Page 34 of Stalking Wendy Darling

“You’re trying to distract me to get your way,” he sighed, tearing his gaze away and walking around the impressive, eagle-foot desk set in front of the wide window. I was a little sad to no longer be captain, to lose these gorgeous quarters, but honestly that job waswaytoo much work. “But there’s no way around this, Wendy. Because of your irresponsibility—”

“In saving my sister from literal murder—”

Hook sank into his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You missed Feeding Day. The monster is hungry.”

“That’s not unsettling at all,” I muttered, sauntering across the room and splaying myself in the chair across from him, my legs thrown over the wooden arm. “What is Feeding Day anyway?”

Apparently by breaking Joanna out of the hold, I’d thwarted a Banshee tradition of throwing kidnapped women into the ocean. Boo hoo, I wasn’t going to apologise for saving my sister.

A muscle feathered in Hook’s clenched jaw, but he wasn’t looking at me. He stared at a brass globe on his desk that wassomuch fun to spin1 as if it had offended his mother.

“The Banshee is stalked by a sea creature with an endless hunger. It can be satiated by giving it a sacrifice once every month. We call it Feeding Day.”

“And why does it have to be a woman?”

The look in the captain’s eyes was almost empty, hollow. I leaned forward, frowning at him. “It’s part of the price. One sacrifice, young and female, every month.”

I narrowed my eyes, tapping my knee with restless fingers. “Part ofthe price.Before, you made it sound like you’re being followed by this hungry monster but you can get it off your back by throwing someone for it to eat.Butyou wouldn’t know its terms if that was the case. What are you not telling me?” To butter him up, I threw in a, “Captain.”

Hook sighed heavily, his mouth pressing thinner as he focused dark eyes on me. “That’s not your business.”

“As the enforcer of this ship responsible for slaying all our enemies, I disagree,” I replied, adding a little bite into my voice.

He dragged his tongue over his canine tooth, and I blinked when I realised he was at war with himself. Whatever it was, hedidn’t want to tell me. What heinous crime had he committed? What skeletons did he have in his past?

“I don’t trust you, Wendy,” he said finally, his voice deep, bleak. “Anything I tell you, you’ll spread to the crew.”

My eyes widened. “The crew don’t know this?”

“No one knows. So you’ll understand why I’m reluctant to disclose this story to you.”

“There’s a story?” So hehadcommitted something heinous. “Don’t worry, captain.” I leaned across the desk to pat his hand, “I’ve killed a lot of people. Likea lotof people. I won’t judge you for anything you’ve done.”

“What makes you think it’s something I’ve done?” he asked with a little laugh.

I sat back, frowning. “My brother told me a secret when he was thirteen and I never told anyone.”

Hook leaned back too, his fingers running through his hair as he appraised me. “You kept the secret to this day?”

“No, I kept it until he was twenty and told everyone anyway. But that’s not the point. I’m good at secrets. I only tell them if the person’s an asshole or betrays meorreally deserves it. One time Tina Jackson told me a secret in confidence,butthen she slept with Lamonte when she knew I had feelings for him, so I told everyone about her having crabs. But she deserved it.”

Hook stared at me like I was mad, but then he asked, “Who is Lamonte.”

I waved a hand. “A minor infatuation when I was twenty.”

“You just said you had feelings for him.”

“Yeah, but then he got crabs. Weren’t you listening?”

Hook rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. It was a disarming smile, amusement changing his whole face from something grim and dour to full of life. “That’s all it takes for you to fall out of love? Crabs?”

“Hey, I never said I loved him. I never presented him with the heads of his mortal enemies.”

A furrow formed between Hook’s brows. “Are those two things related?”

“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes. “Do you even love someone if you don’t give them the decapitated heads of the people they hate?”

Hook tried to kill a smile by pressing his lips flat.

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