There was a pile of loose clothing in the sand nearby, and footprints that led from there into the lake. “Stop dawdling, Torie!” Annabel shouted. “The water’s fine!”
Victorie blushed but smiled as she peeled off the rest of her clothes. She walked over to the shore and saw Annabel’s head and shoulders sticking above the surface of the lake. Victorie started to cover herself, but chuckled as she lowered her arms.
Annabel felt her heart pounding. “Gods and devils,” she said. “Torie...you’re beautiful. You truly are.”
Victorie’s blush deepened. “You scamp,” she said softly as she walked into the water.
Annabel rose to greet her, the water pouring down her body. “Am I your scamp?” she whispered.
“Aye.” Victorie smiled. “And you are still a lovely woman.”
With a smile, Annabel walked over to Victorie and took her shoulders. Her throat started to go dry as she looked her girlfriend in the eyes. “No more waiting, Torie,” she said. “It’s been long enough. I want you. Now.”
Without a word, Victore pulled Annabel to her. They kissed, softly at first, then more and more urgently. Their bodies pressed together, and Annabel felt her passion rise. She moved back slightly and kissed Torie’s neck as her hands slid down past her lover’s shoulders.
“Yes,” Victorie gasped. She looked deep into Annabel’s eyes. “I want you too, Annabel. No more ‘prim and proper’.”
“Show me, then,” Annabel whispered, her knees shaking.
Victorie moved behind Annabel, nuzzling her neck as her hands started to slide along the curves of her body. Annabel squeezed her eyes shut and gave in to her passion, gasping in pleasure, delighting in her ecstasy. Her joy that was only made even greater by knowing that it was Victorie’s hands and lips that were bringing her bliss. In those moments Annabel knew, deep in her heart, that she was falling in love with Victorie.
***
“This had better be good,” the Svendaran said as he sat down in the meeting room. “I’m missing a steak dinner for this.”
“Well, you don’t want to know what I’m missing, Alfraic.” The older Svendaran grinned lewdly.
“Spare me.” Alfraic rolled his eyes. “Is that them?”
The other Svendaran nodded as two more entered the room. The elderly wizard closed the door as Jonsson walked over to the table, his clockwork leg whirring as he sat down. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I wouldn’t have called you in without good reason. We have word from Twynbey.”
“It’s good news, I trust.”
“It is. We lost most of the crew of the ship we hired to trail the Peregrine, but Captain Skyblade has retrieved the treasure chest from Fingolf’s Cave.”
“Do we know yet what’s in there?” the older Svendaran asked.
“Not yet, but we will. We’ve ordered the surviving crew to get that chest, and Gylfard’s Fury is already sailing for Twynbey.” Jonsson folded his hands. “We will have that treasure.”
The wizard cleared his throat. “Are we sure that what’s in that chest will be worth all this time and trouble?”
“Our contacts in Cerindel say it will be. And if our sources are correct, the Beast of Kharnitil will soon be ours.” Jonsson smiled cruelly, tapping his leg. “Soon, Cerindel will fall...and I will have my revenge on Captain Skyblade.”
Thanks for reading Skyblade's Claim! If you enjoyed it, I’d be grateful if you could take the time to leave a review on Amazon, and talk about this book (and the other Plundered Chronicles stories) on social media!
Here's how to keep up with Annabel, Victorie, and new releases in The Skyblade Saga (and other stories by Robert Dahlen):
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And I'm even on DeviantArt! http://robbrain.deviantart.com/
Also by Robert Dahlen
The Monkey Queen Series
Of Introductions And Abductions
The Brigadoon Boondoggle
Under The Stars Of Faerie
A Tiding Of Magpies
Redblade
The Crown Of Kylthena
And more to come!
The Peavley Manor Series
Fantasy comedies of manners and mayhem!
Book Fair Frenzy (Or, Macalley Turns The Page)
The Thorn Harbour Road Rally (Or, Macalley Takes The Wheel)
MORE FROM THE PLUNDERED WORLD
“Write what you love and the rest will follow.”
These words I heard from Rita Mae Brown decades before she became my good friend, and—boy—was she ever right. Years later, the hero of the Plundered Chronicles, Quinn Gallagher, sprang from my head. Just like Athena, she took off running, swords glistening in the sunlight, hair swept back in a stylish pirate-tail.
Little did I know that when I ran after her, I would also run straight into an opportunity to share her with countless others as part of Amazon’s very first LGBT Kindle World. Wow, am I honored to be a part of this incredible community of readers, writers, and supporters. After all, our voices matter, our characters matter, and our stories need to be told!
If you’re ready to join us, buckle your boots, unsheathe your swords, and prepare yourself for a compilation of stories that take these troublemaking pirates to entirely new levels of awesomeness. Welcome to Kindle Worlds' official place for pirates, plunder, and pretty ladies (and gents!)—who will not only cut a wide swath on their way to great story-telling, but will also cut a path to your heart.
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as we have all enjoyed writing them for you,
Alex W.
START WITH THE ORIGINAL SERIES BY ALEX WESTMORE
Book 1: The Pirate’s Booty
Book 2: Shiver her Timbers
Book 3: Fire in the Hole
Book 4: Cutthroat Crusades
... with more coming soon!
AND THEN KEEP EXPLORING!
Much Ado about Pirates by Falcon Storm
Sayyida by K’Anne Meinel
The House at Sea by R.J. Blain
The Time Parlay by Jill Cooper
The Girl Who Touched the Stars by M.D. Cooper
Falling for a Pirate by Meredith Bond
Shipwrecked by Kathryn Hickle
Steel, Steam & Immortality by Annathesa Nikola Darksbane
Bring Me the Horizon by Shei Darksbane
Skyblade’s Gambit by Robert Dahlen
Nebulous Rising: Inferno by Talia Carmichael
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, many thanks to our captain Alex Westmore, for coming up with this and letting me join in for a second round!
Thanks to Melissa Storm for coordinating this project, Falcon Storm for his help, and Britt with Kindle Worlds for her time!
Thanks to all the other authors involved in this, be they returning to the crew or setting sail with us for the first time. I'm looking forward to seeing what we've all come up with!
Thanks to Janna Prosvirina for allowing use of her stock image for the cover! Check out her gallery at www.kuoma-stock.deviantart.com .
Many, many thanks, more than I can count, to Shei Darksbane for talking me into coming on board, designing the cover, and all-around awesomeness!
And thanks again to Amber Goss. I’ve lost count of all the cheesy fries I owe you now.
About the Author
Fantasy novelist, all-around wisecracker, penguin aficionado and level 1 steampunk, Robert Dahlen lives in northern California with numerous penguins, a tablet stuffed with e-book
s and novels in progress, shelves filled with graphic novels and Disney Infinity and other figures, and two very nice hats. Born on Talk Like A Pirate Day, he's not surprised in retrospect that he was invited to craft tales about buccaneers and swashbucklers. He's been working on telling stories since March 2013, and he looks forward to doing so for years to come. He is hopefully writing another book as you read this, and he thanks you for reading this. (And he pronounces his last name “duh-LANE”, as in “the rain in Spain falls mainly on Dahlen”, which translates into the selkie language as “More clams?”)
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