The water underneath her churned unhappily, white-capped waves colliding with each other as they barreled against the Sudden Night, which took their hits like a weary solider. Wendy looked back at Hook, and he gave her a sad smile, the one that she had grown so familiar with. She stepped forward to the edge. Owl motioned from above, and Hook cleared his throat.
“Wendy Darling, according to the pirate code, you are hereby sentenced to die. Take your step willingly or I shall assist you.”
Wendy looked down at the water, and for the first time noticed a dark shape swirling up from below, monstrously huge. It was followed by another. Everything after that happened so quickly. Hook peered over the side of the plank and straightened up, his face white. The first crocodile emerged from the water with an open mouth, bearing its razor-sharp, yellow teeth, set back in black gums that were rotted with age. It snapped its teeth at Wendy as it stared upwards at its intended meal. A smaller crocodile circled around the first, noticeably faster. With a roar, it used its tail to propel itself vertically out of the water a few feet before splashing back down. Hook shook his head violently.
“They usually aren’t in these waters. We can’t do this. Change the plan!”
Suddenly, Owl was screaming. “It’s not Peter! It’s not Peter! Stop!”
Hook lunged for Wendy, and that’s when they heard Owl’s words turn into a terrible, high-pitched scream from above them. The echo of a gunshot bounced off the clouds.
Owl flew down from the crow’s nest and landed hard on the deck, his head bouncing to the side with a loud crack. Blood exploded out of his chest wound, and splashed the feet of his crew, which looked on in shock, unable to explain what had just happened. His head was turned the wrong way, and his cloudy eyes were opened to the same blackness he had known all his life. Wendy covered her mouth as a scream escaped from her lips, stepping backwards involuntarily, and feeling the air where the board should have been. Her legs tangled in her dress as she tried to catch her footing, but she pitched backwards, just as Hook threw out his hands to grab her. The last thing she saw was his outstretched hand, reaching for hers, their fingertips inches from each other, but it might as well have been miles. She disappeared off the end of the plank, flailing in the air, her blue dress floating all around her.
She saw the levels of the Sudden Night pass before her, remembering briefly that she had once been pulled from the seas onto its black deck, and here, now, she would leave the same way. The dress was everywhere, fluttering around her like a cloud of blue sky, and Wendy barely had time to consider the gruesome death that awaited her. Would they rip her to shreds? Drown her first? Would she feel their teeth as they descended on her, or would it all be over in a frothy foam of blood? Her body twisted, and she saw them below her, a mass of green and teeth, and she smelled their breath, rotten and hot.
Oh, mama, she thought.
He hit her hard, moving fast, and the impact was so jarring that she thought she had died. She gasped for breath, unable to see, unable to breathe. She kept her eyes closed, waiting for the pain of the teeth and the ripping to begin. Instead, she felt the wind on her face, and willed herself to open her eyes. She was soaring up, up, up, up and away from the Sudden Night, flying, wrapped securely in strong arms. She saw Hook on the plank, watching them rise away from him, his face a mask of surprise and relief. She was moving faster now, soaring upwards. She started to rouse herself from the shock of what had just happened and let her clenched fists lie flat on the back of her savior.
“You saved me!” she sobbed.
There was only silence. She pulled back a moment to look at his face before her lips quivered and she felt hot tears drip from her eyes as she clutched the shirt underneath her hands.
She knew this back, these shoulders, the curls of brown that brushed her face. She wrapped her arms hard around him, enveloping all of him, deliriously happy.
“John! John!”
She began sobbing into his shoulder as he carried her upwards, up through the mist, up through the clouds, until they emerged into a sky of lavender and pale blues, with fingers of pink clouds that stretched far over the horizon.
“John, you saved me!” She hugged him tightly.
“Do you think,” he whispered quietly, “that I would actually let you die?”
Her brother then fell silent. She kissed his cheek.
“Oh, John, what is it?”
Finally he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Wendy pulled her head back and looked at him as they turned towards Pan Island. He looked older, much older in fact than the last time she had seen him. His face was drawn and narrow. He had grown a few inches, and his skin glistened with a healthy glow. While his body was strong and lean, his face was heavy. Dark shadows the colors of a ripe plum marked the bottom of his brown eyes, which were hollowed and weary, and his lips were cracked at the corners.
“John?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve done something terrible.”
She took his face in her hands, her brother, and poured out the words that she had wanted to say to him every night since she had left him behind on Pan Island, the words that she should have always known he needed to hear in his insecurities.
“I know that we’ve had our differences since we have arrived here. All our lives, in fact, but nothing can change the fact that you are my brother. We are a family, even if you don’t believe it. I will always be on your side. I believe in your goodness, and I love you.”
A sob escaped John’s throat as they neared the great tree. “Stop it! Stop talking, Wendy! You don’t know anything about me! About my life here! You don’t understand anything, and you never will! Just like our mother, so pushy, assuming you know everything.”
He remembered. Wendy stayed silent. John had pulled the veil, or more likely something had caused him to remember their life before Neverland. This was a good thing, and she felt hope flood through her body. John’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Is Michael safe? Just tell me that.”
Wendy nodded. “He is in a safe place, far from where harm would find him.”
“I don’t want to know any more.”
“John, let’s not go back right away. Can’t you take me somewhere, somewhere where we can talk?”
John shook his head, his eyes blinking slowly. “Peter is waiting.”
Wendy swallowed the arguments that rose up in her throat and let herself just be happy, for a moment, that a part of her family was here, in her arms, his heart beating against her own, the same blood running through their veins, the same memories in their minds. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“I missed you, you little prat.”
She felt him tremble. “I’m sorry, Wendy.”
They landed hard on the deck of the teepee. John set her down gently, his eyes meeting hers for a quiet moment. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “Forgive me.”
“John?”
He leapt into the air and flew away from her, disappearing into the thick leaves that hung down over Centermost. Wendy turned around to face the Teepee, her heart thudding in her chest. Every single Lost Boy stood before her, their faces hard, their eyes betrayed. Wendy swallowed nervously.
“Welcome back!”
The Lost Boys parted, making way for their leader. Peter Pan walked forward from the back, dazzling even from a distance, a gold crown upon his head, wearing a new outfit stitched of dark-green leather dotted with maroon leaves. In one hand, he twirled a sword. Wendy let her emotions overwhelm her and let her face fall into distress.
“Oh, Peter!” She threw herself on the ground, bowing before his feet, putting on the show she knew that he would want with this captive audience. Let the games begin.
“I was wrong!” she sobbed. “I was … afraid and so I tried to escape, but then Hook caught me and …” She let out a cry. “The things that I saw, the things that he did! He made me go to the mermaids! He threatened to kill Michael, if I didn’t.” She saw Owl�
��s head cracking on the deck, and real tears dripped off her nose, and real sobs erupted from her throat.
“I tried so hard to come back to you! I just …”
Peter’s bare feet stood before her, and Wendy reached out with a trembling hand, laying her palm across his shin. The touch of his skin made the hair on her arms stand up. At least faking her feelings for him wouldn’t come without some pleasure. There was that. She dropped her voice to a whisper.
“I just want to be with you. That’s all. I will be your queen, if that’s what you want. I hope that my foolish behavior hasn’t lost all my chances of becoming a girl you could love.”
She paused, hoping that she was believable.
“And I just want you to be safe.” Peter’s eyebrows raised. “I’m glad to see that you have finally come to your senses.” He reached down and helped her to her feet, his arm clasped firmly around her waist.
Hook’s words rang through her mind as her emotions ran from disgust to desire and back again.
“Make him believe that you want him so desperately that he lets his guard down. Then love him so intensely that he won’t notice us spinning a web around him.”
Without pausing, she kissed him hard, in front of all the Lost Boys, in front of the world, exactly what she knew he would want. Wendy wanted it to be believable, and so she let herself fall into his mouth, her lips tasting his, like berries, his breath warm as his lips tracing the corners of her mouth. She reached out and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his and feeling him respond in kind, clutching her with both hands, gently at first, and then desperate and hungry. She remembered how it felt to be desired by Peter, how his want for her lit up her soul from the inside, turning her into a pulsing beacon of desire. Heat spread out from his mouth and down her neck, and she felt as though she may burn alive. She pulled her head back with a gasp and looked deep into his eyes. She was taken aback as she remembered just how beautiful they were, a sharp emerald green, bright like sparks of flame. They searched her face, looking for a betrayal, but instead, she saw that he too felt the desire, the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. He ran his fingers through her curls before yanking them roughly.
“Say it. Say you will be mine forever.”
Wendy, feeling bold, reached out and bit his lip softly before whispering. “Forever. In every way imaginable.”
Peter, unable to control his delight, burst into hysterical laughter before kissing her again.
The boys burst into wild applause. Peter turned her outward to face them. Tink scowled at Wendy from the corner of the room.
“Our mother and queen has returned to us! Let us treat her with every kindness. Tonight, we will celebrate what we have gained, and what Hook has lost! We will lift our glasses to our Wendy Bird, who flew away only to return to us, just in time to see the beginning of our great war!”
The Lost Boys erupted with feral cheers, and Wendy saw now what she had not noticed before in the waning light: weapons. Weapons everywhere. Guns, knives, axes, swords, and even cannons were scattered haphazardly.
She swallowed. The clock was ticking.
Ticktock.
Peter turned to Wendy. “Before we begin our celebration, I have one more thing for you. A gift to you from your king. Stay true to your words and it will remain…untarnished.”
Wendy blushed. “I would be happy to accept whatever gift you have for me, and many more.”
Peter looked Wendy straight in the eye. “Say that you love me.”
Wendy stepped forward, hoping that her shy voice would convince him of the truth.
“My feelings for you have only grown in our absence. Being with Hook made me realize that I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” And then, a truth.
“You are the fire that burns me alive.”
Peter’s eyebrows raised, and a devilish grin crossed his face.
“I’m glad to hear it. Boys, bring Wendy her gift.”
They shoved him forward with a bag over his head, and he fell to his knees at her feet.
“Take it off!” Peter ordered, his eyes narrowed with malice.
With a shaking hand, Wendy reached out and pulled the black burlap off his head.
A cry escaped her lips. His face was bruised, and a thick line of dried blood had crusted on his forehead. Still, the bright-blue eyes that she knew so well peered up at her, and Wendy feared that her actual heart might burst from her chest and splatter at his feet.
Booth raised his head.
“Wendy?”
Checkmate.
Please look for the finale in the series,
Wendy Darling, Volume Three:
SHADOW
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was a beast.
A water-logged, free-sailing, nautical beast that pushed me maniacally through a world of ships, pirates, and ancient mermaid lore. Luckily, I have a great ensemble of people to help me untangle these sailor knots, all to whom I owe my thanks: My agent Jen Unter who listens and works and builds bridges for me to cross. PR visionary Crystal Patriarche and her incredible team at Sparkpress: Megan and Taylor, Kristin and Wayne. To my writing partner Mason Torall—The Sudden Night is better because of you. To beta readers Patty Jones, Amanda Sanders, Erin Burt, and Jenn Lehman, who were brilliant in their critiques and kind with their praise. To my story editor Erin Armknecht, who never fails to find the unintentionally hilarious lines in the manuscript and has seemingly vast reserves of support. For my own mermaid clan of fierce women: Elizabeth Wagner, Cassandra Splittgerber, Katie Hall, Kim Stein, Sarah Glover, Emily Kiebel, Karen Groves, Nicole London, and Erin Chan. Finally, to my family, who believe endlessly in my work and still act excited at book signings: Cynthia McCulley, Tricia McCulley, Ron and Denise McCulley, Butch and Lynette Oakes.
And to Ryan Oakes, who is the rock my waves crash around, and to Maine, who is every horizon.
About the Author
© Erin Bur
Colleen Oakes is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Elly in Bloom Series, The Queen of Hearts Saga (Harper Collins 2016), and The Wendy Darling Saga. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not writing or plotting new books, Oakes can be found swimming, traveling or totally immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is currently at work on another fantasy series and a stand-alone YA novel.
SELECTED TITLES FROM SPARKPRESS
SparkPress is an independent boutique publisher delivering high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives, with a special focus on female-driven work. Visit us at www.gosparkpress.com
Wendy Darling, by Colleen Oakes $17, 978-1-94071-6-96-4
From the cobblestone streets of London to the fantastical world of Neverland, readers will love watching Wendy’s journey as she grows from a girl into a woman, struggling with her love for two men, and realizes that Neverland, like her heart, is a wild place, teaming with dark secrets and dangerous obsessions.
Running for Water and Sky, by Sandra Kring $17, 978-1-940716-93-0
Seventeen-year-old Bless Adler has only known betrayal—but then she falls in love with Liam. After a visit to a local psychic and a glimpse of Liam lying in a pool of blood, Bless now has 14 blocks to reach Liam and either beg him to fight for his life, or say good-bye to the first person who made her want to fight for her own.
Blonde Eskimo, by Kristen Hunt $17, 978-1-940716-62-6
In Spirit, Alaska on the night of her seventeenth birthday, the Eskimos rite of passage, Neiva is thrown into another world full of mystical creatures, old traditions, and a masked stranger. When Eskimo traditions and legends become real as two worlds merge together, she must fight a force so ancient and evil it could destroy not only Spirit, but the rest of humanity.
Within Reach, by Jessica Stevens $17, 978-1-940716-69-5
Seventeen-year-old Xander Hemlock has found himself trapped in a realm of d
arkness with thirty days to convince his soul mate, Lila, he’s not actually dead. With her anorexic tendencies stronger than ever, Lila must decide which is the lesser of two evils: letting go, or holding on to the unreasonable, yet overpowering, feeling that Xan is trying to tell her something.
The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman, by Brady Stefani $17, 978-1-940716-34-3
Fifteen-year-old Courtney Hoffman is determined not to go insane like her grandfather did—right before he tried to drown her when she was seven. But now she’s being visited by aliens who claim to have shared an alliance with her now-dead grandfather. Now Courtney must put her fears aside, embrace her true identity, and risk everything in order to save herself—and the world.
ABOUT SPARKPRESS
SparkPress is an independent, hybrid imprint focused on merging the best of the traditional publishing model with new and innovative strategies. We deliver high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives. We are proud to bring to market a list of New York Times best-selling, award-winning, and debut authors who represent a wide array of genres, as well as our established, industry-wide reputation for creative, results-driven success in working with authors. SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint, is a division of SparkPoint Studio LLC.
Learn more at GoSparkPress.com
Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas Page 26