Page 112 of The Last Lost Girl

My eyes widen, my breath hitches.

My sister hisses his name in warning.

Hudson pretends not to hear her, of course.

He brushes a strand of hair out of my face with his hook and toys with the tear at the bottom of the v of the shirt he loaned me with his forefinger. “But you should change your shirt. You know where I keep mine.”

That’s why he stalked over? I wanted him to kiss me.

“Worried one of your men will get an eye full?” I huff.

His eyes glimmer. “I’ll gouge any offending eyes out and wear them on my hook until they rot off it.”

I narrow my gaze. “You wouldn’t hurt any of these men.”

The scarred brow quirks. “Try me.”

I literally cannot understand him. No matter how much I try, I just can’t. Neverland has messed with his head for way too long.

“Smee!” he shouts, holding my stare.

As he backs away, my sister gives him a tongue-lashing. He smirks at me, holding hand and hook up in surrender.

After she finishes berating Hudson, she turns to me, still angry. “My feet are not tiny.”

I give her a droll look. “That’s the part of the conversation that irritated you most?”

“No,” she snips. “But it’s a valid point.”

I open my mouth to ask her if she thought he was serious about the eyeball thing when she points to the screen. “Change. Now. I don’t want to make his day and provide ornamentation for his hook.”

Shaking my head, I slip behind the screen. My clothes are folded and waiting for me on the chair. I shirk off Hudson’s too-large clothes and slip my bikini back on before tugging on my shorts and diving into my work shirt.

The shirt makes me think of Devin for a moment. With a start, I realize I don’t remember his face. I don’t know if he has facial hair or wears glasses, or what color his hair and eyes are. I’m about to consult Belle when Smee’s voice mingles with Hudson’s just outside the door.

The gentle giant peeks into the room between the parted doors. “Ava?”

I emerge from behind the screen. “Ready to have your shadow back?”

He lets out a strangled sound. “Truly?”

I nod and fight back tears because suddenly he is, too. Smee sobs the first few, wobbly steps he takes to meet me.

We walk together to Belle. His enormous chest heaves and he tries to smile, awash with emotion. “I didn’t think it would ever happen. Thank you, Ava,” he chokes, then dips his head toward my sister. “Belle.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I mutter as Hudson rejoins us. Of course, he’s going to watch. The second I seem strained in the least, he’ll stop me. Or try…

Smee wrings his hands. “Pardon?”

“When I take your shadow from Belle, I might see your memories. I just want to let you know. I don’t know why or how to stop it.”

He scratches his head. “That’s fine, though I don’t know what my memories might consist of. Perhaps it’s you who should be wary.”

Smee is the kindest person I’ve ever met, so I doubt he’s done anything terrible. What I can’t know is what might have happened to him before Pan brought him here. I hope that none of these men experienced trauma as children.

With surprised eyes, he covers his mouth and looks at Hudson. “I’m going to know my name.”

“That’s another thing,” Hudson says. “I think we should keep our given names to ourselves until we all have our shadows back.”

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