“John?” I asked, dropping the compass. I didn’t need to return to Neverland. Everything I wanted was right in front of me. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Asleep,” she said dismissively, tracing the lines around my eyes. “He’s young enough that I’m sure he’ll believe he simply wandered onto the deck and dreamed of the beautiful sea creatures. But you…Did you see anything in the water?”
“A fin is all,” I admitted. Her body visibly relaxed. She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes as if she just escaped a bout with death. So many questions surfaced about the creatures, but I didn’t want to ask them, not when her body trembled in my arms. I didn’t care, not when she was so distraught.
“That was as far as I dare to take you, Captain. Any closer…well, I grow concerned of the lost souls who might notice a ship sailing in the distance. I can’t have anyone else notice you. Not you. Anyone but you.”
“Why?” I demanded, frantic to hear her secret. She tried to look away, but I caught her chin with my finger. I wouldn’t let her look away. I wouldn’t allow her to run from the truth, not anymore. She had to see what was so clearly unbelievable and it had nothing to do with black magic. It had nothing to do with the impossible. It was as simple as accepting that someone in this world cared for her.
“Because you are my captain,” she whispered. My namesake barely left her mouth before I pulled her against me and stole the kiss I had so patiently waited for. She didn’t just kiss with her lips. She used her entire body.
I tightened my grip around her waist. With one kiss, I was already insanely addicted to the taste of her lips; however, it was the softness of her voice that undid me. A soft moan resonated from her throat as she slipped her fingers through my hair.
She broke the kiss, gasping for air. “I have never felt more alive than when I am with you.” The possessive stare in her eyes surely matched my own. When I found something I wanted, I never gave it up. Ever. And right now, I wanted Bell. All of her.
12 MISS BELL
Present Day
I wanted revenge for it all—for everything Peter had taken from me. I would stop at nothing to get it, even if it meant sacrificing one of my greatest traits: my hypnotic voice. I didn’t use it often, but it was just another means to get what I wanted in a pinch. And I knew that someone who could make a man’s ears bleed would be interested in possessing it.
Deep below Savage Point, I waited for the mermaids to bite at my trade. Kaleo, Wrief, and Tethys all stared at me from the dark pools of the cavern. Their eyes shimmered with the flickering of the candles that lit up the rock walls. The longer no one spoke, the more Hope scooted closer to me.
“You think we want something that no fairy has been able to grant us?” Kaleo laughed. Her grisly giggle echoed in the cavern. “What is that?”
“A method to lure sailors into the sea without the need to peel apart their ships in order to get to them.” I waited for her to deny my answer. She didn’t. “A voice to lure sailors willingly into the sea. My voice. Well, the curse that entices men to do my bidding.”
Wreif spoke first. “What do you want in return?” “Safe passage for Hope and me back to the surface, as well as each of your tears.”
Hope gasped. “Bell, I don’t…I can’t…”
“Do you wish to leave, Hope?” I asked her. Hope flinched when I spoke her name as if she would be punished for each time I said it. With her shoulders slumped, she pressed her lips into a fine line like she was not used to being brought into a conversation. She refused to speak, but that she had recoiled was all the answer I needed.
Without warning, Tethys pushed off of the ledge and grabbed Kaleo by the arm. They dipped below the surface. Only Wreif stayed to guard me.
“You’ll never get our pet,” Wreif declared, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Never ever. Tethys enjoys her service far too much.”
“I won’t leave you.” I squeezed Hope’s hand. “You are too kind, Bell,” Hope whispered. I didn’t correct her. Kindness was not my strong suit, but that she saw good in me reminded me of James. I reached for my pocket to retrieve the watch. That’s when I realized the compass was no longer there! I pinched my eyes shut and prayed that it was lost in Davy Jones’ Locker instead of the only other alternative: Peter had swiped it from me when he dove into Savage Point after me.
Regardless, there was literally nothing I could do now. And I didn’t want to do it alone, so I tugged on the pocket watch. It slipped from my grasp. Hope helped me bring it up to my ear so I could hear it.
Tick. Tock.
I closed my eyes, cherishing the sound. I must have drifted from reality because the next thing I knew, Hope was shaking me and all three mermaids were watching me as they treaded water.
Tethys demanded, “Give us your voice that men find so irresistible.”
“No,” I answered flatly. Narrowing her snake-like eyes, Kaleo skimmed her nails along the top of the water. “We cannot give you our pet.”
“Yes, you will,” I chimed as confidently as I possibly could while lying defenseless on the cold stone I’d been thrown upon. “Or you will watch me die with my vocal abilities.”
Kaleo pushed herself in front of the others and stretched her arms across the rock ledge. Resting her head on top of her hands, she splashed her fin behind her in a manner that reminded me of a human strumming their hands. She might look innocent, but it was all an act.
Kaleo rebutted my offer. “The tears and safe passageway, but the girl stays here.” “I’ll take all three tears and Hope,” I countered, refusing to let these demons bully either of us any longer. “I will not sacrifice her.”
Considering my wager, Kaleo snapped her teeth together quickly. The crunch echoed softly in the cavern. I cringed. She may not be able to deafen me like she could a man, but that sound was as unpleasant as it came.
Kaleo asserted, “You have changed, Bell.” That she used my name was a sign of respect I hadn’t expected. “Thank you,” I whispered, uncertain if I had ever said those words to a mermaid before.
Without warning, she pulled me into the water. A scream left my lips as she dragged me deeper and deeper below. I saw nothing in the blackness. The pressure of the water closed in around me. I felt myself edge closer and closer to my brink of death. I began to lose function of my body when Kaleo pressed her lips to mine and breathed air into my lungs.
The sudden breath was like an aphrodisiac. I felt weightless, yet heavy. My eyes fluttered shut and I found myself in that place between dreams and reality. My captain was there. Not in person, but I felt his wild affection for me. It cocooned me. And for one brief moment, I knew happiness once again.
The feeling was torn from me as the place between my greatest dreams and my painful reality became wider. I wanted to stay in that blissful space, but I heard Kaleo’s voice beckon me back to the surface. She held me in her arms as I gathered my bearings. When my eyes fluttered open, I saw the three sea demons looking down at me with curiosity burning in their eyes.
“You love him…The captain,” Kaleo stated, looking at me like she didn’t recognize me. “You mumbled his name constantly.”
I clenched my jaw tight. My words betrayed me and the mermaids would surely use them against me, so I didn’t answer. Instead, I took in my
surroundings. I found myself staring up at a starless sky. The golden beaches shimmered in the night. My heart sank. They’d brought me home.
A smile spread across Kaleo’s face. “You only said safe passageway. You never said to where.” I cursed. “Where is Hope?” Wreif was grinning like she’d won a prize, showing off her pointy teeth. Tethys crossed her arms, upset but pleased that I hadn’t gotten exactly what I wanted, either.
“Do you truly want us to bring her here?” Wreif swam up to me with her mouth underwater. Her bright red eyes fixated on me. “You have changed, but you are still predictable.”
“I will trade a tear for her,” I desperately pleaded. “Take her s
omewhere safe—somewhere she can be happy—as long as it isn’t here and she is free.”
Wreif placed her hands on my face. Her nails cut ever-so-slightly into my cheek. “One tear will heal your body, but you’ll need two to recover your wings.”
“I understand,” I acknowledged impatiently. “Heal me.” A tear slipped from Wreif’s eye and hit the water around me. In a matter of seconds, I could breathe normally again. The swelling in my eye subsided. The skin on my feet and hands stitched back together, leaving no scars. And my back—oh, my back no longer pulled with every movement. I was able to hold myself afloat now. I felt revived in a way that a hundred years of sleep could never make me feel.
Kaleo held a jar that had been carved from a shell. She raised it to her eye and a single tear dripped inside. She offered it to me but didn’t let go.
“We have guaranteed you and the woman safe passage and restored your body, but you must uphold your end of the bargain before you get my tear,” Kaleo said accusatory as if I’d try to double-cross her.
Truth be told, I didn’t trust any of these sea demons not to tear me to pieces after I gave them my alluring voice. “Fine, but we will both hold onto it.”
Kaleo pointed out. “At least you are not completely foolish.” Ignoring her comment, I instructed, “Listen to the words, but more importantly, listen to the rhythm. It will bring any man to you.”
I closed my eyes and took the deepest breath I possibly could. With that gulp of air, I sang. Oh, I sang. I sang the song I used to sing to myself when I wandered the world, searching for something to fill the corruptness of my heart. I hummed the melody that I sang when I used to carry dying souls to Neverland. My heart ached as I let the world hear the song I’ve kept from it for years.
When I finished, I opened my eyes. Kaleo was the only one left above the surface of the water. She released the jar. I lifted it above my head to pour it onto my back.
“I wouldn’t do that just yet, Bell. You might want to save it,” Kaleo chimed, flashing her pointy teeth. Her voice sounded similar to what it had before, but I knew her tone would resonate differently to men. She flicked the tip of her tail and beamed like she was enjoying my confusion.
I cocked my head to the side. “Why?” “Remember the day I lost my ability to walk?” she mused like it was not a day to be sorrowful, but rather to be celebrated. Even so, she couldn’t hide the sadness from filling her eyes, not from me. “I was condemned to the sea by a man who I thought loved me?”
“Yes,” I answered, knowing that mermaids weren’t banished to the sea because they refused to take an ugly man as a mate. She nodded at a figure on the beach behind me. “I hope the man you love doesn’t betray you in the end, too.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?” “Come now, Bell. I’m not completely wicked. I do understand what it is like to be in love. So when I saw Captain James Jones—what is left of him anyway—sink below the surface, I thought you might be interested in a trade. You don’t think I would have brought you back to Neverland for no reason, do you?”
13 CAPTAIN JAMES
Earlier that year
Bell had her reasons for taking me to Neverland. She wanted me to choose between all of the things any pirate would want and her. Without hesitation, I chose her. And I would do it all over again if I had to because in the months following our short trip to Neverland, Bell never looked as peaceful as she did when she slept in my quarters next to me.
As I stroked her hair, I wondered what she dreamed of when sleep took her. I could hold her in my arms forever, but I couldn’t waste away one day housed-up next to her, not if I wanted to be captain.
So with Bell’s kiss still fresh on my lips, I slipped out of my quarters. I hoped someday I could live out her fantasies. I hoped to give her the greatest adventure of her life. I hoped that I would be worth every nightmare she faced, and I hoped to be by her side when she conquered them.
Michael coughed, like he’d been standing beside me for quite some time. “Cap, there is something…something I have to discuss…with you,” Michael babbled, looking a little too long at the vixen in my bed with concern.
I closed the door. Bell was as attractive as any fallen angel and was worth a second glance, but for my eyes only.
Michael joined me as I walked down the stairs to the deck. Most of my crew was just beginning to rise. Most of them. I enjoyed this time in the early morning, before everyone woke and brought their concerns to me. However, Michael’s eyes were bloodshot.
With my hands behind my back, I asked, “When was the last time you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep?” “It’s been quite some time. I haven’t been myself,” he admitted nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “You still look ridiculous in that hat.”
I grinned. No one could convince me the hat looked absurd, not when I imagined Bell wearing it and little else. I stopped and leaned against the railing, keeping a watchful eye on my quarters’ door.
“What’s on your mind, mate?” “It’s John,” Michael revealed and nodded to his brother who was staring off at the horizon. “He’s making claims of beautiful creatures that live in the sea.”
“Mermaids?” I raised an eyebrow.
Michael continued, “I know you think I’m superstitious, but his nightly ranting—” “Ranting?” I questioned, noting that he was still rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn’t merely nervous. He was afraid.
“Every blasted night,” Michael confessed. “We’re all restless and…I fear the delusional talk is spreading. It’s not simply finned women anymore. It is talk of flying, slowing time, immortality and…”
“And what?” I demanded.
“He says he’s dreamed of Bell taking him to a place where the beaches are made of gold.” I knew it wasn’t delusions, but I couldn’t very well command a ship if an uprising was brewing. Wicked thoughts ran through my mind.
My fingers twitched.
Michael slammed his hand down on top of mine, grabbing the hilt of my sword. My grip tightened. His did, too.
“I know what you are thinking, James,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t do it. Don’t come between me and my brother. We’ve been through hell and back, James…but he is my blood.”
I clenched my teeth. “What would you have me do?” “I’m telling you this because you are my captain, but I am asking as a friend, give me some time,” he pleaded. “I’m certain I can convince John that all these foolish things he dreams of every night are simply in his mind.”
My instincts were telling me to end this now while the problem was still manageable enough. Instead, I relaxed my hand.
“Thank you, James.” I nodded and looked over at his brother. He was only a few years younger than us, not yet a man. But I knew torment when I saw it and his face was riddled with it. Dark lines were etched under his eyes, and when he caught me staring at him, he sighed.
I recalled the terror in Bell’s eyes as she demanded to know what I had seen that night she’d taken us to Neverland. The questions I had about the sea creatures weren’t important at the time, but now they demanded my attention.
“Perhaps Miss Bell can ease his mind,” I thought out loud. “I doubt that,” Michael retorted under his breath and then nodded down ship. John was heading our way. He marched toward us like he was on a mission.
I raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?” “John claims she is a creature of evil who manipulates everyone she can,” Michael uttered. “I doubt he’d let her get anywhere near him.”
“He is off-balanced,” I replied, knowing that I had to talk to Bell about him as soon as humanly possible. “Any other concerns I need to know about?”
Sighing, Michael shook his head. “Just in need of a drink and a night away from the sea. I think everything is getting to us.”
“Agreed. We’ll port soon,” I said and nodded at his brother. “I believe John would like a word.”
“Take it easy on him, please. For me?” Michael asked. “He just needs time to clea
r his head.” Nodding, we made our way to his brother when I heard Wendy’s laugh. She stood in the middle of the deck, waving toward the sky. For once, her eyes didn’t drift to me. They went upward to the crow’s nest. Thank the stars. There was a young lad, no later than fifteen years of age, give or take a few; however, he was disciplined, more than I could say for some of the men on my ship. His blond hair casted over his eyes, but his watch on the horizon never faltered.
“Who’s that?” I asked, nodding to the blond boy above as we continued our walk. “What happened to Calicos?”
“Calicos and I had an honest chat about his responsibilities on board the Jolly Roger. He feels more useful helping on the deck than in the crow’s nest. And that fellow,” he pointed up at the blond lad. “We picked him up at our last raid a few weeks ago.” Michael groaned, “My sister seems quite smitten.”
“He’s skinny and pale,” I noted. “True, and I thought he was going to wet himself when Robben told him that we were a band of pirates,” Michael snickered.
“He wouldn’t be the first to piss himself seeing Robben for the first time, would he, mate?” I chuckled, remembering how Michael’s jaw dropped when I first brought that beast onboard.
Groaning, Michael shrugged his shoulders. “Robben said he found him in a pig’s pen at the village. I suppose this life was better than the one he had before.”
“Not every man can be a farmer,” I commented and glanced back at the boy. “Why haven’t I been properly introduced to him yet? Are there more crewmen aboard that I have not been made aware of?”
“That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, James,” Michael continued and then choked on his words like he couldn’t get them out. He cleared his throat. Twice.
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