“Geo believes—and he’s been telling the others—” He pauses and shoots a nasty look into the room we just left. “That the shadows are sent from the heart of the island to kill Lost Boys.”
“Why? Why would the island want to kill Lost Boys?”
“It wouldn’t.” Peter shakes his head. “Geo doesn’t want to admit that his crew was ambushed by pirates at the last full moon.Hookis the one who killed my men. Not some so-called shadows. Geo just doesn’t want to take the blame for what happened. He knew he shouldn’t have taken any of the Lost Boys away from the tree on the night of the full moon, but he did it anyway. He was warned. He didn’t listen, and several of my men paid the price.” He pauses and looks at me, as if weighing what else he should tell me. “Moira, the island is safe for you as long as you’re with me. But the island is dangerous all over on a full moon. The beasts get hungrier, the entire island comes alive, and the Lost Boys are well aware that wealwayskeep close to home on those nights. The tree and the cave are our sanctuaries. The safest places on the whole island.”
“All those eyes I’ve seen in the forest.” I shiver. “I can’t imagine them looking even hungrier. Sheesh.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be with me.”
“You realize the more you tell me, the creepier this sounds, right?” I wrap my arms around my waist. “Maybe it would be better if you and I went to the mainland and you guarded me there? There’s still a full moon sometimes, but it doesn’t get quite as wild as it does here.”
“The only place you’ll ever be truly safe is by my side in Neverland. My powers fade on the mainland. The magic herestill flows through me, even though it’s diminished. But I can use it to protect you. Together, we can fight Hook and take the island back.”
“That sounds great, but you know I’m not a fighter, right? I can’t do any super moves to kick pirate ass.”
“When the time comes, you won’t have to. You’ll be as fierce as Tinker Bell in your own way.”
“Speaking of Tinker Bell, where are the rest of the fairies? I’ve only seen the one, and that didn’t go so well. Are there any nicer fairies around? I think I’d like to meet them. Maybe they can give me some tips on winning over Tinker Bell.”
He reaches out absentmindedly and rubs a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. “No. The fairies are almost pure magic, their souls like crystals that focus the island’s energy. Hook drained them all, stole their magic and their lives.”
My mouth falls open. “You mean Tinker Bell is thelastfairy?”
“As far as I know.” He nods solemnly. “She survived Hook’s attempt on her life, but only barely. I’m sure you saw the mark on her face.”
“He did that to her?” My stomach churns. Did he slash her with his hook? The thought of anyone hurting a fairy seems so wrong. Tinker Bell may not be pleasant, but she doesn’t deserve to be hunted just because of what she is.
Peter finally leans back, his fingers dropping from my hair. “Hook would do much, much worse if he could get his hands on her again.”
A noise overhead catches my attention, and I see a man swinging down through the vines as if he was born in this tree.
He lands beside us with a light thump. “Peter, Hook has gone anchor up. They’re sailing back to deeper waters.”
“Finally.” Peter claps his hands and gives me a mischievous smile. “Now it’s time for a swim.”
Chapter
Eight
If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colors suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colors become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire.
We land at the edge of a lagoon, the forest close at our backs. I’m almost getting used to this flying thing. “How big is the island, exactly?”
“As big as it needs to be, but smaller if it takes a notion.” Peter winks.
“That doesn’t even make sens—Ah!” I see a very naked ass surface, then disappear as Curly rises above the low waves. “You’re here already? Was the tree boring?”
“It was really, um, high.” I glance at it over my shoulder, its branches shadowy in the night.
“Come for a swim.” Curly moves closer, his dark skin smooth on the surface of the water.
I look down at my dirty clothes then back at the lagoon. It’s rounded, a perfect bite out of the island with white rocks along the far edge that fan out toward the sea, dotting the water until they disappear.
A swim sounds great, but Curly’s already in the water naked. I can’t get in wearing a sweatshirt, but I can’t get in naked, either. I’m stuck on shore.
“Go do your thing.” I plop down. “I’m going to sit here and think about how I got myself into this mess and how I’m going to get myself out.”
Peter strips his shirt off, then reaches for the laces of his pants.
