“It’s okay,” Aniya murmurs. “That doesn’t make me scared of you.”
I pause. “It doesn’t?”
She shakes her head. “It’s not your fault the blood chokes your throat.”
“Cake!” Bear shouts when he appears from nowhere, a wide grin on his face, but the moment he sees the cake in my hands, he tenses, his eyes flicking up to mine in question.
Grimacing, I quickly set it down on a nearby stump, wiping my hands on my dress.
“Not cake,” Bear pouts, but before he can turn towards Aniya and beg for another cake, he tenses, his eyes on the trees where Aniya’s creatures hover.
Following his gaze, I’m surprised to see a single Lost moving along there, his eyes trained on Aniya. Small horns curl from a mop of curls on top of his head, and though he’s little more than beast, once upon a time, he would have been a pretty man.
Bear pulls a large blade from his hip and takes a step toward the tree, but Aniya’s hand on his forearm stops him. I never even heard her move from her place at the table.
“He came because of me,” Aniya murmurs. “He won’t hurt anyone.”
Bear frowns. “Are you certain?”
She nods, tilting her head. “He’s just hungry.” Her eyes dance over to the gruesome cake I made. “Can I have that?”
I nod my head, but I don’t expect Aniya to pick it up and start heading toward the trees.
“Aniya. . .” Bear stays close, his blade at the ready, making sure to protect her.
“He won’t hurt me.”
I follow closely, just in case Bear needs help. He’s strong, but he’s not as strong as I am. I have no doubt he can take down a single Lost, but if there ends up being more than one, I won’t risk Aniya’s safety. Watching the little girl has become something all our people do, keeping their eyes on her at all times. She’s charmed every single person, even the pirates who claim they’re too gruff for children.
The closer we get to the Lost, the younger I realize he is. He’s probably closer to twenty, perhaps, one of the last children Peter brought to Neverland, his horns just barely beginning to curl.
“Do you call any older ones?” I ask Aniya, wondering how many have come around.
“I can hear them, but they don’t ever come.” Her eyes flick up to me. “I don’t call them on purpose.”
That, at least, I know. Aniya’s power is both something that can be focused and something that bleeds from her very existence. Simply by breathing, creatures come looking for her, the aura that surrounds her too tempting to resist. When she uses her power purposely, the creatures come much faster and they’re bigger.
We stop at the edge of the trees. Both Bear and I keep our eyes on the Lost standing there, his chest rising and falling with agitated breath. I wonder what it feels like to be controlled by the Crocodile only for a little girl to do the same.
“You brought me cake,” he rasps in a voice thick with disuse.
“I’m Aniya. What’s your name?”
The creature blinks at her as she sets the cake on the ground before him and steps back, far enough away she never has to cause worry, but I realize a second later it was for his benefit rather than ours or her own. The Lost is skittish, nervous, probably expecting Bear to use the blade he still holds on him.
“I am Lost.”
“No,” Aniya corrects. “That’s what you are, not who you are.”
Eyes that had been studying Bear’s sword jerk back to the little girl smiling gently up at him. Carefully, he steps forward and touches the cake, grabbing a handful and tasting it. I try not to think how I made the cake, instead focusing on the profoundness of this moment.
“Christopher,” the Lost admits after long moments, and I wonder if it was hesitation or because he forgot the name he went by until someone asked. “My name was Christopher.”
“Do you want to be my friend, Christopher?” Aniya smiles as he continues eating the cake, but with her question, he pauses.
“Friend?”
Aniya steps forward and both Bear and I tense. My heart beats in my throat as the child reaches out and takes the clawed hand of the Lost, but true to her word, he doesn’t hurt her. He lets Aniya tug him forward, into the center of a camp he should fear. We follow along as she leads him to the tea table, urging him to take a seat on one of the stumps.
“Friends have tea parties,” she explains to the thoroughly confused Lost. “Just imagine what it is you’d like to eat really well, and it’ll appear.”
Seconds later, some sort of bloody meat appears on the plate in front of him, but just like she didn’t flinch away from my cake, she doesn’t blink at the sight. Instead, she sips her tea and watches the starved Lost devour everything on his plate.
“I think we’re going to be great friends, Christopher,” she says, and when her eyes meet mine again, she smiles.
“I’m going to die of anxiety,” Bear grumbles. “She’s going to send me into an early grave from stress.”
“It’s a nice change, isn’t it?” I ask, thinking about the fact that Aniya can now speak to some of the Lost, that she can hear them all, that she’s having a tea party with one. A weapon, indeed. An advantage we haven’t planned for.
“Worrying about dangerous creatures?” Bear wrinkles his brow. “I’d argue that’s normal.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Having a child around, someone pure enough to see a beast and call it friend, to ask for its name and invite it to tea.” I wipe my hands on my dress again, a nervous tick. “I wonder if that’s how she sees us all.”
Bear stares at me for long seconds before sliding his blade away, deciding Christopher is no threat, not when Aniya speaks to him. “You’re not a monster, Your Majesty.”
I glance at him, my wings shuffling at my back. “We all have the capacity to be monstrous, general. Even you. Even the red head with a smile that lights up the world. It’s a choice.”
Bear nods. “It’s a choice, certainly. I choose to be less beastly every day.” His eyes flick between me and the little girl currently pouring tea for a Lost Boy. “Which did you choose?”
I watch Aniya for a moment longer before turning away, but before I leave Bear there to watch Aniya, before I go in search of Tiger in the trees where she gathers wood for the fires, I answer his question, because he’d been brave enough to ask.
“There was no choice for me,” I whisper. “There’s no choice for Daughters.”
“There is now,” he says, returning his attention to Aniya. “And you’ve chosen to be more than the blood-thirsty Queen. I’ve seen the way you look at Aniya, the way you look at the Berserker.” He smiles and glances at me one more time. “Perhaps, you don’t recognize happy thoughts anymore, Tink, but you’re not immune. Just be careful with them.”
Because happy thoughts are the most dangerous things in Neverland.
Because the Wicked Queen shouldn’t be feeling them, not when she’s the danger.
“I’ll go fetch Tiger,” I murmur, leaving them behind. The man sees too much, another miracle in Neverland, and I can’t be around someone that exudes such life, not right now.
You’ve chosen to be more than the blood-thirsty Queen. . .
But have I? Have I chosen to be anything at all?
Or am I still the monster I’ve always thought I am?
Chapter Thirteen
With morning comes a surprise, though I don’t know if it’s pleasant or not. I know those from Wonderland get extremely excited when the hoots and whistles rise into the air, when the guards let the entire Coven know that someone is approaching. There’s no warning over an attack, or announcement of the Crocodile, however. Instead, the call is one we use for allies.
As abruptly as the call goes up, Atlas’ voice rises with the others to heed off preparing for an attack.
My eyes find him on the wall, and though we haven’t spoken since our moment in the clearing, not since I ran from everything he made me feel, I can’t help but watch the way he
leaps from the top of the wall. His muscles barely strain, bunching up as he slides down the ladder and rushes towards the entrance with the rest of the Wonderlandians. Tiger, Wendy, and Hook follow, their heads tilted curiously, but it’s Aniya who catches my attention.
She’d been sitting at her tea table, though she’s not drinking tea. Someone gave her a set of wooden creatures and the table is the best place to play with them. I know some of the carvings are from Atlas’ attempts, but the majority are from Bear. I’d seen both carving in their spare time.
At the announcement, Aniya looks up and closes her eyes, tilting her head as if listening, and when she opens her eyes again, they glow. No one else is looking at her. Tiger is worried about whatever threat or non-threat is coming in. Bear stands close to Aniya but he’s looking towards the entrance. The child looks at me, sensing my gaze, and when I see the stars shining in the glowing orbs, I blink just in case it’s a trick. They don’t dissipate until she smiles.
“I can hear them,” she offers as an explanation.
I tilt my head. “Who?”
“The new creatures. The ones walking inside.” She giggles. “They’re thinking about each other.”
Frowning, I move passed Aniya and join the others, curious as to what sort of creatures Aniya can hear and the Wonderland inhabitants are excited for, but when the people walk through the entrance and I get a glimpse, I pause.
There’s two of them, a male and a female, both on opposite sides of the spectrum. The male is covered in ink, far more than the lines slowly covering my body like a disease, and he looks brutal, dangerous. Dressed in a pink leather jacket, he should look ridiculous, but instead, it somehow makes him look endearing. The tattoos cover every inch of skin visible, including his neck and a small one on his face.
The female is dressed in bright colors but the majority of them are in shades of blue. Her hair is around her shoulders in loose waves—feathers, I realize—the skirts of her dress touching the ground, but even though she looks harmless enough, I can feel her power like a bomb, barely contained beneath her skin. But that isn’t what surprises me the most.
It’s the smiles on their faces, the love that clearly shines in their eyes when they look at each other even while the others welcome them.
Their happy thoughts slam into me so hard, I cringe, covering my stomach with my hand.
I’m still too far away to hear what’s being said and Wendy notices quicker than anyone else, her eyes turning to look for me and widening with whatever she finds. She rushes over from the gate, stopping just far enough away to keep some distance between us.
“Are you okay?” she whispers, studying me.
“Don’t I look okay?” I grit, pressing my hand harder against my stomach.
Wendy raises her brow. “No. You look far from okay. Do you sense something?”
I move to take a seat on the nearest stump, taking deep breaths even as red dots my vision. “The happy thoughts,” I grunt. “They’re stronger.”
It takes her a second but when she realizes what I’m saying, Wendy whirls and rushes back to the group, whispering rapidly to the others. I know she doesn’t explain exactly why, but a second later, the happy thoughts ease enough, I can take a deep breath. She wouldn’t have discussed what happened, none of the Daughters will, not when it’s our secret to bear. Not even Hook knows the true reason. It’s too risky to reveal such a secret, a weakness masquerading as a strength.
I unfold myself from the stump and stand, tilting my chin up as if I hadn’t just admitted there was some sort of weakness about me, ignoring the idea that they have to know I was directly tied to the happy thoughts in some way. No one asks when I sweep up, but Atlas’ eyes latch onto me and hold. I do my best not to meet his eyes as I listen to the introductions, but it’s difficult. I don’t know why I do it, don’t know why I’m shying away from his obvious interest, the escape he’s offering me, but it’s too much, and I’ve never claimed to be a good pixie.
Even if I want to be for him, that isn’t who I am. I will never be the safer option.
“This is Doe,” Jupiter murmurs, pointing to the female. “And this is Flam. Both are from Wonderland.”
“Did you have trouble with the door?” White asks suddenly, staring at Flam intently, but the male shakes his head.
“No. We went through the door you said, the one with skull and crossbones.” He frowns. “Why?”
The Wonderlandians share a look between them, and curious, I tilt my head. “Is there something you’ve failed to tell us?”
White sighs and looks around, as if nervous of someone else hearing. “When we came to Neverland, we entered the door you did, but it was the wrong door.”
“How is that possible? We walked through the black door and ended up here.”
Jupiter shrugged. “We ended up in the Grim Forest and ultimately had to go through the Grim Forest door to make it here. We don’t really know what happened.”
Flam frowns, and the harder I stare at him, I get a brief flash of pink feathers, but he feels much bigger than that flash. What have we invited into Neverland?
“Did you get Clara’s letter?” Doe asks. “She said she sent one but wasn’t sure if it would reach you. There’s a lot of stuff happening back in Wonderland, strange creatures showing up, people accidently finding their way in our world.”
“The same thing is happening here!” Jupiter exclaims. “Well, not entirely. The creatures are showing up here that shouldn’t be here. They were at first. Now they’re morphing. There are some man-eating orchids climbing up a tree about a hundred feet out of the Coven. We haven’t had people.”
I listen intently as everyone seems to talk at once, but it’s Tiger who I focus on.
“Papoose,” she calls, gesturing for the little girl to come forward. “Is the little sparrow still sticking around?”
Aniya nods and comes closer, her eyes riveted to Flam. She holds up her hand and the tiny bird I’ve seen sitting with the child often flutters from nowhere, landing there. It’s tiny, brown, and utterly ordinary. There are no teeth or anything dangerous about it.
“I’ve never focused on the bird before now,” Atlas murmurs, “but that’s certainly a sparrow from our world.” He nods to Jupiter. “We have them where we live.”
“So what does this all mean?” I ask, frowning harder, but though I ask, and though a few people answer at once, my eyes are riveted on Flam and Aniya.
Aniya steps closer, her eyes glittering again but not as much as they were before. Flam, noticing her attention, stoops to her level immediately and looks back intently at her. When his lips curl the slightest bit in a smile, it makes him look far gentler than someone like him should ever be.
The others grow quiet when they see what’s happening, and I find myself taking a step closer to better hear what Aniya will tell him. Two creatures she said. There were two creatures coming, not people.
“What are you?” she asks, titling her head with a smile. “I can hear you.” She giggles. “I think she’s pretty, too.”
Doe blushes when Flam grins over at her, somehow knowing exactly who they’re talking about.
“I’m the Flamingo,” Flam answers, and the name suddenly makes sense for all the pink, but that isn’t a suitable answer for the little girl.
“No,” she says, stepping close enough to press her hand against his temple. No one stops her, and Flam doesn’t flinch at her perusal. “You’re like March. You wear two skins.”
Flam stares in surprise at Aniya, his mouth dropping open. “How do you know that?”
“I can hear both,” Aniya shrugs. “You didn’t answer the question.”
I tilt my head curiously. Aniya said he’s like March. I glance at the Hare in question, but he seems unconcerned with the direction of the conversation. Instead, he’s staring at Tiger.
“You’re very clever,” Flam admits. “I don’t usually tell people my lineage when we first meet.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not scared of you,” Aniya says proudly, tilting her chin up. “I’m brave.”
Smiling, Flam’s eyes crinkle in amusement. “I can see that.” He looks around. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
None of us speak up and say it’s too late to keep a secret when we’re all surrounding them.
“My mother was a Flamingo, but my father, he was a jabberwocky.”
Aniya gasps like she knows what a jabberwocky is. I certainly don’t, and when I look at Wendy and Tiger, both seem confused as well. “Will you show me?” Aniya asks excitedly.
I lean closer and somehow, Atlas is beside me. “Flam and Doe are married,” he whispers.
Frowning at him, I shrug. “And?”
“I’m not telling you because I’m jealous of the way you’re looking at him in curiosity.” When I raise my brow, he shrugs. “Maybe a little. But what do you expect when you’ve been avoiding me?” He smiles. “I’m telling you because, against all odds, they’re happy, and perfect together, even though everyone thought Flam the worst monster in Wonderland once upon a time. Doe was meant to be a courtier, someone of higher status, her mother pushing her to marry a proper mate.”
“And yet she fell in love with the monster,” I whisper.
“She did,” he nods. “And now they’re one of the major power couples of Wonderland.” He looks over at me and grins. “We could be another.”
Chuckling under my breath, I shake me head. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Until you tell me clearly you want nothing to do with me, I’m here, Pixie.” Atlas winks. “Now, watch what Aniya has just charmed Flam into doing.”
Wrinkling my brow, I watch as Jupiter and Cal shout for everyone to clear the center of the Coven. Flam moves to the center and shrugs off his jacket, tossing it to Doe who catching it and hugs it close, a smile on her face.
Wicked as a Pixie (Daughters of Neverland Book 3) Page 9