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I growl, feeling the shadows around me churn and seethe in response to my mounting fury. “If anything happens to her, Smee—anything at all—I will never forgive you.”
“We don’t have a choice. Nelvin already has Scarlet, and the moment our uncle gets here, he’ll be handing her over.”
My heart pounds in my chest, the weight of their betrayal threatening to crush me. The danger Scarlet now faces sends a cold shiver down my spine. I grit my teeth, glaring at my half-sister.
“You promised!” I snarl, my anger boiling over. “You swore no harm would come to Scarlet if I gave you the ship!”
Smee takes a step closer, her voice ice-cold. “I promised not to float her. There’s a difference. This was the best option to fix everything.”
“Best option?” My voice drips with venom. The familiar darkness gathers around me like a cloak, my shadows eager for a taste of vengeance. “She’s a living, breathing person.”
As I get in Smee’s face, my shadows explode around us, their tendrils coiling and writhing like living things. But before they can do harm, something cold and metallic clinks around my wrist.
The world narrows to the sensation of cold steel biting into my skin, and the sudden absence of my shadows. They vanish as if ripped away by some unseen force, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable. I glance incredulously at the cuff now encircling my wrist.
“Wha—” I begin, but Smee cuts me off.
“Can’t have you losing control, can we?” She gives me a weak smile, her eyes glinting with an unsettling gleam.
“Lose control?” I repeat, the words tasting like bile on my tongue. “You can’t do this. How could you cuff your own damn brother?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she says, her gaze dropping to the cuff. “I’m doing this for you. Please try to understand that.”
Her words are like daggers, each one piercing deeper than the last, but I refuse to let them draw blood. “I will find a way to fix this,” I vow, my voice low and deadly. “And when I do, you’d better pray you’re not standing in my way.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, brother,” she says, lifting her gaze to the ocean, watching the Crocodile move in.
35
Hook
Thesaltywindwhipsagainst my face as I stare out across the choppy sea. The sound has always been calming to me, but today it’s anything but. I feel a hand on my shoulder and find Nelvin standing behind me. His silver eyes are gentle and reassuring, but his part in this madness is entirely the opposite.
“It wasn’t my idea,” he says, talking with his hands. I spot a rope in his grasp, following it as he speaks. “However, I can agree with Smee on some things, and this honestly was the best choice we could come up with.”
Reaching the end of the rope, I find Scarlet bound and gagged. Her white hair billows like a ghostly halo, and those fierce hazel eyes stare back at me. Gods, how did we end up here?
“Smee, please... You don’t have to do this,” I growl, keeping my voice low.
Smee stands tall, the stump of her right ear twitching slightly. “The Crocodile’s coming. He’ll take Scarlet to live amongst his witches. I’m not changing course.” She can’t even bring herself to look at me.
“She’s not one of them.” My words are like venom.
“You know as well as I do that an accusation is a conviction. That mark alone will have put people on edge. You add the fact she’s a Midicious and the people in the Luminaries won’t just want her dead but tortured. You’d feel all of it if something happened. This will get her off my ship, keep her safe—mostly—and protect you. It even comes with getting your shadow back.” Smee crosses her arms, her expression betraying the fact she’s trying to convince herself this is the right move, too.
“I will live without my shadow before I trade her for it!” I snap.
“Enough!” Smee locks eyes with me. “This is happening, whether you like it or not.”
The sound of wood creaking and splintering heralds fills the air as the Crocodile’s ship draws alongside us. It’s deathly silent like they’ve concealed their sounds with magic.
My uncle grins wickedly, dropping the plank over the rail to board our ship, his silver-toothed grin splits his face in half.
“Look at us,” the Crocodile says, arms open wide. “Family, together at last. Who knew all it took was an arrow to my brother’s heart?”
My body tenses, shaking with adrenaline. Fury boils my blood until the rapid cadence of my own heartbeat echoes in my ears.
“I didn’t call you here for a reunion,” Smee says, her hand balancing on her cutlass hilt, ready to draw. The crew is all above deck, and judging by their wide-eyed faces, they’re just as surprised as I am. She didn’t tell them that she invited him.
