Page 27 of A Descent Into Darkness

“That’s where the ruby comes in?” I asked, putting the pieces together.

“Aye, the ruby is my salvation.”

“How? What does it do?” James asked.

“Everything. It’s known as the Heart of the Divine. Legendhas it that when the Divine created the original realm, they breathed life into every corner. A realm of unparalleled beauty, teeming with the most magnificent of creatures, ones created in their own image. The magic of the Divine beating at it’s core. Yet as eons passed, the harmony of their creation began to crumble. The magic corrupted them, and they grew reckless and greedy. Harnessing the divine energy for their own ambitions, they sowed discord and devastation across the land. The realm descended into darkness.

In a desperate moment of regret, the Divine destroyed the realm. As a reminder of their betrayal, they extracted the stardust, the very essence of the magic that had been so ruthlessly abused and sealed it within a perfect ruby. It contains an entire realm’s worth of magic. Once I possess it, I’ll be free to travel between realms once again. No more faerie dust required. The king’s exile would become irrelevant and all who oppose me, will cower at my feet.”

“No faerie dust, you say?” James asked, fixating on the most mundane part of all that Edward had said.

“It is the key to freedom, my boy. And now, if you’re quite finished, I believe Katherine has some valuable information to share, don’t you, darling?” Both of them set their eyes on me, as though they finally realized I’d been in the room this whole time. “Come, tell me what you’ve seen. I want to hear what it was like to be in the mind of a god.” Edward patted his lap, beckoning me forward. I balked for a moment. The inclination to defy him reared up within me for the first timein years. I walked slowly to him, sitting on his lap as I contemplated my next move.

“Now, sweetness, where is Manann hiding my ruby?”

“A remote island in the Tierra del Fuego,” I said stoically. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either. I knew what lurked in the depths guarding the treasure of all treasures, and without that knowledgeQueen Anne’s Revengewould find her final resting place at the bottom of the ocean. With everything that had happened, it no longer mattered to me if I went down with her. As long as I could escape the prison I found myself in.

“Hmm, leave it to that bastard to hide it amongst the most treacherous waters. But that’s no matter. We will prevail. James, we have our bearing. Get yourself topside, rile the crew and set the wind at our backs. I’ll join you on deck once Katherine’s helped me to relieve a bit of tension.” Edward’s grip tightened around my waist and my skin crawled. I could hear it in his tone, he was feeling reckless, and he’d be taking it out on my body. James’ gaze met mine for only a moment, but I could see the anger flaring in his forget-me-not eyes. We were skirting a very fine line and the longer we walked it, the more blurred the line became. We were at our breaking point, and even as James walked out the door, I knew that this may be one of the last times he left me in Edward’s hands.

Muffled moans and giggles echoed down the passageway. The sound of Teach molesting my girl in the next room had me reeling with anger. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was enjoying herself. My stomach was sick. My knuckles ached as I clenched my fists. It was all I could do to stop myself from breaking down his door and whisking Kat away from here, once and for all. If I were a better man, I would forget my vendetta against Pan and rescue Kat from this hell I’d brought herinto. But no matter how much I loved her, my need for revenge was my first priority. With Pan still out there, she would always be second.

I made my way to the main deck to get some fresh air and clear the sound of their sins from my ears. I couldn’t continue like this. I was going to snap. I had to get my hands on that ruby and take Kat with me to Neverland. It was the only way we would be free to love each other. Together, we could take Neverland for our own. Live out our lives in the paradise that was the island. I allowed myself to fantasize about the future while gazing off into the horizon. The inky sky was peppered with twinkling stars. Somewhere out there, the veil was waiting for my return. A hypnotic dance of moonlight reflected off the rippling surface of the sea. I would never tire of seeing it. It always seemed to soothe my weary soul. But tonight, the waters seemed eerily calm—too calm for my liking. The universe was preparing for something.

“James,” Henry pulled me from my thoughts. “Captain’s calling for you.”

“Aye. Bastard's always been a minute man.” I sighed and Henry chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ll make my way down to his cabin. Have you ever seen the sea so calm? Nary a swell to be seen.”

“It is… unusual. Perhaps a gift from Manann?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of, my friend. The gods are a manipulative kind. Keep your eyes on the water. Report to me if anything seems off.”

I openedthe door to Teach’s cabin only to find him and Katherine still lying in bed. His arm wrapped around her waist in a cuddle. I had to remind myself to breathe. It was all for show. Soon we would be free of his desires. Soon she would be in my bed. In my arms.”

“James, take Katherine to her room. Clean her up, see that she is fed and put to bed,” Teach ordered, pulling back the sheet to allow Katherine out of his embrace.

“Aye, Captain.”

She quietly padded across the room. Her chin held high, confident in her nakedness with a smile hiding in the corners of her sinful mouth. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, begging for me to do something. Anything. A red welt in the shape of a hand had bloomed on her porcelain skin. A reminder of where his hands had been. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to remain silent, painfully flexing my jaw. I took a cleansing breath and followed her silently down the passageway.

“Get dressed,” I demanded. Opening the door to her room, unable to hide my disdain. “I’ll be back with some food.”

“James?” she questioned delicately, sensing my unease.

“Not now, Katherine.” I spoke the words quietly and closed the door behind me. I didn’t enjoy being short with her, but I needed a minute to process what I’d seen. Myanger wasn’t with her, and I wouldn’t subject her to more punishment. It was becoming virtually impossible for me to sit back silently and watch Teach have his way with Katherine. It was time to tell her about Neverland. Tonight, we would plan our escape.

I placedher plate on the desk and promptly locked us in the room. No one would question why her door was locked and Teach would be down for the night. I had finally managed to concoct an elixir that I was mostly confident wouldn’t kill him and slipped it into his bottle of rum. The night cap would do more than simply ease his tensions, leaving us with a window of opportunity.

She had pulled on a gauzy shift and her pert nipples commanded attention. I could take her right here, and no one would be the wiser. I wanted to mark her, to claim her. Show the world she was mine. But to have her all to myself I needed to get her away from Teach. I pulled up the chair sitting across from her and shifted my gaze out the porthole. I needed to stay focused. I took another cleansing breath before looking back at her beautiful face. “I’m sorry I was short with you. Seeing you with him…” I trailed off, shaking my head. I didn’t need to give her excuses for my actions. I was here to convince her to leave.

“I'm sorry you have to bear witness to his desire. Seeing you like this breaks my heart.” Katherine reached across the desk and grabbed my hand. “My body may be with him, butmy heart belongs to you.” I pulled her hand to my lips and placed a kiss upon her knuckles. Allowing her words to soothe my anger. “What was it you wanted to discuss?” she asked. Her brows drawing together in concern.

“In all my years, I haven’t told a soul about my past. It’s time I shared my story with you.”

“I’ve seen things in my visions. I know your past is clouded in darkness, but it’s also full of beautiful, otherworldly places.”

“The place you have seen is called Neverland. Have you heard of it?” I asked, knowing the answer would be no.

“Neverland?” she pondered. “No, I don’t think I have.”

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