The boys ignored her as they exited toward the room with the rope ladder.
Shit. Tied up, half-naked in her own home, and about to be sold to a pirate who no doubt wanted to see her punished for her theft against him. Maybe she shouldn’t have stolen the Heart of Fire, but what option did she have? It would have taken ages to save money to buy it from him, if he’d have sold it at all.
Everyone knew mermaids were fickle creatures. Would they wait that long for their gem back?No, she sighed, they wouldn’t, and the only whisper of a way home she’d found would have been lost. Stealing it was a test to earn their trust, to prove herself an ally to the merfolk and worthy of dealing with them for what she really wanted: the mystical black pearl that could fix anything, even her. Angering Hook was worth it. Queen Titania wouldn’t even discuss her pathway home before, but now Tink knew what she really wanted in exchange for the precious pearl: the scale of Leviathan.Greedy witch.As if stealing the Heart of Fire wasn’t hard enough on its own. She ground her teeth. The merqueen was taking advantage of her, no doubt, but Tink didn’t have any other options. She’d come this far. She couldn’t give up now.
Getting the scale…well, she was still working on that part. But if Hook threw her in a cell, she’d never get it, much less return it to the merfolk in exchange for her prize. Worse, what if he made her walk the plank, arms bound, weights on her ankles? Her chest squeezed tight. Hysteria bubbled up her throat in a humorless laugh.
He wouldn’t even need the weights or the ropes. She couldn’t swim in a still, shallow pool.
Thethump, thumpof heavy boots within the treehouse sealed her doom. Tension sizzled in the air.
One glance over her shoulder sent her heart leaping and shirking at once. The dim lantern highlighted the planes of his face, catching the gleam in his eye. It was that look that had nearly made her forget her mission when she crawled into hislap, pixie dust upon her lips, ready to steal the necklace he’d so recklessly draped around her neck in an effort to seduce her. Not that he needed the help.
“All tied up like a gift.” Hook knelt before her, a wicked grin upon his face. He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “No wonder you didn’t fly away, love.”
Tink scowled. “I’m not your love.”
“Aye. Pity that.”
She swung a leg, attempting to knock him down, but the blanket and bindings stifled her movements. At least they covered her, though. If Hook had found her in just her breeches and underthings, she might have flushed pink from navel to nose. The boys didn’t need to see that either, even if they were house-stealing, backstabbing little thieves. Besides, she was sure any desire Hook once had for her fled when she’d left his ship, treasure in tow.
“Now, love.” Hook knelt in front of her, just far enough away to avoid what little thrashing fury she could conjure. “Where’ve you hidden the Heart of Fire?”
Chapter 5
Hook
Her scowl held more fight and fury than a brewing hurricane. He grinned in return, savoring the press of her pink lips and the way her blonde hair spilled across her face and exposed one pointed ear.
“Why would I tell you?”
The question yanked him back to the moment. A few seconds in front of her and already her curse crept under his skin, trying to distract him. “Maybe we can make a deal?” The sooner he got what he needed and left her behind, the better.
“Ha.” She wiggled on the floor. Part of the blanket slipped down, revealing a bare shoulder. “I should trust the word of a pirate?”
“I may be a pirate, but I’m a man of my word, love.”
“I. Am. Not. Your. Love!”
He sighed.Does she always have to be so difficult?“If you’d rather I haul you off to my ship and toss you in a cell…” He shrugged as he stood.
The children looked on, unwilling to miss a moment of this encounter. But it was curiosity on their faces, not fear or worry. Had she adopted these children? He suspected they weren’t hers by birth. Not one bore the faintest hint of pixie traits—not a wing, pointed ear, or spark of magic about any of them. Blood relation or not, he wouldn’t deprive a child of their protector. He was a pirate, not a villain.
“Tell me where in this…” He gestured around. “…dwelling to find the necklace, remove the curse you put on me, and I’ll let you stay here with your dear children, savvy?”
Tink’s eyes widened, but before she could respond, the tallest child, the one with red hair, spoke up. “We’re not hers.”
“Oh?” His brows rose as he looked between the two. “She’s not your mother? Protector?”
“We don’ need no parents,” one boy said.
“Yeah!” two others agreed.
He could have sworn Tink groaned before she let her head thump against the floor.
“She wanted to toss us out,” Red said. “Wouldn’t even give us pixie dust.”
Well, now, this made things even more interesting. Hook leaned back on the edge of the table as Tink pushed to her knees.
