26. Never
It took me a minute to get my bearings. The last thing I remembered was being crushed under the fury of Petra’s shadow when Hook dragged me underwater. I’d had an idea of what he was doing. It was a dull, barely formed idea, but it was there, clinging to his whispered words.
Keep fighting.
Which was exactly what I’d done. The pain was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was like it came from everywhere; every cell in my body, every atom of oxygen in the air touching my skin, and every cruel thought that tried to slice through my mind, heart, and soul.
The shadow hadn’t been expecting a fight when it had taken my brother. I could feel that as strongly as I could feel its delight when it broke through the barrier of my being and invaded everything that was me.
Blinking up, Hook’s familiar face almost brought a smile to lips. Until I saw the lines around his eyes, and suspicion coloring his devastatingly handsome features.
Oh, fuck no.
I slapped my hands to my head and pinched my eyes shut. Is that fucking thing still in me? It didn’t feel like it. Then again, I didn’t quite feel myself either.
Hello?The hollered thought echoed through my mind. Anyone there?
Yeah, I felt like a Grade A lunatic, but if Petra’s shadow had been there, that mean bastard would have answered my meddling question with a boatload of torture.
But I was the only one living in my brain or body. Or whatever. Even with the thing taking up space inside me, I still didn’t understand where it had holed up.
My relief was a tangible thing. I opened my eyes to see Hook still watching me, looking about as confused as I felt.
“Did I give you a little scare, pirate?” The teasing tone to my voice might have been a little forced, but I didn’t care.
Neither did he, judging by the way he hauled me up off that unforgiving wooden deck and wrapped me in his arms. He was so warm that I could have melted into him. His scruff tickled my cheek, and I wanted to laugh, but the energy pouring out of him was crazy fucking intense.
Then he pulled back, his big hands grabbing me by the shoulders and holding me at arm’s length. “Are you fully… you?” he asked.
I gave him a weak smirk. “Who else would I be?”
His lips flattened in an impatient line. “Now is not the time to play games with me, Never.”
My teasing should have given him the answer, but he’d also used my name. Not love. Apparently, I had given him a fright.
“I’m me,” I said seriously. “Just me.”
He let out a breath, and some of the tension bled from his shoulders. Then he pulled me back into his body, cradling my head against his chest. It was sweet in a heartbreaking way. He was my big, bad pirate. My swashbuckling, sword swinging, siren slashing pirate.
The contrast left me feeling nine kinds of vulnerable.
His heart was beating like a bass drum—wham, wham, wham—reverberating through me. I sank into that beat, listening to the melody it created with the sails flapping in the breeze and the slap of the water against the hull below us.
Somehow, it all sounded like it was coming from his chest. Like he was this enchanted realm, and it was him.
“I think that’s my cue to go help William,” Leo said.
I turned to see him, and the last few minutes of my fight with Petra replayed in my head, sending my blood pressure back up. “Jesus fuck, Leo. I am so sorry.” Except sorry didn’t even begin to describe it.
I’d tried to fight the shadow, but once we were back in their world, it was like just being in this place supercharged the thing.
He shook his head. “No apologies. I’m just glad you’re feeling more yourself.” He dropped me a wink.
An amused scoff escaped my lips. How was I supposed to respond to that? Here I am feeling as guilty as hell, and he’s still got it in him to crack jokes.
His face broke into one of his beaming smiles, returning to him to his full golden god/hot surfer glory. “What? Too soon?”
“Coming from the guy who looked like he was on death’s doorstep the last time I saw him? Maybe a little.” What was meant to be a light moment turned heavy when Leo’s gaze shifted to Hook.
“I owe you.” He tipped his head.
Hook’s arms tightened around me the tiniest bit, and I lifted my chin to look up at him. “What did you do? I thought shifters could heal themselves.”
There was obviously still some tension between those two, but Hook nodded once. “Nothing he wouldn’t have done for me if the tables were turned.”
An awkward silence filled the next few seconds, leaving plenty of time for my mind to wander. Where did it go? Right back to the fight with Petra and the moment I shattered Hook’s pendant.
A fresh wave of guilt hit me, followed immediately by the remembered realization that I was now stuck here.
Fuck.
“What’s wrong?” Hook asked, leaning back to peer down at me.
Rip the bandage off, Never.
“I smashed your pendant.” You know, that piece of his heart or soul or center of power that the bitch pixie had carved out of him. The piece he’d given back to me so I could get my brother home.
“I know.” He pressed a surprisingly soft kiss to my lips.
Okay, not the reaction I was expecting. “I, uh…” Had no fucking clue what to say.
A crack of thunder just about split my eardrums before I could think up what would probably have been a lame response, anyway. And yeah, I jumped like a sissy.
Glaring up at the sky, an ominous feeling started in my middle, spreading quickly to the top of my head and the tips of my toes. “That can’t be good.”
Where did it even come from? The sky was as blue as the day was long.
Hook tensed beside me as he too scanned the expanse of sky above. After a few seconds passed without another deafening boom, he cast a quick, reassuring smile down at me. “Nothing to worry about.”
I wanted to believe him, but something felt off.
Maybe I was losing my mind—definitely a possibility—or maybe strange things really were happening in Hook’s world. How would I know? It wasn’t like I’d spent a huge amount of time in his world. Maybe random thunderclaps were just part of a regular Tuesday in this place.
I’ll have plenty of time to learn all sorts of fun things about this realm now.
My heart sank, and my thoughts immediately shifted to Matty. I missed him so much already. Actually, I’d been missing him for the better part of a month, because even when we were in our world, it wasn’t like he was really himself.
The ache I’d been trying to ignore, the one that clung to my ribcage and squeezed, flared back to life.
Hook slipped a finger beneath my chin and lifted, forcing me to look at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
He lifted a skeptical brow. “You’re lying.” A shadow of sadness colored the statement. “You want to go home.”
“Wouldn’t you if your kid brother was there? I know he has Lily to help him out, and he’s only a few months shy of being a legal adult, but he’s still my responsibility.”
He pulled in a deep breath. “Do me a favor? Head to my quarters while I check on the others. Once I’m sure everyone is okay, we’ll talk about everything.”
“Are you sending me to my room?” I asked, trying for sassy. “Bold move, pirate.”
His gaze narrowed, warming me from the inside out. “Your room?”
“It’s a saying,” I rushed out. “You know, it’s a human thing.”
The heat remained even when one side of his lips started to curve up in a smirk. “If you want to stake your claim on it, love, it’s all yours.”
With that, he turned on his heel and headed toward the back of the ship.