“About which part?”
“When I said I didn’t want to do this.” He looks down at me with a heated look, one I can feel deep in my ladybits.
I can only stare at him. I can’t deny the current between us, the absolutely electrical connection. But I don’t want it. Not with him. Not with the man who killed my friend and most likely wants me dead. These emotions are going to wreck me if I let them. I have to get back to Peter. Then I’ll sort it all out and figure out how to get back home.
“Are you always at war with yourself like this?” he asks.
“Wh-what?”
“Must be tiring.” He shrugs, which brings me even more tightly against his hard chest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking—” My words break off when I catch a glimpse of the structure ahead.
Past the stone cliffs and into the forest beyond, there’s a clearing with a huge house. I blink several times, trying to clear my eyes of this absolute impossibility. But no, the house is still there. It’s like someone went to England, plucked a home off a windswept seashore, and deposited it here on Neverland. It’s painted in hues of aqua and blue, the woodwork on the sides like mermaid scales. Hmm, that’s the first time I’ve thought of mermaids and not winced in quite a while.
It’s three stories of intricate beauty with a wide front porch, a swing, and the now familiar Neverland flowers growing all around it. There’s even a little fountain and pond out front with fish in it. More homes lie farther back in the trees. They’re painted in the same style but are smaller cottages that seem to be laid out in a diamond pattern.
“It’s like a little town.” I can barely believe my eyes.
“Don’t worry. We still have buried treasure around here somewhere, and I can make you walk the plank if you’re interested.” He strides right to the big house and climbs the stairs.
The door ahead of us swings open, and a wizened old lady cackles. “Brought you a boon, eh Captain?”
“Okay, that’s it!” I kick my legs to make Hook put me down. It doesn’t work. “Why do people keep calling me a boon?” I point my finger in his face, sending his eyebrows straight up. “I want a straight answer this time. No more bullshit.”
The cackle only grows. “Oh, yes, she’ll fit right in here. Come along, come along. James, put her down! You mustn’t treat a lady so.” She smacks him on the arm, her fingers twisted and spotted with age.
He drops the arm under my legs, which means my front is pressed against him as he slowly lowers me to my feet. I feel every hard inch, and I know for a fact my face is bright red by the time I touch the floor.
“I’m not going anywhere until someone tells me the truth! What is this boon crap?”
The old lady elbows her way between us. She has long white hair, wears a navy blue dress that reminds me of a maid from a period drama, and looks up at me with deep brown eyes. “You’re a boon because Pan claimed you from the mainland as his own. The island gave him a choice, and he chose you, but not in so many words of course.” She grins, her teeth surprisingly intact despite her age. “Okay, now we have that all settled, let me show you to your room.”
The island offered me to Peter? I honestly can’t tell if the woman is messing with me or serious. Either way, her answer makes zero sense.
Hook pinches the bridge of his nose, then seems to shake off his irritation. “Clytemnestra, this is Moira.”
“I know. Ari told me all about you.” Clytemnestra pats my hand. “Call me Nessie.”
“Nice to meet you.” I offer her my hand. “Wait, Ari from the town?”
“Ari, queen of the mermaids. Mmhmm. Oh look! Manners, manners.” She takes my hand with a little giggle. “Good manners. I always love good manners.”
Okay, so Nessie is a little batty, but she seems kind. I can work with that. I glance around the house. It’s cozy here, the living room dotted with sofas, most of them gathered around the wide fireplace. The wallpaper is a lively green with vines, and the ceilings are high and white with what looks like ship beams for rafters.
“You can explore later. I’ll show you to your room. Come, come.” She takes my hand. “James, go pound sand. Us ladies need to talk.”
Now it’s my turn for my eyebrows to hit my hairline. I’ve never heard anyone talk to Hook like that. And what’s even crazier is that he just sighs again and strides off somewhere deeper in the house as Nessie leads me up a winding staircase.
“So, are you the housekeeper?” I ask.
“Something like that.” She hits the landing and leads me to the right, past a small sitting room along the front of the house and then down a hallway. “This is yours.” She points to a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. “That’s James. I’m on the first floor.”
“This house is beautiful.” I peer at the stained-glass windows at the back of the sitting room. “It’s not what I’d ever expect of Hook. I mean, I figured there’d be chains everywhere and skeletons, maybe some gaudy feather décor to top it off.”
“People aren’t always what they seem.” She taps the side of her nose then opens the door to my room.
Inside, the walls are painted a deep gray and the ceiling is done in black with golden specks here and there. The bed is four-poster, large, and covered in a deep purple quilt with silvery pillows. It’s practically luxurious. Then I spot some marble through a door to the right. I peek inside and almost moan at the sight of the well-appointed bathroom. A clawfoot tub greets me, and there’s a water closet as well. It’s not huge, but it has everything I need. When I pass the sink, I stop.
