Holy shit. “Okay, yeah, seems like it’s a good idea if I stay tucked away.”
He smiles, that boyish charm coming off him in waves. “Good.”
“Why couldn’t you just tell me that? What’s with all the secrecy?”
“I didn’t want you to worry.” He shrugs. “I know this whole thing has been hard on you. How could it not? But I need you here, Moira, and I need you safe. As soon as we handle the pirates, we can all sit down and come up with a plan to rid the island of Hook once and for all.”
“Is Hook up there?” I turn my eyes to the shadowy stone overhead.
“Unlikely.” His expression sours. “He prefers to stay on his ship and send out his minions to do his dirty work. He doesn’t care if his men get killed in droves as long as he gets what he wants.”
“He sounds legitimately awful. Worse than anything Wendy passed down in her stories.”
“He is.” His glower deepens even more.
“Hey.” I step closer and peer up at him.
“Hmm?” His expression softens as he looks down at me, his gaze flicking to my lips before returning to my eyes.
“You look …” I reach up and touch his jaw. “Younger in this light.”
He takes my hand and holds it in his. “That’s a good thing since you keep telling us all how old we are.”
That simple touch of my hand in his sends goosebumps racing along my arm and heat doing loop-d-loops low in my belly. But as I look up at him, I realize it’s not just the light. He reallyisyounger.
“Peter, your face …” I drag my fingertips along the smooth skin beside one of his eyes. There were crow’s feet there before. Now they’re gone. “You’re younger. How?—”
“Peter, they’re coming—Oh.” Tootles halts as he walks into the cavern.
When his eyes skim over where Peter and I are touching, I pull back.
Peter gives me an amused half smile, then tells Tootles, “I’m coming. Tell everyone to be ready.”
“Will do.” Tootles marches off.
“Stay here. We’ll be back before you know it. Then we can show you more of the island.” He leans closer. “And you can inspect me more thoroughly, if you like.”
My cheeks go hot at the implication. “Be careful.”
“Never.” He grins, then walks past me and disappears into one of the side passages.
I scoot to the edge of the room, away from the stalactites, and try to square what I just saw with how Peter looked when I saw him on the quad. He’s different. He’s definitely lost years of age, and the more I think about it, so have the others. Coy—I noticed it yesterday but thought it was just his hair.
They’re all getting younger. But how?
When I get back to the kitchen, it’s cleared out. Not even the twins are here to make sure I don’t get into trouble. I stare at the ceiling and wonder what’s happening up there. But I suppose it might be better that I don’t know. If the pirates are as vicious as Peter says, there might be bloodshed—a lot of it. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.
To pass the time, I get busy cleaning up the dishes, though I can’t help but wonder if I’m leaving huge bits of waffle on theplates. I just do the best I can, then explore the cave, heading down tunnels that are sometimes dead ends. I find a few new rooms, one of them sparkling with moonlight that’s refracted through crystals overhead. Water runs down one of the walls and makes a faint pitter patter as it drips on the floor. Another room is covered in glowing orange lichen, and when I reach out and touch it, it makes my fingertips glow orange, too. If the cave has all these wonders—not to mention the Nevertree—I can’t imagine what the rest of the island has in store.
I retrace my steps, then try a different part of the cave. The room where I slept is here, the fire cold and dark. The map is still spread out on the table, and I give it another look. This morning, long before anyone came to look in on me, I pored over it, trying to guess the island’s secrets. But other than treacherous bogs, deep valleys, and miles of coast, the map didn’t give me much guidance. Still, it’s a good thing to have in mind.
I go past the map room and skim my fingers along what looks like a vein of ruby in the wall. This section seems older, the surfaces more worn and floors smooth from use. The openings are a bit smaller, but I can still pass through with ease.
When I come to an even smaller round wooden door with a gold insignia on it, I realize this must be Tinker Bell’s room.
“No, thank you.” I return to the main tunnel and do a little more exploring before plopping down on a fat toadstool near the waterfall.
The more I sit, the more my gaze darts upwards. I want to stay where it’s safe, but I also want to know what the hell is going on. What does a neverbear look like? If it’s as big as Peter says, how do the pirates intend to kill it?
