Beast of the Bay
Page 1
Beast of the Bay
A Pirates of Britannia Novel
Mia Pride
Copyright © 2019 Mia Pride
Kindle Edition
This work was made possible by a special license through the Pirates of Britannia Connected World publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by DragonMedia Publishing, Inc. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Pirates of Britannia connected series by Kathryn Le Veque and Eliza Knight remain exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kathryn Le Veque and/or Eliza Knight, or their affiliates or licensors. All characters created by the author of this novel remain the copyrighted property of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.
Published by DragonMedia, Inc.
The Pirates of Britannia World
Seduced by the Pirate
by Maggi Andersen
Captured by the Mercenary
by Brenna Ash
God of the Seas
by Alex Aston
Lord Corsair
by Sydney Jane Baily
Stolen by Starlight
by Avril Borthiry
The Righteous Side of Wicked
by Jennifer Bray-Weber
The de Wolfe of Wharf Street
by Elizabeth Ellen Carter
The Pirate’s Jewel
by Ruth A. Casie
The Blood Reaver
by Barbara Devlin
The Pirate’s Temptation
by Tara Kingston
Savage of the Sea
The Sea Devil
by Eliza Knight
Leader of Titans
Sea Wolfe
by Kathryn Le Veque
The Marauder
by Anna Markland
The Sea Lyon
The Sea Lord: Devils of the Deep
by Hildie McQueen
Pearls of Fire
by Meara Platt
Plunder by Knight
Beast of the Bay
by Mia Pride
The Seafaring Rogue
The Sea Hellion
by Sky Purington
Laird of the Deep
by B.J. Scott
Raider of the Deep
by Jennae Vale
The Ravishing Rees
The Savage Sabre
The Beast of Blades
The Rebellious Red
by Rosamund Winchester
Dedication
Dedicated to all the fierce women who stay strong in the face of adversity and know their self-worth even when others may not. Our happiness is in our own hands.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
The Pirates of Britannia World
Dedication
The Legend of the Pirates of Britannia
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Author’s Note
About the Author
The Legend of the Pirates of Britannia
In the year of our Lord 854, a wee lad by the name of Arthur MacAlpin set out on an adventure that would turn the tides of his fortune, for what could be more exciting than being feared and showered with gold?
Arthur wanted to be king. A sovereign as great as King Arthur, who came hundreds of years before him. The legendary knight who was able to pull a magical sword from stone, met ladies in lakes, and vanquished evil with a vast following who worshipped him. But while that King Arthur brought to mind dreamlike images of a round table surrounded by chivalrous knights and the ladies they romanced, MacAlpin wanted to summon night terrors from every babe, woman, and man.
Aye, MacAlpin, king of the pirates of Britannia would be a name most feared. A name that crossed children’s lips when the candles were blown out at night. When a shadow passed over a wall, was it the pirate king? When a ship sailed into port in the dark hours of night, was it him?
As the fourth son of the conquering Pictish King Cináed, Arthur wanted to prove himself to his father. He wanted to make his father proud, and show him that he, too, could be a conqueror. King Cináed was praised widely for having run off the Vikings, for saving his people, for amassing a vast and strong army. No one would dare encroach on his conquered lands when they would have to face the end of his blade.
Arthur wanted that, too. He wanted to be feared. Awed. To hold his sword up and have devils come flying from the tip.
So, it was on a fateful summer night in 854 that, at the age of ten and nine, Arthur amassed a crew of young and roguish Picts and stealthily commandeered one of his father’s ships. They blackened the sails to hide them from those on watch and began an adventure that would last a lifetime and beyond.
The lads trolled the seas, boarding ships and sacking small coastal villages. In fact, they even sailed so far north as to raid a Viking village in the name of his father. By the time they returned to Oban, and the seat of King Cináed, all of Scotland was raging about Arthur’s atrocities. Confused, he tried to explain, but his father would not listen and would not allow him back into the castle.
King Cináed banished his youngest son from the land, condemned his acts as evil and told him he never wanted to see him again.
Enraged and experiencing an underlying layer of mortification, Arthur took to the seas, gathering men as he went, and building a family he could trust that would not shun him. They ravaged the sea as well as the land—using his clan’s name as a lasting insult to his father for turning him out.
The legendary Pirate King was rumored to be merciless, the type of vengeful pirate who would drown a babe in his mother’s own milk if she didn’t give him the pearls at her neck. But like most rumors, they were mostly steeped in falsehoods meant to intimidate. In fact, there may have been a wee boy or two he saved from an untimely fate. Whenever they came across a lad or lass in need, as Arthur himself had once been, they took them into the fold.
One ship became two. And then three, four, five, until a score of ships with blackened sails roamed the seas.
These were his warriors. A legion of men who adored him, respected him, followed him, and, together, they wreaked havoc on the blood ties that had sent him away. And generations upon generations, country upon country, they would spread far and wide until people feared them from horizon to horizon. Every pirate king to follow would be named MacAlpin, so his father’s banishment would never be forgotten.
Forever lords of the sea. A daring brotherhood, where honor among thieves reigns supreme, and crushing their enemies is a thrilling pastime.
These are the pirates of Britannia, and here are their stories….
Chapter One
Clew Bay, Ireland – 1598
The smell of death was pungent and unmistakable, consuming his every sense. Smoke from burning bodies infiltrated the walls of his home, and even with a rag tied around his nose and mouth, he coughed from the acrid combination of rot and ash. Even with the herbs his wife had hung throughout the house, death had invaded his sanctuary, digging its vile claws into all that mattered in his life.
Eyes blurry and swollen, Juan struggled to see through the tears
of agony. This was a nightmare. He would wake up and everything would be all right once more.
“Pa… pa?” his daughter’s weak voice called to him from her bed, where he sat holding her frail hand covered with blackened, diseased flesh “Am I dying?” she whispered. She was only five years old. Those words should never escape her mouth nor cross her mind, and as much as he had protected her since the day she was born, he couldn’t save her from the poisons in the air, breathing destruction into her lungs, slowly taking her away.
“No, mi pequeño melocotón, you are not. You are simply tired,” he whispered back, too afraid to squeeze her hand and hurt her.
“Just like Mama…”
“Si, just like Mama.” Looking over his shoulder, he saw what remained of the woman he had loved for over a decade. Her black hair plastered to her lifeless face, sores on her body, and blackened fingers. How could one disease destroy her in a matter of hours? Stomach clenching, Juan swallowed the bile surging up from his stomach once more, burning his throat. More tears streamed down his face and he wiped them away before facing his daughter again.
“You lied to me, Papa! I deserved the truth!” Opening her mouth wide, sharp yellow fangs flashed as she sat up in bed, reaching out with her blackened hands, now equipped with large sharp claws. “I am dead and you lived! Why did you let me die?” She screamed and jumped on him, her shriveled body somehow strong enough to overpower his solid, muscular form.
“Lo siento, Gabriella! Lo siento, mi amor! I wish I was dead, as well!”
“Die, Papa! Die!” she screeched and bit his arm, causing him to holler out in pain.
“Lo siento…”
“Juan! Juan Alejandro Sanchez!”
Hearing his name being shouted in his ear, Juan sat up straight and opened his eyes, no longer swollen or achy, just blurry with sleep. Rubbing them and opening them again, he looked around his surroundings and gasped for breath, feeling his heart pinch and stomach churn. He was in Clew Bay, Ireland, where he had been for the better part of a year since being rescued from a sinking ship.
“What does Low… see… ento mean, Juan?” Rubbing his hands over his face and itching his scratchy beard, Juan looked down at his body, completely nude except for the white sheet covering his lower half, and looked up at the señorita hovering over him.
“You should not be in here,” he said gruffly, his voice raw from shouting in his sleep.
“Ye cannae expect me to stay out when I hear ye having whatever awful nightmare ye seem to have all the cursed time.”
“Why does my arm hurt?” he asked Kat, his master’s younger sister who seemed to hover around them all the time, causing trouble and getting in the way.
“I pinched ye. Ye wouldnae wake up. What were ye saying in yer sleep, ye strange Spaniard?”
“I was apologizing,” he growled, not in the mood to explain any part of his nightmare, wishing she would leave him alone.
“Well. Low… see… ento to ye,” she said sarcastically, rolling her bright green eyes and flipping her wild red waves over her shoulders. “I will leave ye be. Next time I will let that wee lass eat ye…”
Standing from his bed, he felt his anger rising faster than he could control it, clenching his fists. “Get out!” he roared, pointing toward the door.
Her eyes widened, scanning his body up and down before he realized the sheet had fallen to the floor and he stood completely nude before the woman. Rooted in place, Kat’s jaw dropped and she stared, transfixed, at his cock. If Tomas walked in now, he would kill Juan for sure. Bending over to grab the sheet, he wrapped it around his hips and shooed her away. “Go on, Kat,” he sighed. “Gracias for waking me up, but you should not be in here.”
Swallowing hard, her green eyes focused on his face, a small smirk gracing her lips. “Whatever ye say, Juan.” Flipping her hair once more, Kat sauntered out of his room wearing her brown breeches and a white tunic, much like her grandmother, the famous Pirate Queen of Ireland, wore. Juan shook his head and sat back down, cradling his aching head in his large palms.
That memory had been torturing him for over a year, but the frequency seemed to be increasing. How Kat knew what he was dreaming of was disturbing, yet she did sleep just a room away. The way she had looked at him just now set him on edge. Eight years his junior, Kat was Grace O’Malley’s granddaughter and that woman would not hesitate to cut his large Spanish bollocks off with her sword. And Tomas… he did not want to even think about what his master would say or do, not that he had any interest in the señorita.
Pulling on his breeches, Juan washed his hands and face in the basin before scrubbing his flesh with a rough towel, then using it to clean his tongue and teeth. Just as he pulled on his tunic, a knock on his door made him jump. He was still on edge, not just from his nightmare, but from the look in Kat’s eyes before she left. Known as the Beast of Clew Bay, most feared him due to his large size and dark features, yet Kat seemed overly interested in him and he had nowhere else to go. Spain was not an option. No, he had to keep her away at all cost. Angering the Pirate Queen or his master would surely mean returning to Spain a broken man.
“Who is it?” he growled, worried Kat had come back once again.
“’Tis Katherine. Tomas is awaiting ye on the ship.” Sighing with relief that it was only Katherine, Tomas’ wife, and not his sister, he opened the door and smiled when he saw her holding their wee son in her arms. He remembered the tale of Tomas’ first meeting with Katherine. Afraid of the large pirate who had captured her, she lied about her identity, knowing he would hate her if he knew she was the daughter of his enemy. Naming herself as Katherine O’Malley, the same name as his younger sister he had yet to meet, Tomas believed he had kissed his sister and vomited, feeling disgusted for being attracted to his sibling. Juan smirked at the memory he had been told on many occasions. Now, his sister simply went as Kat to avoid the confusion.
“I saw Kat leave here early this morn…” she sent him a side glance, urging him to explain.
“I was having my… nightmare again. She came in to awaken me, then she left.”
Nodding, Katherine seemed to easily accept his answer, then adjusted her son, Ian, in her arms.
“I have no interest in her, Katherine. My duty and loyalties are to you, Tomas, and Grace.” He needed to make her understand. He could not have his honor besmirched by a misunderstanding. Besides, the death of his wife still haunted him. He had no love left to give for any woman.
“Ye ken ye are family to us, Juan. Tomas hates it when ye call him master. But, speaking of Tomas, mayhap ye ought to get yer Spanish arse out to the docks to see what he needs.”
Nodding, Juan tipped his head to Katherine, tickled Ian under the cheek to make him squeal with delight and tug on Juan’s beard as he always did, then left Grace’s home where he had been living. Everyone was up much earlier than usual it seemed. He was usually the first to rise, yet everyone milled about the bay already.
Though he had called Clew Bay home for a year now, people still veered left if he was on their right and gave him strained smiles and unsure glances. Aye, he was Spanish, but Spain was not an enemy of the Irish. Still, he was a foreigner and the Irish had learned not to trust any outsiders. He was the dark to their fair, the beastly man who spoke another language, a man to avoid eye contact with. He was fine with all of it. Working for Tomas kept him busy and his master was fair, treated him well, and paid him handsomely. He did not live the lavish life he had once had back home, but he preferred working hard for all he had and feeling the aches of a day’s labor in his body at night.
Running his hands through his shoulder-length raven hair, Juan took a breath of fresh air as he stepped outside. The sounds of seagulls and men shouting orders on the docks filled his ears, along with the constant soothing sound of the ocean crashing against the hundreds of small boulders surrounding their waters. Nothing could fill the pain he lived with daily and the loss he kept hidden deep within, but being here on the water and working
for his keep was as fulfilling a life as he could ask for.
“Dinnae tell me it cannae be done! Anything can be done!” he heard Grace O’Malley shout at one of her men in the distance. Her voice was commanding as a natural leader and she was feared worldwide as the Banshee of the Sea, yet he knew a side of her, a more tender side, she only shared with her family… yet nobody was safe from her ire. The Pirate Queen had not even warmed up to Katherine until she birthed Tomas a son. Now, she treated her great-grandchild and Katherine as if they were made of glass.
Spotting Tomas’ dark features and muscular shoulders in the distance, Juan walked toward his master, the man who had saved him from a shipwreck, risking his own life to pull Juan out of the water. Death would have been a blessing, putting his constant misery to rest, yet he was grateful that at least one man in this world had cared enough for Juan to save him. Ironically, it had been a stranger. Not even his own family in Spain had cared so much, except his father who was lost to him forever.
“There ye are, Juan.”
“Everyone is up early,” Juan groused, looking up to see the sun almost at its highest and knowing the truth.
“Nay. Ye slept in. Nightmares again?” Juan looked away, watching the water sparkle like gold on the horizon as the sun shimmered off its surface and simply nodded.
“My apologies, Master.”
“Damn it all, Juan! Stop calling me that! I hate it. I rescued ye from servitude. I told ye that ye are a free man.” Juan simply nodded again. If only Tomas knew exactly what he had saved him from. It was servitude, just not the sort anyone would expect.
“Katherine said you wish to see me.”
“Aye. Have ye seen Kat today?”
Well, she had certainly seen him. “Si.”
“That lass has been causing trouble again. Always attempting to get her hands in on the family business.”
“Is that a bad thing? She is Grace O’Malley’s granddaughter after all. Piracy is in her blood, no?”