“Perfect.” His voice cuts through my internal struggle. “There’s something else I need you to do right now.”
I’m almost afraid to ask, my throat bobbing through a swallow as I work up the courage. “And w-what is that?”
“Scream. Scream just as loud as you were when I found you.”
“Why?”
“Because it’ll drown out the sounds of me ripping those boards apart, that’s why.”
Oh. “O-okay,” my voice trembles. “Okay, I can do that.”
Tavi seems appeased by my acquiescence. I’m so hypnotized by the content look on his handsome face that I don’t notice when his hand swoops up to cup my face, his thumb caressing my cheek almost as tenderly as Hook had done with Tinksley. He leans in closer, our noses nearly grazing as our stares collide anew in a solid hold. “I’ll be back for you, Wendy Darlington. I swear it.”
?Born Ready - Zayde Wolf?
“She reallyisone of them now,” I tell the boys as I pace the base structure of my soon to be home, loosened bow tie now hanging around my neck. “The Tinksley this island knew and loved is dead and gone.”
“I don’t know if I can blame her,” Niko chimes. “Didn’t you hear what happened?”
“Of course I did,” I snap, stopping to look him in the eye. “How do we know that’s true, though?”
“Because why would anyone lie aboutthat?” Soren’s disgust is etched on his bearded face. “It’s vile, one of the crudest acts out there.”
“Exactly, and the Fae are vile by nature. It adds up perfectly,” Niko agrees.
“But his Fae side was subdued by that spell,” I toss back, leaning up against one of the odd trees still standing. “So, no, it doesn’t add up.”
Niko shakes his dark head, scooting to the edge of the wood pile he’s occupying. The loose waves of his hair swish with the motion. “His capabilities were subdued, Tav. Genetics are always present. It’s like if your wolf side was made dormant. You wouldn’t be able to shift, but you’d still have the same temperament.”
Wrong.
“The whole purpose of the spell was to keep him in check after he murdered his mother. Clearly, whatever spell the Sacred Six casted upon him was one that controlled him wholly. I mean, think about it. The kid wasn’t aggressive by any means. In fact, if I remember correctly, he was kind of a pussy.”
“Kind of?” Levi snickers, prompting Cortez, Elias, and Talon to follow suit.
Soren isn’t amused. He’s in full-on business mode, analyzing the information I’ve given them from every angle. The moment the boys catch his keen stare, they swallow down their amusement and return their attention where it belongs.
At their silence, Soren continues. “I’m sure it dumbed down violent urges and kept him more level-headed than the average Fae, but I doubt he was emotionless.”
“Sure about that?” I arch my brow. “He was fucking his sister, man. The bastard had to have been pretty emotionless to go through with that. On more than one occasion.”
I cringe just thinking about it.
“The logistics behind the spell is pretty irrelevant at this point; Pan is dead. What we need to worry about is Tinksley. While I think most of us can agree that we can’t fully condemn her for her current mindset—we’ve all had moments of rage—I think we can also agree that she’s a threat regardless. A double threat even, considering her newly re-wired genetics. Two predatory species running rampant through one tiny body. If Hook doesn’t control her properly, she can cause a lot of damage all on her own.”
Soren is right, but he’s not getting that the island isn’t my main concern at the moment. “Quite frankly, I’m not worried about what damage she can do overall. What I’m worried about is the girl and getting her out of there.”
“You sure you’re really gonna be able to get her out, though?” Cortez jumps in.
I nod, sure as all hell. “I told you already…that door led exactly where I thought it did. All I have to do is go back in the way I came and—”
“That’s not what I mean,” Cortez blurts. “You said there’s a possibility they could move her out of there. What happens if you go in and she’s gone. Then what?”
His question—while valid—thins my lips. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I’m banking on Tinksley remaining in her vengeful, stubborn mindset for another day or two. It’s Hook that wants to relocate Wendy, not her.”
“I have a question,” Elias says.
I motion for him to continue.