Page 24 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
Chapter 9
Wendy
I crouched among the bushes, my mind spinning like water swirling in a drain.
Could Hook’s story be true?
Preposterous. He just wanted the dagger. Peter had said as much. I couldn't be that wrong about the boy who would never grow up. There was no way I’d spent so much time here, with him, with my brothers, and never noticed, never realized everything was a sham.
And the pirate, Aaron. To think that I’d killed him for nothing. Because Peter wanted to give me some cheap thrill. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be.
Only in Neverland half a day and already my world was turned upside down. I ground my teeth. Peter had better bring John and Michael, or he wouldn’t see the dagger. Until they were safe with me, nobody would see it.
A rustling came from the foliage, and I tensed, my fingers brushing the cool handle of a throwing knife.
The leaves parted on the far side of a small glen, and out stepped a woman about my age dressed in beautiful, handcrafted skins. Her raven hair was braided around her head, and her eyes shot about the space, taking in everything that moved. She inched through the trees as quiet as a ghost, a bow and quiver of arrows attached to her back.
She appeared no different from the day I had left Neverland eight years ago.
Standing, I cleared my throat.
The other young woman crouched and spun. She froze, shock flitting across her face. “Wendy?”
“Hello, Tiger Lily. It's been some time.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for my brothers, John and Michael. You haven’t seen them, have you?”
Hook clumped out of the brush, glaring at me. “Just give us away, why don’t you?”
“Hook.” Tiger Lily grabbed an arrow and loaded her bow, pointing it at him.
He gave her a flat look. “Shoot me. Do it.”
But Tiger Lily didn’t release her arrow. “Stay back. Wendy, get behind me.”
I held my ground. “My brothers, Tiger Lily. Do you know where they are?”
“Yes. Last I saw, the mermaids were handing them off tohismen.”
Hook swore. “She’s under Pan’s influence. She’s not going to tell you the truth, lass.”
“You can’t trust him.” Tiger Lily kept her arrow trained on him. “Help me get rid of him once and for all.”
My gaze shot between the two. Tiger Lily was my friend. We’d had many adventures together when I’d been here before in Neverland. My hand slipped to my knives, gritting my teeth. I already knew how good Hook was at manipulating me. He was just trying to keep me on his side so I’d give him the dagger.
“Damn it all to hell.” He stalked over to a tree, jerking the silver stone from his shirt and thrusting it against the bark. His hook raised and pressed into the stone.
Tiger Lily and I exchanged an uncertain glance.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
His focus never left the stone. “Getting you proof.” He pressed the tip of his hook against the hard surface and started chanting. A light burst out from the rock, so bright that we both had to shield our eyes. A loud cracking noise followed it. When the radiant brightness dimmed, Hook stood in front of both of us. The golden casing that housed the stone at his neck now only held half of the silver stone. The other half lay in Hook’s palm. Before either of us responded, he dropped the other half of the stone into the leather pouch belted at Tiger Lily’s waist.
She stiffened. Then relaxed her stance, placing her arrow in its quiver and her bow onto her back. Reaching into the pouch, she pulled out the stone, stared at it and then looked at Hook.
“Shit, James. What are you doing running around here with her?” Tiger Lily gestured at me. “Don’t you know Pan brought her here to kill you?”
