Their Vicious Darling by Crowe Nikki St

Author:Crowe, Nikki St. [Crowe, Nikki St.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Romance, Adult
Amazon: B09YHFPJ79
Goodreads: 60863106
Publisher: Blackwell House LLC
Published: 2022-09-01T07:00:00+00:00

16

PETER PAN

As soon as we’re under the Neverland sky and breathing in the fresh night air, I scoop Darling into my arms and take flight. She hooks her hands behind my neck and rests her head against my shoulder. She says nothing all the way back to the treehouse.

I can hear the party underway when I land, but I can’t tell where Vane and the twins are just yet.

I need to get Darling somewhere safe so I can figure out what to do next.

I push quietly through the front door and find the foyer empty. The sconces that follow the curving staircase up to the loft are lit and flickering light casts odd shadows around the space.

The twins are in the kitchen. Bash is trying to cheer Cherry up with a sweet tart. Kas is laughing at something his brother said.

Of course The Dark One is silent. I’m anticipating him appearing practically out of thin air to analyze me and Darling covered in blood.

Not yet.

I can’t face him yet.

I fly up to the loft and then down the hall, more grateful than ever that I have the ability back.

But at the last second, I realize I made a grave error.

Vane is in the library.

“There you are,” he says as I land outside my tomb door. His boots are heavy on the hardwood floor and an uneven board pops beneath his weight as he comes out to greet me. “Where did you go?” he asks.

“Town,” I tell him and pull open the door to the turret, keeping my back to him so he doesn’t see Darling.

When he finds out she killed his brother…

The thing they don’t tell you about love is that sometimes you are forced to pick between two impossible versions.

Vane or Darling? I could never choose.

I don’t want to.

“Is that blood?” Vane asks.

“I got into a fight with a drunk in a tavern. It’s not mine.”

“And Winnie?” His voice drops a decibel and I pause at the top of the winding staircase, my gut lurching at the emotion threaded through his voice.

There is too much caring these days.

And I don’t know how to handle it.

I thought getting my shadow back would solve all of my problems, but I forgot just how many problems I have. And that not all of them can be solved with power.

“Sleeping,” I tell him over my shoulder even though her eyes are wide open. “I’m laying her down in my room. Don’t disturb us.”

“Pan,” he starts, but I kick the door shut with my boot and seal him out.

On the top stair, I hold my breath, anticipating him ignoring my command.

But he doesn’t come and I’m not sure if I should be relieved or ashamed that I’m keeping this secret from him.

He will never forgive us.

Even if it’s been years since he spoke to his brother, even if he holds a great deal of loyalty to me, I am not his blood.

My footsteps echo back to us as I carry Darling down the stairs and then into my tomb.

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