I can barely kick now, my body going numb.
Then I see a pair of eyes bluer than the sea and smirk that can only be truly worn by a filthy pirate.
“Lass, there you are. I’ve been looking all over.”
The cry I let out might be more beast than human, the sound of a soul finding its mate.
He pulls me into his arms, holding me up as he kisses me, the familiar taste of him shocking my system.
“Are you hurt, lass?” He stares into my eyes, not even giving Peter a glance.
“I-I …” I can’t speak. No thoughts coalesce onto my tongue as I watch Peter.
The boy who never wanted to grow up sinks slowly into the water, his eyes on me as the water around him plumes with his blood.
More movement catches my eye, and as Hook swims away with me, I see the fins and scales of mermaids. The water grows even darker, and Peter surfaces once more, half his face ripped away as he screams and is dragged under, never to be seen again.
“Lass?” I startle.
Hook kneels beside me, and I realize I’m lying on the beach. He lets out a sharp sigh. “There you are. Thought I’d lost you.” He keeps his hand on my chest, then turns his head and whistles so loudly it’s a wonder my eardrums don’t pop. “That’ll bring them running, make no mistake.”
“You’re alive.” My voice is barely above a whisper. I reach out my right hand to cup his cheek, feeling his scruff and loving every bit of it.
“Aye.” He kisses my palm. “Anne had the better of me there for a bit. She’s a slimy one, she is. But I fought her. Eventually did her in with her own knife. After that, it was sink or swim.”
“You never sink.” I smile and try to ignore how cold I feel all over.
“I don’t. Swim like a mermaid, I do. I stayed afloat even though the waves tried to drown me again and again. But I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. Not when I knew you’d be waiting for me.”
“You didn’t want to let me down?”
“Never.” He smiles, but I can tell he’s full of tension.
“Don’t worry.” I rub my thumb along his stubble. “I’m just so happy to see you.”
“Not worried. You’ll be fine.” He turns and does his whistle again.
“Keep going. I love your stories.” I can barely push the words past my lips.
“So there I was, treading water for what felt like hours on end—and probably was—and what showed up? A narwhal!” He grins. “Stabbed me in the leg, it did.”
“Ouch.”
“Ouch indeed, lass. But, you see, I have a way with the creatures of the sea, and after some hard negotiating, she agreed to bring me back to shore as long as I swore I’d feed her fish whenever she came rolling up to the Jolly Roger.”
I can’t tell if he’s lying at this point, but I don’t care. It’s a good story, and stories are magic.
“I agreed, and she began hauling me through the heavy waves, and past the lightning, over a bed of sleeping water dragons, and to the edge of the storm. Once we got there, we were set upon by a host of eels with teeth longer than my cock.”
I want to laugh, but I don’t seem to be able to.
He clears his throat and glances over his shoulder. “Ah, so we had to fight the eels. It wasn’t a quick brawl either. Eels are clever little monsters. They’d dodge this way and that, trying to force us back into the storm where they could pick us off easier. The narwhal and I decided it was best to separate. She agreed to lead them back into the storm so I could swim for shore.”
“Nice of her,” I say. But I don’t say anything. My lips don’t cooperate.
“So there I am, kicking as hard as I can and making good time. I get about a mile before the mermaids show up, and they’re hungry.”
Mermaids are always hungry, I’ve noticed.
