The Neverland Trilogy Box Set

by Isadora Brown

  James nodded himself and was the first to look away. “Do I have to tell you what happens if I find out you break her heart?” he asked, his tone conversational though his words were not.

  “Will they find me?” Nick asked dryly.

  “No one will find you,” James assured him. “I won’t even be able to find you, I’ll crush your bones to dust and your soul will implode because you wouldn’t want to live on, not even in Neverland.”

  “Ah.”

  “To be honest,” a tired voice murmured from the bed, “I believe Magda can take care of herself.”

  “Remy.”

  The word was out of James’s mouth before he could stop it. Funny thing, he did not want to. He did not care if he looked like a fool, he did not care if he just revealed his feelings for Remy. The fact that she was alive meant more to him than anything else. It meant more to him than extracting revenge on Peter Pan.

  When her eyes met his, he melted. She appeared pale and tired, an unseemly color that affected the shine of her hair and the sparkle of her eyes. Somehow, though, she still managed to look beautiful. At least, to him. And he was all that mattered.

  “James,” she murmured. He could tell it was a struggle for her to get the words out. A struggle for her to speak. He wanted to tell her to rest, but she had done enough resting. He wanted her to look at him, touch him, do little things that assured him she was alive. “You’re here.”

  “Of course,” he said, nearly offended at the thought she would assume he was anywhere else but at her side. His hand took hold of hers. He was so concerned about her, he almost forgot that he had no left hand and went to claim her hand in both of his. But he stopped at the last minute, held back his left hand and only took hold of her with one hand. It did not matter; he needed to touch her, to feel her pulse beat rapidly against her skin. To get a confirmation that she was still alive.

  “Of course,” he said again. “She missed me. With her shot. Bitch couldn’t aim to save her life.” He paused. “There is nowhere I’d rather be.”

  Remy swallowed. Her throat was probably dry. Without meaning to, he glanced at Magdalena. He did not have to say a word; she already knew what he asked and nodded, telling him that she would fetch some water for Remy with a simple gesture. Nick watched her go but did not question it. James appreciated that.

  “Where is The Magistrate?” she asked, her voice strained.

  “Dead.” The word came out of James’s mouth hollow and uncaring. He did not particularly care how it sounded, how cold and heartless it made him; that bitch got what she deserved.

  To be honest, he had wanted to do that for a long while, he just never had a justifiable reason to do it. Also, there was a good chance The Creator would punish him for it. Now, however, he did not care. If punishment was required for his crime, he would serve his penance with a smile on his face. Her death was worth it. Remy was okay. It all worked out.

  “And what of you?” Remy asked, throwing her eyes to Nick just as Magda returned with a glass of water. “What’s next for you, then?”

  Nick glanced at Magda before responding, a gesture James both respected and deplored. He did not like that Magda would not be with James any longer. But if Nick made her happy, he would not get between them.

  “Yes, Nick,” The Creator said, coming from seemingly nowhere. “What would you like to do? The choice is yours.”

  Nick locked eyes with The Creator. His hand found Magda’s and her interlocked his fingers through hers. “I go where she goes,” he said.

  The Creator smiled at the couple and nodded. “I thought you might say that,” she said. “My dear Magdalena, would you like to go to earth?”

  Magda fluttered her eyes, like she was not sure what to make of the offer. James pressed his lips together to hide a smile. He had never seen her look unsure about anything in the entire time he knew her and he was taken aback by how amused he was by this new side to her.

  “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’ve never been.”

  “As a fairy,” The Creator said, “you were born here. There is only one exception to that in the entirety of The Neverland.” Remy shot James a look and he acknowledged it with a nod of his head. “Should I send you to earth, you, too, will retain a heartbeat due to the fact that you were born here. When you die, your soul will return here, just like it would had you been born on earth.”

  “Ah.” Magda’s eyes found her hand, still holding Nick’s.

  “If this is too much for you,” Nick said in a low voice, but James picked up his words with ease. “I’d be happy to stay. I do not want you to live out your days somewhere you don’t want to be just for me.”

  Magda shook her head. “No,” she said. “I want to go. I’ve only ever heard of earth in passing. If I can experience it, with you…” She let her voice trail off. “I’d like the opportunity. If that’s what you want.”

  His grin turned wolfish. “It is,” he assured her.

  James had to clench his stomach to keep from retching up the contents. This was too sweet for his comfort.

  “So it shall be,” The Creator said. “Go to the docks after you dress. There are people there who wish to say goodbye. There is no coming back, you two, until, of course, you pass here naturally to your final resting place.”

  “I’d like to say goodbye before you go,” James said. His heart was on fire the instant he realized this was actually happening, Magda would be gone from him for a very long time. She was the only person he trusted – save for Remy – and losing her would be like losing a piece of him not even Remy could replace.

  “As would I,” Remy said, giving Nick a warm smile.

  The goodbyes were quick but warm. Hugs were given, lingered, and all tried to memorize this moment, commit it to a place in their minds they could pull from should they ever need it.

  “Nick,” Remy said. “Is there a way to watch over my parents, much like you watched over me while I was on earth?”

  James quirked a brow upon hearing that Nick spied on Remy while she was on earth, but he made no comment on it. Magda hadn’t either. Instead, as Remy and Nick conversed, Magda pulled him into an unexpected hug.

  “I find myself rebelling against the notion of losing you,” James said honestly.

  Magda’s lips curled up. “You aren’t losing me, James,” she told him. “You could never lose me. If you need me at all, I am here for you, no matter what. Do you understand me?”

  His smile turned genuine. He cupped Magda’s cheek, his eyes filling with pride as he looked down at her. “Do you know why I took you from your mother?” he asked. “In our entire time together, have I told you what made me agree to take you in exchange for protection?”

  “To be honest, I did not know there was such thing as protection,” she replied honestly. “I thought the possibility of losing one’s wings was part of being fairy.”

  “When you’re ruler of a realm, you have some power,” he said.

  “Power, I take it, you’re going to give up?” She shot a look at Remy, still speaking with Nick, but it was not unkind.

  “Power means nothing if I’m confined to laws like everyone else,” James told her. He had been thinking about this a lot, actually, and it had become clear to him what he wanted the minute The Magistrate had attempted to murder Remy right in front of him. “Someone released The Magistrate from her cell. I cannot say who that was but I’m almost positive it was Pan. I’m sure she promised him something in return because Pan doesn’t do things out of the kindness of his heart. But after The Magistrate, he’s the one responsible for Remy’s injury. I cannot – will not – let that go. And the only way I can get revenge is by giving up claim on my realm and on uniting the three realms.”

  “And you’re okay with this?” Magda asked, raising a skeptical brow.

  “Revenge is sweeter than power,” James said, and before Magda could question him, he asked, “And you? Where are you and Nick off to?”

  Magda felt the tips of
her cheeks turn pink.

  “I’m happy for you,” James said, giving her a smile. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you. You always have a place with me. And if Nick hurts you in any way, I will kill him.”

  And he meant it.

  “We’re going to earth,” she said, a slow, excited smile crawling onto her face.

  James pulled her into a hug, surprising them both. “You be careful up there,” he said.

  “I will.”

  The Creator looked between the two couples. “Are you ready?” she asked, looking at Nick and Magda.

  James and Remy interlocked fingers. “Are you sure you want to stay here?” he whispered to her. “You can still leave, return to life on earth.”

  Remy turned to look at him. “I don’t want life on earth,” she told him. “I want life in Neverland, with you, for always.”

  And James could swear, in that moment, he felt his heart – which had been quiet for centuries – start to beat.

  The End

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