“DAMN YOUR BLOOD!”

A shout from one of the sailors awakened me from my slumber.

I was about to fall back to sleep when another voice cried out. “I come from hell and I will carry you there presently!”

The first sailor seemed to take offense to this and retorted, “I’ll cut you in pound pieces!”

“Not before I pull out your bleeding heart!” It sounded like it was followed by the brandishing of a sword.

“You have better bloody well shut both of your mouths, before I cut off your tongues,” I yelled from the hammock I had dozed off in.

Both sailors looked over to see that I was indeed awake and not amused.

“Beg pardon, Captain Hook,” this came from Brownie who was one of my better midshipmen.

“Sorry, Ma’am,” Billy Bowlegs made an awkward bow mixed with a salute.

I felt someone’s presence near my side and turned to see Peter staring at me.

“If there is something on my face I would prefer you tell me now,” I heated and tried to sit up gracefully.

The hammock had other ideas and began to twist to the right as I slid to the left and the next thing I knew my ass was smacking the floor.

“Go, a head and laugh,” I warned him with my dagger that I’d ripped out of my boot.

Peter’s lips did not so much as twitch. However, his eyes danced.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he extended a hand and I took it gratefully. “I don’t know why you insisted on sleeping up here when you have a perfectly good bunk below stairs.”

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. The room below was dank and dark, nothing like the captain’s quarters that I was used to. To be perfectly honest, it made me uncomfortable.

I suppose I should have been happy to not be bunking with the crew. But I cannot help but wonder if I wasn’t alone it wouldn’t be better. Alex and Lilly were tasked with the crew to fly the Jolly Roger, but Silver insisted that Peter and I remain aboard the Henrietta.

“I like the fresh air,” I said loftily, releasing my arm from his strong grasp.

He nodded, “Yes, it’s a good thing it doesn’t get chilly out here in space.”

“You are being an ass-hat,” I scowled, when his broad chest began to shake with laughter.

“You know as well as I do that it is freezing out here. Your fingers were so cold when I helped you up that I worried they might break off.”

I sighed as I secretly shoved my frost-bitten hands into my armpits, “It is cold as fuck out here in space. I have on three layers already. It is hard to imagine that last week when we joined Silver we were complaining about the heat.”

Peter pulled my hands out and held them in his large warm ones. I felt tingles all the way down to my toes. It could have been that they were finally getting blood circulating through them. But I liked to think that it had something to do with Peter.

“Why won’t you sleep downstairs?” he asked again, quieter this time. “I know that you are not sleeping at night. You have dark circles around your eyes that look like bruises. You need your sleep, Ebony.”

“This is a lot to take in,” I blurted out. “Everything I thought I knew about myself and those around me is a lie. I don’t know who to trust. Shit, I don’t even trust me.”

Peter pulled me into his chest. His body heat bringing life back to my frozen limbs.

“You are like an ice cube, Eb,” it was said under his breath and sadly coincided with a loud sneeze from yours truly. “We are going below stairs!”

He scooped me up and carried me. I didn’t fight Peter, I knew that I was tired. But the moment we went into the dark cabin I felt that awful claustrophobia starting to creep back in.

“I can’t stay here,” I grumbled.

“Ebony, why the hell not?” he ran a hand through his hair after setting me on my feet.

“Idon’tfeelcomfortable.”

“Ebony, was that an answer or a sneeze?”

I grabbed his arms for support, “I don’t feel comfortable here. It is too dark, the room smells, and I hear scratching that I am positive is rats.”

“Most ships have rats, Eb. Even the Jolly Roger has been known to carry a few.”

I knew that.

I wasn’t stupid.

“But never inside of my cabin,” I said in a low voice.

Peter sighed, “What if someone stayed with you?”

“You will?” I grabbed him around the waist and squeezed with all of my might, “Thank you, Peter, thank you!! You won’t regret it, I promise.”

I knew that he intended to put someone else in here, but the truth was that if it wasn’t going to be Alex or Tiger Lilly, it had to be him. And if I am truthful I only wanted him. I wanted to feel his naked skin brush against my own.

I wanted him to kiss me until I forgot all about fathers and kidnapping and most of all treasures. I wanted someone in this universe to want me for me, and not what I could do for them.

I gathered, from what everyone has said, that Hook only took me in so that he could use me as leverage later, against my real father. Silver only wanted me so that he could force Hook to reveal where he buried the treasure, that Hook stole from him when I was kidnapped as a young child.

I was even questioning my relationship with Alex. He did care for me, I knew that. But how much of our friendship was based on him trying to gain the attention and affection of his natural father? All these thoughts plagued me at night in the dark.

“Please do not make me stay here alone,” the whispered plea was low, and I hated how young I sounded.

Peter’s strong arms wrapped around me, “If you want me, I will stay with you.”

I looked up to see his green eyes looking at me intently. He scooped me up and placed me onto the berth of the small room.

“I will be right back,” Peter kissed my forehead, “Do not move.”

I nodded and watched as his broad back walked out of the space. I had started shivering again and prayed that I wasn’t getting sick. The cold seeped into your bones and wrapped itself so tight that you felt you would never be rid of it.

The door opened, and Peter entered along with Tinkerbell.

Her nose wrinkled, “This is terrible!”

I had seen the other cabins and knew it was as good or better than most, but I couldn’t comment with my teeth clattering together.

Peter gave Tink a pointed look, and she sighed before conjuring up some fairy dust. She sprinkled it everywhere. Along the walls over the floors and even the bed.

My jaw unclenched when I felt warmth begin to settle around me. In a flash, I realized that I had never been this cold on my ship.

“What did you do?” I asked.

Tink shrugged, “I just sealed the cabin of leaks. Your blankets are fuller and your pillows softer. I can’t fix everything, but I can make it bearable.”

“Did you do this for everyone?” I had to ask.

Tink blushed, “Fairies don’t really feel the cold. Our hearts burn like fires, I know it sounds strange, but they keep us very warm. Most don’t enjoy our touch because of how hot we are.”

She placed a hand on my arm to show me and I almost threw myself into her arms.

“You are so warm, Tink!” I soaked in every ounce of heat she was willing to give.

She wriggled out of my grasp, “Hook had me do this on his ship eons ago. I suppose I should have remembered when we came upon the Henrietta.”

“Tink, you enjoy being human size, do you not?” I asked carefully. I needed her on my side.

She nodded cautiously.

“How do you think that Silver is able to make his boat fly?”