Devil's Tide. Beneath the Black Flag - Michael S. Freeman

The sea is a merciless mistress, and the black flag offers no salvation...

Captain Hudson has built his legend on stolen gold, broken oaths, and blood-soaked steel. As the ruthless captain of the Dahlia, he takes what he pleases, defies the British Crown, and answers to no man. But when a raid on a Spanish galleon uncovers a mysterious woman bound in chains-and a map leading to a treasure whispered of in fear-his fate takes a dangerous turn.

Juniper is no ordinary prisoner. With dark skin kissed by the Caribbean sun, eyes that burn with secrets, and a past tied to the occult, she is both a prize and a curse. She knows of a fortune buried on an island shrouded in legend-and of the Leviathan, a monstrous beast that guards it.

With Commodore Graves hunting him, rival pirates closing in, and his own crew questioning the cost of this pursuit, Hudson must decide: trust the witch and chase the treasure of kings, or cut her throat and leave the past buried beneath the waves.

But the sea does not forgive. The past does not rest. And beneath the black flag, only the strongest survive.