“Dytus,” he says.
Christ.
Dytus was a girl from the Umbrage that used to follow us around like a lost little puppy.
“That was a unique situation,” I say. “I ran out of time.”
“And yet the result was the same.”
The Lost Boys send up a cheer in the backyard. When we reach the foyer, the hot orange glow of the bonfire spills across the floor through the open back doors. There is the distinct smell of campfire and burning tobacco in the air.
Vane goes to the large front door and pulls it open and holds it. “Go, before he comes back.”
“If you won’t choose,” I tell him, “I’ll make you choose.”
“I clearly already have, Roc.”
“You wound me, brother.”
He just stares at me with his black eyes.
I want to slap him across the face and wake him up. Either that or kidnap him and cart him off this godforsaken island.
I don’t want to fight him but I will if I have to.
“Change your mind,” I tell him.
All of the levity is gone from my voice and I let him see it.
He is steeled and the wood of the door creaks in his hand as his grip tightens on a freshly glued repair.
“All right.” I smile at him. “In that case,” I crack one of the peanuts and let the shell rain down around my boots, “you should know, I traveled with the Remaldi family.”
My baby brother’s entire demeanor shifts. His mouth parts open, betraying a sliver of surprise.
I bite into a peanut and look out into the night. “They’ve waited long enough for the return of their shadow.” Another peanut cracks in my hand. “It’s rightfully theirs.”
“Shadows belong to no man. Only the land.”
“I think Peter Pan would disagree with you.”
His nostrils flare. He knows I’m right.
“I suppose I’ll head into town and see what kind of trouble I can get into. In the meantime, please do reconsider your position. I’ll give you until sunrise to bring the shadow to us. If you don’t—”
“You’ll what, Roc?”
I pop another peanut in my mouth and dust the shells from my hands. “I’ll let the time run out.”
15
PETER PAN
Darling devours her meal in record time. I don’t think she comes up for a full breath before she’s licking her fingers clean of the tomato sauce, one fingertip at a time.
I can’t help but imagine it’s something else she’s cleaning off and I’m instantly hard.
“What is your verdict?” I ask her trying to distract myself and my rogue cock.
“It was better than I expected.” She takes a long drink of the Winterland whisky and winces as it goes down. “I’m feeling tons better.”
“Yes, let’s talk about your care and—”
The tavern door creaks open and because I like to know everything about my surroundings, I am drawn to the newcomers.
And the moment I see that bright blond hair, my insides chill.
Remaldi royalty and several of their guards.
It doesn’t take much to connect the dots.
Tilly summoned the Crocodile. The Crocodile is from Darkland.
The Darkland royals probably saw an opening to retrieve their dark shadow.
Vane will give the shadow back, I’m sure of it. But now is not the fucking time.
There are two guards who keep two paces back and three of the royal family with the queen at the head. I don’t recognize the other two women, but they’re younger than she is, which means they are much, much younger than me.
Giselle spots me in an instant. I am hard to miss.
“Christ,” I mutter when she starts over.
“What is it?” Darling asks. She follows my line of sight and goes rigid beside me when she lands her gaze on Giselle.
The air shifts. Did the wolf return from his hunt already?
I don’t see him.
I look over at Darling as the energy in the air mounts.
The fuck is that?
I can feel her.
I can feel…
Oh fuck.
“Peter Pan!” Giselle says.
The Darkland queen stops at the head of our table and clasps her hands in front of her. Though Neverland has always been more tropical than arctic, Giselle is wearing a fur shawl made of what looks like a wolf’s pelt.
Beneath that, a black dress skims her body in skeins of silk.
Her blond hair is woven into several thick plaits that are pinned around her head like a crown.
She knows better than to wear an actual crown on Neverland.
Behind her is a young woman who might be twenty-two or fifty, depending on how she ages. She’s swearing the Remaldi royal crest and she has the Remaldi blond hair, so I assume she’s a princess.