Silver Tongue Devil (Devil in the Deep Blue Sea #1), page 1
Silver Tongue Devil, Copyright © 2023 by Stacey Marie Brown
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This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Published by: Twisted Fairy Publishing Inc.
Layout by Judi Fennell (www.formatting4U.com)
Cover by: Jay Aheer (www.simplydefinedart.com)
Edited by Mo Siren’s Call Author Services (thescarletsiren.com) and Laetitia Treseng
ALSO BY STACEY MARIE BROWN
Contemporary Romance
How the Heart Breaks
Buried Alive
Smug Bastard
The Unlucky Ones
Blinded Love Series
Shattered Love (#1)
Broken Love (#2)
Twisted Love (#3)
Royal Watch Series
Royal Watch (#1)
Royal Command (#2)
Paranormal Romance
Darkness Series
Darkness of Light (#1)
Fire in the Darkness (#2)
Beast in the Darkness (An Elighan Dragen Novelette)
Dwellers of Darkness (#3)
Blood Beyond Darkness (#4)
West (#5)
Collector Series
City in Embers (#1)
The Barrier Between (#2)
Across the Divide (#3)
From Burning Ashes (#4)
Lightness Saga
The Crown of Light (#1)
Lightness Falling (#2)
The Fall of the King (#3)
Rise from the Embers (#4)
Savage Lands Series
Savage Lands (#1)
Wild Lands (#2)
Dead Lands (#3)
Bad Lands (#4)
Blood Lands (#5)
Shadow Lands (#6)
A Winterland Tale
Descending into Madness (#1)
Ascending from Madness (#2)
Beauty in Her Madness (#3)
Beast in His Madness (#4)
Prologue
Croygen
The wind off the sea tangled through my black hair, salt coating my lips. The sensation was so familiar it slid over my skin fitting like a glove. At one time I was a feared pirate with the likes of Blackbeard, Ned Lowe, and Samuel Bellamy, a relic of the golden age of piracy before humans ruined everything fun, pushing us fae back into the darkest corners. Though for fae, piracy never truly ended, we simply got better at hiding it. It was a struggle to stay hidden in a world of developing technology to keep humans from discovering fae walked among them.
That was no longer the case.
The wall between the Otherworld and Earth had fallen.
Long before that, I had lost my crew, my ship, and my dignity. Disappearing from the world in which I no longer fit, I found people who had me believing once again in family. A home. There I found a rare gem, a beautiful girl I could see myself loving… but in her death, the man I was becoming died with her.
It woke me up. Made me see.
I was a pirate.
My home was the sea, my love was my ship, and my desire was for adventures and riches.
My dark eyes slid back to my friends standing together on the shore, the people who claimed me as theirs watching me sail away. I had thought I had finally found peace. Happiness. But that time was over.
I lifted my arm up to the sky, then tapped my heart six times, one for each of them—Zoey, Ryker, Annabeth, baby Wyatt, and even that furball monkey-sprite, Sprig. But it was the last tap that made my throat close up, reminding me I could still feel. It was for the girl full of fire and life, who had grown up before my eyes and had become a stunning, bold-as-brass woman. Lexie. My lil’ shark. Losing her broke something in me, making me realize I was not meant to love or be domesticated.
The Silver-Tongue Devil, the man who seduces your wife, cuts your throat, and steals your money all at the same time. That’s who I truly was.
Something deep inside me ripped into shreds as I turned away from my family and friends, agony clawing up my throat, but I kept my gaze on the horizon, the haze of magic thick in the air.
The barrier between Earth and the Otherworld had collapsed, and technology and modern life had come to a halt.
It was time for the pirates to command the seas again.
Yo ho… it was a pirate’s life for me.
Chapter 1
Katrina
5 years before the Fae War
“Joder!” Fuck! He bellowed, his fingers digging into my hips, his head curling back into the silk pillow. His lids squeezed shut, and his mouth locked open as he spilled inside me. Another long, deep moan radiated from his chest.
A drop of sweat trailed between my breasts, and I tipped my head back, enjoying the rush of pleasure rolling through me as my own body slipped quietly into a climax. Sucking in air, I tried to stay in the bliss for a moment more. It never lasted long. Never enough.
I didn’t realize how much I needed even this small release. My worries and stresses had been building up, twisting me in knots. I didn’t always go this far, but when he kissed me, I knew he would be an excellent lover. And I needed nothing more than to let off some steam while still getting work done.
“My god.” He spoke English, but his Castilian accent was thick. His expression was open as he stared up at me in utter awe. “That was…” He gaped, licking his lips, his eyes drifting down to where we still connected. “I have never felt anything like this before. Jesus, your pussy… it is absolute magic.”
Little did he know how true this statement was.
“Thank you,” I hummed, leaning down to brush my lips over his, knowing he would be drifting off to sleep.
“You are so beautiful.” His fingers threaded through my long, silky black hair, pulling me against his chest. His lips skated over the curve of my neck, tipping my head to the side.
My lids squeezed together as I relished the feel of his teeth scraping my skin, tasting me. Why not appreciate it? He definitely was getting something out of this too. The best sex of his life, which he would never be able to match again.
“One of the most striking women I have ever seen.” The man cupped my face, his brown eyes meeting mine. “Your eyes. They are bewitching. Never seen anything like them before.”
I lowered my lashes hungrily, knowing full well the power my almond-shaped eyes held. Yellow irises with bright green rings around the black pupils. My dark lashes only made them burn brighter. To humans, they were a phenomenon because they didn’t understand the truth of what made them that way. That I was not like them.
At one time, I had been ignorant of the influence my looks could generate, the sensual way I moved and the untamed aura around me. Now I understood how to use it to seduce prey. It was survival of the fittest. And I planned to come out the fat cat.
Literally.
Petite-boned and only five feet four inches, I was usually waved off as nothing of consequence unless they wanted something pretty to fuck. Half Polynesian and half German, my looks got a lot of attention. I was a feather in the cap of any man who lay with me, and they patted themselves on the back.
This man was no different. Human men didn’t see me as any threat.
Fools.
They had no idea the prettiest things out there were the most dangerous. I was not their prey; they were mine.
“When I saw you, so young and beautiful”—his mouth moved back over mine—“I had to bed you.” He breathed me in, the kiss turning needy, licking a spark of desire through my blood again. I never seemed to be satisfied. Never quenched, no matter how many lovers I had.
My slight frame, oval face, and flawless skin suggested I was young, maybe early twenties, which made the many old men I had after me kind of disgusting. Little did they know I was far older than all of them combined, and eras from now, I wouldn’t look any different.
“I wanted you too.” I kissed him back, feeding his ego. His chest heaved with gratification, the pheromones casting over him, bleeding into his veins, the high from his intense release drowning him in blissful fatigue. It was overwhelming for humans.
I wasn’t lying. I wanted him… but not for what he thought.
The sex was a bonus.
He walked into the club dressed in the finest suit, his chest puffed and arrogant. He was handsome, with soft, unworked hands and glossy hair. The foreign accent and gold watch around his wrist screamed wealth, begging for every con artist in the place to se t their sights on him.
He was the kind who couldn’t see past his own entitlement and superiority, thinking he was the only one in this part of the country making shady deals, never believing someone like me would be anything but tripping over myself to be noticed by him.
He was very good-looking, with dark, wavy hair, umber skin, and dark eyes, but the constant smirk on his mouth was twisted and told me he knew it.
He was nothing more than a job.
He exhaled again, his lids sliding closed. My lips feathered over his as he sank into slumber, a smile curving his mouth.
“Sweet dreams,” I whispered, peering down at the beautiful man. We hadn’t bothered to learn each other’s names. Not that he would have gotten the truth from me. He had been more fun than I thought, but after so long, my bar wasn’t very high.
Waiting one more beat to make sure he was fully asleep, I slid off him, scrambling off the bed. I pulled on my knickers and top, ready to pretend I was returning from the toilet if he happened to stir. But in my experience, they didn’t wake up until long after I was gone.
My eyes darted around the room. The hotel he was staying at fit his stature, catering to wealthy patrons who wanted to stay anonymous. The space was decorated in rich colors, dark teak woods, and expensive local silks. Indonesia was teeming with people like him, exploiting the black market as piracy multiplied hourly in this area. Though, I missed the good old days of true piracy.
Slipping out the lock picks from my pants pocket, I snuck to the closet. I knew there would be a lockbox in the cabinet. He wasn’t so wealthy to have the hotel hold his possessions in a private vault. He’d trust his items would be safe near him.
The wood door creaked open and snapped back as he stirred. My heart thumped against my chest. He rolled onto his side, facing my direction, then he sighed contently, snuggling into the pillow.
Air exited my nose, and my stomach coiled up like a snake. Pinning my focus back on the box, my fingers pinched the lock picks, sliding them into the keyhole. Human-made safes were pathetically easy to crack.
After I twisted and clicked a pick into place, the lock popped open. My chest fluttered with excitement as the door swung open. The thrill never got old.
“Fuck. Yes,” I muttered, a huge smile curling my lips. I spied stacks of bills, women’s jeweled rings, and a necklace dripping with diamonds.
This could set my crew for months.
A creak sounded behind me—the hotel room door opening.
“Oh darling, I had to come back early from the spa retreat. Nadine was making me positively craz—” An English accent hit my ears as the woman stepped into the room, stopping dead in her tracks. Beautiful and young, her ring finger was decorated with an expensive gold band and diamond ring, making me groan inwardly.
Fucking bastard was married.
Her eyes widened with horror as her gaze went from my barely dressed form to the naked man in bed and back to me.
“What is going on?” she screeched.
The man jolted awake in confusion, floundering, peering around, trying to figure out what was happening.
“You cheating bastard!”
His eyes turned as round as hers, his attention snapping between us.
“Mi amor! It is not what you think!” He leaped out of the bed, his naked body still covered with arousal.
I snorted.
“Not what it looks like? I’m not stupid! My father warned me about you, saying you would cheat on me every time I turned my back. I should have listened!” Her voice hit piercing levels, her glower coming back to me, pausing on my hands. Shit. “Wh-what are you doing with those?” She pointed at the box in my grip. The man spun around, his lids narrowing.
“I’m gonna let you two lovebirds work this out.” I snapped the lid closed, standing up.
It was a blink. A heavy pause before everything exploded in commotion.
“Thief!”
Time to go.
It had been a while since I had to escape sans pants. I snarled at the memory of the slivers I got in my backside last time.
“Help,” the woman screamed. “We’re being robbed!”
“Thief! Thief!”
Their cries rang like a bell through the hotel, stirring everyone within the walls of this resort.
The man grabbed for a gun he had hidden in his nightstand as I swung for the window, opening it. The warm breeze opposed the air-conditioned room.
“Hurry! She’s getting away,” the woman called down the hallway, pulling my attention to four huge guards with weapons running toward the room.
“Stop!” the man bellowed, pointing the gun at me.
Now it was really time to go.
Tucking the box to my chest and crawling out the window, I paused on the sill.
“Thank you for a most entertaining night.” I winked. “And the fuck was pretty decent too.”
His mouth dropped at my bluntness and audacity, the gun loose in his fingers. Desire smoldered in his eyes, a slight satisfied smile picking at his lips.
“What are you doing? Get her!” His wife bounced and squawked like a parrot I had once known.
The guards burst into the room, spotting me, then lurching forward.
I blew the man a kiss before leaping off the sill, my ass dropping painfully onto the roof covering the lower rooms. A puff hurtled from my lips, my skin tearing as I skidded down.
“She’s escaping! Go around to the front!” Hollers echoed from the room, nipping at the back of my neck.
Scrambling to the edge of the roof, I leaped again. Soundlessly, my feet hit the ground, my hands gripping the box more firmly. My gaze moved around, seeing perfectly through every shadow. Not as well as I could be, but still 100 times better than any human.
The people on the streets didn’t even gape at a girl in her knickers and singlet. Skulking through these streets was a common occurrence around here.
This place was a lesser-known hub for piracy than Singapore. But the Strait of Malacca was a gold mine for attacking oil tankers and getting goods from the west to the east. The vast wealth up for grabs around Indonesia was too tempting to ignore, drawing all types here to reap the benefits, which was why hotels of this caliber were guarded with hired mercenaries.
“Stop!” a deep voice ordered. Boots hit the steps as a bullet pinged off the wall near my head.
They had no chance of getting me. Even staying in this form, I could slip out of sight, darting away before they could even blink.
My legs moved me easily down the lanes I knew better than anyone, dodging and weaving. Of course, I’d be a lot faster in my other form. The only problem was I needed my hands to carry the loot.
Weaving down alleys to move closer to the water, I slipped through a door, then downstairs, upstairs, and through another door. I finally climbed the steps of an abandoned building, hidden away from human eyes in this town.
“Secret code?” a voice asked at the same time a gun was put to my temple.
“Really?” I rolled my eyes.
“You never know. I should fully inspect to see if it’s really you.” A man’s voice nipped in my ear, his hands sliding down my hips. “Caught in your knickers again, Kitty-Kat?”
Only one person was allowed to call me that.
“Fuck off, Gage. And get your hands off me.” I twisted my head close to his mouth; the coyness in my tone was laced with warning. “Or you will have one ball missing by morning.”
“Back off, Gage.” A deep grumble came out of the shadows as the man strolled up to me, no doubt spotting my healing cuts and bruises, taking in my lack of clothing and the scent of sex billowing off me. A flutter of sadness graced his face before he schooled it into a neutral expression. I tried to pretend I didn’t see his hurt every time I came back from a night of “letting off some steam” and that I didn’t feel his disappointment and pain.
