A Pirate's Curse (Legends of the Soaring Phoenix) by ML Guida Read Free Book Online

underneath his belt. Zuto snorted. Like any of those weapons could harm him.
    Palmer's left eye leaked, spilling a milky substance down his cheek. When Zuto looked into the spongy eye, he glimpsed Palmer’s twisted soul, brimming with hatred, anger, cruelty, death.  Zuto’s muscles twisted and tensed. Palmer’s past deeds of murdering innocents turned Zuto’s stomach. How could Palmer live with himself?
    Zuto nodded toward the Fiery Damsel . “Still insist on torturing Macmillan?”
    “Aye,” Palmer gritted his teeth. “He’ll pay for stabbing my eye.”
    “And then?”
    “ I’ll release him when he swears allegiance to me.”
    Bastard. Keeping his face stoic, Zuto asked, “If he doesn’t agree?”
    Palmer shrugged, “Then his time aboard my ship will be most unpleasant.”
    “Knight?”
    “No sign of him.” Palmer shook his head. “Must have drowned.” His face darkened and he whispered, “The bastard died an easy death.”
    Zuto stared into Palmer’s angry eyes and read his mind. His gut twisted at the odor of burnt flesh and stagnant human blood. Screams of dying men rang in his ears. Wailing white souls dug deep into his heart, demanding revenge.
    He formed his fists into tight balls and punched Palmer in the mouth . Palmer staggered into the tall henchman. Blood flew into the air. The man grabbed Palmer and steadied him. Zuto wanted to thrash Palmer for torturing all these men, but kept his fists close to his side. “ Guata !” Zuto slipped into the language of Coaybay and at Palmer’s quizzical face, he changed back to English. “Liar! Too busy caught up in the bloodlust again.”
    “No.” Palmer spit out blood and wiped his palm across his lip. “We looked but didn’t find them, my Lord.”
    His voice shook. Good, he should be afraid. Very afraid. Zuto didn’t tolerate failure, not when his freedom was at stake. Maketabori wasn’t the only one who could inflict pain. “Now listen, you fools.”
    He flicked his wrists and all three men fell to their hands and knees like the dogs they were. Collars appeared around their necks. “You 've failed me and will now know what happens when I’m disobeyed.”
    “But…” Palmer struggled.
    “Silence.” Zuto ordered. He twisted his hand and the collars squeezed the men’s necks, cutting off their guttural voices and turning their faces’ red and making their eyes bulge, tears rushing down their cheeks.
    He smiled at the terror and pain in the men’s eyes. Spittle drizzled down their mouths. He snapped his fingers and the collars vanished, leaving a bloody red welt around their necks. A reminder of their failure. “Now, listen and listen well.”
    Ignoring the men gasping for breath and coughing, Zuto meandered around their trembling bodies. “Knight and his daughter jumped into the ocean right under your noses.” He kicked sand into Palmer’s face and the man winced. Palmer was too arrogant for his own good. He needed to know who wielded the power. “Your nemesis, Kane O’Brien has them.”
    Palmer spat out sand. “O’Brien?”   
    “I want the girl and her father. If you want to keep your immortality, you’ll find them and bring them to me.” He knelt down and seized Palmer’s hair and yanked. “Do you think you can manage this? Fail again and I won’t be so lenient.”

Chapter Five

    The captain pushed his chair out and stood. His hand lifted Hannah’s chin, his fingers caressing the side of her cheek. She shivered, but couldn’t move. How could a man be so angry and dangerous one minute and the next considerate?
    “If you’ll excuse me, lass.”
    He slowly removed his hand and gazed down at her. Desire reflected in his eyes, but with something more, something resembling sadness. He spun on his heels and marched out the door without saying another word.
    Hannah sagged with regret as he walked out of the galley. No man had ever stirred such foreign and intoxicating feelings for her and she wanted to explore these new