“You made her help?” I ask.
“Might as well get some use out of her before I put her to the sword.” Hook shrugs.
“You still want to kill her?”
“Aye, lass. She threatened you. I know you don’t want any more killing, but having her on the ship is a risk. She could be a danger to you. I’ll not allow it.” He reaches for his cutlass. “I’ll do it right now, and I’ll even make it quick if that’s what you want.” His tone makes it clear that quick isnotwhat he wants.
“No.” I put my hand over his. “Not necessary.”
He looks down at me, those blue eyes like my own personal ocean. “This is who I am, Moira. I will strike down anyone who even thinks to harm you. There’s no other way for me. I’ll do it with a smile on my face, lass. And I’ll keep doing it until all your enemies’ heads are stacked at your feet.”
I can’t with this man. He’s utterly brutal, but worse than that—he’s absolutely devoted. To me. I put my hand to his chest over his heart. It beats strong and fearless. “Let her live, all right?”
His eyes start to narrow.
“For now,” I add quickly. “For now. She might come in handy or something. Might be useful to me. Okay?”
He sighs and lets go of the hilt of his sword. “Only because you asked, lass. Though I’m going to be expecting something in return to slake my bloodlust.” He lets his gaze rake down my body.
I press my thighs together when a tingle ignites between them.
“Once the Spinner heals you, lass.” He makes a deep growl in his chest. “I’m going to eat you alive and leave nothing for seconds.”
Hot. Fucking. Flash.
He turns his head. “Bill, escort Anne to the brig. Feel free to kick her in the ribs after you throw her in, then lock her cage and forget about her.”
“Aye, Captain!” He takes her by the arm and drags her away, but not before she sneers at Hook and swipes her hand beneath her chin in a ‘fuck you’ gesture.
Once she’s out of sight, I can sense some of the tension leaving Hook, his body relaxing as he turns the wheel with a lazy sort of confidence that speaks of familiarity and years of knowledge.
“We’re on our way.” He kisses my crown, his gruffness fading a little, though still present in the way he keeps a tight grip on me.
“What about the spawning kraken?” I peer at the dark water as we ease away from the island.
“We’re going to hew closer to the shoreline, lass. They don’t care for shallower water. It’ll slow us down a bit, but we won’t have to fight them and waste more time.” He glances up at the moon as it sits low on the horizon. “Two more moonrises before we get to the Fairy Village. Two more until the moon is full.” He shakes his head. “But there’s nothing for it.”
“It’ll be a full moon when we get there?” That doesn’t sound good. I barely survived the last full moon, and this one has even higher stakes. But maybe the Fairy Village will offer shelter like the Guardian Village. Surely, it’s safer there than out on the island in the open. “Peter’s shadows were all over his cave. Have you seen them in other places at the full moon?”
“I’ve heard tales of them in the Nevertree and around those parts, but I don’t know how far they venture. They might be buoyed to wherever Peter drained them.” He turns to me. “Which means there might be other shadows in the Fairy Village, if what Tinker Bell said was true.”
“The part about him draining the fae?”
“Aye, lass. If he makes shadows out of the Lost Boys, I can only imagine what would happen to a fae he drains.” His visage goes grim, his jaw tightening.
“I’ve heard stories.” Shiner climbs the stairs and leans on the railing beside me. She’s not throwing up, so that’s a win, but she already looks a little queasy. “We don’t go to the Fairy Village any longer. The Silver Mountains are more dangerous than ever. But before they completely cut off contact, we heard stories of vengeful demons, formed like fae but only existing in shadows. We thought maybe they meant the Lost Boys, but now … Now I suppose we know better. Peter made monsters of the fairy folk, of the ones he drained, anyway.”
“There has to be a way to free them. All of them. Anyone Peter drained. Surely, the island has some sort of magic to repair all the damage Peter has done.” I don’t know how, but I have to believe there’s a way to fix it. Because if there is, then there’s also a way to fix me.
“I don’t know, lass. That’s a tall order.” Hook turns the wheel, and the ship drifts until it’s parallel to the island, the cliffs rising on my right. “The island let it go on for this long without righting the ship. Makes me think either it can’t fix it or it doesn’t want to.”
That’s a sobering thought. I’ve been imagining the island as a benevolent figure, not one indifferent to suffering. But Hook has a point. If the island is a font of magical power, then why hasn’t it curbed Peter yet?
“Captain!” Cecco yells from his spot in the crow’s nest. “Port!”
Hook looks to the left as a mass of purple tentacles rises in the distance.
I shudder. “Oh, shit. Not again.”
