with
them!”
Smee ducks. “Maybe you’re forgetting
something essential?” he suggests when he straightens again.
“And what would that be?”
“ Well, she
also said, don’t forget about
the rainbow , didn’t she?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“ So
maybe we should start spending the days
with trying to catch one instead of looking for an island where
there’s none.”
He does have a point. “Drop anchor as soon as
we reach the shore. And find me some gunnysack.” I rub my temples.
“No idea how to catch a blasted rainbow.”
When Smee’s
eyes suddenly grow wide as they focus on a spot over my right
shoulder and the constant murmur and whistling on deck stops
abruptly, I whirl about to see what put them all in shock. A young
man stands in front of me. The first thing I’m aware of is that he
doesn’t stink or look like a pirate. He’s none of my crew. “How the
heck did you get on my—” Realization strikes hard and fast.
“Peter?” I whisper.
“Good afternoon, Hook,” he says through
gritted teeth. A heartbeat later, his fist crashes into my jaw.
Pain explodes
in the left side of my face. Hauled several feet backward across
the floorboards, I’m knocked into the stack of boxes. My lip split
from the punch. Blood gathers in the corner of my mouth. I spit it
out and wipe the rest away with the back of my hand. Hunched over a
box for support, I glare at Peter sideways. “Good afternoon to you,
too.”
I push back to my feet and brace myself for a
fight when Peter stalks forward, hands fisted. But Smee and Skyler
rush to his side, holding him back by his arms. Peter wrestles to
get free. Only wearing pants, there’s a display of twitching abs
and pecs under his skin—muscles that haven’t been there when we
last met. Stubble shadows his cheeks and chin now and his hair has
grown enough to notice a certain change. More, he made good on the
few inches I always had on him. My little brother has become a
man.
“Let him go,” I tell my men calmly.
Reluctantly,
they release his arms. “What? Do I look like I can’t handle a fist
fight?” I scowl at them until they step away but their gazes remain
on us. So be it. I ignore them and focus on Peter. “What happened
to you?”
“ Why
don’t you tell me, bilge rat?” Free of the pirates, he comes at me
again, fists lashing. “How did you make me age so fast?”
This time, I’m prepared for his attack. I
dodge another hit aimed at my jaw and block a sucker punch to my
stomach with my right forearm. Grabbing his, I twist it to his
back, step into the hollow of his knee and shove him forward. He
lands on all fours.
“I didn’t know this would happen! I thought
time would start where it had stopped when you cursed Neverland.”
And it’s the truth. Seeing Peter at the same age as me when really
only a month has passed is a shock to the bones. “The destruction
of the watch should have set things back to normal—not turn you
into a man in an instant,” I add in a lower voice as Peter rises to
his feet again, facing me.
“But it did!” he barks. “And I’ll make you
pay for it!”
His kick to my chest comes too fast and I fly
backward against the mast. Pain spreads in my lower back. I twist
around and grab the mast for balance, recovering quickly. From the
corner of my eye, I see how Peter starts his next attack. Another
kick. This time, I react faster and his bare foot only hits the
mast. If it hurt, he doesn’t show.
Taking the
opportunity, I knee him in the guts and headbutt him. Briefly
dazzled, he stumbles backward, finding support at the railing. He
shakes his head to clear his dizziness. I could end this battle in
a minute, if I pulled my sword and skewered him through the heart
or sliced his throat. But I don’t. In fact, I’ve done enough bad on
him. For a moment I wonder if any treasure in this world was worth
hurting my brother. But then I see Angel’s face in my mind, and I
know I would do it again .
“Peter, I’m
them!”
Smee ducks. “Maybe you’re forgetting
something essential?” he suggests when he straightens again.
“And what would that be?”
“ Well, she
also said, don’t forget about
the rainbow , didn’t she?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“ So
maybe we should start spending the days
with trying to catch one instead of looking for an island where
there’s none.”
He does have a point. “Drop anchor as soon as
we reach the shore. And find me some gunnysack.” I rub my temples.
“No idea how to catch a blasted rainbow.”
When Smee’s
eyes suddenly grow wide as they focus on a spot over my right
shoulder and the constant murmur and whistling on deck stops
abruptly, I whirl about to see what put them all in shock. A young
man stands in front of me. The first thing I’m aware of is that he
doesn’t stink or look like a pirate. He’s none of my crew. “How the
heck did you get on my—” Realization strikes hard and fast.
“Peter?” I whisper.
“Good afternoon, Hook,” he says through
gritted teeth. A heartbeat later, his fist crashes into my jaw.
Pain explodes
in the left side of my face. Hauled several feet backward across
the floorboards, I’m knocked into the stack of boxes. My lip split
from the punch. Blood gathers in the corner of my mouth. I spit it
out and wipe the rest away with the back of my hand. Hunched over a
box for support, I glare at Peter sideways. “Good afternoon to you,
too.”
I push back to my feet and brace myself for a
fight when Peter stalks forward, hands fisted. But Smee and Skyler
rush to his side, holding him back by his arms. Peter wrestles to
get free. Only wearing pants, there’s a display of twitching abs
and pecs under his skin—muscles that haven’t been there when we
last met. Stubble shadows his cheeks and chin now and his hair has
grown enough to notice a certain change. More, he made good on the
few inches I always had on him. My little brother has become a
man.
“Let him go,” I tell my men calmly.
Reluctantly,
they release his arms. “What? Do I look like I can’t handle a fist
fight?” I scowl at them until they step away but their gazes remain
on us. So be it. I ignore them and focus on Peter. “What happened
to you?”
“ Why
don’t you tell me, bilge rat?” Free of the pirates, he comes at me
again, fists lashing. “How did you make me age so fast?”
This time, I’m prepared for his attack. I
dodge another hit aimed at my jaw and block a sucker punch to my
stomach with my right forearm. Grabbing his, I twist it to his
back, step into the hollow of his knee and shove him forward. He
lands on all fours.
“I didn’t know this would happen! I thought
time would start where it had stopped when you cursed Neverland.”
And it’s the truth. Seeing Peter at the same age as me when really
only a month has passed is a shock to the bones. “The destruction
of the watch should have set things back to normal—not turn you
into a man in an instant,” I add in a lower voice as Peter rises to
his feet again, facing me.
“But it did!” he barks. “And I’ll make you
pay for it!”
His kick to my chest comes too fast and I fly
backward against the mast. Pain spreads in my lower back. I twist
around and grab the mast for balance, recovering quickly. From the
corner of my eye, I see how Peter starts his next attack. Another
kick. This time, I react faster and his bare foot only hits the
mast. If it hurt, he doesn’t show.
Taking the
opportunity, I knee him in the guts and headbutt him. Briefly
dazzled, he stumbles backward, finding support at the railing. He
shakes his head to clear his dizziness. I could end this battle in
a minute, if I pulled my sword and skewered him through the heart
or sliced his throat. But I don’t. In fact, I’ve done enough bad on
him. For a moment I wonder if any treasure in this world was worth
hurting my brother. But then I see Angel’s face in my mind, and I
know I would do it again .
“Peter, I’m
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