Chapter 17
M y heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest, but for some twisted reason, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting him know how scared I was. I gritted my teeth and croaked out a response.
“You and I both know that, if me dying was on the menu today, it would have already happened, so I'd appreciate it if you'd get the blade off my neck and give me some space.
I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
But it's been a rough day, and I'm feeling a little twitchy.” A little tremble at the end there, but for the most part, I had done a respectable job of not sounding scared shitless.
I could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, and just as loud were the gears in his mind grinding.
“You mistake me. Would it make my task easier to have you on board? It would. But I can find another way if I have to. Mark me.”
A moment later, though, the pressure against the pulse in my neck was gone, and he stepped back. I swallowed a sigh of relief as I turned, resisting the urge to scamper as far away from him as possible. His hair was damp, and I could still smell the soap on him, like clean spices…
Not the same person, I reminded myself. Cut the shit.
Moving slowly and deliberately, I perched a hip on the corner of the desk.
“First you climb The Devil’s Gauntlet, now you invade my private lair. Is going where you're not supposed to another Tideblessing, or just a talent you possess?”
I was so distracted by his perfectly carved features that it took a moment for his words to sink in.
I gripped the side of the desk and held on for dear life, trying to school my features so he couldn't see my reaction to his body having been so close to mine.
I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off immediately.
“Before you speak, know this. I have a special skill, shall we say, that helps me detect bullshit a mile away. I know you're about to feed me some, but I recommend you save it. If ever there was a time to be honest, it's now. Who are you, really? Because I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve…seen you…have known you before and you’re using some sort of magic to trick me or shield yourself. ..”
There was no way I could tell him the truth. That I’d spent my life dreaming of him. That I didn’t know him, but I knew what it felt like to have him inside me? I kept my gaze firmly pinned on his face, refusing to let my eyes drift lower.
My cheeks burned, and I forced a chuckle. “If I could shield myself with magic, I wouldn’t have dressed up like a boy with a shoe-polish beard. But I am handy with a lock, and I admit to being too curious for my own good.”
His eyes once again seemed to burn straight through me, baring me to my very soul.
“A friend of my enemy is an enemy of mine.”
“Friend of your enemy? Where are you getting that from? You mean Pan and Tink?”
His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head. “You admit to knowing them?”
“I do.” I shrugged. “They helped me and Molly when we ran into some trouble.”
“They don’t help anyone,” he cut in sharply.
“The Lost Boys. They help them?—”
“Least of all the fucking Lost Boys, I can promise you that. If you ever decide you want to help me that way, do me a favor and kill me quick instead.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
My mind instantly shot back to the little hints of strangeness during my short time in Neverland. Tristan’s obvious discomfort and the way he kept his distance from both Tink and Pan. Tink’s reaction when I’d wandered off across the island to the carnivorous bat caves.
“If you have something to tell me about them, feel free to spill it now. I’m all ears.”
His voice dropped to a menacing whisper that was way scarier than if he’d been shouting.
“It’s not my motives that are in question here. I’m a bloody pirate and this is my ship. I don’t particularly care what you think me guilty of. It’s you who needs to justify your existence if you want it to continue. I’ll ask you one more time. How did you meet them?”
I cleared my throat and tried again. “Well, our boat capsized and they plucked us out of the water and brought us back to their island.”
“You’ve been to Neverland, then?” Hook asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I have.” There seemed no point in denying it.
“But they're not my friends , exactly. They were kind to us, although we couldn't stay. We…” I trailed off and let out a low cough, “borrowed one of Pan's boats while they were gone, and went on our way.
I'm sure they wouldn't view us as friends right now, either.”
“So they didn’t send you to me?”
He unfolded his arms and reached out with his right hand. Instinctively, I lifted mine toward it and, before I could pull away, he circled my wrist with his fingers and pressed his thumb against my pulse.
“Tell me the truth, Harmony. Were you sent here by Pan and Tink to spy on me…or worse?”
“I was not,” I managed, my throat sticking together. No doubt my blood was pounding. But it wasn't because I was lying. It was because I'd been in this exact position with him once before, in a dream from long ago.
“Do I make you nervous, little one?” he murmured, a hint of a smile tugging at his firm lips. He reached out and pressed his fingers to the soft underside of my wrist, which jumped and flickered to greet his touch.
“If not for Pan and Tink, why did you come to the meeting?”
“I was hoping to find someone who could take me to The Weeping Fen.”
“Because…”
I couldn’t lie. He would surely sense it. I’d seen his magic at work, and it was nothing to play around with. “I need to find Noru before the next time he emerges.”
His face went carefully blank. “Why?”
“Because Pan and Tink managed to mark him with some sort of magic arrow the last time he surfaced. They are going to be able to track him and set a trap to catch him. I need to beat them to the punch.”
“Fucking hell.” Hook’s nostrils flared and his jaw went tight, his eyes steely. “She was right, then…”
“Who?”
“It’s not important. All that matters is that we get the job done. Your goal is to get the clock, then?”
There was no point in denying it anymore. “Yes. But maybe we can share it?” I hurried to add. “I don’t even know exactly what?—”
“It doesn’t matter. The clock means nothing to me in the long term. If my suspicions are correct, I’ll have no use of the thing once it’s served its purpose. I’ll happily give it over to you and we can part ways.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that because you’ve been such a gentleman so far?”
He drew back in surprise, and I nearly burst out laughing.
“Sorry, I do this thing when I’ve hit my quota of terror for the day where my brain gets so overloaded that I start speaking my mind.
Believe me, I’m still plenty afraid, but some sort of assurance that we aren’t going to help you and then wind-up fish food afterwards would go a long way towards building a bit of trust between us. ”
“I just saved your fucking life.”
“Like I said, that was only because you think my connection with Fetch can help you, not because you care if I’m alive or dead,” I reasoned with a shrug.
He stared at me in disbelief, but I wasn’t about to be cowed this time.
“At least tell me the plan. If I’m to be a part of it, I should know my role. ”
“My plan was the same as yours. Although I didn’t know how short on time we were, I did know that the window on finding Noru and the clock was closing.
” He blew out a long-suffering sigh. “We are headed to Kraken Reef to hire an experienced guide to take me and a small, strategically selected crew to The Fen. I’m hopeful that we can use your ability to communicate with animals along with the Tideblessings of some others to help us find and defeat the croc and any other monsters that get in our way. ”
“Why now? Pan said it’s been years since you betr—” I broke off and tried again, “since your…falling out. Why is it suddenly okay to go now?”
He reached out and touched the gleaming tip of his hook to the glass orb that covered the massive tooth.
“Loads of sailors have entered, but few have come out, and even fewer than that in one piece. I’ve interviewed those still capable of communicating.
Going with my usual crew would’ve put them all at risk with very little chance of reward.
Due to the size of the ship needed to navigate those waters, going alone would be impossible, so… ”
His meaning hit me like a stone from a slingshot, right between the eyes.
“Holy diabolical fucking hell…You’re putting together a crew of people you don’t give a fuck about, knowing that it’s probably a suicide mission.
” I let out a harsh laugh. “Ooh, I know!
We can call it a ‘soon-to-be skeleton crew’!
That should give them all the warm fuzzies and get ‘em lining up to join.”
Hook moved so fast, my eyes didn’t even detect the motion before he was on me, pressing me against the desk, forcing me to use my hands to keep from being flat on my back.
“You can say whatever you wish about me as a man. I’ve done plenty of bad in my life that I deserve the scorn,” he hissed, hook pressed against my jaw as he glared down at me, eyes flashing piping hot fury.
“But don’t ever question my ethics as a captain.
Those I lead are my sworn and sacred responsibility.
Even you and your fake sister, Harmony Fallowell. ”
I swallowed hard and tried to focus on his words and not to stare at his mouth. The mouth that had been on my collarbone in a dream just a few nights before, seconds before it drifted lower…
His eyes slid down to my mouth, and it was like I had no choice. My hips flexed almost imperceptibly against his.
He shoved himself backward with a snarl and pointed an accusatory finger at me. “We’ll arrive in Kraken Reef by noon. Try not to get yourself killed in the meantime. And if you find a locked door, leave it that way. Am I understood?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Aye Aye, Captain.”
I turned and rushed from the room like it was on fire. And, judging from how hot my skin felt, it just might have been. It wasn’t until I got to my room and closed the door behind me that I realized what he’d called me…
Harmony Fallowell…
How did he know my full name?