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Smee smiled, delight sparkling in his eyes as he pulled me in for a hug. “I pledge to you my undying loyalty. Together, we will stop him, my friend.”
There was that word again, friend. I needed to shift the dynamic. I appreciated Smee’s fealty and admired his devotion, but I could not, would not, allow him into my heart. I’ve experienced enough pain to last several lifetimes. The last thing I wanted was another person to care about.
“Smee, old man, I need to piss. Help me with my breeches.” If holding up my pants while I pissed didn’t show Smee his place, I don’t know what would.
“Do you need me to hold your cock, too?”
“No!” I gruffed, grabbing my dick before he could put his hands on it. “Just hold up my damn breeches and tie me back up after.”
“Were you right-handed?” he asked, making small talk while I relieved myself.
“Aye.”
“I guess you’re going to have to relearn how to do the most basic things. How are you?—”
“I don’t know, Smee. I fucking jerk off with my right hand, too. Did you want to offer me a hand with that as well?”
Smee chuckled, “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. If there is anything I can do to help, I’m at your service.”
“Can you grow my hand back?” I paused, waiting for an answer that wouldn’t come. “No? I didn’t think so. There is nothing that can be done. I’m half a man.”
“Hands do not make you a man, James. It’s your power, your strength, your prick. As I just witnessed, that piece of you is still very much intact. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Your injury can either define you or make you stronger. A man understands that you can lose a battle but still win the war. The choice is yours.”
I huffed as he tied my breeches. I didn’t need the pep talk from Smee. He had no idea what it was like to lose a literal piece of yourself at the hands of your nemesis. He may have lost a son, but at least his body was still in one piece. I just wanted to find Katherine and put an end to this day. “I’m choosing to go back to the Jolly Roger. Surely, Katherine has returned home by now.”
The sun had begun its nightly descent when we arrived back at the ship. Pink and peach hues painted the sky in a beautiful blush. The crew scurried about the deck as if nothing were amiss. I took a moment and said a silent plea to the Divine. Please let my Katherine be home, and in one piece.
“Starkey!”
He was startled at the sound of my voice. “Captain, you’re back.”
“Aye. Where is Miss Hawkins?”
The smile dropped from his face. “She’s not with you, sir?”
“Fuck!” My stomach dropped. “I thought maybe she had come home.”
“Smee!” Cecco interrupted, breathless from running across the deck with a box in hand. “A package was delivered while you were gone. It’s from Rindle, the gnome. He said it was most important.”
“Oh! Yes, I wasn’t expecting them to get it here so fast. Well, no better time than now.” Smee grabbed the box and turned to me.
“Captain, I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries but, I wanted to thank you for helping me find my son. And for giving these cast-off Lost Boys a family. This is for you.” He knelt before me and offered up the wooden box.
Carved across the top in the most beautiful script were the words Captain James Hook. Puzzled, I looked at Smee.
“Open it, Captain.”
I slowly lifted the lid. Curiosity filled my stomach with nervous excitement. Nestled upon a bed of crimson velvet lay a polished silver hook attached to an ornately decorated cuff. I had never seen anything like it before. It was beautiful. I stared, speechless, tracing a finger along the cool metal curve. The tip had been sharpened into a wicked point, pricking my skin as I explored. “Smee, it’s… exquisite.”
“The gnomes assured me it would fit. Why don’t you slide it on and see how it feels?”
The weight seemed impeccably balanced as I held it in my hand. I slid my healing stump painfully into the cuff and watched in disbelief as the intricately embossed filigree danced across the metal, forming the base to my severed wrist.
“Well? How does it feel?” Smee asked hesitantly.
“It’s perfect.” A cool breeze at the back of my neck sent a shiver down my spine, and I smiled, knowing everything was about to change. A sinister laugh bellowed from my chest. The crew stood motionless and wide-eyed at my new addition. “From this moment forward, I am to be known as Captain James Hook.”
Smee stood smiling, raising my arm and my new hook to the sky. “All hail Captain Hook!”
