“We’ve some time to kill before that cave is accessible. How about a little match? If you win, I wait to kill you until after bringing thetreasure up. If I win...” His lips pulled into a grin and he ran his blade across his open palm.
Her pulse slammed in her head. Swordfight with the infamous Captain Thorne? Even if she won, what good would it accomplish? The pirate’s eyes glimmered with amusement. This was all a sick game to him.
Unless . . . unless she killed him.
Her gaze flitted around the clearing, at the giants and their gleaming scimitars. Would they stand down if she took Thorne out?
Only one way to find out.
Resolve flowed through her. She would cross the line. Not to save herself or her family. To give her crew a chance.
She nodded. “Very well.”
The captain’s grin widened. “That’s the spirit.”
Before she could step forward, a rumble of thunder came from the distance. She clamped her teeth together. Not thunder. Cannons. The men around her shifted uneasily.
Silence fell over the group as the faint booms rolled across the clearing one after another. More lives lost. Another ship sent below the waves. All for what? If only Christian had thrown the blasted shell overboard when she told him to.
With a snarl, she loosened her blade and stepped away from her crew. Her fist shook around the hilt as she tightened her grip. Tightness clamped around her chest, dripping with slick heat. She’d never felt the overwhelming urge to kill a man. Until now.
Sunlight gleamed off the tip of her rapier as she pointed at her target, Thorne’s heart.
The pirate chuckled and shrugged free of his jacket. “I can see why the lieutenant is attracted to you.”
The words sent a fiery barb through her heart. Chances were, she’d never see Christian again. She bit the inside of her cheek. It didn’t matter. He was just as much her enemy as Thorne.
“Let’s get this over with, Captain.”
He gave a mock bow. “As you wish.”
The speed in which he engaged her threw her off balance. One second he stood paces away, and the next, his blade met hers. She gave a little cry and jumped into action, trying to circle him.
But he was fast. Faster than she was. Each step she took, he copied with expert prediction and inched closer. His eyes never left her face as he read each of her moves. Her stomach went cold.
Here was an opponent she could not beat.
She clenched her teeth. Nonsense. Everyone had a weakness. She just had to find his.
Her feet moved in a blur as she came in with a thrust to his left side. He met it without hesitation, without a falter in his stride, and dealt her a heavy blow from above. The vibrations ran straight through her bones and she scowled.
He already had found hers.
She twisted away before he could deal another and slashed at his knees. Thorne jumped back and his blade snaked out toward her side, connecting before she could block it.
Her breath hissed out at the sharp sting and she let him come forward, let him think he had the advantage. His thrust came fast and she met it with a sharp twist of her rapier. The guise worked and he nearly dropped his sword.
With a grunt, she met his blade again, before he could fix his grip. The next minutes flew by as they parried, each blow coming faster and harder.
This wouldn’t work. He would have her exhausted before she found a way through his defenses. She fell back as sweat dripped into her eyes.
Time to play dirty.
Humid air filled her lungs as she darted in and out, staying just beyond his reach. She settled into a pattern, one jab toward his right,two to his left. And waited for him to make his move. He read her movements and jumped ahead to meet her next thrust to his right.
She hit his sword from the inside, sweeping it out and dove forward, slamming into his chest. At the same time, she twisted her blade behind her, just in time to block his as it whistled toward her back. The clang of steel echoed against her spine and she used the momentum to push him backward. He regained his balance and they jerked to a stop.
“Well, this is new.” Thorne took a quick step back, forcing her to follow. “I can’t say I mind.”
