Wicked as a Pixie (Daughters of Neverland Book 3)

by Kendra Moreno

  “If it’s my time—”

  “It’s not.” His voice is thick as he spits the words. “I didn’t find you only for Fate to take you away. She isn’t that cruel.”

  With sad eyes, I look away, because I know what he’ll see there. Fate can be as cruel as she likes because she’s in control. It took watching Peter sacrifice himself, even with the love shining in his eyes to realize that. If he would have never gone, Tiger would have had two soulmates, two powerful soulmates, and instead, she had to watch one die.

  “If you really think you’re going to die,” Atlas murmurs softly, “then shouldn’t you stop questioning this connection between us and enjoy it while you can?”

  “Then I would be just as cruel as Fate.” Cupping his jaw with both my hands, I lean forward and look into his eyes. We’re both still naked while I straddle his lap, but neither of us seem to care. “If I took your heart with no intention of being here to take care of it, what would that make me, Berserker?”

  “Human,” he whispers. “That would make you human.”

  For a moment, neither of us says anything. I know what he’s thinking. If Neverland ends with us in it, he’ll still get the wings tattooed on his skin as a remembrance. Atlas doesn’t work in halves. He’s either fully committed or not, even when it’s not healthy to do so. I suspect his sister has the same personality trait.

  “You know,” he says, his thick arms squeezing around my hips gently. “When Cal and Cheshire first met, they hated each other, even knowing they were fated to be soulmates. They fought tooth and nail against it. I watched as Cheshire would shove her away, only to look after her with longing in his eyes. I watched as Cal accepted everything he was while telling herself it wasn’t love.”

  “And how did they get to where they are now?” I ask because I sense where he’s going with it. Cal and Cheshire went to battle with each other, literally went to battle beside each other, and yet, here they are, years later, happy and in love.

  “After we won the battle in Wonderland, Cal insisted on going back to our world so I could grow up more.” His lips quirk up. “I’ll never say it, but I’m thankful for that. Being fifteen forever would have sucked, no matter what I thought back then.” He tugs me closer. “I know Cal didn’t want to leave. I overheard her tell Cheshire she loved him, heard her ask him to come with us, and I watched him disappear into the trees.”

  “He left her?”

  He nods. “She waited as long as possible at the portal, looking behind her for a man with cat ears and a tail, the one she gave her heart to, who gave his heart back without realizing it, but she would have stepped through the portal and left it all behind for me, with or without her soulmate.” He smiles gently. “He showed up right before we stepped through the portal, the asshole. He waited until the absolute last minute. So, you see, you can fight me, fight fate, and we may die before we ever get off this rock, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have given it my all. I won’t wait until the last minute to make my decision. I don’t plan on having any regrets at the end of all this,” he says, meeting my eyes. “Do you?”

  I open my mouth and snap it shut. Do I want to regret not loving Atlas when I had the chance? Do I want to die knowing what I’d missed? It would be kind to shove him away, to save him some heartache, but perhaps, it’s too late for that. My heart throbs when I look in his eyes and something inside me whispers that I’ve already given the Berserker my heart. Something tells me I’m already too far gone.

  Calypso is going to kill me.

  “I don’t want regrets,” I admit softly, looking up at him from beneath my lashes. “But I refuse for you to die, Berserker.”

  “Good,” he nods. “You save my ass and I’ll save yours. It’s only fair.”

  He’s so cavalier about it, a startled laugh slips from between my lips. “You know, for a Berserker, you’re far too normal.”

  “I don’t even know what it means to be a Berserker,” he chuckles. “But normal doesn’t strike me as something to describe me.” His smile falls. “Sometimes, I feel it under my skin.”

  “Feel what?”

  His eyes flick away, looking off into the trees. “I don’t know.”

  I’m about to ask what it feels like when the sound of crunching leaves echoes in the clearing. Both of us spring to our feet. I quickly pull the straps of my dress up and shove the skirt down my hips, but Atlas, there’s far too much armor to pull on fast. He turns, completely nude, to take on the threat, but when it’s only Flam who steps through the trees, he immediately relaxes and cups his genitals, hiding it from view. I can’t help the laugh that slips out and he turns with a grin on his face and meets my eyes.

  “I’m glad you think this is funny, Pixie,” he teases.

  Flam’s laughter fills the clearing, and I can see immediately how Doe fell in love with the beast. Though he should, by all rights, be one of the most dangerous creatures to walk land, there’s a softness to him that’s only apparent in his eyes when he’s around those he cares for.

  “The others were too scared to come see what you two were up to. I insisted you were just fucking, but they didn’t really want to see that either,” he teases. When his eyes dance over to me, though they’re still soft, I see the threat there. Apparently, the Flamingo cares for Atlas as much as he does his wife. I barely nod my head, telling him I don’t intend to hurt the Berserker, but I know the others will be watching me carefully. Atlas may be immortal, but that means nothing for a broken heart.

  “Well,” Atlas laughs, shrugging. “You caught us red-handed. Is everyone okay?”

  “They’re fine,” Flam shrugs. “Cal is a little scarred after realizing what you were up to, but I reminded her we all heard her and Cheshire go at it on Hatter’s roof, so it’s only fair. You should get dressed though. We have a lot to talk about now that you two have let off your steam.”

  With nimble fingers, I scrape my hair into some semblance of control, tying it up in a messy bun compared to my normal style. It’ll have to do for now. I don’t wait for Flam and Atlas to follow. I adjust myself and tilt my chin up before stepping through the tree line, expecting them to follow, but even though I’m ahead of them, I hear the words Flam speaks to Atlas.

  “I leave you alone for a few months and you go and find the deadliest woman in Neverland,” he laughs. “You and your sister are something else.”

  Atlas chuckles and when I turn to look at him over my shoulder, he grins at me, shooting a wink my way. “Can you blame me?”

  Flam smiles at me in return. “Not at all.” He looks at Atlas. “Do you realize you’re sparkling like a Drag Queen on open mic night?” Atlas looks down at himself even as he drags his armor over his head while he walks. He curses. “Careful not to get it in your mouth,” Flam warns as if he knows. “We don’t have time for you two to have a repeat right now.”

  “What happens if it gets in my mouth?” I pause as Atlas runs his tongue on the back of his hand, right where a thick smattering of my pixie dust coats. He shivers and straightens. “Oh, fuck.”

  Flam grins. “Come on, lover boy. We’ve got things to do. No more time for fucking.”

  When Atlas’ eyes meet mine, I see the flame dancing there, a promise for retribution, but I only smile, wink back at him, and keep moving. I can’t help it if my pixie dust tastes like sex and sin.

  I might have made sure Atlas glittered for all to see, but I’ll never admit that out loud.

  More of the dust falls from my wings as we walk through the trees, and for once, I feel lighter.

  For once, I can’t taste the shadows on my tongue.

  Chapter Twenty

  “The shaking is getting worse.”

  I glance over at Atlas as he walks beside me, the others around us. We meet up with them in the forest and made our way back to the Coven together. We know we have to regroup, plan, but we could be out of time. I press my hand to my chest, hoping no one notices the movement, but Atlas does. He always notices.

 
“The heart?” he asks, studying me.

  Nodding, I take a deep breath to clear the feeling, but it doesn’t go away as usual. This time, it’s more persistent. “I think. . .” I bite my lip and look at the others. “I think we need to move sooner rather than later.”

  “Is it dying again?” Tiger asks, and in her eyes, I can see the shadows lingering from the last time the heart began to die. March curls his hand with hers, and though it helps a little to eliminate the look, it doesn’t help entirely. It’ll take more time for Tiger to heal over something so tragic.

  I don’t really want to tell everyone the heart is dying. I don’t want them to know how dire things are getting. Though I need to, though I plan to, I need to recharge for a few minutes before we move. After the bloodlust and battle with Atlas, my energy is waning, and it can usually only be cured in the green room.

  “The shoreline is closer to the Coven,” Hook says suddenly, when he realizes I’m not ready to answer the question.

  “You’re certain?” Jupiter asks, turning as if she can see the ocean. The trees obscure the shoreline normally, but now we can see it peeking through the trees. “Well, that isn’t good. That means the island is sinking.”

  “We couldn’t see it yesterday,” Wendy murmurs, worrying her lip. “Which means it’s sinking fast.”

  “Then we have to move as soon as possible.” Cal looks between them all. “I’ll start telling everyone to prepare. We need to move, perhaps at first light?” When the others nod, her and Cheshire separate and start calling out to the people waiting for us in the Coven. Many of them look afraid, not understanding exactly what’s happening, but a few, those who’ve decided to stay, seem far calmer than the others. Even though they won’t be going with us, I see them step up to help the rest. Swift starts giving orders, making sure they all know what to prepare for.

  “I need to go to my green room for a few minutes,” I whisper, desperately trying to hide how little energy I have. The bloodlust always drains me, even if it was shorter than usual this time. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

  Atlas smiles. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “I’m not a child, Berserker. I can make it to the green room alone.” When the look on his face doesn’t waver, I frown. “Besides, if you join me in the green room, I doubt you’ll let me recharge.”

  White raises his brow at my words, glancing between Atlas and me, but he doesn’t say any words. No doubt, Atlas will hear a lot of questions once I’m gone and I have no intentions of being here for them. I need to sink into the healing energy from my plants.

  I stroke a hand along Atlas’ forearm, ignoring the heat in his eyes as I turn and walk towards my home. I don’t question why I walk with a little more grace than usual, or why I swing my hips just a little more. I already know it’s for the Berserker’s benefit as he burns holes in my back with his gaze.

  The moment I’m inside my home and bury my hands in the thick soil, I sigh, absorbing strength as best as I can. When the world shakes again, I know I’m going to need it.

  ATLAS

  Hours later, Tink still hasn’t come out of her green room and I’m starting to worry. Constantly, my eyes trail over to her large house at the end of the lane. I can’t imagine her spending days upon days building the large house, though it should be easy. When she puts her mind to something, my pixie does it.

  “How long do you think it took her to build that house?” I ask the Sea Captain helping to pack bags beside me. Luckily, the pirates have plenty of canvas sacks we can use to pack supplies and belongings too important to leave behind.

  “I asked Swift that recently. He said it took her roughly a year. She built every single thing about it by hand.”

  “Wow.” The image of Tink building something so large, something so sophisticated, nearly does me in. I’d love to see her coated in sweat and holding some sort of tools. I’d love to build something with her, even if my knowledge of building only extends to motorcycles. But then I remember that Tink has been inside her green room for hours after her bloodlust and our coupling, and worry fills me again.

  “She’s weaker than she wants us to know,” Wendy murmurs from beside me, her eyes locked on Tink’s home the same as mine. “She never likes to show it. In fact, I’ve never seen her hair anything less than put together.”

  “That was my doing,” I admit, glancing sideways at the pirate with a heart of gold. Even barely knowing Wendy, it’s easy to see how much she cares for everyone here. They keep describing her as the most human, but I think it’s not just that. Cal, Jupiter, and I were once “human” but though I understand why they call Wendy the word, that’s not what she is. It’s a strength born of shadows, or seeing the worst side of people and still wanting to see the best. Instead of letting the bad things warp her, she uses them as an example of what not to be.

  It’s no wonder she fell in love with and changed Captain Hook to something far more than just a villain.

  “No, I don’t mean the aftereffects of sex.” Wendy shakes her head. “She’s always a little weaker after a bloodlust, but the heart, I think it’s affecting her, too. Give her a little more time to heal, and then, could you go check on her? I don’t want her in there avoiding everyone because she’s worried she’ll look weak and I’m pretty certain she won’t complain if it’s you checking on her.”

  Nodding, I smile at Wendy. Under different circumstances, I would have once asked if I could sail on Wendy’s ship, on the Jolly Roger from the stories, but the vessel had already been wrecked by the time we arrived, and there’s no time for such things anymore. “I’ll check on her.” When Wendy goes to turn away, I stop her. “What’s it feel like?” I ask, glancing up. “To sail among the stars?”

  Wendy smiles. “Like the very first time you discovered a new world,” she admits. “Like everything you’ve ever done led you there.” As if thinking it over, she glances at Hook. “If we get out of here, if we manage to save our people, I’ll tell Hook to build a new ship and we can sail the skies again.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know.” Wendy Darling grins and turns away, but she pauses before she can walk away. “Was that crack there a second ago?”

  I follow her line of sight and see one of the larger trees lining the Coven sporting a massive crack running from the bottom towards the top, a death sentence for the great beast. It’s one of the larger trees surrounding the Coven. “No, it wasn’t. We passed by it on our way out.” I take a step toward the tree, intent on checking it closer, but the moment I do, great cracks snap up in other trees around it, and the earth shakes violently beneath our feet. Wendy stumbles into me with the sudden jerk and I steady her quickly before stepping away.

  “Wendy!” Hook turns from his place talking to White, his eyes wide. Seconds later, the earth rolls like someone picked up a rug and shook it, the very soil buckling. Something in the distance screeches, so loud, it echoes across the entire island.

  Eyes wide, I look over at Wendy. “Did you hear that?”

  Even with the earth rolling, the Coven goes quiet, everyone listening for the sound again, trying to place what sort of creature it is. It didn’t sound like a Lost. We would know. Aniya has had Christopher in the Coven for a while now and we have to suffer his sounds often. The screech echoes again and Wendy’s eyes widen. She doesn’t get the chance to answer my question, though, before everything starts to happen at once.

  The animals come rushing from the trees, running away from the water. “That’s not a good sign,” I murmur, thinking of every disaster movie I’ve ever seen. The animals always run first. There are small rodent-like creatures, larger creatures with claws, creatures I’ve never seen before, and they all run through the Coven as if they don’t see us. Something tells me they’re dangerous, that we should have been subjected to sharp teeth, but they rush right by, heading further inland.

  Jupiter stands just in front of me, a little closer to the center of the Coven, her
eyes just as wide as mine. “Are there tsunamis in Neverland?” she rasps.

  “No,” Tiger says. “There hasn’t been one before. The ocean doesn’t do more than hold the island up.”

  But that’s failing, too. A great boom echoes across the sky, making us all duck for a moment. It sounds like a bomb, like something large just exploded, but there’s no mushroom cloud. The shoreline comes closer through the trees even as we all listen. The screech sounds louder, closer this time, and getting closer with each shriek, and then it’s joined by more.

  Tiger and Wendy’s eyes widen at the same time, both frantically turning around, though for different reasons. Tiger scoops Aniya up into her arms and moves closer to March, many of the Tribe circling her. But Wendy, Wendy starts shouting.

  “Arm yourselves,” she yells. “Push your fears down!”

  “What is it?” I ask with wide eyes. “What’s coming?”

  She turns, her hair whipping out her with the movement. Her eyes are so wide, I can see white around the blue. Panic, pure panic, rests there, and I wonder at what makes the Pirate Captain so unsettled. Hook joins her side, his saber drawn, just as Cal and Cheshire slide to a stop beside me.

  “The enchantments of Skull Rock have broken,” Wendy finally answers, but she doesn’t draw her blade. Something tells me it’s useless to, that it won’t affect whatever’s coming.

  I know Tiger and March went to Skull Rock, knew they barely survived it for the phantoms. If the enchantments are gone, and the phantoms are free, we’re in for a world of trouble.

  The first phantom comes crashing through the Coven barely five seconds later, but it doesn’t look like anything I’d call a phantom. White curses at the sight of the large snake-like beast. Riding on the creature’s back is a woman in a red dress I’d recognize anywhere even without the cruel laugh that bursts from her lips.

  “I told you to push your fears down!” Wendy snarls at White.