Chapter 2
Tink
Hours or minutes later—Tink couldn’t tell—she and Hook spilled out of the rancorous bar into the still night air, their clothes sticking to the humidity dewing their skin.
Barely a sliver of moonlight slipped through the cloudy night sky, but Tink hardly noticed.
Her vision blurred at the edges. Each step wobbled more than a little.
Damn, the dark rum he’d procured had been strong.
She’d only taken little sips compared to him, but still, it clouded her head.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. What was she thinking getting drunk like she was just out for a good time?
The only bright side on this dark night was Hook had downed more than enough to make his gaze heavy with lust and his step just as unsteady as hers.
He didn’t even blink an eye when she suggested he show her his ship.
“Pride of the seas!” he proclaimed, flinging an arm toward the docks and splashing half of the drink he still carried over its rim. “You won’t find a more impressive ship than the Jolly Roger. Not in all of Neverland.”
“I’ve heard it’s quite big. Strong. Fast too.” She giggled, not at all faked, and brushed against his arm. No, more like stumbled into him. A lesser man might have tripped and fallen into the nearly empty streets, but not Hook. Tink may as well have hit a tree for all he moved.
“Careful there, love.” He steadied her with his hook, somehow delicate and careful despite his drunkenness. “Wouldn’t want you to miss out on such a sight.”
“No.” She looked him up and down, taking her time as they stumbled along. Tink licked her lips slowly, carefully. “We wouldn’t want that at all.”
The hooded glance he shot her, shadowed by the night, stirred her blood more than it ever should.
Filthy, stealing, double-dealing, no-good pirate, that’s what he is.
It didn’t matter that he could charm the fins off a fish and his grin could melt iron.
He stole the Heart of Fire. He deserved to have it stolen from him.
Not to mention a pirate had gotten her into this mess, so it was only fair she used another to help get herself out.
Tink twisted the bracelet around her wrist. She’d find a way home.
Saving Lily, the closest person she had to a sister, was worth the cost, and she’d make the same choice again in a heartbeat.
Durin’s beard, I’d do anything for her. But she’d be damned if freeing Lily from that wretched Captain Blackbeard would cost her a place in the Sylvanna Vale.
It had been a night similar to this one. Beautiful and peaceful. Tink shivered.
“Are you all right?” Hook asked.
Tink glanced up at the roguish pirate with a start. When had they stopped walking? Worse, he sounded almost as sober as she suddenly felt. That wouldn’t do. “Just cold for a moment.” She gave him her best honey-and-whiskey smile and trailed a hand down his arm.
Okay, that was a terrible excuse. Tink silently cursed herself as she kept her grin frozen in place. No living thing could be cold in the tropical humidity they practically swam through.
Hook plunked his cup on a random windowsill—an interesting present for the lucky owner—and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders. “I could take you back to the tavern.”
“No!” she replied, a little too quickly. “No, I want to go with you. Weren’t you going to reenact your theft of the Heart of Fire for me?”
“Interested in my jewels now?” He laughed, his tone warmer than the night.
“Well, you know they say the fastest way to a girl’s heart is pretty things.” She leaned in, letting her body brush against the heavy fabric of his coat. A massive ship loomed at the dock just ahead. It had to be his, and damn if it wasn’t as impressive as the rumors said.
“Well, what do you think?” He gestured to the ship. His arm slid down her cloak, tugging her closer. “Is she all you—” He halted.
Tink froze. Nessa’s flute, her wings. He didn’t know what she was, didn’t know about them. But he felt them. Holy elders, why hadn’t I thought of this?
“You’re a…?” He trailed off, waiting for her to answer.
“Pixie,” she responded, barely a whisper.
The last thing she needed was more people to know about her.
Humans were greedy. Never tell them what you are if you venture into the human lands, because they’ll want your dust. That was one of the first lessons every pixie learned before they came of age and were allowed to leave.
A pixie could give some away. A little here.
A pinch there. Blessings for folks who were kind.
But never sell it. Not one coin or they could never go home.
And didn’t she know it.
“I’m sorry.” Genuine panic laced her voice as she waited for him to pull away and leave her standing at the edge of the dock. “I enjoyed being with you. I worried that if I told you, you might…” She shrugged and stared at her feet.
Hook’s calloused hand tipped up her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “You thought I might not be interested?” She could just make out the arch of one dark eyebrow.
She nodded, swallowing her apprehension.
“I’ll admit I’ve never been with a pixie before, but that’s not going to put me off.” He leaned in, his warmth lulling her in like a gentle tide. “That’s what this is for?” He tugged at her cloak.
“Not everyone is so kind to pixies.” Especially not pirates. Is this where he would ask for her dust? To shower him with the drug humans couldn’t get enough of?
He slid his arm up, careful not to press on her already folded and bound wings. “You’re safe with me, love.”
Her stomach twisted. There he was being all kind and courteous, and she planned to rob him blind. Doubt twisted around her, tugging her back from the boat. She stumbled, blaming it on the strong drink they’d shared, but it wasn’t that.
Captain Hook had a reputation, all right—ruthless, skilled, rich.
He’d plundered a number of royal ships, not to mention the rumors that he’d participated in some more above-deck business dealings.
Because he hoped for someone to share his bed?
Yes, that had to be it. Rum and resolve straightened her back and steadied her step.
She slipped her hand in his and let him lead her aboard.
Masts towered into the night above, their sails pulled in and tied up while at port.
The deck was clean, orderly, lacking the stench of fish and even more unsavory things that had dominated smaller vessels she’d visited.
The intricately carved door they passed through into the heart of the ship could have easily belonged on a fancy manor.
Hard as it was to admit, his rooms were nice too.
A lush, comfortable-looking bed with crimson coverings dominated one wall.
A sturdy desk of carved dark wood—mahogany?
—stood across from it. Various objects and treasures were tied to the walls or secured on shelves with books crammed between them.
Thick glass windows let in natural light, or they would during the day.
This night, only candles illuminated the room, which Hook lit as Tink took her time admiring his collections.
“So, who was Roger?” Tink asked.
“Roger?”
“You know, of the Jolly Roger?” She canted her head to the side.
“Ah, that Roger.” He placed the last candle back in its stand. “Would you believe I don’t know?”
Tink’s brows rose. The ship’s deck tilted—or was it the rum making her unsteady?—and she stumbled a half-step. “You, the great Captain Hook, don’t know who your ship is named for?”
Hook rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “The great Captain Hook. Now I like the sound of that.”
She glanced away. The blush on her cheeks wasn’t even faked.
“So do I get to see the fabled Heart of Fire?” Tink asked over her shoulder as she trailed her fingers along the edge of his desk.
“Ye are after me jewels,” Hook replied with a smirk, letting a lilt into his voice.
Oh, if only he knew. Queen Titania asked for that jewel, and only she possessed the enchanted pearl that could fix Tink’s bracelet and get her home. Whatever she had to do to earn the Queen’s trust and get one step closer to home, she would.
Tink settled on the edge of his desk. “You did promise.”
“Aye, I did.” At some point, he’d lost his jacket, leaving just a loose shirt tucked into his breeches. “And I always keep my word. But first, close your eyes, love.”
Apprehension coiled in her gut, but she complied. Of course he wouldn’t want her to see where he kept the treasure. It was so hard not to peek.
Shuffling, a few clicks, and the scrape of wood met her ears. Time seemed to stretch forever. Her back went stiff as the captain’s footsteps trailed across the carpet to where she stood.
“Can I look?”
“Aye.”
Her eyes snapped open as he set a thin box on the desk. “May I present…” He lifted the lid. “The Heart of Fire.”
A gold necklace dotted with rubies the size of her thumb stared back. It would be a lie to say her mouth didn’t water. The object she needed, the first step in her ticket home, was finally within her grasp.
Hook leaned over her, his chest nearly pressing against her back. From his deep inhale of breath, she could have sworn he sniffed her hair. Weird pirate.
“Would you like to try it on?”
Her breath caught. She nearly vibrated with joy. “Yes! Um…I mean, who wouldn’t want to? Something so beautiful.”
“Indeed.” The edge of one finger grazed her cheek as he took the necklace from its box, lifting one end of the chain with the tip of his hook through a link.
The mermaids wanted this stunning necklace back in their hoard, and soon she’d get it to them.
Her teeth dug into her lip as she tried to hold back her grin.
Weird and filthy pirate or not, he was playing right into her hands.
When the heavy weight settled onto her chest, Tink faced him, making sure to accidentally brush against his crotch in the process.