moment then decided to knock.

  "Come in!” he called and Kate opened the door.

  "Mr. Bline, I mean ... Matt.” Kate smiled nervously. “I just wanted to thank you again for this. Well, the vacation and the promotion and everything."

  Matthew Bline was an attractive man in his late thirties. Tall, auburn-haired and tan, he radiated waves of power and attraction that Kate found hard to resist. She imagined most women had the same impression. Worst of all, she suspected he knew it. He was warm and charming and funny. Articulate, educated and most definitely married.

  Really, too bad all in all.

  He reclined back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head and grinned at Kate. “Don't thank me. You earned this."

  "Well, still, it's very generous of you."

  "Let's see how generous you think I am when I'm working you to death with three or four projects and a deadline."

  Kate couldn't help but smile at that; she knew he wasn't kidding. “So, it looks like I'll be seeing you in Montreaux."

  Kate paused for a moment. “You will?"

  "Yes, I'm going on vacation, too. One of my stops is Montreaux, so I'm sure we'll run into each other, at least at the hotel."

  "Oh, but I forwarded my mail and everything to you,” Kate said lamely.

  "That's all right, it'll be a working vacation. Unfortunately, I don't take many that aren't."

  This was news to Kate.

  "Will you and your wife be doing some skiing?"

  "No, my wife will be on her annual Caribbean cruise. Maybe we can have dinner while you're there?"

  "Ah, yes ... maybe.” Okay, am I crazy or was that a proposal?

  "You'd better get going or you'll miss your flight,” Matt said. He grinned and Kate wasn't sure why it suddenly made her uncomfortable.

  "Yes ... Thanks again, Mr.... uh, Matt."

  He raised a hand and Kate exited the office, cursing herself for having gone in there to begin with.

  Kate stepped into the elevator and hit the lobby key. She hoped that he hadn't taken their conversation as some kind of veiled hint. Riding the elevator down, she continued to turn the whole incident over in her mind. At last she emerged into the huge and opulent lobby of Matox and Bline Advertising, moved to the revolving door and hailed a cab.

  Kate sat in the cab and exhaled, putting the conversation out of her mind. She was going to Switzerland!

  Kate arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, the desk agent told her that the flight she had hurried to catch was now going to be delayed for two hours.

  Kate sighed and dragged her backpack across the airport concourse to the small convenience store. She hadn't bothered with any luggage aside from her pack, so there was no need to worry about baggage. One less thing to get screwed up.

  She decided to kill some time by prowling through the magazine rack. The first one she picked up was heavy, glossy and expensive. She leafed through it, making unconscious faces at the ads.

  Some she thought were pretty good, others she recognized from her firm, but most of them were just awful. After leafing through three or four more, she replaced the magazine she held and moved to the bookshelf. She picked out a light romance novel, less than two hundred pages, something simple to read on the flight and destined to be left on a bench in another airport.

  On her way out she also added a bottle of migraine tablets and a can of energy drink to her purchases, then found a seat and waited.

  When she finally arrived in Bern, there was a car waiting for her. She'd surprised her hosts by only staying an hour before heading off on the first trail. She dashed up the stairs to the common bathroom and quickly changed into her hiking gear: heavy boots; shorts; a tank top and a long-sleeved blouse which she wore tied around her waist. She'd joined the other hikers for a quick breakfast, then thanked the owners and headed out the door.

  Kate hiked along a shaded path clearly outlined on her day-tripper's map. She laughed a little at the title. It reminded her of the Beatles tune, and she hummed the song as she walked.

  She shivered at the cold breeze and rubbed her shoulders to warm them, but didn't bother to put on the shirt; she knew she'd warm up quickly with the exertion of the walk. The other hikers had assured her this was a beautiful path and they were right. She took out her digital camera and snapped a picture of a particularly striking vista. She could see a tiny village in a secluded valley, its church spire reaching heavenward, framed by the snowcapped peaks behind it. That shot would make a great print, and she knew exactly where she would hang it in her new office.

  The little camera beeped at her, letting her know she'd nearly exceeded the available memory on the stick, and she made a mental note to upload the pictures to her Picture-Pail account when she got to the next hostel.

  Her plan was to hike the thirty miles to that hostel, arriving early in the evening, having left just past dawn.

  As she continued along the path, she heard what sounded to her like chanting or singing coming from somewhere nearby. She kept moving, fully expecting to see the people at every turn, but didn't encounter them. She knew that sounds tended to carry in the mountains but it was unsettling to keep hearing people, yet not seeing them.

  Kate continued along the rocky path, kicking gravel along in an unconscious cadence to the chanting. It was hypnotic and she was lulled, not really paying attention until the voices began to get louder and she stopped.

  Looking around, she discovered she'd covered several miles without really even knowing it; without observing the views or the woods around her, something very unlike her. That disquieting realization made her more uncomfortable than the cold breeze and she shivered again at a chill that ran up her spine. Were they following her?

  She turned her head in the direction of the voices, half expecting to see someone watching her, and recalled the conversation she'd had with Linda before she left.

  Stop it right now. You're creeping yourself out!

  Kate's fear slowly faded to irritation at her own paranoia. She hadn't come all this wa
y to have her vacation ruined by a bunch of singers, and she wasn't about to allow a case of the creeps to do it either. She decided to investigate the voices and settle her nerves once and for all. Still a note of prudence rang through her, and she decided there was no reason to barge in on people who might not be doing anything at all sinister. She'd just find out what was going on, then leave them in peace.

  She made her way down the rough embankment, into the trees that lined the path. Instinctively she knew the group was nearby, but they were far enough from the trail that they couldn't be seen through the thick brush and trees.

  She cautiously approached, and as she did the voices became clearer. She could now make out both male and female tones and realized there were quite a number of people ahead. They stood around a fire in a circle, hands linked, chanting their song. As though the scene weren't ominous enough, all of them wore long, black, hooded robes and Kate stopped quickly.

  She looked around, noticing the forest was quite a bit darker than the path, and that unwelcome sense of fear tugged at her again. This was a really stupid idea.

  She stepped behind a large tree and leaned into the rough bark, holding herself up for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Maybe she ought to just get back on the path and get the heck out of here? What if they were doing something sinister? Was that something she really wanted to witness? Not to mention the fact that she probably placed herself in danger with her rash decision.

  Okay, I'm just going to back out of here slowly and quietly before anyone sees me, and then move along.

  The voices began to grow to a deafening volume, and she stepped backward, convinced that despite their singing, the merest twig snap would alert them to her presence.

  Focused on the group before her, Kate had only moved a few cautious paces backward when a hand fell hard on her shoulder. She shrieked and whirled to face her assailant.

  He was at least a foot taller than her, his face hidden in the shadows of the deep hood he wore. Kate screamed again, but before her terrified brain could force her legs to move, she was lifted and thrown over his shoulder.