Pan's Revenge (24 page)

She really
has no idea how sweet she can be even without her trying. I wrap my
arm around her shoulders and tuck her to my side as I maneuver her
around the desk and into my bedroom. “We’re in the middle of the
ocean, lass. No one goes
nowhere
right now.”

Her face
falls, but only for a moment. Then she loops both her arms around
my waist, presses her chin to my chest and grins up at me as we go.
“Then you can let me steer the ship again.”

“That you can do. But I have something for
you first.” I release her and cross to my wardrobe where I kept
Angel’s blue dress all this time.

When she sees it an infectious smile tugs on
her lips. It’s replaced, however fast, with a pout of mock
defiance. “What? You don’t like what I’m wearing now?”

Hooking one finger into the waistband of her
shorts, I pull it away from her stomach a little. “You always wear
the strangest things,” I taunt her but keep the truth—that I didn’t
like how the crew ogled her naked legs before—to myself. “But if
you don’t like the dress, I can have Smee give it to some girl in
town later.”

“Don’t you dare, Captain!” She snags the
dress from my arm and hugs it to her chest, laughing. “You’re not
going to give this away.”

I arch one brow. “Too many memories clinging
to that dress?”

“Way too many.” Her chiding gaze turns soft
as she lifts the dress to behold it with great affection. “I can’t
believe that you really kept it.”

Remembering
the first hard days without her brings back an oppressive tightness
to my throat. “What else should I have done? It was the only thing
I had left from you.”

Angel must
have heard the crack in my voice, because she tosses the dress on
my bed and comes closer, enveloping me in a monster hug of her own.
I love her tender body pressed so hard against mine, but her pity
makes me feel uncomfortable. Grabbing her by her shoulders, I move
her a few inches away from me and stare into those warm, hazel
eyes. “I’m good.”
Now.
All the waiting, the suffering and the struggles
with the rainbows were totally worth it, only because I can hold
her again. “Put on the dress and come outside when you’re done.
I’ll wait at the sterncastle for you.”

“Save me a spot by the wheel,” she mocks me
and turns around to change her clothes. A deep sigh works its hard
way out of my chest. I’d rather stay and watch Angel, not missing a
single second, but it’s just like back in those old days with her.
She makes me want to be a nice guy around her, so I give her some
privacy and leave my quarters.

Jack already set the course to Mermaid Lagoon
and, with the wind stroking the sails, the Jolly Roger picks up
speed. “So the chat went well?” he asks with humor in his voice as
I take over the helm.

I really
don’t mind being caught in an intimate position, but I know how
embarrassed Angel was, so I cut Smee off with a hard glare. “As
long as the girl is on board, I suggest we conduct our
conversations to
outside
my quarters.”

“
Fine with
me.” He laughs and placates me with his hands up. “But I supposed
we’re back to
Jamie
-status now, so what’s the
plan?”

I arch both my eyebrows. “Jamie-status?”

“Something Skyler came up with a while ago.”
Cocking his head, Smee makes a thoughtful face, but I know it’s all
show. “Actually on the day that you threatened to cut his throat if
he ever touched Angel again.”

I remember that moment. Angel tried to bribe
my crew into mutiny but it backfired on her and Yarrin’ Brant
Skyler got too close to her for my liking. Clenching my teeth at
the thought, I grip the handles of the helm a little harder.

A soft hand slides over one of mine. “Hey,
what’s bothering you, big guy?” Angel’s sweet voice blows most of
the anger out of my mind in an instant. Seeing her in that blue
dress again does the rest. To my great astonishment, she brought my
hat and puts it on my head. Even out of match with the funny pants
and shoes Bre gave me for Angel’s world, it certainly makes me feel
a little more like captain of this ship again.

I cast her a wicked smile and push her
between me and the wheel, so she can take over. Blow me down, her
beautiful scent bedazzles me as it sneaks up my nostrils. On a deep
breath, I savor as much of that smell as possible. Then I lean down
to kiss the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “You look enchanting,
Miss London.”

Angel shudders, I can feel it. And it’s
getting to my head. Doing my best not to eat her up out in the open
with a crew of sixteen men to watch, I let her steer the ship back
to shore where we berth at Mermaid Lagoon. Angel and I are the only
ones going on land. She clings to my hand with girlish strength as
we walk over the gangplank together, with me leading the way.

“What do you think it is that Tami wants from
you?” she asks me as we stand a little away from the Jolly Roger,
tossing stones into the sea and waiting for the little bug to show
up.

I shrug. “Maybe there’s more trouble with
Peter and she wants our help.”

“More trouble?”

“As in…she’s worried about him aging so
fast.” I find a flat stone close to the tip of my shoe. Picking it
up, I aim it across the water and let it jump multiple times on the
surface. “But I really have no idea. I only hope she’ll come soon,
because I want to talk to the fairies before it gets too late.”

Angel agrees
to that with a nod. For a while she’s silent but then says, “So,
you finally got Peter to destroy the watch.”

“M-hm.”

Her gaze lifts to mine. “How did you do
it?”

I sigh.
Thinking back at the break in my brother’s and my relationship
makes me hesitate with an answer. But there’s no sense in keeping
the truth from her. Eventually, I tell her everything, starting
with the night that Jack, Peter and I went to town to get the
bathwater.

When Angel
hears that I used a gun on Peter Pan the next day, her chin drops
to her chest. “I wouldn’t have shot him,” I state with what I hope
is the truth ringing in my voice. At least I’ve been trying to
convince myself of that every day since. Last night, when I
couldn’t bring myself to kill or even hurt Peter with my sword, no
matter what shit he pulled off with Angel, I finally got the proof
I needed to be sure.

After a long
pause
where Angel had enough time to
contemplate, the hard lines of her face soften. I guess she
believed me a lot faster than I could believe myself.

“
After the
spell was undone, did all people in Neverland age as fast as Peter?
Because you and Jack and the rest of the crew obviously
didn’t.”

“
Nobody aged
as fast as him. At least that’s what I observed.” I throw another
stone with more force than necessary and it shoots far out before
it dives into the waves. “There was a young woman in town. She was
pregnant for so long.”

“Because that’s how she was when Peter
decided to never grow up, right?”

“Exactly. There was never a change visible in
her, all these years. But the few times I went to town lately, I
noticed how her belly kept swelling. Unless I’m very much mistaken,
she should have finally given birth to that child.”

“
Well, that’s
nice.
” From the corner of my eye, I see
how Angel looks hopefully at me. “So apart from Peter, Neverland is
back to normal.”

“I started to shave again,” I answer. “I
didn’t have to do that in over a hundred years. Things have
changed, yes.”

With the backs of her fingers, she strokes
over the stubble on my cheek and smirks. “I like it the way it is
now. If Peter ever restarts the curse, make sure you're not shaven
clean.”

I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her
into me, chuckling. “God forbid that should happen again!” The
moment I place a kiss on her forehead, cool sea water douses us.
“What the hell—”

“Hi, Angel!” someone calls from the
ocean.

Angel twists
in my arm, her body tensing with excitement. “Melody?” She squirms
out of my arms and hurries to the rocky edge of the low cliff we’re
standing on.

“I thought I heard your voice,” the fish girl
with amber hair says excitedly as the upper third of her body
sticks out of the water and bobs gently on the waves. “When did you
get back to Neverland? And how?”

“Jamie came to my home and”—she hesitates a
heartbeat—“brought me here. I’ve only been back for a few
hours.”

Yeah, I’m
glad she didn’t use the word
kidnap
again. When the mermaid
nods her head in a greeting in my direction, I lift my hand in a
feeble response of my own and grin. Last time I saw her, I had her
deliver a message to Peter for Angel and me.

“
Wait here
for a moment!” she then calls to Angel. “I’ve got something for
you.” She dives into the blue sea, her fishtail coming up before
she completely disappears underwater. Angel turns a puzzled face to
me. I shrug. Heck, I have no idea what she’s up to. Melody doesn’t
take long to reappear. And in her hand, she holds something black.
Swimming close to the shore, she tosses the wet bundle up and I
catch it for Angel.

I wring the water from the fabric and unfold
it. The astonished look on Angels face is priceless. “That’s my
sweater!” she cries out and swipes the thing from my hands. “Where
did you get that from?”

“Found it underwater a while ago. I
remembered you wearing something like that the first day we met, so
I took it home with me.”

“And all this time, I was wondering why I
never found it in the tree when my sisters claimed it got snagged
in the branches.” Angel beams down at the mermaid. “Thank you!” The
garment that resembles a pirate flag is wetting the front of her
dress, but she hugs it to her chest anyway.

“You’re welcome.” Melody sends her a warm
smile, then she looks over her shoulder as a pack of other fish
girls shout her name and beckon her from a safe distance away.
“Sorry, I have to go,” she says with a sheepish look. “It’s my
father’s birthday. My sisters always get so pushy when I’m being
late for something.”

“You go and have fun,” Angel tells her. “And
thank you so much again for getting this back to me.”

The mermaid nods and, with a backward header
into the ocean, swims away to her family.

I step up to
Angel and enclose her in my arms, because I want to make use of the
time we have to us. But we’re not alone for long. The distinct
smell of blackberries and honey creeps up my nose. I know exactly
when I smelled that last time. “Hello, pixie,” I say and turn
around.

The little thing with a head full of golden
locks and a dress made of ivy stands a little offside and nervously
clasps her hands. Until she sees Angel stepping around from behind
me. Her eyes light up and both girls squeal as they head toward
each other, Angel shoving the wet sweater into my arms before she
runs off. Tameeka pushes up to hover a couple of feet above the
ground, so being able to fling her arms around Angel’s neck. They
hug like old friends, though Angel takes every caution not to crush
the pixie’s fluttering silhouette wings.

When they let go of each other after an
endless time, I walk up to them and put one caring arm around
Angel, hoping the gesture draws more trust from the tiny girl than
offering a handshake would do. Though she doesn’t look intimidated
by me, she prefers to talk to Angel only. “I didn’t know you were
back with Captain Hook. But you look happy, so I guess nothing bad
happened to you.”

“
Bad? What do
you mean?” Angel asks. I can feel the uneasy tension creeping over
her body.

“Peter.” The pixie’s face turns red with
childish anger. “I was afraid he did something to you. He was so
furious the last time I saw him.”

“Well, he tried to warn me away from Jamie,
but that was all. He didn’t hurt me or anything. I’m sure he would
never do that.”

I’m not so sure about that myself, but it’s
not the right time to interrupt the girls.

“No, you’re right. He likes you. He wouldn’t
harm you. But he was talking about getting back at Hook for what he
did to Peter.” Tami throws a dirty look my way. “He was in so much
pain and, ever since, he aged so fast.”

Gritting my teeth, I’m the one choosing not
to talk to her now.

“Even though he sent me away, I kept an eye
on him and you Angel. But when both of you were gone after last
night, I feared—”

“Wait,” Angel cuts her off with narrowed
eyes. Absently, she takes my hand from her shoulders and slides her
fingers through mine, squeezing anxiously. “He sent you away?”

“
Yes. When he
spoke about his plan to use you for revenge on Hook, the Lost Boys
and I told him he was crazy and confused and that we wouldn’t help
him with it. He was so angry, Angel. And blinded by it, too. I’m
sure he felt like everyone betrayed him in the end.”

Breathing with a tight chest is an ugly
feeling. The bad conscience taking over makes it hard for me to
return Angel’s understanding squeeze. I ease the grip and her hand
slips away from of mine.

“
I saw the
two of you heading out of your house last night,” the pixie
continues, “but then only you returned. Since Hook already came to
your world, the boys and I thought it was worth a try to talk to
him again. I went looking for Peter, but I couldn’t find him in the
house where he used to live now or anywhere else. And then you were
gone too.”

I take a deep breath. “You couldn’t find him,
because my men and I tied him up in a tree quite a bit away from
Angel’s house.”