Chapter 25
Hook
Another pixie.
Tink’s cousin. In the bloody, weird forest. On an island everyone avoids like a plague.
None of it made sense. Oh, she looked real enough. Could have been Tink’s sister with their similar build and coloring. But there was something in her face, a twist to her smile, a glint in her eyes, that repulsed him. Too much like the woman he craved, and yet nothing like her.
The smoke belonged to a campfire she’d lit, the center point in a small clearing that sported a rough lean-to and a few half-rotted logs his crew attempted to use for stools—attempted being the key word.
Smee tumbled to the ground the moment he sat on one.
Half the side gave way, spilling him into the rotting leaves coating the ground.
Nearly everything was damp from the foggy mist. How she got the fire lit was a mystery.
Lily clung to Tink, their fingers twined. She tugged her down on the one good log. “I was so scared,” Lily said. “You were talking to that big, burly man, so I started talking to this handsome redhead. Before I knew it, I’d had too much to drink, and I was on a ship. There were all these men—”
“No.” Tink clutched Lily’s hand in hers. “They didn’t…did they?” Her face flushed in a rush, the way only a pixie’s can.
“No, no, they were nice actually.” She shook her head.
Hook nearly snorted. Not likely. The Blackbeard he knew wasn’t some noble gentleman. Neither were his crew. If he’d hauled her onto his ship, as Tink said, it was with reason, and he wouldn’t be letting her go. At least…not until he had what he wanted. Something was missing here.
“They led me ashore, and I went back to the bar to find you, but you weren’t there,” Lily continued, sighing and fretting with dramatic flair.
“The bartender said you’d left. I went all over town looking for you, but I couldn’t find you.
Beryl’s wings, Tink! I was so worried. Distraught.
Then I heard some men near the dock talking about how a pixie demanded to see Captain Blackbeard and left with him on his ship.
It wasn’t ’til then that I realized who they were. ”
Tink leaned in, her wings nearly touching her cousin’s. “So, what happened then? How did you get here?”
“Aye, do tell us,” Hook said. Both women turned to stare at him as he took a seat next to Tink, feigning a casual posture. Every muscle in his body was on edge. “Should be a rousing tale.” His leg brushed hers.
Tink scowled at his tone, but he didn’t let it dim his grin. He’d get to the bottom of this little mystery, and he’d keep her close while he did.
Lily glanced around at his crew, her shoulders hunching ever so slightly as she turned her attention back to Tink. Apparently, she warranted her focus where the rest of them didn’t.
“I didn’t know what to think. Why you’d gone. Where. So I went home.”
Tink stiffened at his side. Hook slid his hand against her thigh in a show of support, but she didn’t notice, or pretended not to.
“I’m so sorry.” Lily pulled her closer, away from Hook. “I didn’t want to leave you. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Hook leaned around Tink. “Care to get to how you got here?”
Both women turned and scowled at him again.
Lily shook herself. A cloak of sorrow fell over her features again, everywhere but her eyes.
She had the pout down, the set to her shoulders, but a person’s eyes always told more than anything else.
“Everyone was so worried about you. The elders, they went back to town to search…but…” She looked away.
His hook tapped against the log in impatience.
“Well, they heard stories about a pixie running off with pirates and…selling pixie dust.”
“I did.” Tink’s wings dipped as she raised her hand, letting her broken bracelet dangle from her wrist. “I did it to save you, so Captain Blackbeard would release you.”
Lily gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. “You committed an unforgiveable sin to save me?”
Tink’s shoulders drooped. Her wings almost seemed to dim. This wasn’t the conversation he wanted them to have, not here in front of him and his crew. It was wrong, vulgar. Several of them had turned away, studying the surrounding jungle. Francis and Davies left completely. All the better.
“Tink is quite the woman. Brave. Selfless.” Hook laid a hand on her knee, giving it a squeeze.
Wrapping her in his arms would be better.
Carrying her off and kissing away her fears, making her wings glow…
what he wouldn’t give for that. But she’d hate him for coddling her, for stealing her away. Again.
“Oh, no doubt!” Lily’s head cocked to the side as she glanced back at Tink. “But then, where were you?”
Tink leaned back, folding in her wings until she rested against his shoulder. “They took me on to the next port. It took almost two weeks to get back.”
And by that time her people had turned on her, learned that she’d sold pixie dust and was worthless to them.
He ached to punch something. Bloody pixies.
They had no idea what she suffered, the sacrifice she’d made to save her cousin.
All she did was work to get home to the very people who’d exiled her. They didn’t deserve her.
“I knew you couldn’t have done it without reason,” Lily said. “So I came back to find you. To help.”
“Thank you.” She moved away from him, back to her cousin. Reluctantly, he let her go. “You’ve always been right there with me. I knew you’d have done the same if the situation was reversed.”
“Of course.”
“Not to break up this love fest, but we do have things to do.” Hook looked up into the fog, refusing to see another set of scowls. Every minute, Blackbeard gained on them. He could be nearing the island already, preparing to strike.
Tink stood, dusting off her breeches. “He’s right, Lily, we have things to do. Come with us.”
What? He snapped his head back toward them. “Perhaps she should wait on the ship.” Something still felt wrong. Maybe she was real—the story matched what Tink had told him—but that didn’t mean they had to trust her, not with something so important.
Hands on her hips, lips pursed, Tink said, “She should come. She could help and—”
Hook pulled Tink out of the way and faced down Lily. “How did you get here? Short version.”
“Hey!” Tink shoved back, but he took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. Someone had to get to the bottom of things.
Lily’s nose wrinkled. “A mermaid told me who Tink was with and where you might be going.”
“Which. One?”
The girl huffed. “Blue hair. Green scales. Didn’t get the name.”
A quick glance at Smee confirmed they had the same thought. Could be any of a dozen merfolk they knew, but none that were in Titania’s inner circle. The queen wouldn’t have been so free with the knowledge of their quest.
It was a lie. He could almost taste it in the bitter air. However she’d discovered Tink’s whereabouts, that wasn’t the whole story. No way she just happened to make camp right here, at the bloody bearded man rock. Not to mention the campfire. She wanted to be found. He knew a trap when he saw one.
“Come on,” he called to his crew. “Let’s give these ladies a moment.” He turned to Tink. “Just a moment. Then I’ll expect you on the beach.”
Fisted hands landed on her hips as she straightened. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
Great. She’s bloody pissed off. Hook turned on his heel and gestured to his crew with a flick of his fingers. They hopped up and scuttled away without a word.
Until they reached the beach.
“She—”
He raised his hook in the air, silencing whatever torrent Sage planned to spew. “I know.”
She paced back and forth, kicking up damp sand. “Every minute we stand here—”
“I know.” Gods, don’t I.
“We should be searching for—”
“I bloody know, all right!” His hand fisted at his side. He grimaced, fighting the urge to apologize. It was a fine line being their captain but also a friend—no, family.
“We’ll split up,” Smee said. “I’ll take the ladies on a trek down the beach, then…uh…”
Hook rubbed his forehead. “No, we’ve split up enough already.
” He didn’t like dividing his crew between land and sea.
It put them all at risk. But leaving the ship unmanned was an even worse option.
He’d already left Barley in charge of others onboard.
They’d guard the ship, make ready to get away from this island as soon as their quest was done.
Sending more back? He glanced toward the foggy peaks.
No. There was no telling what danger awaited them.
He couldn’t spare more taking a pixie back to the ship, and they had no time to lose waiting around for them to return. “We’ll bring her with us.”
Groans and grumbles answered him. His raised hook requested silence. “Tell her nothing. Or as little as possible.”
If Tink didn’t tell her everything herself. He’d have to talk to her, get her alone and make her see reason. The witch’s clues came at too steep a price to give them away for free, especially to someone he didn’t trust.
“All right.” Smee stepped forward. “Let’s find that second clue.”
Hook met his gaze, giving him a firm nod. When everything went to shit, Smee was always there. Solid, reliable, a stalwart friend to the end.
“The wooden trident marks the path,” Anne said. The woman had a mind like a book. Tell her something once, and she could almost always remember it. She tossed her auburn braid over one shoulder. “At least, that’s what you told me. Wooden…like a carving?”
There’d be no shortage of wood on an island like this, but who would have carved it?
“We’ll know when we find it,” Smee said, ever the optimist. “Like the bearded man.”
Davies coughed, drawing their attention, and tipped his head toward the trees. Tink and Lily appeared on the pathway—hand in hand.
Hook’s lips thinned. He’d never been so jealous of a woman before. Cousins or not, their closeness rankled.
“Well?” Tink asked.
The crew stood stone-faced, staring down the approaching pixies.
He had to give it to them, they could be intimidating when they wanted.
Hook glanced from one to another. “She can come with us. But—” He raised his hook, advancing on the newcomer.
“I’m the captain here. You follow my orders.
Answer my questions. Obey my crew. Got it? ”
Lily visibly swallowed. Her focus flitted around as she nodded. For a moment, she looked much younger than her years, though Tink claimed they were almost the same age.
Fine. “Now spread out, but stay in sight of one another. You know what we’re looking for.”
“What are—”
Hook shot Lily a glare, silencing her question. The pixie flinched.
Tink frowned but kept her mouth shut. Good. “Spare a minute, Captain?”
Now it was his turn to frown. Nothing good ever followed his title. “Fine, come with me.” He gestured toward the tree line opposite the shore. “Lily, stay with Sage.” He pointed for the pixie’s benefit.
Sage’s eyes glittered with mirth. Oh, she’d keep the girl in check all right. Wouldn’t hesitate to knock her out and tie her up if needed either, not like one of the men might.
“What’s going on?” Tink said in a screechy whisper as they neared the trees stretching up toward the sun over the grey beach.
“I don’t trust her.”
She gaped.
“I know. She’s your cousin. The one you saved. But out here?” He gestured around them. “You can’t tell me that makes any bloody sense.”
Her wings fluttered in what could only be annoyance. Color raced to her cheeks. She glanced back at Lily, who walked with Sage down the shoreline.
“She shouldn’t be here, love. We can’t risk our mission, lifting our curses, my crew. Give us time to see what she’s about.” His hand settled on her waist, and she relaxed a little. “We’ll keep her safe, just…protect us too.”
Tink glanced up at him, her gaze softening. “Bloody pirate.”
A laugh burst out with his grin. “You’re starting to sound like me, love.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wonder why. But she…” She glanced back at her cousin. “It is her. She’s okay,” her voice cracked, and she shook her head. Fighting away tears?
“She is.” He gave her a light squeeze. For her benefit he’d say it, even if he didn’t fully believe it himself.
Tink sighed. “Let’s just find this scale and go home.”
Home. The word cut at him and forced his grin to falter. Her home…or his?