Page 66 of Caging Darling

It hits me then that for him, it’s probably not simply revenge he’s after, but a way to get the other boys off the island. The other boys, who’ve always excluded him, never liked him.

“My boy used to put himself between the little ones and the bullies.” I turn and find the wraith nearby, running his hand over the side of the boat. He cranes his head to face me. “I tried to tell him not to avenge me,” he whispers. “But he never could hear me.”

Tears roll down my cheeks, and I crouch, not toward the wraith, but toward Michael. I plant a kiss on his forehead that he immediately wipes away.

Tink cocks her head to the side in exasperation.

My voice is dry, empty. “I’ll be right back.”

CHAPTER 23

Isearch everywhere for Victor. I start in his rooms but he’s not there.

Neither is his crossbow.

Nausea has my mouth watering. Panicking, I run my fingers through my hair, my palms clammy against my face.

We’re going to be stuck here forever. Victor is going to die at Peter’s hand, and I’ll never leave.

Tink will leave with Michael. She’ll get him out of here if we don’t return. I told her that if I we weren’t back in an hour to put Michael in the boat and get him out of Neverland.

I find little comfort in that.

Placing my hand on my chest to steady myself, I consider where Victor would have gone. Probably to wait out Peter in his room. I race down the tunnels, thankful when I don’t encounter any of the Lost Boys.

I almost burst through the door, but the thought of an arrow pinning me to the wall has me knocking on the door gently. “Hello,” I whisper through the keyhole.

There’s a shuffling inside. Footsteps approach. I expect the door to crack open just barely. Instead, it flings open, a hand grabbing me and pulling me into the room while the other coversmy mouth. I kick, but Victor’s voice against my ear quickly settles me as he closes the door behind us as quickly as he opened it. “It’s just me, Winds. What are you doing here? I told you to take Michael and leave.”

He releases me, and I spin to face him. Sure enough, there’s a crossbow propped beside the door. He must have set it down before grabbing me. Victor glances at it, following my line of sight, then picks it back up and aims it at the door.

His throat bobs.

“You were supposed to wait for us. We were supposed to leave together,” I say.

Victor shakes his head. “That was before we knew there was a second boat.”

“He’s going to kill you.”

“Not if I kill him first.”

I tug at the hair framing my ears. Take a steadying breath. “It’s not worth it, Victor.”

“He’s the reason my father is dead,” Victor snaps. For a moment, I say nothing and allow Victor’s words to hang between us. He winces. “And the reason John’s dead. I can’t live with myself, knowing that killer is still alive.”

“We’ll learn,” I say.

“No.” Victor snaps his head toward me. “You’ll learn. You know why? Because you have someone else to live for. You have Michael, someone to take care of. I don’t…” His breathing becomes labored. “I don’t have anybody. My father, Thomas. I don’t have anyone.”

I shake my head, taking a step toward him. When I place what’s meant to be a comforting hand on his shoulder, he shudders. “You have me. You have Michael. Don’t you see that? We’re not leaving without you.”

Victor’s bloodshot eyes bulge. The looks he gives me over his shoulder is one of pity. “I know you want to believe that.”

I frown. “Why else would I have come back?”

It’s brief, but his gaze flits to the crook of my elbow.

“I shouldn’t have left a note,” he says.

---