Hook’s grin was victorious.
Peter swung his sword again and Hook easily crossed it, rushing forward to hold their positions as he turned to peer at Wendy. “Mr. Smee, stop playing around and take Wendy Darling to my quarters; it’s bad luck to have a woman on deck in the midst of a battle,” he ordered calmly.
Wendy’s eyes went wide with surprise as Smee suddenly batted Wendy’s sword away as if it were a pesky fly. Before she could recover, another pirate came in from the side like lightning and wrenched the sword from her hand. They moved so easily and so quickly, it was as if they had purposely been holding back before. Perhaps they’d been unsure of their captain’s intentions for her. But they knew now, and they acted upon his orders with swift efficiency.
Before she truly knew what had happened, her wrists were being held tightly behind her back as she was simultaneously shoved toward the stairs that led to Hook’s cabin.
Peter’s rage grew tenfold then, and the strangest thing happened to his eyes. Where he’d been gazing, heatedly, through eyes the color of forests only a moment before, he now stared at a blood-colored world through eyes that began to glow eerily red.
Hook straightened and the smile on his face disappeared.
“Well, well. . . ” he muttered under his breath. Slowly, he stepped back and lowered his sword.
He studied Peter carefully as the teenager flexed and unflexed the fist holding his sword. Sweat trickled down the sides of Peter’s face to the collar of his jacket. “Fight me, Hook.” Peter gritted out through clenched teeth.
Hook slowly shook his head.
Wendy gave a small cry of surprise as she temporarily slipped on the mist-slick stairs leading to the captain’s quarters. Peter looked over in time to see a burly pirate grab her by both arms and lift her up the remaining steps.
And then something in Peter snapped.
Hook could almost hear it.
The boy lunged forward, roaring with rage as he did so, and Hook was more than ready for him. With ease that came only from an eternity of practice, Hook blocked Peter’s attack, and then twisted his sword in a circular fashion, wrenching the slippery grip from Peter’s grasp. Peter’s sword went sailing across the deck to clank into the nearest mast and clatter to a stop.
Peter gazed at it through his blood colored eyes, confusion and anger playing tag across his young, handsome face.
But the tip of Hook’s blade once more at his throat drew Peter’s attention back to his opponent.
Hook gazed at him steadily. “Get off of my ship, Pan,” he said, his voice so soft that only Peter could hear him.
“Why don’t you just kill me?” Peter spat.
“It would hardly be sporting to kill you in your current condition, young man.” Hook looked him up and down once more, his sea blue eyes at once telling and filled with secrets. “Get off of my ship before I throw you off.”
At that, Peter, took a tentative step back. He looked around, seemingly lost as to where he was and what he would do next. “What will you do with Wendy?”
“Now, now, Pan,” Hook replied. “A pirate never tells.”
Peter swallowed audibly, and once more, his fists clenched at his side. “My pixie. Let her go.” He bartered.
“That, I can do.” Hook nodded at the man who was holding the glass jar with Tinkerbell inside. “If I have your word that you will then leave.”
The man held the jar aloft, his hand ready on the lid.
Peter nodded his assent.
The jar opened and Tinkerbell flew out at a furious speed. The first thing she did was head straight for Hook, her tiny form as red as the glow in Peter’s eyes.
“Tink, no!” Peter yelled. Tinkerbell skidded to a stop and blinked at him questioningly.
“I gave him my word,” Peter said.
Tinkerbell looked from him to Hook and back again.
But before Peter’s words truly had a chance to settle in, Hook’s good hand shot out like lightning, snatching the pixie from the air in front of him. Just as quickly, he spun around and hurled the tiny fairy off of the ship and out into the darkness. While Peter stared, wide-eyed, after the waning trail of shimmering dust, Hook whirled back around and nodded at Smee, who now stood waiting by the ship’s wheel.
With that, Smee spun the wheel sharply to the left, causing the ship to bank hard and list violently to one side. The sudden change knocked Peter off of his feet. As he fell back and slid on his side part way across the deck, Hook, who had been expecting the ship’s tilt, strode on confident legs to where Peter lay.
With a smirk only befitting of the captain of the Jolly Roger, Hook set one black boot on Peter’s chest and gave a hard shove. Peter went sliding the rest of the way across the deck and then, just like that, he dropped off of the other side and fell into the clouds and the darkness below.