Hexed on Halloween by J. C. Diem

Author:J. C. Diem [Diem, J. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Urban, Romance, Paranormal, General, Shifters, Vampires, paranormal romance, paranormal romance series, urban fantasy series, magic, witch, witches
Google: ZJfiDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: B088D5N6X1
Publisher: Seize The Night Publishing Agency
Published: 2020-05-08T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

QUILLA DECIDED SHE’D had enough excitement for one night. She caught a carriage to the area in our District where she worked. The seers were always in hot demand. She was one of the few Night Cursed who were asked to make house calls. Her clients were almost always uncursed. Word had spread that she was far more talented than the rest of her peers.

I caught a carriage to the ever-expanding Pirate Cove to the west of the Miscellaneous Beings’ District. A huge lake housed a few pirate ships that had nightly battles as the buccaneers fought for supremacy. Most of the whores had opened up shop on the docks of the lake. The brothels were seedy, smelled gross and were full of drugs, alcohol and people having sex.

Rickety bars and taverns stood in a dilapidated row further along the dock. Raucous laughter and sounds of smashing glass came from within. There were also girlish shrieks, but I wasn’t tempted to venture inside to rescue whoever was screaming. Pirates claimed any female who was stupid enough to enter their domain. Even one night in their rough company would be too much for most women, although the whores seemed to handle it well enough. Serving men was their job, after all.

Sailors of various ranks in their white uniforms had their quarters on the far side of the lake. They kept their distance from the pirates, who vastly outnumbered them. Every time they set sail in their boats, the buccaneers banded together and took to the lake to sink them.

When they weren’t fighting the sailors, the swashbucklers were battling each other. Even now, a pair of ships raced towards each other, pushed by the ever-present magical wind that raged across the lake. I paused to watch with the rest of the crowd as cannons sounded. Cannonballs flew, wood splintered and sails came down as bets were exchanged. Gold coins changed hands as one of the ships began to sink. The ship and its crew would return as good as new tomorrow night and the gold would return to its previous owners. The victorious ship sailed back to the dock. The coastguard and a bunch of lifeguards rowed out in lifeboats to try to rescue anyone who might have survived.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Xiara Evora, the Guardian of Nox,” a voice drawled from behind me in an upper crust British accent that sounded too hoity toity for this part of town. “How kind of you to grace us with your presence.”

I turned to see a handsome pirate with a short black beard, curly black hair to his shoulders and a parrot with green, red and blue feathers perched on his shoulder. “I’m Captain Jasper Shortbeard,” he told me and gave me a bow. “Remember my name, because I aim to rule Pirate Cove.” He wore a dashing dark blue coat, a white shirt that was open to reveal a gold chain around his neck, tight black pants and black knee-high boots. A black captain’s hat was perched on his head.

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