A Pirate's Heart (St. John Series) Read Online Free Page A

Sophia had been brutally raped and stabbed numerous times, dying a horrific death, drowning in her own blood.
    After her parents’ murder, the nuns at the mission insisted Kristina stay with them for her safety. Kristina knew their reason was guilt, for they had been the ones to summon the navy. Because of them, her parents were dead and many of the villagers were hung for treason. The abbess at that time was overwrought with guilt. She left the village, and Sister Nina was appointed to the position of abbess.
    Kristina refused to stay at the mission, but the villagers insisted. She was sixteen and unwed. It would be improper for her to live alone. She reluctantly agreed and the nuns gave her a room in the tower overlooking the meadow facing her home. She still frequently visited her old home. It was where she was born and raised. It was where her memories were made. It was where she felt safe.
    Unconsciously rubbing her arms, Kristina walked to the door and peered out across the meadow towards the mission. Thunder rattled the windows as lightning streaked across the sky. In spite of the violent noise and lightning, she could see the telltale signs of the storm ease up as the red evening sky began to make its appearance on the horizon.
    Kristina sighed, turned away from the door and sat down on a small, narrow cot. She picked up the book she had placed on it earlier and began to mindlessly thumb through its pages. Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock.
    She walked to the door and pressed it the rest of the way open. She glanced down at the little girl in front of her. “The Abbess is asking for you,” the child said nervously.
    “Thank you, Victoria,” Kristina replied. They probably needed help in the kitchen. The nuns frequently fed the weary sailors that made their way to the mission. Many were honest hardworking fishermen who were just looking for a hot meal and a warm, dry place to stay between the fishing villages up and down the coast.
    Kristina stopped by the door and placed her feet into her brown leather-strapped sandals and proceeded out the door. The water from the rain-soaked ground seeped between her toes. A childlike smile crossed her face as she hopped over a mud puddle. Oh, how she would love to hop into the puddle like she did when she was a child. But being poor she had to constantly be mindful of any possessions. Sandals could not be come by easily and her mother would always scold her, “Kristina, if you must do these things, please take off your sandals.”
    When Kristina reached the mission, she quickly went to her quarters to change into some dry clothing. Once changed, she headed towards the kitchen to see what the abbess wanted. She approached the staircase that led down to the kitchen in the back of the mission, but paused when she heard an unfamiliar voice shouting angrily.
    “Shut up!” the voice yelled at one of the nuns in English.
    “ No hablo —” Sister Corena’s confession was met with a backhand to her face by the man. The nun fell to the floor and placed her hand to her stinging cheek.
    Kristina peered around the corner of the staircase. There were four men in the kitchen with Sister Corena. They were dirty and their foul stench easily reached Kristina thanks to the breeze coming through the open kitchen door. She knelt down lower to the floor to get a better view of the men. The dimly lit room made it hard to get a good look at them, but Kristina could tell from their dress that they were not fishermen. Their backs were towards the staircase. Kristina squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better view. She could make out their dirty linen shirts, black pants, and then she caught a glimmer of something hanging from the side of one of the men’s hip. Her eyes widened with fear.
    “Pirates!” she softly exclaimed. Realizing she had voiced her deduction out loud, her eyes grew wider and she quickly placed both hands over her mouth. She held her breath, waiting to see