Hook nearly snorted.Not likely. The Blackbeard he knew wasn’t some noble gentleman. Neither were his crew. If he’d hauled her onto his ship, as Tink said, it was with reason, and he wouldn’t be letting her go. At least…not until he had what he wanted. Something was missing here.
“They led me ashore, and I went back to the bar to find you, but you weren’t there,” Lily continued, sighing and fretting with dramatic flair. “The bartender said you’d left. I went all over town looking for you, but I couldn’t find you. Beryl’s wings, Tink! I was so worried. Distraught. Then I heard some men near the dock talking about how a pixie demanded to see Captain Blackbeard and left with him on his ship. It wasn’t ’til then that I realized who they were.”
Tink leaned in, her wings nearly touching her cousin’s. “So, what happened then? How did you get here?”
“Aye, do tell us,” Hook said. Both women turned to stare at him as he took a seat next to Tink, feigning a casual posture. Every muscle in his body was on edge. “Should be a rousing tale.” His leg brushed hers.
Tink scowled at his tone, but he didn’t let it dim his grin. He’d get to the bottom of this little mystery, and he’d keep her close while he did.
Lily glanced around at his crew, her shoulders hunching ever so slightly as she turned her attention back to Tink. Apparently, she warranted her focus where the rest of them didn’t.
“I didn’t know what to think. Why you’d gone. Where. So I went home.”
Tink stiffened at his side. Hook slid his hand against her thigh in a show of support, but she didn’t notice, or pretended not to.
“I’m so sorry.” Lily pulled her closer, away from Hook. “I didn’t want to leave you. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
Hook leaned around Tink. “Care to get to how you got here?”
Both women turned and scowled at him again.
Lily shook herself. A cloak of sorrow fell over her features again, everywhere but her eyes. She had the pout down, the set to her shoulders, but a person’s eyes always told more than anything else. “Everyone was so worried about you. The elders, they went back to town to search…but…” She looked away.
His hook tapped against the log in impatience.
“Well, they heard stories about a pixie running off with pirates and…selling pixie dust.”
“I did.” Tink’s wings dipped as she raised her hand, letting her broken bracelet dangle from her wrist. “I did it to save you, so Captain Blackbeard would release you.”
Lily gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. “You committed an unforgiveable sin to save me?”
Tink’s shoulders drooped. Her wings almost seemed to dim. This wasn’t the conversation he wanted them to have, not here in front of him and his crew. It was wrong, vulgar. Several of them had turned away, studying the surrounding jungle. Francis and Davies left completely. All the better.
“Tink is quite the woman. Brave. Selfless.” Hook laid a hand on her knee, giving it a squeeze. Wrapping her in his arms would be better. Carrying her off and kissing away her fears, making her wings glow…what he wouldn’t give for that. But she’d hate him for coddling her, for stealing her away. Again.
“Oh, no doubt!” Lily’s head cocked to the side as she glanced back at Tink. “But then, where were you?”
Tink leaned back, folding in her wings until she rested against his shoulder. “They took me on to the next port. It took almost two weeks to get back.”
And by that time her people had turned on her, learned that she’d sold pixie dust and was worthless to them. He ached to punch something.Bloody pixies.They had no idea what she suffered, the sacrifice she’d made to save her cousin. All she did was work to get home to the very people who’d exiled her. They didn’t deserve her.
“I knew you couldn’t have done it without reason,” Lily said. “So I came back to find you. To help.”
“Thank you.” She moved away from him, back to her cousin. Reluctantly, he let her go. “You’ve always been right there with me. I knew you’d have done the same if the situation was reversed.”
“Of course.”
“Not to break up this love fest, but we do havethingsto do.” Hook looked up into the fog, refusing to see another set of scowls. Every minute, Blackbeard gained on them. He could be nearing the island already, preparing to strike.
Tink stood, dusting off her breeches. “He’s right, Lily, we have things to do. Come with us.”
What?He snapped his head back toward them. “Perhaps she should wait on the ship.” Something still felt wrong. Maybe she was real—the story matched what Tink had told him—but that didn’t mean they had to trust her, not with something so important.
Hands on her hips, lips pursed, Tink said, “She should come. She could help and—”
Hook pulled Tink out of the way and faced down Lily. “How did you get here? Short version.”
“Hey!” Tink shoved back, but he took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. Someone had to get to the bottom of things.
