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My shoulders slumped. That wasn’t exactly what my body had been gearing up for.
“I need to know what I can expect from your brother if and when the demon brings him here. And I need to know what I can expect from you.”
I sank into the chair, reveling in the surprisingly soft leather and plush cushioning cocooning my tired body. “I’ll tell you what I can.” Within reason.
He didn’t need to know that I was more than willing to sacrifice my own soul for Matty’s. That was my personal Hail Mary. No one else needed to know I would make that trade before I let my brother condemn himself to an eternity at Petra’s mercy.
The prospect of spending a soulless existence on that cursed island wasn’t ideal, and lord only knew what weird, kinky shit the demon might come up with for me. But I wouldn’t have a soul, right? Which meant all my worrying probably didn’t matter. So what if she turned me into one of the lovesick puppies that followed her around and lapped at her skin like she was made of honey? It was better than leaving my brother to that fate.
He was still young, still had plenty of time to make a future for himself, and he could get by on his own. He might be a brat sometimes, but he was a smart kid. I’d socked away enough money to cover the rent until he graduated high school in a few months, if he was careful. And he would have Lily. She might not be able to get a job and help provide for him, but she would always stick by him, just like she’d always stuck by me.
So, that was plan B.
“Would your brother trade his life for yours?” Hook asked without an ounce of sheepishness.
“In a heartbeat.”
His tongue darted out across his bottom lip, and he eyed me knowingly. “Would you let him?”
Oh good, he jumped right to calling my bluff. No cute little dance or hedging, just straight for the jugular.
“No.”
His brow twitched up and his lips pursed, like he’d known exactly what I was thinking. “Are you planning on offering yourself in exchange for him, Never?”
Was I really so freaking transparent? Honestly, I thought I was better at keeping my shit to myself. “Would that work?”
His tongue traced the line of his teeth in a move that could almost be considered threatening, but the man had no reason to react that way to the prospect of me trading myself for my brother. Hell, it would mean we would be in the same realm for all eternity. If he really wanted me so badly, that should make him happy, right?
“Don’t try it. I can see the gears working in that stubborn head of yours, but it won’t work out the way you think it will.”
“She wouldn’t let him go?”
He shook his head and lowered to a crouch in front of me, bringing us to eye level. “You share the Darling bloodline. That’s what the demon really wants, so it’s possible, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. She takes boys for a reason. They’re easier to control, easier to manipulate. You can agree to give her your soul, but you have to be willing when the time comes.” He reached out, gently grasping the pendant. “You have to open yourself up and allow yourself to be vulnerable for her to gain access to that part of you. Do you really think you could do that with her, knowing what you know?”
I stared at him, sinking into those light brown eyes. It felt like he could see better than I could see myself. “I would try.”
He drew in a breath and let it out on a sigh. Letting the pendant fall against my chest, he stood and moved around the desk. “It doesn’t matter what I say, does it?”
Hook dropped into his own chair and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. As if the distance and the desk between us weren’t enough, he had to create that barrier with his arms.
“It does, if you help me find another option. All I have to do is get him away from the frat boys long enough to make this thing work.” I tapped the pendant. “Then I can drag his butt back to our world, and all will be right in the universe again.”
His eyes twitched at that, like he’d barely managed to hold back a flinch. “You make it sound simple, but you don’t even know how it works, right?”
Asshole.Yeah, sure, call me out on the fact that I had no clue how the pendant created a portal and transported me or did whatever the hell it did to drop me in the sea in his world. That was super helpful.
“Do you know?”
He pressed his lips together. It wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no.
“What about Adon—”
That frustrated, pressed lip look turned feral at the mention of the other man, and I scrambled to correct myself. “Leo? He recognized it.”
Hook shook his head again. “He knows what it is, but that’s all.”
That’s more than I knew. “What is it then? Maybe that will shed some light on how to use it.”
