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He swallowed again, then glanced over his shoulder. “We’re nearly there.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Thanks.” I grabbed the edge of the skiff. “What do I need to do?”
“Nothing. Stay right there.”
“I’m a big girl. I can help.” I looked over the edge. The sandy bottom was clear through the water. “What is that, like two feet deep? Maybe three?” I hoisted myself up.
“I wouldn’t.”
It was too late. I swung over the edge and sank into the water. Then I kept sinking. When my boots finally hit the soft bottom, I was chin deep and sputtering.
“Hold onto the edge,” he said, irritation and humor battling for dominance as he rowed the skiff closer to the beach.
By the time we touched down and dragged the skiff up past the high tide line, my embarrassment was well on its way to being replaced with frustration. I stripped off my poor jacket and shook it out, then plopped down in the sand. I unlaced my left boot and dump the saltwater out of it, feeling a bit like a drowned rat. My hair was plastered to my cheek, and when I tried to shake it loose, it didn’t budge.
Of course.
I shoved my foot in my boot and yanked the laces tight, then repeated the process with the other side. Hook, on the other hand, just stood there watching me.
“What?” I asked, making no attempt to mask my irritation.
“Do you have a habit of diving headfirst into situations even after people advise you otherwise?” He had one hand on the hilt of his sword-thing and a look of absolute confidence on his face, like he was so fucking sure he had me pegged.
“Only when I don’t trust the person doing the advising.” I lifted one eyebrow in a silent challenge. I wanted him to take the bait, because gods, I was in the mood for a fight.
But he wouldn’t even give me that satisfaction. He lifted his chin and looked up to the sky, drawing in a deep breath. “Very well.”
That’s what I got? Very well?
Very fucking well to you too, buddy.
“You can go now. I’ve got it from here,” I said, motioning to the foliage crowding the sand in a thick green wall of leaves and vines.
Hook ignored my dismissal, scanning that same terrestrial line. “I’ll help you find your brother.”
What if I didn’t want his help? I almost asked the question out loud, but the reality of my situation wasn’t difficult to see. It wasn’t like there was a trail head with a weatherproof sign that would point me to Pan’s camp. I pulled myself to my feet, checking for the pendant tucked in the coin pocket of my jeans as I brushed the sand off my clothes.
“Why would you help me?” It was a question I actually wanted an answer to. As far as I could tell, the man had no real reason for wanting to help me. But then, I didn’t know all that much about him.
He pulled in another deep breath. “The demon and I have a lengthy history.”
I waited for him to say more, because that wasn’t anywhere close to a useful answer, but apparently that was all he was going to give me.
“Could you, maybe, elaborate on that a little?” I tried to keep my voice light, but damn, it was tough. I’d never been good at shielding my emotions. I was more of a you-get-what-you-see kind of girl, and at that moment I was all over the place. I desperately wanted to find Matty and get him home, but I also wanted to know what Hook’s damage was.
He shook his head, but his gaze never stopped scanning the trees behind me. “Not here. Are you ready?”
I rubbed my hands together to knock the last of the sand off and picked up my jacket. “Tally ho, sailor.”
“Captain,” he corrected.
Tying my jacket around my waist, I eyed him warily. Even first thing in the morning, the island was considerably warmer than the deck of his ship, and a tiny, superficial part of me longed for deodorant. At least I’d have a few hours before the BO stink really kicked in, thanks to my chin-deep seawater bath. I refrained from lifting my arm and performing a quick sniff test, barely, and chose instead to poke the bear. “I’m not calling you Captain.”
He zeroed in on me, and my body wanted to squirm under the heat in that glare. The man was a fucking master of silent intimidation.
“Glare all you want,” I said, shoving past him. “Hook.”
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