Chapter 26 #2
"You better go while you still can,” I said, the grinding pain in my shoulder making it hard to speak. “I hear Hook and the crew coming down the hallway now, and we both know you're nothing without Tink's power."
I was bluffing. Not only was the corridor silent, I also had no real knowledge of Pan’s fighting abilities. Apparently, my words hit their mark though, because he let out a low growl and then flitted backward a few yards.
“We don’t need you, or that stupid bird,” he hissed, blood running through the splayed fingers covering his eye. “We’re going to get the clock with or without you. Count on it. And once we do, I’m going to find you again and make you wish you didn’t betray me.”
Footfalls sounded in the distance, and Pan must’ve heard them as well, because he was gone an instant later.
I let out a low sob as I tried to reconnect with Fetch, but all I felt when I tried was his agony.
“Help, please!” I hollered as I shot to my feet. My steps were unsteady as I rushed to the door.
“Are you alright, lass?” Xander called in response. But it was Hook who made it to the door to meet me.
His gaze was liquid ink as he looked me up and down and let out a low growl. “Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head wildly. “But he hurt Fetch. Someone has to get him. Peter broke his wing and tossed him into the water. Please!”
“On it.” It was Trick-Eyed Tom who spoke, but I only caught sight of the back of him as he sprinted down the hallway in the other direction.
Hook shouldered past me and stalked to the porthole, smashing his hand against the wall with a snarl. “He and that succubus bitch thought they would take you from me, did they?”
I blinked at him and shook my head, the throb in my shoulder making it hard to think straight.
“You mean Tink? No…she wasn’t with him. She seemed to know we were lying to them. Called Peter naive for thinking we were ever his friends. I think he was hoping to have me and Fetch in their corner in case they needed help with Noru.”
“What do you mean, succubus bitch?” Moll asked, wheeling around to face Xander when Hook didn’t answer immediately. “What does he mean?”
Hook swiped a finger over the blood speckling the porthole and then turned and pinned me in place with a grim stare. “Xander, take Molly to the galley and pour her a stiff mug of whiskey. Harmony and I need to speak in private.”
I knew Molly wanted to argue but a subtle head shake from Xander had her closing her mouth in silence.
Hook stalked to the open door, past them both.
“You and me. The library. Now," he growled, not bothering to see if I followed.
“I’m not going anywhere unless it’s to see if Fetch is okay,” I shouted at his retreating back.
“So long as he’s not dead, he’ll be right as rain. No better Mend than Tom.”
I’d been on the other side of that magic after The Devil’s Gauntlet, so I knew it was true, but it wasn’t until the pain in my shoulder faded and then abruptly disappeared altogether that I let out a long breath.
Tom’s magic had already begun to work.
“Fair warning, woman,” Hook called over his shoulder. “If I don’t hear you fall into step behind me within the next five seconds, you’ll regret it.”
Well, shit.
"Want me to come with?" Molly whispered, catching hold of my sleeve as I forced my feet into motion, whole body sizzling with some strange mix of nerves and anticipation.
"Nah. He doesn't scare me."
Or, at least not for the reasons he hoped.
Somewhere along the way, I'd come to accept that he wasn't evil—that maybe the story about him murdering a child wasn’t the truth…or at least wasn’t the whole story.
Seeing Peter tonight, hearing how he spoke, made me doubt his stories about Hook.
And Hook’s men had too much respect for him.
Not to mention Garth's clear affection for the man.
I felt it in my gut…he wouldn't hurt me.
And while I had no doubt he'd hurt plenty of others, he’d had his reasons.
I'd finally picked my horse when Pan had come calling.
But it was time to pay the piper. I was going to have to come out with at least some of the truth if I wanted Hook to trust me.
And the truth sounded like the rantings of a certified lunatic.
I’m real…but I’m not entirely sure you are. See…you're all actually characters.
In a book.
Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t lead with that part.
By the time Hook closed the door of the library behind us a minute later and made his way to his desk, I had already planned how to handle things. I’d feed him tidbits, and hope it was enough to satisfy him.
If he’s anything like our dreams, he’s never satisfied, the helpful little voice in my head chimed in.
Shut up, I shot back.
“Let’s start with what happened earlier, shall we? The fire in the sky.”
"Right. That was the witch Gayelette was talking about. Almira," I began, ignoring his gesture to sit and pacing in a restless circle instead. "Thinking on it, I wonder if she found me because I’ve been using a lot of magic while practicing with my whip."
All true.
"The witch from some far away land called Ca'an Saas.
" He jerked a thumb toward the thousands of books behind him.
"I've sailed all three seas. I have over a hundred maps of the world.
And when she said it the other night, I spent hours poring over every one of them.
There is no such place. So what the fuck aren't you telling me, Harmony? "
The damnable grandfather clock ticked in the corner of the room like a heartbeat, punctuating the silence, ratcheting up my nerves.
Tidbits weren’t going to work. He was not one to be left in the dark, and wasn’t going to stop until I bared my soul.
Also like in our dreams.
Shut UP!
I hesitated one more moment and then shrugged. "Fine. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours."
I wasn’t going to be the only one with my bare ass hanging out here.
Quid pro quo, motherfucker.
He stared at me for a few tense seconds, threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. "You've got balls, I'll give you that. My mortal enemy comes to my ship to rescue you, and I’m just supposed to trust that you’re not going to betray me? Do I look like a complete idiot to you?"
“No. But trust is a two-way path,” I shot back, my spine stiffening.
“You want me to hate Pan and Tink as much as you do, but you won’t tell me why.
And still, I didn’t let him take us. Not to mention that I nearly broke my fool neck pinning my belt to your stupid flag to show my loyalty, and still got nothing in return.
Sure, I was able to get some information because I followed you to Gayelette’s, but you’ve been about as forthcoming as a stone.
” I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin.
“If you want me to show my cards, it’s got to be a fair exchange.
If you tell me about Pan and Tink, I'll tell you what I know about your world. ..and mine."
If stares were knives, I’d be full of holes, but I held strong, not blinking until he pounded the desktop with his fist.
“Damn you, woman.”
He stalked over to one of the bookshelves behind him lined with what looked like hundreds of thin, leather-bound journals. The ease with which he laid his hands on this one in particular let me know it wasn’t the first or even the tenth time he’d done so. This was clearly something he’d read often.
He lowered himself to the massive chair behind the desk and glared at me. “Sit the fuck down. You’re making me twitchy.”
“Ha! You have a lot of nerve. Your attitude makes everyone twitchy, all the time. Have you considered switching the rum to some warm milk or maybe thought about taking a nap every once in a while?”
We both stared at each other, and I only faltered when his eyes drifted to my heaving chest.
Son of a bitch ? —
“Fine. Boss man says sit, I’ll sit.” I flopped into the chair, crossed my arms over my chest, and waited.
He let his fingers linger on the cover of the book and let out a long breath. “What did Pan and Tink tell you about me?”
“That you were friends. That you stole his mother’s magic clock and tried to kidnap some of The Lost Boys.”
That you killed a boy. But I couldn’t get that final accusation past my too-tight throat.
He let out a bitter laugh and studied me through heavy lids.
"Is that their story then? My dastardly nature caused me to betray them and steal his beloved mother's clock?
" He nodded slowly, glancing at the giant crocodile tooth on his desk.
"I guess that makes sense. How could they tell you the truth?
" His eyes locked onto mine, searching. "The question is, do you believe them? "
It took me a minute to find my voice.
"I don't know what to believe," I admitted.
But as soon as I said it, I knew it for the lie it was.
I’d always felt something around Tink that bothered me.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was as if the exterior didn’t match what was brewing inside.
A smile slightly too brittle. A word to one of the boys a little less than sincere.
That sad little exchange with Cissy about her dad and how Tink didn’t allow her to talk about him.
And Pan had seemed a little off, too. Even before tonight, there were times when he was almost ludicrously boyish, like a twelve-year-old trapped in a man’s body.
Then, there were other times when he seemed…
disconnected somehow. Once I’d seen how he’d looked at Fetch, though, my doubts had disappeared.
There was a vein of evil in him, running deep beneath the surface.
“There’s so much about my life lately that has me in a tailspin.
A prophecy that’s clearly incomplete, a ruthless enemy that I’ve never even met who wants me dead…
and the one person trying to help me fill in the gaps can only talk in riddles.
Every step I take comes with a price that others wind up paying.
And every step I take feels like a wild fucking guess.
I’m tired of guessing. I need to know the truth about Pan and Tink because I need to feel sure about something. Please, James.”
He drew back for an instant, and then let out a sigh, nodding.
“I’ll start at the beginning then, because it matters. Once upon a time, there was a boy named Peter Pan…”