Page 15 of Beneath the Starlight and Storms

It’s as if I was glimpsing a small scene from a fairy-tale. It’s breath-taking.

My eyes move to the high ceilings and the luxurious furnishings around the room, making a bold statement of wealth, power, and high status.

With an old elegance fit for a King, it somehow blends seamlessly with a newer modern style making the room feel warm and welcoming instead of cold and stiff.

And even though there are not many windows, the light in the spacious room made it feel as if there were.

The air shifts beside me and from the musky scent that envelops me every time he’s near, I know it’shim.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Hook’s voice is soft. A tone I’m not used to hearing. I turn to look at him when I remember that we were outside only moments ago but somehow are now both inside.

“How did we get inside so fast?” I watch his face for any little tell he might accidentally reveal to me. The slight twitch to his left eye when he used to feel guilty over something. The faux smile that didn’t reach his eyes when he was sad. Or the small dimple on his right cheek when he was happy.

But I see none. Instead, his mouth curls upward. A sliver of a smile I’m not used to seeing on him. But there’s mirth in his eyes, and a mischievous glint I once knew as his playful side.

“I walkedreallyfast,” he says, with a lightness to his tone that holds a hint of teasing.

“How?” I push, ignoring the urge to go down memory lane with him and the pull of a connection slowly coming to life the longer I spend time with him. I didn’t need to be betrayed by any more people. I was better off by myself.

Hook’s only reply is a slight smile before he faces the staircase. “The scene before you is magic. An advanced illusion, just like the shield. But on a smaller scale.”

I push down my annoyance at his elusive behavior, remembering that Hook only ever tells you what he wants, when he wants. Trying to force his hand would get me nowhere.

Instead, I focus on what he just said and wonder why he just told me it.

“Why are you so forthcoming with this information?” I assumed he would keep any and all of his secrets regarding anything magical to himself. Especially since he’s not willing to reveal how we moved so fast from the outside to where we are now.

He must have a magical item of some kind.

Back when the portal opened, he was able to throw a person into a wall with one look. But Hook never had any powers on Neverland and unless he’s figured out how to change what he is, he was still just human. And as far as I was aware, humans didn’t possess any magical abilities. So, it had to be a magical item of some kind.

Though I never heard of a magical item allowing a human with not only the ability to move so fast, but to also be able to fling someone with a single thought.

Hook looks at me with a crooked smile and a spark of delight in his eyes. “There are many objects, items and places in this house that are created, imbued, and made from magic itself. This…” He glances over at the illusion. “… is one of them.”

“And?” I still didn’t understand why he was so forthcoming with this information. Maybe he was trying to distract me long enough to play another trick on me and trap me further. I glance around the room once more to be sure no one is hiding in waiting. But for now, it seems it was just me and Hook in the large room.

That glint of mirth in his eyes only grows as he stares at me. “Nothing is what it seems here. Should you happen to lose your way, know that there is a watchful eye at every turn.”

“Is that a threat?” I narrow my eyes on him, finally realizing where he was going with this.

A slight curve tilts his lips as he turns to look ahead. “Merely an observation you should be aware of. And one of the reasons, I will know if youtryto escape. Not that it will do you any good.”

“I’m not staying here. The moment I get a chance Iwillescape. Even if I have to gothroughyou to do it.” I clench my jaw, gritting out each word. Unlike me, Hook wasn’t naïve. He had to know that I would escape the first chance I got. Whatever plans he thought he had for me didn’t matter nor would it hinder any plan I made going forward. I would get out of here, and soon.

I had no other choice.

Hook’s replying chuckle is low and deep, setting my nerves alight. He turns completely to me, his eyes growing dark, possessive.

“This place is a fortress. Apart from the spells I have spent good money on to lock down this place heavier than Fort Knox, I have eyes everywhere. So, unless I allow it, you’ll be staying right where I want you.”

I clench my fists at my side. “And that’s supposed to be here? Withyou?” He’s just like Peter. Just as selfish and probably as cruel. I can’t stay here. I can’t become trapped again.

“Now you’re catching on,” he drawls, which only made me angrier.

“No matter what you do or say, Iwillget out of here.” I fought like hell to get out of the three years of torture Peter put me through. I was not going to stay here only to go through it all again.

Hook’s face brightens but it’s deceiving. There’s no light in his eyes. Just a simmering darkness that spirals.

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