Page 30 of Stalking Wendy Darling

My mouth fell open in outrage as he scurried past me. Bet on mefor what?

The answer to that question came swiftly and fiercely in the form of a shout. I pinched the bridge of my nose, expelling a rough breath from my nose.

“Hook!” a sharp female voice cracked across the desk. “I challenge you to a duel!”

I raised my stare to the heavens. “Of course you do, Wendy,” I muttered under my breath, finally turning to face her with exasperation written across my face. “I locked you in the hold for a reason.”

“Safekeeping?” she guessed with the maddening grin on her round, golden face that made me want to strangle her. She had more freckles than I remembered. They glared at me from the bridge of her nose.

“For the safety of the crew,” I bit out.

She gasped, her eyes as bright as topaz. “You think I’m a danger to the crew.” She fanned her face, her sister snickering at her side. “That issosweet, Hooky.”

“Alright, that’s it, you’re dead,” I growled, ripping the sword from my side—not the rapier she stabbed me with but the heavy, well balanced sword I’d collected on my travels since she murdered me.

“Ah ah ah,” she chided, wagging a finger at me. “This is a proper duel with proper rules. We’re allowed one weapon each. No guns. Andnohair pulling.”

I adjusted the sword in my hand. “That’s not a usual rule.”

“Yeah, well my hair’s just too pretty to lose even a strand.” She wiggled her head, setting the gold ribbon of it dancing, gleaming. “See?”

I decided to shear it off her head. “I’ve chosen my weapon.” I noticed space had been cleared in the middle of the deck, crates arranged in a semi-circle where people had already gathered to watch.

“Perfect,” Wendy said brightly, skipping past me and into the fighting ring.Skipping.As if she wasn’t covered in bandages. The breath I exhaled this time was a growl. A warning of my bestial nature.

“Psst.”

My expression flattened as I gave my attention to the slim woman who ducked closer to me, speaking behind her raised hand. Joanna. The cause of this whole damn thing.

“What?” I bit out, my temper flayed to shreds.

“She likes you, too. And just so you know, stabbing people is Wendy’s love language.”

“Irrelevant,” I dismissed, pulling away from Joanna and striding towards the makeshift fighting arena. I didn’t care in what fucked up ways Wendy showed affection. I didn’t care for the way her sister said likes you,too.I had no interest in Wendy beyond cutting her into pieces in revenge for killing me and stealing my title—and my hat.

Wendy had selected her weapon: a sword half the size of mine but well balanced to her weight and figure. It was as sharp as the rapier she’d speared me on. She swung it around her, loosening up her bandaged arm and shoulder, the move clearly familiar, almost effortless. She looked good with a sword in her hand. Fuck.

I refused to adjust my cock in my trousers. I wouldn’t give any of the women on this ship the satisfaction. Not a single one of them should be here, certainly not Vea who cupped her hands around her mouth and chanted, “Fight, fight, fight!”

Around the Banshee, the ocean frothed, the white crest of waves sloshing over the rails as if it too chanted for us toduel. I sucked in a low, settling breath. Wendy was just another opponent, the likes of which I’d taken down in numbers so high I couldn’t count them. I would take her down, too. Her eyes would overflow with tears, her skin parting to gift me the victory of her blood. My heart drummed faster, a ripple of excitement screwing with my composure.

I didn’t like it. I had no idea what to do with this … this sense of thrill. I’d spent the past twenty years numbed to the world except for a few bright sparks of emotion here and there—satisfaction, rage, envy. They came and went like shooting stars, always fleeting. Yet why did emotion assault me every day since this vicious little creature killed me?

I couldfeeland I didn’t fucking like it.

“You will undo whatever spell you’ve cast over me, witch,” I hissed as I came within three feet of her, far enough that the crew wouldn’t overhear.

Wendy’s eyes widened then flashed with amusement, a ripple of topaz and grey brightening those beautiful irises. Fuck, not beautiful. Infuriating. Yes, that was better. “I’m just a plain ol’ human,” she lied. “Really. No witchcraft or magic. Everyone knows none of that shit is real.”

I bared my teeth in a smile. “Monsters aren’t real, either, and here I stand.” I held my sword casually, brushing my thumb over the two stars etched in the cross-guard, giving no indication of my intention.

Wendy’s breath caught when I leapt into a strike. But it was delight and not fear that filled her eyes as she whipped her sword up to catch mine before it could strike her, preventing me from cleaving her pretty head from her shoulders. My blood rushed faster, almost electric as we tore apart and clashed again, circling each other, predators searching for a weakness to exploit.

“Vea said something a little… odd,” Wendy said with a smirk I wanted to erase from her face or else feel all over my body, brushing every inch of my skin.

“Vea lies,” I bit out, going on the offensive, driving her back a step and watching indignation chase across her gold face. “You can’t believe a word she says.”

“What she says is you’re obsessed with me,” Wendy said cheekily, catching me off guard enough to forcemeback a step. Our audience cheered and booed in equal measure. Lovely. I’d rescued some of these bastards from debts, threats, and near death, andthiswas how they repaid me. By supporting a snake of a mutineer. All those cheers should have been for me.

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