Page 3 of Inked in Emeralds (Inkbound #3)

" D uncan?"

My vision went hazy as I pushed myself to my feet.

“Harmony! Thank the gods you’re alright!”

My head spun as I stared at him, openmouthed. Of all the crazy things that had happened on my journey so far, seeing Prince Charming again—here, in a whole new world—was the most surreal.

I’d run into doppelgangers before. A version of little spitfire Cissy Petway had somehow existed in multiple stories at once.

Same with The O’Donnelly clan. I’d recognized each of them on the spot, but other than a fleeting hint of recognition from Cissy, it was only Gayelette, the magical visitor from C’an Saas projecting herself into the book of fairytales, that recognized me back.

As far as I could tell she was like me: a traveler through the realms rather than a double like Cissy and the others.

Until now.

Duncan’s eyes shone with relief as he lurched toward me and yanked me into his arms, sending Bonnie the falcon swooping off with an offended squawk . I returned his hug, instantly warmer inside and out at the familiar embrace.

Duncan…the real Duncan, was actually here. But how?

"I was starting to think I fucked it up! The Earl of Munsch said I was the only stranger to come through in years.”

I was stopped from replying by the fact that my face was buried in his wool-covered chest.

"Release her before I gut you like a fish."

For a moment, Duncan's muscles flexed more tightly around me, and panic crept up the base of my spine.

Hook was a stab first, ask questions later kind of pirate.

Luckily, Duncan let his arms fall away as he stepped back, both hands held high in mock surrender.

It was only then that I saw Hook's saber pressed against Duncan's kidney.

"James, no, it's okay! He's a friend."

Duncan cocked his head, his stare burning my skin.

Joy at seeing him, both alive and well, tangled with more complex feelings—guilt and confusion.

Back in Alabaster, we had gotten very close, very fast. He’d risked everything, his life, his future, his people, all to help me and Moll, and there was no question I’d felt… something for him.

And if I was being completely honest with myself, I still did.

But in some ways, I’d lived a whole other lifetime since then.

I’d grown stronger, learned how to fight my battles without his help, including one with a dreaded pirate who haunted my dreams and made me feel things I’d never felt before.

Not even with Duncan.

Now here we were…the three of us.

Kill me now and bury me deep from the awkwardness.

Hook never took his eyes off Duncan as he slowly lowered his weapon, but he didn't return the blade to its sheath. Duncan took a step forward and thrust out his hand.

"Duncan Westerly of Alabaster. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Hook’s lip curled in disdain at Duncan’s outstretched hand. For a second, I thought he might actually take it, if only to crush every bone. Instead, he let the silence stretch before replying.

"Captain Hook.” The ice in his tone was thick as ice in the winter.

"Well, that's convenient, then, isn’t it?" Duncan said, tipping his head toward James's iron appendage, the corner of his lips curving into a wry smile. The flash of a familiar dimple almost made me smile back—until I remembered he was playing with fire here.

"Duncan and I met in Alabaster, before I wound up in Neverland.” I cleared my throat as Bonnie circled above twice then dropping to my shoulder. Her weight was welcome and even in the short time Fetch had been gone, I’d missed it. I missed him .

Now that the dust had settled, she was back and nuzzling my neck, cooing softly.

She’d belonged to my mentor Bertrand, who had run the palace mew in Alabaster.

Bertrand had given his life for the revolution, and I’d wondered what had happened to the falcons in his care.

I let out a low sigh of contentment as I scratched at Bonnie’s downy chest, the load on my heart lightening just a little.

"This here is Bonnie. She's a love, but she's also got a bit of an attitude. Don't expect her to be as easygoing as Fetch." No falcon was as good as Fetch, not even Bonnie despite the beauty that she was.

The thought of my own falcon was like a stab straight to the core of me, and I sucked in a breath. He’d been my loyal sidekick since I was four years old, and his absence was a hole inside me. Right next to the gaping void that Molly used to fill…

Nope. Not going there. Not yet. Just pretend they’re on a holiday somewhere together for now.

"Speaking of Fetch, where is the little fellow?" Duncan asked, doing a quick scan of the sky before returning his gaze to me.

"This wasn't the story I came to after I left Alabaster,” I explained.

“There was a place before here, and…” I trailed off.

Now wasn't the time to explain. “Anyway, I had a stop to make before coming here. I left Fetch there with Molly to keep her safe. We’ll get to the rest of all that later. First, I need to know…how are things in Alabaster?”

When James had shown me his fairytale book—very like the one I’d had for a short while as a child, only with black-edged pages and ever-changing text, shifting and rewriting itself as new choices were made—I’d read how things had been going since we’d battled—and bested—Relyk.

Still, it hadn’t been long since I’d left Alabaster.

“Fantastic, although I’ve been away for a week now.

Took a bit of time to make my way back to The Shadow Abyss and then trying to work up the nerve to jump off.

” He grinned and winked at me, ignoring James’ glower.

“That said, the rebellion was a total success, and the kingdom is now in the hands of a council elected by the people. The walls between Little Alabaster and The Hollow have come down. The shroud hiding The Smudge is no more. People are still wary, but the start is all there. The chance to re-write the future.”

My jaw dropped. “All that since I left? I’ve only been gone a couple of weeks…”

“Weeks?” His dark brows caved into a frown. “Harmony, you’ve been gone for over a year.”

A year…

It seemed impossible, but there it was. So how much time had passed for Molly since I’d left her back in Neverland? Six months? More?

My stomach clenched.

Her life could be completely different now… Maybe she even made a new best friend. And what of Fetch? Would he even remember me?

It was clear that Duncan did, and cared enough to risk life and limb to find me. That meant something.

I could feel James’ eyes on me and I cleared my throat as I focused on nitty gritty of what Duncan was saying. “Time doesn’t pass the same way in all the stories.”

Was that why I needed Pan’s clock, then?

More to chew on once we’d settled in, but one thing I was learning through my travels; getting the lay of the land was crucial to our success.

Somehow, whether it was the fates, Gayelette, my own instincts, or a combination of all three, I needed to find the tools and the means to accomplish whatever task came my way.

That’s how it had gone in the last two stories.

I needed to trust the process more.

“And The Speaker’s village of Whispers?” I asked, refocusing my attention on Duncan.

"They’re back in Alabaster. Magic is beginning to thrive, and the land and people will prosper, the new shoots of it are already there.

I'm still dealing with some minor resistance from the nobles, but all in all, things are better than I could have hoped for.

We did it, Harmony. You did it." He made to reach for me again, stepping closer, but a low growl from James stopped him in his tracks.

My cheeks went hot, and no doubt were bright red. I cleared my throat. “How did you manage to find me?”

"I went to The Smudge to talk with the people there, that woman with the flower cart?—"

"Gayelette," I cut in, nodding eagerly. "What did she say?"

"She told me that we were living inside a book of fairytales, and you had turned the page to get to the next story.

She said that you needed me." His voice rang with sincerity, his expression solemn as he spread his hands wide.

"When I went back to the Shadow Abyss to follow you, I wasn't able to grab the single dog-eared page anymore.

I had to take two. I just got here a few days ago and was about to leave Munsch Kin Land in search of you.

But then, there you were, falling out of the sky like a shooting star. "

James muttered something under his breath from behind me that sounded suspiciously like, "Bloody wanker," and I ground the toe of my boot into his instep.

"Well, I'm really glad we got here before you left. I’m so happy to see you. A friendly face, belonging to someone who actually knows who I am."

“You have no idea…” he said, his affection plain as day.

That was the thing about Duncan. Aside from hiding his Whisper when we'd first met—which gave him the ability to go berserk and fight with the strength of five men—he was an open book. You knew exactly where you stood with a man like that, as opposed to?—

A slow clap broke my train of thought, and I turned to see James smacking his hand against his forearm in applause.

"Wonderful. Come to save the damsel in distress…Aren't you just a fucking hero?”

Duncan cocked his head and leveled Hook with a long stare.

"Funny, at first I wondered if that heavy hook on one side versus the hand on the other would leave you off balance and an easy knock down in a fight, but now I'm realizing that chip on your shoulder probably evens things out, eh?

" Duncan's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and a bolt of fear sizzled through me as Hook took a step forward.

His voice was low and lethal when he finally spoke. "Tell you what. Why don't you test your theory and knock me down, pretty boy?"

The two men glared daggers at each other, and I saw the moment Duncan's eye began shifting from gray to silver, his pupils elongating into diamonds…

Not good.

"Okay! Let's all take a breath here and calm down.” I stepped neatly between them with a shrill chuckle. “I'm sure it's been a long day for everyone, what with us hopping worlds, and you trying to find me. Guys...we're on the same team here. No need for all this.”

“You’re right, as usual.” Duncan was the first to step back, which was no surprise. “I'm just happy to have found you in one piece.” He spared a glance at the setting sun and his brow furrowed. “We really should get indoors now, though. We don't want to be out here in the dark.”

I swiveled my head, taking in my surroundings for the first time. I’d been so thrown off by seeing Duncan, I hadn’t even noticed anything else.

This new world…it was a feast for the eyes—totally different from the tropical paradise of Neverland but just as beautiful.

White, fluffy clouds dotted the blue sky, and the sun shone bright, but the air was cool and dry.

It was the landscape that caught my attention most, though.

Trees and bushes surrounded us—dark trunks exploding into a riot of stunning colors at the top—reds, purples, greens, and yellows—like a few of Molly’s most outrageous wigs.

The bushes were short and squat, teeming with plump fruits and berries with more colors even than the tree tops.

In spite of the idyllic scenery, I'd experienced enough horrors—from flying mantises to ticking crocs—to know one thing for sure;

If Duncan said we shouldn’t be outside at night, then we shouldn’t be outside at night.

“Where do we go? Where have you been staying?” There was no evidence of a nearby village or people.

“I’ve been staying in Munsch Kin Land. The townsfolk there have been nothing but kind to me. They'll be glad to take in a couple more visitors.” He turned and gestured for us to follow. "This way."

The journey was short and almost eerily silent, which gave me some much-needed time to think. I spent the precious few minutes trying to reconcile my two lives...the one I'd been living, and the one I'd left behind. Duncan and James. James and Duncan. Me and…who?

So far?

It wasn't going great.

Oddly, it felt like a year had passed for me too since I’d left Alabaster, given the countless life-changing experiences I’d gone through since I’d leapt across the pages. But when Duncan had put his arms around me, I couldn’t deny…it felt so easy, so natural to burrow closer and return that hug.

I glanced at James from beneath my lashes and winced.

The tension poured off him in waves—from the lines around his mouth, the narrowed eyes, the slight flare to his nostril.

All as his long, no-nonsense strides threatened to put him ahead of Duncan despite the fact that he had no idea where we were going or how to get there…

Strange. When we’d jumped off the plank of the Jolly Roger, I’d been afraid of so many things:

Dying before we reached the next story. Dying when we reached the next story.

Failing to find the item we would need to find, and never getting to return to my true home of C’an Saas.

I worried about how Molly and the kids were doing, and feared we’d never be together again.

And what would become of James and me after?—?

I bit back a groan as my brain instantly conjured up a replay of the other night, in his cabin. His mouth on mine…his fingers playing over my heated flesh…

“Do you need to stop and consult a map?” Hook asked as Duncan paused and looked around in confusion.

“Nope, all set on that front, but thanks buddy.”

That sealed it. Every other worry needed to be set to the side for the moment. The only thing I could afford to focus on right now was de-escalating the cock fight brewing between these two…

Before they wound up killing each other.

Men.