Unhooked(30)

Once the boys have me belowdecks, I can’t stop them from tying my hands together behind my back or from dropping me unceremoniously onto the cabin floor.

“Captain’s orders,” Devin says coldly, and then he closes the door behind him with a violent snap of the latch.

With no real windows in the cell-like cabin, the small space is dark and closed in. I struggle to get to my feet, which is no easy task with my hands bound so tightly behind me. Once I’m up, I try the door. It’s locked again, but I throw my shoulder against it and shout for someone to let me out anyway.

No one comes. No one answers. And after a while, my side aches and I’m panting with frustration and fear. Because I don’t know what the Captain could possibly want from me.

I settle myself onto the bed, trying to adjust, but it’s impossible to find a comfortable way to sit or lie with my arms tied like they are. All I can do is wait, my ears sharp and alert for the sound of footsteps outside the door. For a warning that someone is coming for me.

But the waiting is endless and even with the ache in my arms, my eyes eventually start to grow heavy. And the slow rocking of a boat bound for the open sea coaxes me into a dreamless sleep.

? ? ?

I wake from a sharp pain in my arm. It throbs with every heartbeat, a steady stabbing pulse that aches from shoulder to wrist. My cabin is now completely dark, and my head is fuzzy from sleep. The whole ship is quiet, so I know it must be very, very late.

I try to sit up, but I can’t quite find enough leverage at first. It takes a few tries of rocking back and forth, but finally I manage to get myself upright. Which might have been a mistake, because now my head is swimming.

The ship creaks as it lists in the choppy waves of the open sea, and I’m so groggy from my unintended nap that I almost miss the soft thunk outside my door. I don’t miss the slightly louder moan that follows it, though, or the sound of a body sliding to the floor. Trying to get myself ready for whatever is about to happen, I scoot back, away from where the danger might come.

The door creaks open slowly, and a wavering light just bright enough to obscure my vision precedes its bearer. “Will?” I squint my eyes, trying to make out who just entered, but the strange glow is blinding after the pitch-dark night. “Captain?”

“Neither, I’m afraid.” The voice is unfamiliar—a deep, rich tenor that sends a shiver up my spine as it comes to me through the darkness.

When the light comes toward me, I realize it’s no lamp. The glow is coming from small orbs that hover in the air, circling around the intruder like tiny planets, their wavering light throwing shadows across his face. With his face half concealed in darkness, I can’t tell if I’ve ever seen him among the Captain’s crew.

“Come on then, and be quick about it,” he whispers as he cuts my bindings. When he pulls me to my feet, his hold on my wrist is gentle, but I have the distinct impression I wouldn’t be able to break away if I tried.

“Wait,” I say as I do try to wrangle free from his grip, but I can’t. “Who are you?”

He catches one of the bright orbs and lifts it up near his face as he gives me a wickedly charming grin. His eyes are so pale, their irises practically glow in the light of the orb he’s holding. They’re set above a straight nose and a wide, soft mouth and strong, square chin. I still don’t know who he is, but he’s definitely not one of the Captain’s crew. I would have noticed him.

From the amusement I see shimmering in those eyes, I know he’s aware I’m admiring him. And from the smile teasing at his lips, I can tell he likes it.

“I’m the one here to save you, Gwendolyn,” he whispers softly, his voice warm and tempting.

“But who are you? And how do you know my name?”

His eyes narrow just a bit, giving away his irritation. But the soft, pleasant smile playing on his lips never falters. “I am Pan,” he tells me simply, as though that single word explains everything.

Pan, the one who attacked the ship. The reason so many boys are dead.

Instinctively, I struggle harder to break his grip, but it’s like he doesn’t even feel me.

“I’m here to take you to Olivia,” he tells me.

“Olivia?” I stop struggling against his grasp at the sound of her name, and the moment I do, he takes advantage and scoops me into his arms.

“I had no idea the Dark Ones had stolen two from your world,” Pan cuts in. “When I discovered it, I sent some of my lads to retrieve you from the Captain, but they failed.” His jaw hardens and he glances away, his face shadowed.

“The attack on the ship was a rescue attempt?” I ask, peering through the darkness as I try to read the truth in his response.

“I’m sorry it was not more successful, Gwendolyn.” I can’t make out his features, but his voice is filled with remorse. “She’s waiting for you,” he whispers. His pale eyes never leave mine, but he doesn’t move. It’s as though he’s giving me a chance to decide. “If you’re ready?”

But I’m not sure.

The Captain told me Pan was the biggest lie of all. But isn’t that exactly what Hook would say? And it’s not like I haven’t seen with my own eyes what the Captain himself is capable of—I watched him toss a boy to the monsters in the water. The Sisters, he’d called them. All because the kid hadn’t immediately pledged his loyalty. The Captain had refused to show him any mercy at all. Not when the boy begged and pleaded. Not even when he squealed like a scared pig.