"How dare you bring me aboard this ship without so much as telling me what you are?" She yelled. Kincade let out a smug grin, one that infuriated Astryd even more. She took a few more steps toward him so that they were mere feet apart. He looked down at a doubloon he was holding and slowly turned it over in his hands as he spoke. "I saw a troubled woman in a sailor's pub, obviously hiding from the royal guards. Surely you must have gotten yourself into a sticky situation. And you don't expect me to assume what you are?" Astryd fumbled for words. What was he getting at? He lifted his head to look her in the eyes. "You're a thief and now a sailor. You know what that makes you, sweetheart?" "I am not a..." she shouted, but she stumbled at the last word. She pointed her finger in Kincade's face and whispered, "pirate." -------------------------------------------- I would like to acknowledge Thompson Editing Services, who is responsible for being my editor and proofreader for this book as well as an amazing writing mentor. I own the story as well as all of the characters inside it. This book is copyrighted to me. I own the book cover art (illustrated by myself) but I do not own any of the images featured throughout the story. Highest rankings: #1 in Sailor, #1 in Sailing, and #10 in Pirate This is the first draft. This story is currently in the process of being edited.

[Watty's 2018 shortlist] Adelyn's quick hands and knack for thievery had a bad habit of putting her in dangerous situations, but forcing her into the path of Nikolai Kors was the worst of them all. A pirate captain with years of death and destruction under his belt, Nikolai has spent ages searching for the one thing that could make every loss, gamble and lie worth it, and Adelyn is the one person who knows where it is. But when fate strikes, it's revealed that Adelyn is more than just a common thief that stole a watch: she's the second piece to the puzzle Nik has been desperate to solve. Together, Nikolai and Adelyn must venture the seven seas and battle monsters of every kind. Should they succeed, Adelyn would have enough money to buy herself out of the life of thievery she's been living for years, but Nikolai hasn't been entirely honest with her... because there's a whole lot more than just riches at the end of this game.