It destroys me in ways I never knew existed. “I’m okay,” I say, my body shaking. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No.” He bites the word. “It won’t. If you’re not here, nothing will be okay. Fight, Moira. I need you to be brave.”
I want to be brave, but I don’t think I am.
“You have to be brave for me, lass. I need you.” He cradles me close to his chest, and I realize we’re alone. Shiner and Widow are checking the farmhouses, everyone on Hook’s crew desperately searching for the Spinner.
I close my eyes again and breathe him in. His strong arms hold me close as my mind drifts off. The walk took more out of me than I realized, my limbs heavy, my heart sluggish.
“Lass.” Hook’s voice comes to me through a tunnel, a long, dark one. “Wake up, Moira!”
* * *
“There you are.”A golden pop bursts in front of my eyes.
I jump to my feet and stumble backwards into one of the abandoned fields. “What the hell?” I reach for my sword, but I don’t have one. Not since I was in Peter’s cage.
Another golden flash, and a fairy appears before me, her hair so black it looks blue and her skin a light brown. She floats above the ground, her golden wings beating lazily. Her pearly dress is gossamer and thin, a beautiful thing unadorned except for its own glossy thread. Above all else, I notice that I’m not afraid of her, even though her eyes glow like white opal and she has two fangs that graze her bottom lip.
“Are you the Spinner?” I get to my feet.
“I am.” She floats around me, giving me an appraising look. “And so are you.”
“So it’s true? I’m from your line?”
“You’re fae.” She moves closer and runs a finger down my spine. “And you’re a Spinner, but your line is far, far older than mine. Your ancestors were here when the island was new, just a babe waking in its mother’s arms.”
My skin tickles on my shoulder blades, and I dart forward, away from her strange touch. “What are you doing?”
“Just seeing.” She shrugs and moves to my front again, her sandaled feet still not touching the ground.
“Wait.” I look around. “Where’s Hook and the others?”
“They’re awake.” She points.
I spin to find Hook sitting on the bench, me in his arms as he rocks me and sings about dreams for sale. The amount of pain in him, the way his head hangs, my heart breaks again and again.
“Can he hear us?”
“No.” She floats to my side.
“Am I dead?”
“Not yet.”
“But soon?” I meet her gaze.
“Yes.” She dips her chin. “You’re fading. Peter has made sure of it.” Her face sours, her eyes flashing. “He drained so many of us once he visited the heart of the island and came out changed.”
“Why? I need answers, and I need you to fix me. I have to fight him, to stop him from hurting anyone else.”
She sighs. “If only it were that easy.”
“Look, lady, you’re flying and talking to me in a dream or something. Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got magic. So just make it easy and heal me!”
She smiles, her face angelic save for the fangs. “I like you. Straightforward. Your mother wasn’t quite as pushy.”
“You met my mom?”
