5. Strangers
D awn had just barely begun to peek through the window, casting our cabin in shades of grey. It was a welcome sight. I had been awake, lying in bed for hours. Katherine was tucked into my side. A spray of her hair tickled my chest, but I made no move to disturb her. My return to Neverland had rattled something within me. Reopened an old wound that had never healed. Now, it festered, and I was anxious. After a fitful night, I still hadn’t devised a solid plan to achieve what I wanted.
I’d been back for one day, and I had yet to lay eyes on Pan. I reminded myself that I’d waited years for my revenge. It was useless to rush through it now. I wanted to savor it. Let it consume me until it filled all the cracks in my soul. Only then would I be whole.
Kat stirred beside me. A soft coo fell from her lips as she woke.
“Did you sleep well, my beautiful girl?”
“Never better,” she sighed, tracing her fingers over my chest. No hint of the irritation she’d had last night when I’d acquired the pixie. Apparently, all sins were forgiven. Her patterned circles moved lower with each caress. I grabbed her dainty wrist, halting her downward progress.
“You keep that up, and I’ll tether you to this bed and worship you for the rest of the day.”
She pulled away from me, sitting up. The pouty look on her face was utterly adorable. “What makes you think that’s not exactly what I was going for?”
The morning light pooled around her wild mane of blonde hair. In a flash, I grabbed her, flipping her down on the bed. The sound of her startled yelp had my heart pounding faster. My fingers dug into her arms, pushing her into the mattress. I positioned myself between her legs just so my hard cock pressed against her softness. She moaned and arched her back into me.
“You little minx,” I chided as I bit her neck. “You’ll be the death of me, woman.”
“I will enjoy every minute of claiming your soul.”
“Mmm,” I grumbled as I rolled off her, reluctantly breaking her spell on me. “We have a mission today, remember? We cannot let the lead on these rogue Lost Boys go cold.”
“Are you sure, James? We have all the time in the world to get back at Pan.”
“No, it must be today.”
“Why do I get the feeling that all the skeletons in your graveyard have awoken from the dead?”
I huffed at her appraisal. She was spot on, but I wasn’t about to admit it. At least not to her.
“Tell me what’s eating at you. I could help you. Let me make an incantation to banish all your negative energy. I’ll even dance around naked to bind it.” She arched a brow at me, trying to lighten my mood. When I remained silent, she reached to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear, but I flinched away from her. I didn’t want her to see the full depth of the darkness living inside me. Once I settled everything with Pan, then I could heal and become the man she deserved.
I got up from the bed, pretending to ignore the hurt look in her eyes while I slid on my pants and strapped on my cutlass. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No. I’m coming with you. You need me,” she insisted. I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. She would slow me down and it would put her in unnecessary danger, but she was right. I needed her abilities in case this band of Lost Boys wasn’t cooperative.
“Get yourself dressed. Something suited to travel.” As I spoke, she was already bouncing out of bed. A smile plastered on her face as she put on one of my linen shirts. She hobbled around the room in an attempt to pull on a pair of tight-fitting breeches she’d found in the storeroom. I cocked a half smile, thoroughly amused at her enthusiasm.
“I just need to pull my hair back, and I’ll be ready, Captain.”
I rolled my eyes at the exaggerated use of my title. “Meet me topside in ten. I won’t wait a moment longer.”
“Are you sure this is entirely necessary, Captain?” Starkey asked. “There’s something about these woods. They’re pure evil. I’d wager my life on it.”
We stood at the edge of the Viridianwood. I, too, felt the dark magic radiating from the forest. The ill feeling nestled into my gut, and I swallowed hard to keep my breakfast down. But it couldn’t be helped. I needed to know what Peter Pan had been up to since I’d been gone. If I could get my hands on these truly lost boys, they would be a wealth of information. Another step closer to hitting Pan where it really hurt. Besides, Kat and I had made a promise to give these forgotten boys a safe haven. I would stake my claim on the island and take Pan down with his own men by my side. It was rather poetic, really.
I shot a sideways glance at Starkey. “Did the afterlife make you soft?”
“I just got back. I’m not ready to return so soon, is all,” he said as he shouldered past me, taking the lead.
“Stay close behind me, Katherine. These woods are?—”
“The embodiment of darkness,” she finished for me. “Please tell me we won’t be staying long.”
“As long as it takes. But you don’t have to worry. I know these woods like the back of my hand.”
We pushed deep into the heart of the forest, where the thick canopy blocked out the sun, casting its crooks and crevices into deep shadows. I had been away from Neverland for too long. My footfalls were too loud. Each poorly placed step had branches cracking under my feet. A beacon for the nefarious magic that lived here. Aside from Blackbeard himself, there was very little that I had been afraid of. Now, the cautionary tales the fae had told about the Viridianwood began to haunt me. It wasn’t the rough terrain that had my heart racing.
“This forest has eyes,” Kat said, her gaze scanning in every direction. “And why are there so many bones littered about?”
“They say an old hag calls the forest home. A witch.” I raised my brow at the word. Katherine, herself, had been branded a witch. Even though she was something more than human, she wasn’t fond of the label.
I stooped down and picked up a segment of jawbone from some unlucky animal. Turning it over in my fingers, I noted the molars were still intact.
“Story has it, she’s a bone collector. She gets her power from them. Many young fae have been lured into these woods over the years, never to return again. The natives used to bring offerings and leave them at the edge of the forest to appease her. Apparently, they still do. That’s why there are so many,” I reassured her. Hoping that the alarm crawling up my spine didn’t make its way into my voice.
“And you think that a pack of outcast Lost Boys would choose to seek shelter here? Seems like they are trading one inevitable death for another,” Katherine countered as she turned to look at me. Her eyes widened in shocked horror a moment before the sharp edge of a blade bit into my neck.
“If you know these woods don’t take kindly to strangers,” a deep voice growled in my ear, “then you best be explainin’ what you’re doing here?” he demanded, a faint Irish lilt to his speech. A clear declaration that this was indeed a man from my own realm and not fae.
The cool metal of his blade against my throat was a welcomed relief in the heat of the forest. The act of aggression ignited the demon within, and the rush made me feel alive. With Pan just out of my grasp, I was eager for a chance to let off some steam.
“Don’t make me ask again?” The stranger grumbled, tightening his grip on my shirt.
Mason, Cecco, and Starkey encircled Katherine, blades drawn and eyes alert, while Kat’s eyes fixated on me. Wide and blown out with fear, like a fawn in the jaws of its prey. I found myself distracted by how pretty that fear looked on her face, and it made my cock twitch in my pants. An obscene time to be thinking of such things, but I couldn’t deny that the thrill of it all was stimulating.
I should have reassured her that everything was fine. A single man posed little threat to us, but I enjoyed that look on her face too much. Not to mention that my return to Neverland had been less than satisfying, and now I had the chance to have some fun.
“Come now, is that really how you greet strangers? Have a little more tact,” I quipped, a half-cocked smile pulling at my lips. “At least give me the decency of facing me like a man.”
“I regret to inform you, but I lost my decency long ago.” The man whistled in my ear, and four more emerged from the shadows. Now, the odds shifted to their favor, but by the looks of the ragtag bunch, we’d make quick work of them if they pressed their luck. They were young, barely more than teenagers, if that. They had to be the Lost Boys that aged out of Peter’s ridiculous gang. These were the lucky ones.
“Ah, then we are one and the same. And by the looks of it, I would venture to say we have a few things in common.”
“You’re testing my patience. Last chance before I run you through,” the man seethed, his hot breath thick against my cheek.
“Just finish him off. We can’t take any chances,” one boy called.
“Hold your tongue, Brix,” he barked before turning back to me. “Who are you, and what are you doing in the Viridianwood?”
“If you’ll allow me just one more word—Pan.”
“What about him?”
“He owes me a life.”
His blade hesitated at my throat for a heartbeat until he finally relented, releasing his hold on me. Before I could whirl on my would-be attacker, his boot planted solidly on my back. With a quick shove, I was on my knees. The hoots and hollers of his men echoed off the trees.
I’d made a vow never to kneel before another man. I’d die before I broke that promise. I was on my feet in a flash, and before the man even registered the threat, my fist connected to his bearded jaw. The blow sent the hulking man down on one knee. “Are we done now?” I asked, pulling my dagger in one fluid motion, prepared for his counterattack. “I’m not your enemy, old man.”
“Don’t just sit there. Take him out!” The one they called Brix shouted, but the man remained on his knee.
He ignored the cocky little fucker, inspecting his jaw and dabbing at the blood leaking into his thick beard, turning the strands of gray to red. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t the hearty chuckle that rolled from his lips.
That wasn’t the only thing that struck me as odd about the man. He was too old to be a Lost Boy. From the looks of him, I’d say middle-aged. His dark hair, peppered with gray, was slicked back into a ponytail. The sides were clean-shaven, reminding me of a savage Viking. The sun bronzed his weathered skin, and lines of a desperate life were etched across his face. He adjusted a pair of cloudy spectacles, pushing them up his nose as he took measure of my character.
“I still don’t believe you’ve graced me with your name yet, stranger?”
“The name’s James. And might I have the pleasure of your name, sir?”
“Alfred Acton Smee,” he stated gruffly as he got to his feet and offered me his hand. “The boys call me Smee.” My eyes flicked to the unkempt bunch. They appeared even more juvenile as they fidgeted. All but the little pissant, Brix, who glared at me and did nothing to hide the scowl on his face.
To settle the tension, I obliged and shook Smee’s hand. The possibility of a new alliance took shape with his firm handshake.
“I believe a man such as yourself can understand the need to be overly cautious,” he explained, all the while keeping my hand in his crushing grip. “At ease, boys. Let’s give Mr. James a chance to explain. This is Jukes, Cookson, Mullins, and Brix,” he said as he pointed to the boys. “I ain’t never seen you on the island before, and it’s a small island. What’s this life you say Pan owes you?”
“You’re a fool, old man. He’s probably in league with Pan, and you welcomed him right in. About all he’s good for is that hot piece of ass he brought with him,” Brix ranted.
I cocked my head as I appraised the boy. My sanity was hanging on by a thread. I stalked over to him, calculating how many painful ways I could end his life. With his shirt clutched in my fist, I lifted him off the ground until we were face to face.
“Now, now, the boy didn’t mean nothing by it,” Smee said as he took a step toward us, trying to regain a grasp on the situation. The muscle in my jaw ticked. I had a short fuse when it came to Katherine. But I needed information. If I killed this boy now, I’d never be able to forge a deal with the rest of them.
“This is the only warning you get. Do not look at her. Do not talk about her. Don’t even think about touching her. If you cross me, I’ll take pleasure in stripping your skin from your body. Do you understand me?”
He nodded quickly, and I set him back on the ground before shoving him backward.
Smee moved in, grabbing the grubby boy and backhanding him like a petulant child. “Apologize to the lady right now and keep your fecking gob shut. Or you’ll wish Pan had taken you out when he was done with you.”
The shock and humiliation on his flushed face drew a sinister smirk to my lips.
“Sorry, milady,” he grumbled, his eyes never leaving Smee’s. Insincerity rang clearly in his voice.
Smee turned to me. He had the decency to look ashamed for the actions of his man. “My apologies to you as well, Mr. James. Some are still learning how to behave outside of Pan’s fantasy world. Now, you were about to tell me what business you have with Pan. I am interested in hearing what you have to say.”
“Not sure there’s time for the full story, but let me be clear, no one hates Peter Pan more than I. I may have been lost to Neverland for a time. But I’ve returned to seek my revenge.”
The man eyed me warily before the tense set of his shoulders eased. Pan had wronged this man in one way or another. I could see it in his eyes. It was all the leverage I needed to form a useful alliance. But if these were Pan’s rejects, they wouldn’t have aged significantly since I’d left Neverland’s shores. I had been the first Lost Boy. This man was older than me, and he hadn’t been in Neverland when I left. His presence here was a mystery.
“Welcome back to the island, Mr. James. Would you and your entourage care to join us for a bit of mead at our camp? We may be of use to each other?”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. As you said, this is a small island, and I could use as many allies as I can find. Lead the way.”