Page 71 of Freeing Hook

When I dream, it’s not of Peter’s hands all over me in the parlor as I feared, but of Astor, easing his fingers into the spaces between mine as we dance, for a blissful moment unaware of the bloodstained rug below our feet.

The coastal townof Naverough is the illegitimate daughter of whatever royalty birthed the thriving city of Laraeth. While both cities sit enthroned in a cliffside bordering the coast, the similarities end there. Instead of the marble facades of Laraeth,the buildings in Naverough are made of poorly hewn stone, the roofs hardly weather-resistant enough to make up a port city.

Thoughportis a bit too strong of a word for what’s in the bay. It’s more like two shabby docks, one of which looks about ready to make its hasty escape into the sea any day now. That’s, of course, where theIasois docked.

The shadows that usually encapsulate the ship have retreated, presumably into the magic-infused black box that Evans keeps watch over. I’d asked Charlie about it once. She’d explained that while the shadows are excellent when warding off attention in the seas, or frightening other voyagers, they’re a coveted black market item and best kept secret among a city of people who could fetch a high price for one if stolen. She’d had a similar explanation when I’d asked her why our escape from Neverland was the only time I’ve experienced theIaso’s ability to fly. Apparently it requires quite a bit of faerie dust to sustain and isn’t a feature that Astor wants advertised.

Rain pelts Astor and me as he guides the horse to the dock. I’m soaked and shivering, and I give in to the urge to cling more tightly to Astor’s firm torso. He tenses, and for a moment, I wonder if he’s stopped breathing.

“What happens to the horse?” I ask as we trot through the uneven streets and approach the docks.

Astor nods his head over to a seaside inn, a shabby but clean-looking place compared to the rest of the town. “I’ll leave him tied up here. The innkeeper will notice soon enough that it’s not one of the animals of the guests and will peddle him off, I’m sure.”

He slides off the horse and offers a hand to me. I take it, unsure I’ll be able to get down myself. Not with how my thighs and torso are aching with fatigue from riding through the night. Sure enough, when I whip my leg over the horse, it cramps and I fall, sliding down the beast’s hide.

Astor’s there to catch me, one hand around my waist, pulling me into him to steady me, while the other remains unwavering around my own hand. Rain pelts us from above, dripping off his forehead and onto my nose, rolling down to my lips where his gaze lingers, just for a moment, before he sets me down, my feet squishing in the mud.

I clear my throat and tear my gaze from his to peer down at my feet, only inches away from a pile of what looks to be horse manure.

“That could have been tragic,” I say, chuckling at the absurdity of possibly being any more filthy than I already am, covered in grime and gore.

“I wouldn’t have dropped you,” the captain says, his tone less playful than mine. I glance back up at him in surprise, but he’s no longer paying me any attention, just tying the horse up at the post.

By the time we slog through the muddied streets and onto the docks, Charlie and Maddox have already slid a rope ladder down the side of the boat and are waving to greet us.

When we scale onto the deck, Charlie looks me up and down, her gaze asking a single question.What happened to my dress?

The answer is, shredded to bits and dumped on the floor of Carlisle Manor, but explaining what happened to it is going to involve bringing up Peter, and…

“I’ll buy you a new one in the next city we dock in,” says Captain Astor, heading off Charlie’s question before she can ask it. But he soon amends his statement. “The next city that doesn’t stink of refuse.”

“I will hold you to that,” Charlie says, to which Maddox chuckles. “Though the last one had ruffles at the bottom of the skirts, and I have to say, if you’re already having a new one made…”

“No ruffles. Got it,” says Astor, his closed-lip smile genuine if not a bit weary.

CHAPTER 29

WENDY

Charlie and Maddox have a million questions for us upon our return, but Astor dismisses them, claiming he’ll debrief them after he’s had time to rest. When Charlie’s and Maddox’s eyes swivel to me, Astor glares at them and rephrases his initial condition to “afterwehave had time to rest.” The result is a less than subtle look between Charlie and Maddox, which the captain pretends not to notice. Begrudgingly, they both shoo us off toward the cabins.

As I shuffle down the hallway toward my and Charlie’s room, Astor’s voice follows me, stopping me in my tracks. “Dine with me.”

I let out a shaky laugh as I turn around. “Why?”

“Because we succeeded in our mission, and success merits celebration.”

I bite my lip. It’s not really as though I succeeded. I’d gone to the manor intending to learn how to break Peter’s curse. Instead, I’d almost fallen victim to it. Still, that we’re on our way to consult a man who’s traversed the realm of the dead fills me with hope, strange as it may sound. If he knows an individual who broke a Mating Bond, perhaps he knows how to break Peter’s curse.

Even if he doesn’t, even if I’m not a single step closer to my goal, I can’t help but bask in the thrill of what we’ve accomplished. The goal isn’t mine, but I’ve witnessed enough of Astor’s tenderness to know I don’t wish for him to hurt. I don’t wish for him to be shackled by his withered Mating Mark.

Strange, my two missions: bring the man I love pain, and remove the pain of the man I don’t.

“It’s almost morning,” I say.

“Does that negate your need for sustenance?”

“My clothes are soaked from the rain,” I say, fully aware it’s a weak excuse.

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