"I don't?" he asked. He lifted his left arm and placed his hook on her cheek. He caressed it, like a lover might. Remy felt her heart flap against the walls of her chest, but she tensed every muscle in her body to ensure she would not flinch. "I have not even told you my plan."
"You have not told me many things," Remy pointed out. They were so close now, if she just tilted her chin upward, they would be kissing. It scared her how badly she wanted that. “Yet I am still here. I have not tried to escape, have I? I have not fought you or insulted you. In fact, I feel as though I’ve been a decent hostage.”
“Hostage?” James asked, quirking a brow. “That would be improper. I am not holding you for ransom. I would not part with you for anything.”
“Do you intend to tell me your plan, then?” Remy asked, raising her own brow.
“I do,” he said, “as long as I have your word that once you learn of it, your etiquette will not fail you and you will remain as pleasant as you have been.”
Remy smiled and stuck out her hand. “You have my word,” she told him.
James stared at her hand, a look of confusion touching his face.
“What?” she asked, tilting her head so her errant blond locks were out of the way of her face. “Do you not trust me?”
“It seems too easy,” James said, cautious.
“Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?” Remy asked, pushing her brow up and giving him a small, tentative smile. She elongated her fingers so they were nearly touching him, hoping she could ease his discomfort. “It’s okay to trust me. I can give you references, should you need them.” She paused again, the look on James’s face remaining unchanged. “You know I am teasing you, yes?”
James nodded once, forcing a small smile. “Of course,” he said.
“Do you not like to be teased?” Remy asked. This was more interesting than whatever it was he was planning to do with her. “Surely you have a sense of humor?”
“Of course I have a sense of humor,” James insisted. “I am just not used to being teased.”
“Right, because people are so intimidated by you,” Remy said with a smile. “May I tell you something? I can understand the fear, yes, and you can be quite intimidating. But you are still a man. A man I’m finding out is good. Probably better than you think.”
“I think you are being foolish to think I’m good,” James said, his eyes suddenly steely, as he looked away.
“Why? You rule over a land where souls redeem themselves every day. Perhaps your condemnation there is up once you’ve redeemed yourself. Perhaps you will go to The Paradise one day.”
“Enough.” His nose wrinkled and his looked upset. Angry, even. “You think I’m a good man? I wish to use your presence to attract souls of every realm to build an army and force a takeover. I want to be The Magistrate and ruler of The Other World. I want as much power as I can accumulate and I plan to use you in any way I can get it. The only reason I am being so hospitable toward you is because getting you to like me would make you more willing to help me of your own free will. Do you understand?”
Remy nodded. She did not want to admit it, but his words hurt. She thought that perhaps he actually enjoyed her company and –
But no.
That was foolish, just like he said.
“I don’t believe you,” she finally said, dropping her hand to her side. “I still believe you’re a good man.”
“You stupid girl,” he said with a sneer. “What makes you say that?”
She forced her eyes to lock with his. “Your relationship, your friendship, with Magdalena,” she said.
Sixteen
It was late at night, and Magda was currently in the watchtower of the ship, watching the sunset. Because Nick knew of her true heritage, he decided to assign her to watchman. Fairies were light, lithe on their feet, and practically acrobatic. Climbing up and down the mast would be easy for her, and not as dangerous as it would be for anyone else. Magda actually did not mind the position, though she did not appreciate the fact that it came due to her heritage rather than her skill. Regardless, she accepted the position without argument and was grateful for the solitude the position would bring her.
She knew it was not the real sun. She knew earth’s beauty held much more than this glimmer of colors splattered across the see like the stars splattered across the sky. But it was all she had. She had been so caught up in James and Remy and Nick that she forgot to take the time for herself. A moment’s peace was hard to come by, but she stole away up here when she needed them. Edward seemed to be afraid of heights, though he would never admit it, and Giselle, Adele, and Calum had no purpose being up here and did not want to be up here anyway. They were sailing toward The Other World anyway. It was just her and Nick on this pitiful boat – she would not deign to call it ship - heading toward The Alley to pick up more souls. Because of that, Magda expected quiet time alone she could use to remind her of herself.
It was refreshing.
“Hey.”
It was too bad Nick did not have a fear of heights because he seemed to pop up whenever he felt the need to without giving any notice. Magda did not look at him but arched a brow, indicating that she acknowledged his presence, even if she did not want him here.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked, throwing his muscular body over the edge of the watchtower so he could cram up what little space the tower provided.
“You realize these things were only meant to hold one person,” Magda said, turning her eyes away from the sunset to give Nick a look.
He grinned, shrugged his shoulders as though he did not have a care in the world. He probably didn’t. He was on his way to save his damsel in distress, with a plan Magda could not believe he had come up with, partly because it was so ludicrous, but partly because there was a decent chance it might actually work. If she did not have to give Nick credit, she wouldn’t.
“Why are you so worried?” Nick asked, ignoring her statement and leaning against the wooden wall, keeping the two of them plundering to their deaths. For such a big man, Magda was surprised the wood did not, at least, creak underneath him.
“I am not worried,” Magda said, shaking her head.
“You are,” Nick said. He had a soft smile on his face, which made all his features appear more gentle than they normally were. He looked approachable, sane. “You get this wrinkle right over your nose, right there” – he reached out and touched the bridge of her nose with his finger – “whenever you’re worried.” He shrugged. “It’s kind of cute.”
“Of course I am worried!” Magda burst out with, her nose wrinkled and her eyes narrowed. Her hands began to gesture along with her words, and she tried to stop herself because she was causing an unnecessary display of emotions. However, despite her attempts, she could not control her actions. “You’ve drunk fairy blood! You should be worried.”
“Why would I be worried?” Nick said. “It tasted fine. Don’t feel any different than I was before.”
Magda did not have the restraint to keep from rolling her eyes. “You are incredibly frustrating,” she told him honestly.
He grinned at her, a wicked gleam in his eye. “You’re not the first woman who’s told me that, Tink,” he said. “What are you so worried about?”
“Do you know nothing of fairy blood?” she asked him, looking him dead in the eye. “Thankfully, you’re getting it directly from the source, so it’s not tainted. The more direct the source, the higher the purity.”
“I should hope so,” Nick said. “With what I’ve spent on it.”
“I’m glad that this is all a joke to you,” Magda told him, her blue eyes dark and serious. She did not know why she was taking his careless attitude personally. It made her look weak, emotional, and she did not like either descriptor. “Do you know anything about fairy’s blood? What fairies go through in order to avoid giving it up? How dangerous it is should a human know who we are? Our blood is rare. It grants life. You’re turning the very act of living in
to a commodity. Fairies struggle every single day to resist temptation to make an easy life and transfer their blood into a vial. It’s caused crime. It’s caused death. It’s caused our very ecosystem to turn chaotic. And fairy blood affects each individual completely different. We may never know what happened when it touched your tongue.” She pressed her lips together as she realized just how caught up in this moment she was getting. “I am worried about you. And I do not think Remy Cutler was worth risking your life for.”
Nick look admonished during her speech but his shoulder ticked when she finished her last sentence. “I’m sorry, Tink, but that’s a point you and I will disagree on.” He paused and shot her a tentative smile. “Though you do look cute when you’re jealous.”
“I am not cute,” Magda said, though she could not, for some reason, help being somewhat delighted at the compliment. Surely, he was attempting to use his charm to break down her walls, but she was not receptive to his charm and he knew that. Maybe… maybe he was being genuine?
“Or jealous,” she made sure to add.
She instantly dismissed the thought as preposterous. Nick was in love with Remy. He had told her so numerous times. Certainly, he could be attracted to her, but that did not mean anything would come of it.
“You are,” he said, crossing his arms now, looking down at his feet.
“May I ask you something?” Magda asked. She had no business to ask this question. If she had been speaking to James rather than Nick, she would not have asked it at all. But her curiosity got the better of her, and the fact that this was Nick made all the difference. She trusted James with her life, but there was something about Nick that caused her to lower her defenses, to let him in little by little, to feel comfortable with him in a way she never had with anyone else before. As such, before her logic could stop, before her sanity reclaimed its grip on her mind, she continued, “How do you know you’re in love with Remy?” She closed her eyes, knowing she needed to add more to that statement lest he assume she was making a judgment against him. “I’m not questioning your feelings, of course. I’m just… I’ve never been in love before, you see, and I was wondering…”
Nick paused, his brown eyes suddenly serious. “Are you trying to get your wings back?” he asked.
For some reason, Magdalena felt her entire face turn red. The shame of losing her wings was still with her, even now. “No, of course not,” she said quickly, then stopped. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Nick with a sense of wonder. “How did you know about fairies and their wings?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret, Tink,” Nick said, and he seemed serious. Gone was the playfulness, the boyish charm smile. In front of her stood a grown man, serious and responsible. He was more than just a little handsome, and Magda found she was not ashamed to admit that. “I’ve been around a lot longer than people give me credit for. I pick up a few things. I know about fairies and mermaids. I know about sirens and gypsies. Esmeralda is a gypsy. She was the one who sent me here in the first place.”
“Why?” Magda asked. She had the decency to look sheepish. “If I may ask.”
Nick pretended to think about it. “You may,” he decided, “but only if you tell me a little about yourself in return. You’re the quietest woman I have ever met, and that’s saying something.”
Magda nodded her head once but kept quiet. Nick would have to go first in this little exchange.
“As you know, I tend to act before I think,” Nick explained. “I was a merchant’s son. Born and raised on a ship. Charm was natural for me – I got it from my mother – and I broke many hearts. That’s not to say I’ve never loved before, however. I’ve loved plenty in my lifetime. But the girls never returned the favor. Esmeralda took a shine to me and says she sent me here for my own good. Said I deserved a woman who would sacrifice everything for me the same way I sacrificed for them. And I wasn’t going to find it if I continued down the path I was on.”
"Esmeralda can travel through realms?" Magda asked, furrowing her brow. "Besides you, I did not know anyone was able to do that."
"There are certain souls, even those who have died and passed on, who can travel through the realms," Nick said. "It is all about getting to the realm you want to get to. For example, I have a crystal ball, given to me by Esmeralda so I can keep an eye on my family back on earth - or whomever I choose to observe. It was an act of kindness on her part because she did not have to give me such a useful tool. On my ship, there is a door that leads to whichever realm I want to travel to. All I need to do is focus on the point I want to get to before opening the door. And I have to want to go there. I can't just think it and the door will open. It has to be something I truly desire."
"Which is why it opened for you when you rescued Remy from her attack," Magda said, "but not when you tried to return her. You wanted her to stay." Her eyes flashed up at him, but she kept the judgment off if her face.
"See?" he said. "Selfish."
"Love is not selfish," Magda found herself saying before she could stop herself. She looked away without making it obvious she wished she could take back the statement. The silence was too thick to ignore, and she knew she needed continue to speak so it did not turn suffocating. "Granted, I am not familiar with it, but if you truly love someone, you put them first. You put their desires and wishes and happiness before your own. Perhaps that is the lesson Esmeralda wants you to learn."
"Are you saying my feelings for Remy as not what I say they are?" Nick asked.
"There is no way for me to know that," Magdalena told him. "Only you can decipher what you feel for Remy. What you should ask yourself is this: you say you loved many times in your life, but it has not worked out, correct?" At Nick's nod, she continued. "If your feelings for Remy resemble those you have felt in the past for other women, perhaps you need to re-label them with a different word. Instead of love, perhaps you lust after them, you care about them, they mean a good deal to you. But if your behavior remains the same in regard to all of them, then it can't be love."
"Because you say so?" Nick asked, getting disgruntled.
"Because if it is love, you would not need to question your feelings," Magda said, more forcefully than she meant to. “You would not doubt yourself and you certainly would not treat them like any other lover of yours from your past."
"And how did you become such an expert on matters of the heart?" Nick asked, tossing his head to the side so his hair flew out of his face.
"I told you, I am not," Magda said. She was not sure if she should continue but decided he had shared something important to him. The least she could do was return the favor. "My mother gave me to James after my wings were stolen from me."
Nick’s eyes widened. “Wow,” he said. His eyes were on the wood beneath his feet until he seemed to be overcome with curiosity and shot her an intrigued look. “Can I ask you something? Did anything else go on between the two of you? Romantically, I mean? It just doesn’t make sense that Hook trusts anyone. And he trusts you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You guys are close. But what kind of close, is what I’m wondering. The guy’s a monster.”
“He isn’t,” she said, her eyes flashing him a warning. “I understand why you might think that, I used to think that as well, but he isn’t. I assure you.”
“Did him and you ever…” Nick trailed his voice off, pushing his brow up, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Not that that’s any of your business,” Magda retorted, “but no, we haven’t. I’ve never even” – she cut herself off, wondering why the hell she was talking so much – “but that’s not your business, either.”
For some reason, Nick looked pleased with her response. It was completely dark now, the only light the half moon hanging in the sky. Nick looked different in the moonlight, more mature. Older.
“You know,” Magda said, and she did not know why she was talking. Talking led to revealing secrets, especially talking that she was not in control of. Talking she was not thinking about beforehan
d. Her voice had gotten quiet. The background music consisting of the rolling waves made the moment much more intimate. Magda was uncomfortable, but that did not inhibit her words. She kept going, and she could not stop herself. “In the moonlight, right now, you actually look beautiful. Like a man any woman would be lucky to fall in love with.”
Nick’s eyes flashed to her, questions in them. He looked hesitant, but Magda was not sure what he was hesitating about. Almost like he was worried that what she said was not really true, as though she were making a joke and did not mean what she said.
Then, she did something even more stupid than talking.
As though her body knew what it was doing, she rolled up to the balls of her feet – Nick was not tall when compared to James, but he was a good six inches taller than she was – and wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him to down until his lips were on hers and they were kissing.
Seventeen
Remy hated ships. Hated them. There was nothing to do and only so much to see. Back on board the Jolly Roger left her with nothing to do except explore the ship once more and reread all of James’s books and talk to her mother’s voice in her head. More than anything, she missed her mother and her father. She understood now that stowing away on the ship was the dumbest thing she had ever done. She should have stayed put. Perhaps she would have fallen in love with Charlie. Perhaps she could have talked to her parents about marrying someone she did not love. Perhaps she could have the love she longed for and the security her parents demanded. Instead, she acted rashly and stupidly. She was a petulant child and ran away from home. If Nick had not saved her…
She shook her head, lying in her cot, staring up at the ceiling. It was the same light brown it had been the last time she stayed here. Had that been only a week ago? It had been felt like forever ago.
Even more so when she thought about her life on earth.
The Neverland Trilogy Box Set Page 37
