“Ship?”
“TheJolly Roger.” She tried one key, huffed in frustration, and tried the next. “It’s back. The crew is safe.”
He nearly laughed. Maybe he had died in his cell. It couldn’t be real. It was too good, too much. “How—”
Tink fumbled with the keys, trying yet another on the lock. “Like I said, long story. Mermaids saved us. I used the pearl to fix the ship. The merfolk might have told us which direction theKrakenwent. Oh, and theSirenis here too.”
Of all the stunning news she rattled off, one stood out among the rest. “You used the pearl.”
She stilled and stared up at him. “Yes.”
“It was your way home.”
A sad smile touched her lips. “Home isn’t just a place, it’s a people, and I could never be truly home without you.”
The key clicked into the lock. As soon as the door swung open, he pulled Tink into his arms, savoring the feel of her against him, the soft touch of her lips, the flutter of her wings—wonderful, magical sensations he never expected again in this life.
“We have to be quick and quiet,” Tink said when she pulled away ever so slightly.
Reluctantly, he let her go, his hand trailing down her arm. “How did you get here?”
She glanced away. “I flew.”
His heart skipped a beat. “Over water?” She couldn’t swim. A strong gust of wind, a cramp in a wing, an arrow shot by Blackbeard’s men…so many things could have hindered her flight.
“Yeah. Smee volunteered, but someone had to captain theJolly Roger. Besides,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Could you see him trying to sneak onto this ship?”
He held back a laugh. No, he couldn’t. Smee would have the attention of everyone on the ship the moment he set foot on deck, if not before. Speaking of… “How did you get past the crew?”
Her wings fluttered, a slight glow illuminating the room. “Oh, just a bit of pixie dust…in the rum.”
“That’s why you told me to stop.”
“It worked. A few sips, and they could barely stand. It was easy to grab the keys and slip down here. Besides, I couldn’t have you falling down drunk like those idiots when we set this thing ablaze.”
He gaped. “We?”
“That’s the signal. They’ve been anchored here a while, or our merfriend said. Should be dry enough. And there are plenty of oil lanterns around.” She twisted the end of her hair. “I get you, we steal a boat, I set the sail on fire as we leave, and a few minutes later theJolly Rogerand theSirenmove out of the fog and unleash hell.”
“And if you got caught?”
“Then they unleash hell in a little bit anyway, so we need to move.” She grabbed his arm, tugging him toward the door.
“Wait.” Hook glanced at Peter where he lay on the floor. “We have to save the kids.”
Chapter 39
Tink
Beryl’s wings.In her elation at reuniting with James, she’d totally forgotten about the kid on the floor. Annoying, two-faced thief or not, no one deserved to be stuck on a sinking ship, especially not a kid.
“We’ll take him on deck, put him in a rowboat,” she said.
James already had the boy off the ground and cradled in his arms. “Got to get the others too, love.” He gritted his teeth. An angry bruise still marred part of his face. Bloody scabs ringed his wrists.
Tink swallowed the tightness in her throat and focused on the task at hand. They’d completely forgotten the kids when they made this plan. Surely the crew would save them when the fighting started…but no, this was Blackbeard. He would probably use them as pawns rather than ensure their safety. Tink nodded. They had to get the kids. “I don’t know where they are.”
Great idea, knocking him out, Tink. So great.The one person who would aid them would be asleep for hours with the amount of pixie dust she shoved in his face. “Somewhere below deck,” she continued. “But we’ll have to be quick and quiet.”
