AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m hoping to meet him soon. James is an old friend of his. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find him. Would you happen to know where he is?”
Meadow blew a breath through her nose. “Peter is often off on an adventure by himself. Sometimes, you can find a trail of dead bodies in his wake.” She spoke the words nonchalantly, as though leaving a trail of dead bodies was a completely normal thing to do.
“Dead bodies?”
“He does it all the time.”
“So, he just goes around killing people?” What kind of monster was he?
“People, beasts, fae, he’s not particular,” she said casually. “If you’re in his way, and he is—in a mood.” She dragged her thumb slowly across her neck and made a slicing sound before dramatically falling to the floor with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. I couldn’t help but giggle at her dramatic antics.
A loud crowing off in the distance pulled us from our conversation. Meadow jumped up from the floor, a smile across her face. “That’s our Pan now.”
“What?” My stomach dropped, and my pulse began to race.
“That crowing is Pan,” she confirmed.
Panic consumed me. I couldn’t meet him here, not without James’ protection. “We should go. Now.” I reached into the cage and swiped up more faerie dust, quickly smearing it across my cheeks.
Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.
“Katherine?” Meadow looked at me, confused. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s… I’m… We need to get back. I don’t want James to worry. No one knows where I am.”
I had stupidly left the Jolly Roger without telling a soul. I didn’t even leave a note. What was I thinking? If James returned and I was missing, he would likely fear the worst. I remembered the vision of James screaming in agony. I had made a mistake leaving without notice. And with a stranger, no less. What if this was a trap? I had to get back to the ship. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and shifted my thoughts to happier times.
I anxiously paced our cabin while the vision of James lifeless haunted my thoughts. Candlelight flickering off the heavy drapes and dark wood gave an eerie feeling to the room, adding to my unease. It had been a while since I last read him. I should try again and see if things have shifted. Maybe the Divine was ready to reveal more of his story.
“We were close today, Kat.” James bounded in, pulling me close for a quick kiss and instantly soothing my nerves. “We heard his ridiculous crowing. He has to be here.” His eyes grew wild with excitement. “I dreamt of his death last night. Now I know exactly how I’ll execute the bastard. Do you know what lingchi is?” he asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term.”
“Death by a thousand cuts.” He smiled wickedly. “First, we’ll bind him to the mainmast. I’ll start with slow, shallow cuts. Just enough to make him beg for forgiveness.” James pulled his sword and sliced it through the air. “And then, when he is delusional with pain and dripping with blood, my cuts will get a bit deeper. He’ll lose his limbs first. Prolonging his inevitable death and turning him into the literal monster that he is. Piece by piece, he’ll lose what’s left of his humanity until he is nothing more than a glistening mound of raw, red, whimpering meat. It’s genius!”
My stomach turned with the vivid description James had laid out. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Peter just a boy? That seems harsh, torturing a young child.” I wasn’t so sure how I felt about mutilating a child. Even one as vicious as Peter.
His lip curled back, and his brows drew together. “Harsh!? He is a vile thing. He will never grow up. Peter has lived more lives than either of us ever will. Hell, he has taken more lives than either of us combined. Don’t let his youthful appearance soften you.”
“What if I had a better solution? In fact, an easier, quicker option?”
“I don’t know how you can do better than lingchi.”
“I have procured enough herbs to concoct a lethal poison. A simple meal with the boy, and it’s over. You can torture him with words and delight in his panic while the poison takes effect.”
James took a seat at the table, poured a glass of rum, and lit his ridiculous cigar contraption without speaking a word. His silence was deafening. In all the years I’d known James, I’d never seen him this venomous. I sat across from him and poured myself a heavy glass.
“Do you not like my idea?” I asked delicately.
“What it lacks in artistic poetry, it makes up for in efficiency.” A large plume of smoke billowed out of his lungs. “Why don’t you make the poison, and we’ll see how I feel once we capture the abomination.”
I smiled proudly and finished my glass of rum in one quick toss. We were finally going to put an end to this madness. I sauntered over to James and kneeled in front of his feet. The hollows of his eyes were dark, his brows heavy with worry. I wanted to ease the stress from his mind and bring his attentions back to me. “Let me help you relax. Shift your thoughts to something more pleasurable.” I pulled the boots from his tired feet and reached for his breeches. “You’re tense. Allow me to—release some pressure.”
James sipped his rum silently as he watched me pull his hardness from his pants. “Let me show you how much I missed you today.” Staring into his fathomless eyes, I licked my lips before bathing his length with my tongue.
“My cock clearly missed you, too,” he groaned as his glistening shaft bobbed in appreciation.
His excitement emboldened me. Having the power to make him weak with need had me writhing with excitement. I teased the tip ever so gently, drawing a gasp from James’ lips. Sliding my mouth down his generous length, I took every solid inch of him down the back of my throat.
