Page 109 of Freeing Hook

“It’s just a pig. It’s not like he hasn’t done that to humans. To fae,” I say, expression flat.

The captain actually bristles. “No. But he never enjoyed it. Never wanted more once he was done. What were you planning to do, Darling? Hack the body to pieces like you used to before you learned to handle a blade?”

When I don’t answer, he grabs my shoulder, though gently. “If you’re upset, take it out on me.”

When I spin back around, I flash him my most dazzling smile. “What would I have to be upset about? Just a little longer, and I never have to see your face again.”

He cocks his head to the side. His lips are still curled in amusement, but I don’t miss the anger simmering in his eyes. “Come now, Darling. Looking at me can’t be so much of a burden.”

I shrug. “I wouldn’t know. When I look at you, it’s not really you I see. Just my parents’ blood.”

My jab must land, because his hand falters, falling off my shoulder, leaving behind an emptiness I should be used to by now.

I returnto cleaning my sword, refusing to count the captain’s steps as he walks away.

“I take it you’re not thrilled about being Cap’s Mate,” says Maddox as I transition to helping him clean the remainder of the pig carcass.

I freeze, hands still on the clammy surface of the cadaver. “He told you?”

Maddox leans against the nearby mast, his arms crossed. “Didn’t have to. The tension between the two of you is thicker than this thing,” he says, tapping the carcass with his boot.

I glance away, hardly able to look Maddox in the eye. “So you knew the Mark was for me, not for Iaso.” When Maddox doesn’t answer, I snap at him, “I guarantee you that nothing you say is going to make me feel more naïve than I already do.”

The humor in Maddox’s expression falters, just slightly. “The crew encouraged him to tell you earlier.”

The crew. So everyone knew. Everyone but me. “Excellent.”

Maddox sighs, then squats across from me, propping his elbows on his outspread knees. “The thing you have tounderstand about Nolan is he hates nothing more than being controlled.”

My mind goes back to my conversation with Astor back when I was recovering from my faerie dust withdrawals.The thing you have to understand about Peter is…

What exactly had I said about Peter?

“Yes,” I say. “How horrible it must be for someone to have their Fate determined for them without their consent. Sounds dreadful. I can’t imagine.”

Maddox rests his cheek on his fist, his calloused knuckles pressed into his skin, making even his chiseled jawline appear boyish. “I think the two of you might understand one another better than you think you do.”

Frustration simmers within me, but Maddox bats his pretty eyelashes at me, his big gray eyes making him difficult to be angry at, reminding me he’s not the one who’s hurt me.

I sigh, wiping the sweat from my brow with my sleeve, even as I sneak the fabric across my eyes to hide the fact I’m wiping away tears. “I understand why he did what he did. Believe me, I know. But the moment he took hold of his freedom by severing his Mating Mark, he stole something from me. He bought his freedom at the cost of mine. When he transferred the Mark to Peter, he was controlling me. Can’t you see that? Astor might have hated the Sister for choosing his Mate for him, but then he went and did the same thing to me. Except he didn’t even have the decency to do it correctly, and now I’m…I’m…”

“Torn,” says Maddox, nodding pensively.

Shame washes over me, but relief too, that Maddox understands.

“Peter always had more influence over me than I wanted him to. I thought it was his fae glamour at first, but I later came to realize that our Mating Marks made me malleable in his hands.” And he in mine, I don’t say, remembering how I tricked him thenight I thought he was the one killing the Lost Boys. “That was Astor’s doing. And now I don’t know what’s real and what’s a poorly done piece of magic gone awry.”

Maddox examines me. “Did you feel the same way about the Mating Mark when you thought you were only matched to Peter’s?”

I pause, my words getting hung in my throat. When I don’t answer, Maddox continues. “At the risk of sounding like I’m not on your side, Wendy, it sounds to me like you were perfectly fine with your Fate being out of your hands up until recently.”

The offense rattles me, but I can’t find any evidence to argue otherwise. Once I’d realized Peter wasn’t murdering the Lost Boys, I’d been relieved to know we were Mates. I’d been content to rest in the confidence that we were meant to be together, enough that I hadn’t abided any doubts that had crossed my mind. Every time Peter had acted in a way that wasn’t befitting or honorable, I’d rested on the confidence that he was my Mate. I just hadn’t realized that particular foothold was less of a rock and more of a root.

After several seconds go by without a response, Maddox pokes me. “What’s really bothering you?”

Tears sting at my eyes, my ribs cracking. When I look up at Maddox, his gray eyes are so soft, so kind, I can’t help but confide in him. “He doesn’t want me.”

Maddox’s jaw tenses, his eyes gleaming over with moisture. “Have you considered he might be under the impression that you’re the one who doesn’t want him?”

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