Beneath The Assassin's Touch (Daggers 0f Desire Book 2)

by Katherine Hastings

  “You’re retiring?” Charlie raised an eyebrow.

  “From this life, yes. I’ve grown bored. I’m ready to try something new. And now I have a reason to make a home, and a life. It’s time.”

  “We’ll miss you, Viktor.” Charlie reached out and touched his shoulder.

  “Nonsense. You’ll visit, we’ll visit, and every now and then when I feel the itch, I’ll be sure to send you a message and join you on a mission.”

  “That sounds more like it,” she smiled.

  Nora stood up and wiped the tears from her face. She flung her arms around Charlie’s neck, holding them until she felt Charlie soften and return the embrace. “Thank you, Charlie. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Nora. You take good care of him. He deserves all the happiness in the world.”

  “I will, I promise.” She released Charlie and moved to John. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, John. I hope you two will come stay at the castle with us sometime. We have plenty of room.”

  “Castle?” they said in unison.

  Viktor chuckled. “It’s a long story, but yes, I have a castle, a large estate, millions of pounds and my name is actually Earl Vaughn Trevor. But you can still call me Viktor.”

  Charlie and John exchanged a look and shook their heads with a smile. “Only you could still surprise me after all these years, Viktor,” Charlie said.

  “I like to keep you on your toes.” He winked. “Take care, Charlie. I’ll see you soon.” He pulled her in for a big hug. “And John, I suppose you’ll be welcome as well.”

  “Aren’t you the gracious host,” John scoffed. They swapped a look and folded into a quick hug.

  “Take care of my Charlie.” Viktor patted his back.

  “I always will.”

  Charlie and John swung up on their horses. One last glance and they galloped off into the darkness.

  Viktor slung his arm over Nora’s shoulder and kissed her on her cheek. “What do you say we go hide out in my cabin for a few days and I do those things to you I’ve been imagining ever since I saw you in that leather suit.”

  “Deal,” Nora smiled and kissed him back.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  VIKTOR WALKED DOWN the hallway of the castle. He looked at the new vase Nora bought to match the rest of the decorations in the sitting room. One by one, each room had come to life beneath her touch. The dust and the cobwebs gave way to beautiful tapestries in vibrant colors. The furniture was polished and cleaned, the floors swept, and every last speck of dirt had disappeared.

  Viktor stepped aside while the new maid smiled and made her way past him, feather duster in hand. “Good morning, Lord.”

  “Please, just call me Viktor. No need for formalities in this household.”

  “Very well, Viktor.” She smiled and continued on her way.

  Since their return, the house had been reborn. Finn announced to the village he had jobs for anyone interested. Viktor had been stunned at the line of people desperate for work and homes. One by one, he found them a job and put them up in the cabins and houses scattered about the estate. Watching this place fill with vitality again had erased the last of the pain that haunted him from his youth. Viktor looked up at the portrait of his mother. He was certain she was smiling down, her home restored and filled once more with the laughter and joy she once brought to it herself.

  Viktor made his way up the stairs to the balcony overlooking the courtyards. Bright flowers filled the garden that Nora had planted last summer when they returned. Horses filled the stables and grazed in the lush pastures around the estate. Children ran across the fields, their laughter making him smile as he watched them tumble together down the hill. He smiled and the warm summer sunlight cast its light across his lands as far as his eyes could see.

  “Good morning.”

  Viktor sighed when he felt Nora’s arms wrap around his waist from behind. He pressed his hands into hers and pulled them tighter around him. “Good morning, love.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me? I slept most of the morning,” she said, slipping underneath his arm.

  Viktor kissed the top of her head and then tipped her chin up, a soft kiss meeting the lips he would never tire of touching. “You looked too beautiful and peaceful. I wouldn’t dare disturb you.”

  “Well, I was pretty tired. Thank you.”

  “Anytime, love. Anything that brings a smile to that face of yours is worth it to me.”

  “You spoil me.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He squeezed her shoulder. “What are your plans today?”

  “I’m going to walk down to visit my family. They are so grateful to be here.”

  “Are they settling into their new houses?” Viktor asked. He’d had a smaller estate just up the road built for them this spring. Her mother and father, and three sisters each had a home of their own. Her mother had wept for days after he’d pulled up the carriage and revealed her new dwelling, not believing it truly belonged to her.

  “They are all happier than they could have ever imagined. Abigail is smitten with our new cook, and he seems to be smitten with her, too. I believe I’ll have a new brother-in-law by year’s end. I’m sure she’ll tell me all about their courtship when I see her today.”

  “I’m happy to hear it. You have a wonderful family, Nora. I can see why you fought so hard to take care of them. I never had one like that of my own, so it was hard for me to imagine until I saw you with them.”

  “At least you had them,” Nora said, pointing to Finn and Millie. The elderly couple sat together on the garden bench, heads bent together while talking in dulcet tones. Since moving back into the castle, he walked her out there every day and they would sit beside the flowers. Sometimes he would read to her, and sometimes they would sit in silence and hold hands. Sixty years together and the love between them still shone as bright as the sun.

  “Aye, I did have them.”

  “Do you think we’ll be as happy as they are when we’re old and grey?” Nora asked, leaning her head on his chest.

  “I think we’ll be happier, love.”

  “You do?” She looked up at him. “How so?”

  “Well, Millie and Finn couldn’t have children. I think you and I will sit in that garden someday overwhelmed with our own brand of joy, because we’ll have a gaggle of grandchildren racing around at our feet.”

  “A gaggle of grandchildren?” she laughed.

  “Dozens.” He smiled.

  “Well, in that case I suppose we will be even happier.”

  He sighed and let his gaze fall out to the sea. The sunlight glimmered across the waves, sparkling across the blue water that stretched past the horizon.

  “Do you miss it?”

  “What?” Viktor tipped his head.

  “Your ship, the sea, the adventures. Do you miss it?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “No, love. I don’t miss it. That life was driven by pain and now that pain is gone. This is my home now. This is where I want to be. Simon is taking good care of my ship and off on adventures of his own.”

  He turned her around and stepped back. With the gentlest touch, his hands moved to her bulging belly. She smiled and covered them with her own. Viktor leaned down and kissed her stomach. “For me, the greatest adventure of my life is right here.”

  Continue the Daggers of Desire adventure with Simon’s book, By The Assassin’s Side! Click here to purchase

  DAGGERS OF DESIRE

  BOOK THREE

  By the Assassin's Side

  Book 3: Daggers of Desire Series

  Will they discover that the greatest treasure was there all along?

  With part of a stolen treasure map in her possession and mercenaries hot on her trail, Vivian runs to the one person she knows will keep her safe. Captain Viktor. But when she arrives at his ship, it isn’t her oldest friend commanding it, a new man has taken his place. Captain Simon Blackmore. Though reluctant to work with this imposter, his sk
ills both as a pirate and an assassin are exactly what she needs to find this treasure... and stay ahead of the men who want their map back.

  Half the treasure as payment for protecting the fiery courtesan convinces Simon to escort her and help uncover Captain Avery’s lost loot. Danger nips at their heels every step of the way, and her obstinate personality makes the already monumental task even more difficult.

  WHILE THEY SEARCH FOR the treasure that can change both their fates, they are fighting for more than just staying alive... they are fighting the feelings for each other that are even more dangerous than the men hunting her down.

  Don’t want to miss it? Click here to purchase! Read on to sample the next adventure!

  www.katherinehastings.com

  BY THE ASSASSIN’S SIDE

  Daggers of Desire: Book Three

  Chapter One

  “WHERE DO YOU WANT IT, Captain?”

  Simon turned, his eyes pulling away from the waves lapping along Scarborough’s rocky shore. Sully, his Quartermaster, stood behind him clutching a wooden chest in his arms. Sweat beaded on his brow, his short arms trembling beneath the weight of the cargo.

  Simon shook his head while a smile tugged at the corner of his lip. “Bloody hell, Sully. You’d better just set it there before your heart gives out.”

  Needing no further encouragement, Sully groaned as he eased the chest onto the black wooden planks of the quarterdeck. Due to his lack of hair, veins in his head bulged beneath pale, freckled skin.

  “You going to make it, Sully? You’re turning purple,” Simon teased.

  Standing up, Sully pushed an exasperated breath from his lungs. “It’s heavier than it looks.” The purple in his face lightened to a soft pink while he gasped for air.

  “Is that so?” In three long steps, Simon reached where Sully stood panting. He bent down and grasped the handles of the chest, lifting it with ease. “Do you want to climb on? I can carry you back to your quarters for an afternoon nap, old man. Just think of the chest as a chariot and me as your trusty steed.”

  Sully’s visible wrinkles deepened as he glared up at Simon. “We’ll just see how easy that is in thirty years when you’re my age.”

  With a grin, Simon lifted the chest up over his head onto the pile of cargo stacked beside him. “I’m only teasing, Sully. If I even live to be your age, I’ll consider myself lucky.”

  “I’m not that old.”

  “Well, I’m not exactly living a quiet life on a farm. I consider myself lucky every time we survive a raid or a battle. You never know when the reaper will come rapping on your door.”

  Glancing down, Simon examined the jagged scars snaking down his forearm; deep grooves of silver contrasted with the golden brown of his tanned skin. It was a constant reminder of how close he was to parting this world in the grisliest of fashions. He reached up and touched the sizeable shark tooth dangling from the cord around his neck.

  “Aye. You’re right. Perhaps I should praise these creaky bones and achy muscles as signs of my endurance instead of cursing them each day.”

  “Consider yourself lucky, my friend.” Simon tossed an arm around Sully’s shoulders. In the two years he had been his Quartermaster the bond between them had grown from companions, to friends, to a man he held as dear as a father. Having grown up without one, the importance of such a man in his life was something he valued more than any cargo this ship could carry.

  “And where will my lucky old bones be heading to next, Captain? Have you any word on the route of the Riptide? Do we still plan to go after her?”

  Simon rubbed the back of his neck. “No word, yet. George is still working hard to locate her and he’ll let me know as soon as he does. You’ll be the first to know, Sully.”

  “Aye, Captain. Keep me up to speed.”

  “I will. If she’s out there, we’ll find her and relieve her of her cargo.”

  Sully grinned wide, his red mustache stretched toward chubby cheeks that had returned to the pasty color that screamed his Irish heritage. “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, these old bones are going to lie down and nap. I’ll be in my quarters if you need me.”

  Simon nodded. “I think I might do the same.”

  The two made their way past the hard-working crew, and exchanged a smile, parting ways at the base of the stairs. Sully headed below deck to his own private quarters while Simon walked through the red door of his Captain’s chamber. Ducking beneath the doorframe, he pushed the door closed behind him. The cabin’s interior wasn’t cool by any means, but getting out from underneath the sweltering summer sun made it feel refreshing.

  He made his way to the bed, the ship rocking beneath his feet with each step. The Dark Shark had been docked here for almost two weeks while they traded goods and purchased provisions for their next journey. His crew spent most of their nights at the local taverns and brothels, and their days cleaning and preparing the ship. Simon joined them on land every couple nights, Scarborough being his favorite port in England. The best whores, gambling, and food provided temptation just a few blocks away. While they awaited word on the movement of their next prize, there was no better place for him and his crew to unwind.

  He eased himself back onto the bed. His feet dangled off the end, a problem he’d become familiar with since a growth spurt in his teens. He’d meant to replace the bed with something made for someone his height, but if Viktor returned to reclaim his ship and his Captaincy, replacing anything would serve as an exercise in futility.

  Now, just over two years had passed since Viktor had handed him the ship and Simon finally felt secure that Viktor harbored no desire to regain his former position. A wave of sadness rolled over him when he thought about his friend never joining him again, but there was also a smidgeon of relief. He could finally consider the ship his own. Happy Viktor had found a life that provided him with such joy, Simon sighed, still missing his friend and partner. It had been a year since he had sailed to Wales to visit him.

  A knock broke the silence. “Captain?” a voice from outside the door asked.

  “Come in, Edgar.”

  The door creaked open and a head with shaggy brown hair poked in. “Someone is here looking for Viktor,” the young boatswain said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

  “For Viktor?” Simon sat up.

  “Yes, she’s quite insistent. She’s down on the docks.”

  “She?” Simon arched an eyebrow.

  Edgar’s soft brown eyes widened. He gave a slow, stunned nod. “Yes. She.”

  “Did you tell her anything?”

  “No, I told her I would get the Captain. I don’t know who she is, but she’s not taking no for an answer.”

  Simon groaned. “Probably some poor lass he knocked up years ago, looking for money. I’ll go talk to her.”

  “Very well, Captain.” Edgar slipped his willowy frame back out the door.

  Pushing off the bed, he walked to his weapons rack. He slid his sword into the waist sash tied below the daggers that never left his person. They were always strapped into the worn leather scabbard that crisscrossed his chest. This woman was likely not a threat, but anyone approaching his ship needed to be met with caution. Viktor had made more than his fair share of enemies over the years, and at least half of them were women.

  The glare of the sun caused him to squint his eyes when he pushed open the door and stepped out onto the deck. His crew, only a dozen on deck at the moment, were lined up at the railing of the ship, fumbling over one another, having abandoned their work. Simon furrowed his brow at the sight of their antics and strode to the ramp leading to the docks below the sizeable ship.

  When he caught sight of the woman on the docks, his feet stuttered to a halt. As he stared, his heart throbbed in his chest. He could see now what had turned his crew into a mass of limbs. The creature below him was ravishing beyond words. Waves of black tendrils glistened in the sunlight and cascaded past her shoulders and down past a bosom that exploded from beneath the red corset pulled t
ight around her black silk gown. The hand perched on her hip accentuated the narrow waist snugged in by the black laces of her corset. Accents of red traced the finer points of the dress, but her lush red lips drew his eyes in the end.

  “Where is Viktor?” she demanded when she saw him appear.

  As she appraised him, her green eyes burned right through him. Her beauty tied his tongue and left him stammering at the top of the ramp.

  “Well? You’re not Viktor. I asked for the Captain, for Viktor. Find him. Now.”

  The pounding in his chest made his ears ring and deafened him to the demands of the unique beauty before him. It was a strange feeling to be speechless, something that didn’t often happen to him and his witty tongue. He stammered over his words while she cocked a hip and stabbed daggers at him with those fiery eyes.

  “Are you deaf?”

  “No—” Simon struggled over the simple word.

  “Well, it speaks. Wonderful. Now, can it tell me where Viktor is?”

  He cracked a smile at the pointed words coming from such a soft, sensual mouth. Pushing out a deep breath, he regained his composure and started down the ramp. “It does know where Viktor is, but it doesn’t know that it should tell you.”

  Simon arrived in front of her. She arched one of the meticulous dark brows that contrasted with her light olive skin. Perched beneath them were fierce emerald green eyes, full of fire and determination. Clutching his hands tight behind his back, he tried to reclaim the composure that threatened to dissipate as he plunged deeper into those fiery eyes. They seared through his own, a fierce gaze that never wavered as she lifted her chin to remain with him when he towered above her.

  “Who are you?” she asked, stepping forward into his space.

  “I’m Captain Simon Blackmore. And who are you?”

  “Captain? What? Where’s Captain Viktor? Is he—?”