Love in Neverland: Book 2 in The Neverland Trilogy (25 page)

"We need you over on the Jolly Roger," Charlie told her. "No one fights the same way you can. So elegant and graceful. Like you're dancing and not fighting."

Magda nodded, forcing her thoughts away. Charlie knew exactly what to say to take her mind off things - usually. Now was not one of those times. "Right," she said. "I'll meet you over there. I need to get my weapons."

They nodded and disappeared, leaving Magda alone. Which was exactly what Magda wanted.

Chapter 25

“Nick!” Remy exclaimed in a hushed whisper.  Without thinking twice, she lowered her weapon and all but dashed to him, throwing her arms around his broad frame and burying her face in his chest.  “It is so good to see you!”

“And you as well, love,” he said, and when she pulled back from him, her eyes found his warm brown ones and she immediately knew she was safe once more.  “Come on, then.”  He dropped her waist and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the back of the ship and away from the majority of the fighting.

“Wait,” she said, shaking her head.  “Where are you going?”

“There’s a boat, a small one,” he explained, and gestured to it, a distance aways.  “I plan to lower it into the water and get off this bloody ship before it takes me down with her.”

“But James” –

Nick tilted his head to the side so fast he almost pulled a muscle.  “James?” he asked, dropping her hand altogether and taking a step back.  Though his eyes look wounded, his tone came out aggressive.  “I didn’t realize the two of you were on such familiar terms.”

Remy felt her face heat up at Nick’s words, even though it was none of his business and Nick had not known about their kiss – or Remy’s reaction to it.  “Does it matter?” she asked.  “I’m not going to leave him to fight against Pan’s crew.  There’s no way he’ll win, and who knows what will happen to him if he does.”

“Why do you care?” Nick said.  “He took you from me, remember?  He forced you to go with him, to use you for one of his long, winded plans.  Remember?”

“I do,” Remy said, nodding her head once.  “Things have changed.”

Nick’s tan skin paled at her words, and he looked as though he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him.  “Changed,” he said.  His voice sounded void.  Monotone.  As though he was not really here.  As though she had not said what she just said.  “Changed how?”

“I do not think now is the best time for us to discuss it,” Remy said.  “However, I do believe a discussion is necessary.  Afterwards.  After we finish off Pan’s men and get to the bottom of what’s going on and why this is happening at all.”

“Why do you care?” Nick asked again.  “I thought you wanted to go home.”

“I do,” Remy insisted, “but” –

Nick held up a hand, silencing her.  “I know,” he barked.  “Things changed.”  He put his hands on his hips, looked to the floor.  Then, “Do you know what I’ve gone through to get you?  Do you know the things I’ve done, the risks I’ve taken, the people I’ve hurt?”  He opened his mouth, but shut it, and looked away.  “I don’t have to tell you how I feel.  I know you know.  I have no loyalty to Hook.  I have a loyalty to myself and my crew.  I have a loyalty to my job and trying to figure out why there are so few souls now.  I have a loyalty toward you, to making sure you are safe.  Now, I’m asking you to please come with me, where I can get you safe, where we can leave together and never look back.  Let them sort out their problems.”  He paused, and even though he did not seem to want to do it, said, “Please.” 

"Nick."

Remy paused, bit her lip. She knew what she had to do, but she still did not want to do it. It was the most inappropriate time, too. She wished it could have been different. She wished it was just the two of them and she could be more sensitive to his feelings. 

He looked at her, and then – And then, he knew.  It was like he could read her face and could see it clearly, like it was an open book in big, bold letters.  It was in that moment where she saw what a broken heart looked like.  She saw the precise moment it broke.  Like his heart had been in the palm of her hand and she had squeezed it until there was nothing there except for dust.

“Nick,” she said again.

This time, Nick backed up.  “No,” he said, shaking his head so his hair fell into his face and swished with the movement.  “No, no, no, no.  No.  I can’t listen to you tell me things have changed.  When we were together, I thought…  You seemed…”

“Nick,” Remy said again.  She was trying to be gentle but he was forcing her to be firm.  “You need to hear this.  Stop acting like a child.”

“A child?” he asked.  “That’s rich, coming from you.  Do you remember how you behaved when you got here initially?  Shall I have Giselle and Adele recount how you acted and the number of tantrums you threw?”

“I’ve grown,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“In the couple of months that you’ve been with Hook?” Nick asked.  “And how did you grow up?  Mentally or physically?  Perhaps both?”

Without warning, Remy slapped Nick across the face and had no remorse about it.  There was no reason for Nick to be so crass with her.  It was not like him, and more than unbecoming.  He had never been mean to her before, just to be mean.  This was not like him at all, and she was not going to put up with it just because his feelings were hurt that she did not want to run away with him.  Remy was tired of doing what other people expected from her.  She was tired of living up to the standards others had for her.  She was tired of being tired.  Life was different now, and she wanted to develop more of an independence than she had.  As such, just because Nick – a man – did not like the path she decided to take in life did not give him the right to insult her or her reputation.

“Well, you aren’t the first woman to slap me today,” Nick muttered to himself under his breath.

“You probably deserved it both times,” Remy said in that same tone.  Her body was still tense, like she was preparing for a fight, even though she knew, without a doubt, Nick would never physically retaliate.

“May I ask you something?” Nick asked, still touching his cheek with his fingertips.  His brown eyes had gone back to their normal color, a warm, soft brown that made her feel welcome always.  He had friendly eyes.

Remy nodded her head, forcing her body to relax.  “Of course,” she told him.

“Why…”  He clenched his teeth together and shook his head.  A light blush started crawling onto his face.  “Why not me?  Why Hook?”

“I do not” –

“Look, let’s not lie to ourselves, darling,” Nick said, locking eyes with her.  “Please?  I’m asking you a question.  I’m not insulting you anymore.  I just want to know why.  If, of course, you would not mind telling me.”  He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away again.

Remy could tell it took everything in him to ask the question, that he absolutely detested the fact that he needed to know the answer.  If he wanted it, he deserved to know, and she would tell him without being condescending or too nice about it.  If he wanted the truth, he would get it.

“It has nothing to do with you as men,” Remy said.  “One cannot compare the two of you because you are both so different.  You saw me for me what I am – a spoiled little rich girl who needed saving so long ago.  And you accepted me for who I was.  Which, at the time, I did not deserve.  James sees me for who I could be.  He pushes me to be better and I’ve done so many things by myself, I’ve learned so much about myself, that I know I’d be able to survive on my own.  It wouldn’t be for very long, of course.  But I’d make it for a bit, when before, I wouldn’t have made it for a few hours.  I need that.  I need someone to see me for what I could be because I wouldn’t be able to see that.  And I need a reminder.”

Nick took her words and let them sink in.  He nodded as if to himself, as if accepting her words for what they were.  Then, he looked over at her and nodded, now to her.  He even forced a smile this time, but Remy knew it was just for her benefit.

“What now?” she asked him.

He opened his mouth, ready to respond when Pam interrupted the two of them.

“Ms. Cutler!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fright. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!  Where have you been?  James sent me for you.  The captain is worried sick about you.  You weren’t in your room!”

“I slid out the window,” Remy said, turning to her.  “My door was locked so I…”  She let her voice trail off and her eyes narrowed at Pam, even though she knew it was not Pam’s fault.  “You locked me in, didn’t you?”

“The captain” – Pam began, but Remy cut her off.

“He told me to lock you in your room,” Pam said, insistent.  “He’s worried about you.  He’s worried about your safety.”

“I know that,” Remy snapped.  When she heard her tone, she stopped herself, pressed her lips together, tried to soften her edges.  “I’m sorry.  Pam, I’m sorry.  I know it’s not your fault.  You are just following orders.  You say James wants me?”

Pam nodded.  “When he realized you were not in your room, he sent me to find you,” she said.  “He’s fighting right now or I’m sure he would have come for you himself.  He cares about you.”

Remy smiled at Pam’s words.  She knew Pam would not tell her that just to be nice.  If Pam said it, it was true, and if it was true…  She let that thought linger before teasing more of it out, and instead, her eyes involuntarily sought out Nick.  She had not meant to react so thoughtlessly.  He had all but told her he loved her, and she had rejected him.  It wouldn’t be right to feel gleeful that the person she loved cared about her in return when Nick could not say the same thing.

But Nick was gone.  Vanished.  She tried looking for him, but it was almost as though he was never here at all.  She might have found it odd, perhaps she might have felt guilt pool into her stomach, but Pam’s presence prevented her from doing anything about it.

“May I take you to him?” Pam asked.  “Or did you want to take a moment?  There’s a battle going on between both ships, you know.”

“I do know.”  Remy furrowed her brow.  Something did not sit well with her.  Something was not right.  They were on Peter’s ship, and Remy only managed to get here after sneaking her way over the plank and fighting a man to be here.  Yet Pam did not seem to have a hair out of place.  She was not breathing hard.  In fact, she did not even seem afraid.  “Do you?”

Pam smiled.  And then, Remy knew.  How could she have been so blind?

She had not been.  Her suspicion of Pam had been justified.

“Pam,” Remy said, but Pam cut her off with a look.

“Oh, Ms. Cutler,” she said in a voice filled with an emotion Remy had never heard come from Pam’s mouth: Joy.  “You are more intelligent than I initially gave you credit for.  However, as you can see, it’s too late for you to do anything.  Struggle, and I will injure you badly enough to mar your face.  We’re required to bring you in alive, not pretty.”

Remy swallowed.  She wanted to fight.  She wanted to struggle.  She wanted to show Pam she did not care about her face, about what she looked like.  But she hesitated.  The truth of the matter was that she did care.  More than she was willing to admit. 

Pam smirked.  “That is exactly what I thought.”  She grabbed Remy’s forearm and started to tug her to the bow of the ship.  “Come.  We’ve already wasted too much time.  We need to leave.”

“Where are you taking me?” Remy asked.  She started to pull against Pam, but Pam reminded her not to when she pulled out a pocketknife from the folds of her skirts.

“All in due time,” Pam said.  “Before anything, I want to introduce you to someone.  Someone important to me.  Someone who rescued me from my life on earth and brought me here.  I told you about him.”

“Peter Pan,” Remy said, and they reached the side of the ship where a rope ladder was thrown over and led down to a rowboat.  The boat was not empty.  A man in green sat down looking up, his copper hair in place, his dark eyes gleeful upon seeing Remy’s face.

“Peter Pan,” Pam agreed.  “Climb over.  Now.”

Remy shut her eyes and tried to think of some kind of escape plan.  Perhaps if she yelled… But the battle was too consuming for its participants.  No one would hear her, and even if they did, they could not come for her.  Not when they were tied to other people where the smallest distraction could mean their life.  For now, all Remy had was herself and her mind.  She needed a plan and she needed one fast.

But she was scared.  Her heart was beating too hard and too fast to concentrate on any one thing.  She found it was difficult to breathe.  Her fingers shook as she pulled herself over the ledge.  She wanted to cry.  Pan damaged her body and her soul, and now she was about to fall back into his clutches once more.  He needed her alive, but that did not mean he wouldn’t hurt her.  And she was afraid of that.  She was afraid she would never get home now.  She was afraid she would never see James or Nick or anyone else ever again.