Nick shrugged.
“Are you jealous?” Lizzie asked. She took a vial on her table and, with skill Magda did not believe, emptied the exact amount of her potion, and then corked the vial.
“Absolutely not,” Magda said.
Lizzie’s smile said she did not believe her.
“Here.” Lizzie gave Nick the vial. Nick gave her a small pouch of something that tinkled together. Pieces of eight, if Magda had to guess. “It was a pleasure to see you, Nick. As usual. And it was nice to see you, Magda. Come by if you want to make a life for yourself. My door is always open.”
Nick stood, pocketing the small vile and pulling Magda up with him.
“You will probably never see me again,” Magda promised. When they reached the door, she stopped and looked back at the fairy. “Who was the boy? That took you under his wing? Who made you into this?”
Lizzie smiled and looked away. It was the only answer she would give.
Nine
James Hook had a beautiful woman in his lap, gyrating to a beat only she could hear, and his thoughts were on something other than the sexuality pooling off of her. She was a young thing, too young to know what to do with her body, too inexperienced to realize he had no interest in her. The Magistrate had requested a meeting with him – demanded being the proper term, but no one corrected The Magistrate – and he could not refuse. No one refused The Magistrate. No one corrected her or doubted her or disagreed with her. She was the Final Word on all things.
What she really was, was a thorn in Hook’s ass.
He had been a Viking prince, practically a god in his community. He was a fierce warrior, and if he did not return from battle bathed in his opponent’s blood, he was of the mind that he had failed. Though he never married, he was very attentive to whatever woman he courted for a certain period of time. He knew his father wanted a grandchild – a son to carry the family name – but James was not in the right frame of mind to be a parent. Many of his kin believed reproducing was a blessing – and it was – but Hook wanted to be certain he was ready, both in mind and body, to be able to raise a child the way the child deserved. Before he died, he knew he was not ready.
He did not like that his new position had him cowering before someone. It did not matter to him that The Magistrate was a woman; James answered to no one except his gods and his father, and The Magistrate was most certainly not his god. It irked him to be summoned. Probably because he had a sinking feeling she knew of Remy Cutler’s presence in The Neverland.
And if she knew of Remy’s presence… That would be very, very bad.
Remy was a hot commodity men would kill for. A prime example was Peter Pan, a man – boy – only loyal to himself who wanted power more than anything else in this world. Remy was the key to power. If one possessed Remy, one possessed all souls here. Not only could he take control of those who had a set destination in the afterlife, but he could take control of those that chose to stay behind.
Which meant Remy could build an army big enough to overthrow The Magistrate.
It was why James had taken her in the first place. But instead of using her right away in order to carry out his plan, he had placed the whole thing on pause. Logically, there were certain things that needed to be worked out to ensure nothing went awry. Rumor had it The Creator was looking for a ruler of The Neverland as a whole, someone to rule over souls here – more than just governors at ports with their own fluid rules they made up as they went along. Because The Neverland was becoming more populated, there needed to be some kind of authority. Hook wanted to obtain that authority.
He had never been able to be chieftain of his settlement while he was alive. Though his father ruled over the people and he was heir to the throne, he never inherited it. It was his one regret in his entire life. He did not even regret not passing his name on to a son. It was the lack of leadership he got to display while alive and breathing that he wanted a second chance at. And Remy would no doubt help him obtain that chance.
Remy was special, and he needed to know why. If all this position required was a Breather, he would force Nick to do his bidding – or, at least, they could come up with a mutually beneficial compromise. Remy was someone he could not get a good read on, someone he was not sure he could barter with. Certainly he would be able to intimidate her. For some reason, she was uncomfortable when he was around though he made no move to harm or threaten her by any means. In fact, he had to keep himself in check of getting too close to her physically. There were moments he literally had to curl his fingers tightly into fists and dig his fingernails into his palms in order to not touch her.
He, like every other soul here, was drawn to her. She shined. He simply could not take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful, captivating, a goddess in physical form. He knew she was from a high society, and she cared about her physical appearance and how she presented herself to people, including himself. He admired a woman with self-respect, who carried herself with confidence and determination. But because she did not have access to everything in her beauty regiment, her hair was a little wild, and her face a little more unkempt. He did not think it possible, but he found he liked the unruliness of it.
He would stare at her no matter what she looked like, he was certain of it.
Which was not a good thing. If James wanted this power, he had to look at Remy as a means to an end. Things would get complicated should he further their acquaintance to anything more. For this reason, he forced himself to seek out a female companion to help relieve his body of all the tension it had acquired for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the poor girl in his lap was not assisting the way he hoped she would. For one thing, she was younger than he preferred. She looked more child than woman, and no amount of makeup could hide that. Secondly, she was not graceful in her gestures, and she appeared to be inexperienced in the subtleties of seduction. However, he knew if he returned her without engaging in the act, she would be punished by her employer. Perhaps he could pay her an exuberant amount in exchange for her presence rather than her participation.
Maybe you should take her, a voice suggested. You need the distraction since Remy is making you feel things you should not feel at all.
That was true as well. James was not sure why, but he knew Remy was using her feminity to get something from him. What, he did not know, and a part of him did not particularly care. He had never rejected attention from a beautiful woman, as long as the attention came at the opportune time.
And you think now is an opportune time? the voice snarled, darkly amused. You think now is a good time to be distracted when the very thing you’ve wanted since getting your position of ruler of The Other World is within your grasp? And, to top it all off, the very thing you need in order to acquire rulership of the entire Neverland is the same thing that’s distracting you?
James shook his head. The voice was right. It did not matter what Remy thought she was doing. He was privy to it, and that was all that mattered. Once he could put into action his next step, he would be better equipped to focus on the girl. For now, the only thing that was important was acquiring souls, building a crew, and taking over The Neverland.
“She’s not going to be here for a while, you know,” the girl told him, looking up at him with her big eyes and her pouty lips.
James could feel a stirring within him.
“I know,” he said and decided it would be best to take her in order to pass the time.
And to get Remy off of his mind.
It turned out, Remy was not easily escapable. Throughout the duration of the pillaging, James had been focused. Physical acts of pleasure were the only times he allowed himself the benefit to lose control and just let the moment take him.
Apparently, that needed to change.
James had also taught himself that should he ever confuse women, forget a name, or never learn it in the first place, a term of endearment was necessary if he decided to speak at all. Usually, he could get away with grunts and moans and not h
ave to think about what to say. However, his years of experience were completely erased the minute he felt himself at his peak. Instead of biting his tongue or saying something as simple as ‘darling’ or ‘love’, the word that came out of his mouth was damning and entirely inappropriate:
Remy.
He could not explain why it happened, only that it felt right at the time. He liked saying her name. He had not been thinking about her during the act – he had not been thinking about anything, really – so there was no reason for him to lose his mind along with his senses. Something like this had never happened to him before, and he did not like it one bit. The girl was nothing short of professional, and said nothing as he finished on her stomach – he did not want some whore to be the father of his child if he could help it. He ensured she had been pleased beforehand, so whoever James wanted to pretend she was, she did not seem to mind. Which was lucky for him.
“She will see you now.”
James did not like being surprised. He was good at masking his emotions and did not like being vulnerable. When the whore popped up, James had not even realized she left. He was ashamed to say he jumped a bit, but he did not think she noticed.
James dressed quickly and made sure he appeared presentable before descending to see The Magistrate. The scrag would be completely empty, but he still kept his eyes out for any person that might overhear their conversation. He was not sure what they would discuss or why he was called here in the first place. As such, he did not want anyone else to know what was going on before he did.
The Magistrate was already seated in the middle of the empty scrag, at a wooden table. She commanded attention, reeked of elegance, and while she did not dress as such, would have fit in beautifully with current society on earth. Her black hair curled out, and her dark eyes narrowed on him the minute she heard his boots walk down the stairs. She wore a nude colored gown with no corset, leaving little to the imagination. Her fingers danced on the rim of her wine goblet, which was already half full. She was tall – nearly as tall as he was – with long legs she liked to reveal in slits of the skirts of her gowns. Her shoulders were slender, and today, they were left exposed. She wore no jewelry, no accessory to entrap a gaze to a particular place on her body.
The Magistrate was stunning, and she used that to her advantage.
When James came to the table, she offered him a smile. It would have been beautiful had it reached her eyes. Because it did not, it looked cunning rather than genuine. She took a sip of her wine without taking her eyes off of James.
“Girl!” she called. She snapped her finger, and the whore instantly was at James’s side with a goblet filled to the brim with wine. “I take it you enjoyed her?” she asked once the girl disappeared.
“It’s difficult to say,” James replied. He did not touch his drink, at least not yet. “They tend to blur together.”
“I would imagine.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs so a swell of thigh flashed in his direction. James kept his eyes on her face; he would not give her that satisfaction. “I’m certain only a special woman would be able to distinguish herself amongst your history of them. I’m surprised that Magdalena is not here with you.”
“She is keeping an eye on particular investments,” James said, his voice a subtle growl at the mention of Magdalena’s name.
The Magistrate flicked her brow up, clearly not believing him. “Can we be blunt with each other?” she asked.
“I encourage it,” he answered.
Her painted lips curled up into a smile, and her dark eyes sparkled. “Good,” she said. “I know a Breather is in The Neverland. I do not know where she is, exactly, but I want you to know that I know should you know where she is and contemplate not telling me.”
“You are trying to regain your rule over The Neverland,” James said, and the fact that it dawned on him now upset him than it would have if he had figured it out sooner. He had been distracted, and a particular young dark blonde woman was the reason. He needed to remedy that as quickly as possible. “Instead of lying down your rule the minute you stepped into your role, you used your power to instill your fear in the souls that reside here. Each port has its own law. Each governor is corrupted with his own brand of deceit. Souls have no one to answer to, except bullies or pirates or both. There is no one law here because you’ve been too distracted to make it so.”
“So what if I do?” The Magistrate snapped, her mask of cool indifference sliding off of her face for a second or two at best. “It is my role. I need to show everyone what I am. I am more than a story whispered at night. I am more than a legend.”
“And you cannot do that honestly?” James’s eyes widened, and then it dawned on him. “No one fears your power anymore.”
“The only people who fear me are those who actually know me,” she told him. “My story has been told so many times it has lost its intimidation factor. I need a way to draw souls to me once more so I can reintroduce myself as leader over The Neverland and install one law that everyone must adhere to. It is my right to do so.”
“Then go out and do it,” James said, his voice getting more controlled with each word that came out of her mouth. “No one is stopping you.”
“I need her” –
“No.” Even James was surprised at the fact that he interrupted The Magistrate, but he did not show it. “You do not. You want her because you will be able to force the souls to do your bidding. You cannot do it the honest way, can you?”
“Is that not the same reason you want her?” she asked, her voice a biting venom. “Do not think I’m naïve, Hook. You want to usurp my position, I know it. I called this morning to offer this warning: if I find out you know where this girl is, you will be punished. And when I say punished, I mean tortured in every way possible until you beg me to end your sad, pathetic life and vanish into nothingness.”
James felt his lips turn up. “May I be blunt?” he asked, amused.
“I encourage it,” she bit back.
His smirk deepened, and he leaned forward so he was directly in her face. “I look forward to the challenge,” he said and meant every word.
Ten
In short, Magdalena was furious. There was no way she would allow Nick to drink this so-called potion in order to obtain a mask hiding his life. It sounded like fairy magic, one not even she was familiar with. Which meant the magic was dark and untrustworthy. Not that Magda was the expert on fairy magic, but what she did know, she did not want Nick ingesting anything suspicious.
The minute they left Lizzie, Magda rounded on Nick and opened her mouth, prepared to tell him what she really thought. Before she could, however, Nick leaned down so close to her their breathing was intermingling and Magda found she could not speak even though she tried.
“Don’t want to hear it, Tink,” he told her in a low whisper. She had never heard him speak in such a way either. Low and articulate. And his eyes grew darker – Magda had no idea how such a feat was possible – and the way his lips actually formed around the words drew attention to his lips and she found they were a nice shape and looked quite soft.
She clenched her jaw, closing her eyes tightly, trying to get the image of Nicholas Grey’s eyes and lips and he smelled not terribly – actually, he smelled like the ocean and sweat – out of her mind. She had no idea what was going on with her. Nearly four weeks with the pirate and she was losing her senses. She needed to leave him and return to The Other World and James, where she belonged. How much longer did she need to be here?
“Does my close proximity to you disturb you?” he continued, tilting his head to the side. His voice was still a rough whisper, and she could feel his hot breath tickle her cheek, her neck.
“It does not,” she said, and she stamped her foot.
Her face turned even redder, not necessarily because of how close he was to her, but because of her own childish action. This was completely unlike her. She had never stamped her foot, not even when she was a girl. What was wrong w
ith her?
“Liar.”
A shiver slid down her back, and she couldn’t help but shudder.
She hated Nicholas Grey. She hated him with a burning passion.
He instantly pulled away from her and gave her a curious look. “What?” he asked.
“What, what?”
“What were you going to say?” His crew began to pile out around him, and Magda shifted with shame as she still had yet to introduce herself properly to them. “Before I told you I did not want to hear it.”
“Oh.” She blinked once, twice. She did not want to admit it, but he surprised her. She was never surprised. If Magda was anything, she was always prepared. She planned for every possibility. She did not plan for this. She did not plan for Nicholas Grey and just how he would affect her. She did not, for the life of her, think there was a chance Nick would ever contemplate drinking a potion filled with fairy blood and other magic-infused ingredients that would affect his being in The Neverland and make it appear as though he was a soul just to obtain entrance to The Other World.
They made it back on the ship and she barely noticed.
“I don’t think it wise to trust in her magic,” Magdalena said, shifting her eyes at Nick’s crew, gathered on deck. She wanted to say more but she could not, not with an audience.
Nick glanced behind him, following Magda’s eyes. When he took in what she saw and understood her hesitation, he told her, “They’re my crew. You can trust them. I do.”
Magda pressed her lips together but said nothing. Nick looked into her eyes and it would seem he could read them easily.
“But you don’t,” he finished. He shook his head, dark tendrils of hair following the whip-like motion of his gesture. “You know what your problem is, Tinker Bell? You don’t trust anyone.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Oh, that’s right. James Hook.” He made a face that showed just how little he thought of James. “So, you’re telling me you trust a man who basically forced you to watch over me for some reason that I don’t even think you really know of? Sounds like he doesn’t trust you.”
The Neverland Trilogy Box Set Page 32
