query. “It’s not important, really. Only serves to reiterate my point. He just like to fuck me.”
“Tinksley, stop.” Peter croaks, snapping my stare back on his shirtless, pathetic form.
“Why? Afraid I’ll tell her about your dirty little secret?” I snicker, fending off the beast one last time. Soon, I remind it.
“Stop,” he tries again, panic clearly taking hold as he realizes I know.
Fingertip skating the white iron frame of the footboard, I start making my way to his side of the bed. “Think she’ll still love you then, Peter?”
“Peter, what is she talking about?” Poor Wendy’s clinging to his arm, stare boring into the side of his chiseled face.
“STOP!” he barks, making way to stand should I get that close.
Which I will, eventually, but not yet. Let the bastard sweat.
Behind me, Callan moves from his spot before the window, yanking Wendy onto her feet. His hand slaps over her mouth from behind, muffling her shrill. “I’m going to need you to stay where you are or your little dolly’s pretty blue nightgown might get a bit dirty.”
“Stay away from her,” Peter grates.
“Then watch how you talk to what’s mine,” Callan growls, tightening his hold on the girl.
“Yours?” Peter’s stare bounces between us. “Now she’s yours?”
“All his,” I coo proudly. Quite satisfied, too, considering his incredulous reaction. A reaction he has zero right to, should I remind you.
“Seriously? I leave and you hang onto the pirate?” he snarls.
“Is that a problem? Does it make you mad, Peter?” I hedge.
“Yes—it’s Hook! He’s a thief, a cheat!”
“Yeah? And you’re a liar, worst one of them all,” I toss back, catching Wendy rip Hook’s hand off from the corner of my eye.
“What is going on?” she whines. “Who are you people? How did you get here? What do you want?”
“Woah, woah, slow down, little Wendy. One question at a time.” I chuckle, zeroing in on the erratic tempo of her heart. “See what I mean? He’s a liar. Oh, and, for the record, we’re not exactly ‘people’.”
“Then what are you?”
Showtime.
One look at Callan, whose features quickly morph into their vampiric state, and I feel myself do the same—vision crispening, tunneling on the reason I’m here to seek revenge, the potent scent of their fear intensifying the craving building behind it.
Peter pales at the sight of me, jumping to his feet right as Wendy’s scream is muffled once more. “He turned you?”
“He had to,” I grate, inhaling deep breaths of my own. Barely containing the Fae from finally breaking the barrier.
“Let her go,” Peter directs at Hook.
“Oh, she’s fine, Pan. Relax.” Callan releases his grip on her mouth to make a point. “Don’t you want to know why I had to turn your little plaything?”
“Turned? What are you people?” Wendy whispers, chest rising and falling in harrowing fear.
“Vampires,” Peter answers, stare drowning in disbelief.
Wendy gasps; I laugh. It’s amusing to say the least.
“He’s not wrong,” Hook comments playfully.
“He’s also not completely right,” I add. “Again, Wendy, all of this isn’t important. You’re going to die anyway, so…”
Those sky blue eyes of hers widen anew, mouth popping open to—
“Don’t scream, pretty,” my Captain croons, fangs elongating along the curve of her neck. “I’ll have far too much fun draining you of your life.”
“Don’t hurt her, please. What do I have to do for you to leave her alone?” Peter pleads, flashing me a desperate look.
“I just want you to listen,” I state.
He nods, palms snapping up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I can do that.”
Damn right you will. “You have no choice.” I plop myself onto the plush armchair not so far away. “Might want to relax and listen up, too, Wendykins. Let’s see how much he’s lied to you as well. Shall we?”
“Did you die? Is that why he turned you into this?” Peter says this as if we’re the most vile, detestable creatures walking this earth.
Has he ever looked in a fucking mirror? Does he have zero self-awareness? “I didn’t just die, Peter…I killed myself.” I cross one leg over the other as his brown eyes bulge.
“Why would you ever do that?”
The audacity. The. Sheer. Audacity.
I’m out of my newly-acquired seat, jamming my finger roughly against his forehead. “You, you fucking piece of shit, that’s why!”
“T, if I knew—”
“Don’t say if you knew I loved you, because you knew. Oh, you knew.”
“Peter, what is she talking about? How long have you known her?” Wendy presses, prompting Hook to voice the very question I’d been wondering.
“Darling, Wendy, do tell us, enlighten us. What did Peter here