“What is it?” the fae queen asks.
“We’ll help you, but my brother is left unharmed.”
Holt leans back in his chair and puffs out his chest. “Vane is prone to revenge. We all know that.”
“Yes, and his streak of revenge was directly connected to our sister and the Lorne family. Not you and yours.”
I’m not entirely sure how my brother will react to having the shadow taken from him, but that’s another problem for another day.
One of the pirates brings over several glasses and an uncorked bottle of rum. He sets a glass in front of each of us and fills them with a few fingers of liquor.
“All right,” Holt finally says and takes the offered drink in hand. “James, you’ll lend us your men?”
James’s gaze immediately cuts to mine. I lift a brow. See? my brow says.
“I can spare a few,” he answers.
“I would also like my brothers to remain unharmed,” Tilly adds. “Let me deal with them.”
Holt nods once. “As you wish.”
James downs his liquor. He barely winces at the burn. “The next question is, where do we stage this coup?”
“The treehouse would be a risk,” Smee says.
“I agree,” James says.
“Perhaps we could lure them—” Holt starts, but Cherry appears in the doorway and cuts him off.
“If Vane is injured, they’ll take him to the lagoon. That’s where they’ll be.”
I’m shocked she’d give him up so easily.
Maybe he betrayed her one too many times.
“Then it’s settled.” Holt shoves his chair back. “We should leave now and take them by surprise.”
“I agree.” I down my rum and stand next to him, giving him my most irreproachable smile. “I hope your magic rock does its job.”
Holt reaches for it hanging from the end of the chain. “Of course it will.”
Honestly, I’m hoping it works. Because if he does manage to take the shadow from my brother, I plan to take it from Holt.
And it’ll be much easier to steal as a magic rock than as a shadow.
I smile at Holt and gesture for the door. “After you, Your Highness.”
I’m going to enjoy watching that mother fucker die.
29
WINNIE
We’ve been floating in the lagoon for what feels like hours, just me and Vane. The rain has stopped and the dark clouds have thinned letting some of the remaining twilight to shine above.
Vane is conscious again, which is better than when we arrived, but his breathing is labored and every handful of minutes, his body jolts and the shadow tries leaving his body through the gaping wound in his chest.
“Why isn’t this working?” I call to the others.
Pan is sitting beside the wolf, absently scratching at his neck while Bash and Kas play catch with a large seed pod.
“Give it time,” Kas calls. “The lagoon can be picky about how and when it gives up its magic.”
“Darling,” Vane says, his voice weak. “You should go.”
“I’m not leaving you.” I swim closer to him. He’s on his back, the waterline undulating around his body. “Do you feel any better?”
He grits his teeth at a fresh wave of pain and black mist kicks up from the festering wound. I can barely stand to look at it, it’s so bad.
“I think it’s getting worse.”
When the panic rises again in my throat, I quickly swallow it back down.
“Maybe you need to ask the lagoon for help.”
He snorts. “If begging is required, I’ll fucking die.”
“Don’t you dare say that.”
“I can feel the shadow wanting to leave.” He lifts his head just enough to look over at me. “And when it does, I’m not sure what will be left.”
“You still haven’t told me what you are beyond the shadow…”
His teeth chatter. “There’s a reason my brother is known as the Crocodile. I’m no different.” He gets his legs beneath him and treads water slowly. “There was a time I thought getting rid of the shadow would be best. That I could control who I was a lot easier than I could control the shadow. But the more I’m around you, the more…” He trails off and rolls again to his back.
“You what?” I coax.
“I am a monster either way. You would be better off without me.”
“I swear to fucking god, if you keep talking like that I will…”
He gives me the joy of laughing this time. “You’ll what?”