Page 20 of Devour the Dark

He looks down at me.

My heart thuds beneath my ribs.

I expect him to toss me into the sea.

Instead, he says, “It is the least that I deserve for leaving you on Everland. But that is the only retribution you will get. Do you understand, Wendy Darling?”

It takes me several moments to process what he’s saying as adrenaline courses through my veins.

He’s letting me off with that?

It’s not at all what I expected.

I summon all of the bravado I once needed while in the Everland Court. I pull on my queenly persona, give him a curt nod and say, “Very well.”

Vane steps in front of Pan, dominating my line of sight. I have to take a step back. I’ve forgotten just how big Pan and the Lost Boys are. Everlanders are a much smaller people. Slight in frame, mostly under six feet. I feel like I’ve stepped into the land of giants.

“Where’s Roc?” Vane asks.

“He’s—”

There’s a commotion behind us on the ship. We all turn to see James racing off the ship’s deck, down the gangplank. “It’s happening again!” he yells.

“What’s happening?” Pan asks.

“Roc?” Vane says.

“He’s turned—” James says just as the ship’s starboard side explodes in a cloud of debris and a dark shadow flies into the night.

CHAPTER EIGHT

HOOK

On the dock,Peter Pan cuts me off.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

For most of my life here on Neverland, I was consumed with the constant desire to destroy Peter Pan. Now, here he is within arm’s length, close enough to gut with the sharp tine of my hook.

But now, none of that matters.

There is one driving need pounding in my chest: I have to get to Roc.

“He’s going to devour your entire city if I don’t get to him.”

Vane grabs Pan by the bicep and pulls him back. “He’s right. We don’t have time for this shit.” To me, he says, “Why did he let time run out? Was there no one for him to feed off of?”

Wendy and Asha and I share a look.

“What?” Vane says, catching our hesitancy.

“It’s why we’re here,” Asha says.

“Roc can’t control the turn,” Wendy adds.

I don’t know much about what Roc and Vane are—he’s been less than forthcoming about the particulars—but I can tell by the look on Vane’s face now that he immediately knows what this means.

“What did he devour?” he asks.

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