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“They were minor wounds, and I heal quickly.”
“Minor, my ass. I saw those gashes.” I charged forward and yanked his hands away from his shirt. There were four angry red lines on his chest and three on his neck, but they looked more like deep scratches than the ragged gouges that had been pouring blood a few hours earlier. “What the fuck?” My voice was a whisper as my finger traced the length of one of those scratches before I fully realized what I was doing. A barely noticeable wave of goose flesh broke across his skin and his breath hitched.
He grabbed me by the wrist, holding me in place but not pulling my hand away. “Like I said, I heal quickly. Another hour or so and I’ll be right as rain.”
The phrase hit me all wrong and I glared up at him. “Are you trying to be funny?” I yanked my hand free and shoved him, hard. “I thought you were dying.”
He held up his hands. “Settle down, love.”
I balled my hands into fists and clenched my jaw tight. Every colorful word I knew flashed through my head, but I was riled up enough that I couldn’t even pick one to hurl at him. Which didn’t make the least bit of sense. Why would I be upset that he was okay?
“When can I get off this fucking boat?”
“I’ll take you to shore at sunrise.” His voice was annoyingly patient for a guy I’d thought was on his death bed.
“When is that?” I flung my hand at the sky. “Because all I see are a bunch of stars I don’t recognize. I have no reference for time here!”
“Three hours, give or take.”
“Great. Wonderful. Thank you, so much.”
“Never?” My name was honey on his lips, and my anger began to melt even as I tried desperately to cling to it.
“What?” I snapped back.
“If I might be so bold…” He held out his hand like I was supposed to take it.
“Yeah, not happening.” I crossed my arms over my chest, casting that outstretched hand a wary look.
“You need sleep. The hike to the demon’s camp takes the better part of a day in the best of conditions. If your brother is here, and not caught in one of our traps, that’s where he’ll be.”
A sick feeling snaked through my middle as visions of Matty caught in human-sized versions of animal traps flooded my mind. “What do you mean by ‘your traps?’”
“We have several traps set at various points on the island, and part of my crew is out there monitoring them. The intention isn’t to kill, it’s to capture. We intend to get him off the island before the demon gets to him.”
Hope tried to bloom for one brief moment before he opened his mouth again.
“You managed, what, an hour’s worth of rest before the storm? Maybe two?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Were you spying on me?”
Hook pinned me with a glare. “I was devising a plan for the morning.” He scrubbed a hand over the dark stubble shading the line of his jaw. “Now that I have one, I would also like to get some sleep. However, in order for that to happen, I need to know you have yourself safely locked in your room.”
“It’s your room,” I corrected.
His stern expression turned even harder. “For tonight, it is yours. No one will bother you until sunrise.”
A wave of exhaustion rolled through me, and I swayed a little on my feet. “Give me your word. Promise me no one will enter that room without my permission, and I’ll march my smug little ass in there right now.” I couldn’t believe I was asking a pirate, of all people, for his word on anything, but some deep part of me desperately wanted to trust him.
He dipped his head, never taking his eyes off mine. “You have my word.”
I hesitated for a moment, then shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out the key. “Then I won’t need this,” I said, tossing it to him before turning and heading back to his room.
There was a pause, but his quiet words filtered through my thoughts as I stepped inside. “Thank you for your help earlier.”
I turned with my hand on the door. It was still dark, with only the flickering of a few scattered lanterns lighting the way. The gentle rocking of the ship kept that dim light moving, casting shifting shadows at sharp angles across the deck. Hook’s face was partially hidden in the gloom, but a dark shiver trickled through me when I saw him watching me. His eyes glowed orange for a moment, like they were picking up the light from the lanterns and reflecting it back. Then he turned away and retreated into the night.
I let the door close, releasing the breath that had locked up in my chest. My chances of getting even a little sleep had just gone from slim to none. Unless…
