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“You’re both idiots.”
I turned to face the source of that feminine voice; a voice that registered as distantly familiar before I got a look at the long-lost princess of Leo’s clan. “Lilith?”
She was looking at me with an expression so cutting it would have made a lesser man wither. “Captain.”
A few more puzzle pieces clicked together, and I wheeled on Leo. “She’s the reason you came through.”
He dipped his head. “Do you remember Never talking about her hellhound back in the war room? Well, since she was on her way home, and I’d burned through every lead I could find in our world, I figured I would give it a shot.”
Swiveling back to Lily, I couldn’t help scratching my head. “You’ve been here this whole time? Pretending to be a family pet?”
Disgust washed over her face. “The pet thing was Wendy’s dirty little trick. She had a mean sense of humor. But that doesn’t matter right now.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the bathroom door.
I hadn’t even noticed, but the water didn’t sound like it was running anymore.
“I’m going to do you both a favor here and give you a little insight into Never. And keep in mind this is coming from someone who’s known the girl her entire life.” She pinned me with a glare, before shifting her gaze to Leo. “If either of you thinks you’ll win her over by arguing or fighting over her, you don’t know her at all. She’s not a prize to be won, and if you treat her like that’s all she is, you’ll lose her long before you ever have a real chance with her.”
It stung that I needed someone else to say that aloud before the tangle of covetous emotions roiling inside me would subside. I knew she wasn’t a trophy—a trinket to be owned and put on display. Never Darling was far, far more than that, but all I’d shown her was that I believed she belonged to me.
I stood by that. She was mine. Period.
But it had to be her choice to be with me, no matter my claim.
Lily let out a huff, giving her head a little shake. “Does she know the truth about you, Captain? Or that thing she wears around her neck?”
11
NEVER
I reached for the pendant and stared down at it.
What did Lily mean by “the truth” about it?
Also, why did every new piece of information I come across lead to a thousand more questions?
Letting the dull, amber stone fall back against my damp skin, I took a bracing breath, opened the bathroom door, and marched my ass right into the middle of the discussion. I was fed up with not knowing what was going on with damned near everything in my life, and I still had the added courage of my residual buzz from the mojitos.
Hook was the first to look my way, tearing his narrowed gaze away from Lily. His expression changed in an instant. From angry to hot-as-hell to worried. I was assuming that last one was worried anyway, given that everyone had gone silent. I reached for the towel wrapped tightly around my body, making sure it hadn’t inadvertently fallen off. There was a ninety-five percent chance I would’ve noticed, but after the twists and turns of the day, I wasn’t taking anything for granted.
“What do I need to know about you, Hook?” It was only fair to give him the opportunity to explain himself. Right?
He took a couple of steps toward me before Leo was on his feet. “Maybe this should wait until morning,” he said, edging into the chasm of want sprawling between me and my pirate.
“If I wanted to wait, I would have asked in the morning,” I said flatly.
Hook’s heated gaze ran slowly down my body and back up. “Then, perhaps this is a discussion we can have in private?”
A shiver worked through me. Private. As in alone, together, in a closed space.
Hell yes.
Also, fuck no.
My emotions were all over the place. If he got me alone anywhere—a room, the hallway, outside on the freaking sidewalk—I would be a goner. The guy was like a drug. Even now, with questions swirling in the background, I was drawn to him. My body wanted to close the distance between us, so I did what any salty bitch would do. I took a step back and shook my head.
“I’m good out here.”
He ran his tongue along the edge of teeth, clearly frustrated by my refusal. “It’s just to talk, Never. You have my word.”
