Always (Forever Wicked 2)

Always (Forever Wicked)
Second Edition
Megan Slayer
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2012 Megan Slayer

Another night, another pain in the butt.

Peter sat back in his seat and folded his hands in front of his mouth. Dealing with another rant from his second in command wasn't his idea of a hot night, but once Tinker Bell got on a roll, there was no stopping her.

"The damn fool wants to run the club. What does a guy who thinks he's God's gift to the universe need with our club? He's not even a sympathizer." Tink folded her arms. Her wings fluttered in a blur. "You're not going to let him take over, are you?"

After the fires and the war destroyed Neverland, he'd vowed not to deal with the humans. For the most part, humans were dangerous. Being in London had been dangerous. He hadn't wanted to move Neverland across the pond, but the decision ended up being for the best. The Fae stuck by him through thick, thin and the move. And now he had to deal with the humans again. He ground his teeth together. Full-blooded humans with a healthy hatred for the Fae and things they didn't understand personified a threat to the Fae's existence. Fuck.

A certain human stayed in his head like a video loop. She was the reason he'd opened the damned club. He wanted to see her again. She also served as part of the reason he'd run out of money.

"Are you even listening to me?" Tinker Bell leaned forward on his desk and slapped the oak surface with her palms. "This is serious. Our livelihoods are at stake."

"I'm listening, Tink." He blew out a long breath. "Hook wants to take over Neverland. Again. I know."

"And you're sitting there hemorrhaging money and pining over a woman you don't even know still wants anything to do with you." She groaned and flopped down in the leather chair opposite his desk. "Look, why don't you put your energy into finding her? See if she's got a business degree or something."

"She does, remember? You brought up her profile on my tablet. I don't know why she turned to writing, and right now I don't care."

"You don't care or you're more interested in connecting with her?" She waved her hand. "I get it. There's something about you two. You balance each other -- if it's actually meant to be. She's famous. She probably won't want you hanging around."

Although Tink's words stung, he understood what she meant. His heart ached. He knew from the moment he saw her fifteen years before that he wanted Wendy for the rest of eternity.

"Balance." He picked at the buckle on his leather boot. "What if I'm -- we're wrong? She might not get it even if she writes about it."

"If by 'it' you mean your club and your Dominant needs, you're right. She might not. Too many humans come in here looking to be controlled and shocked rather than to find freedom." She tapped the tablet on his desk. "But you won't know until you find her, so look her up. She's got the money to help us, and she's sympathetic to our struggle. She's really one of us."

"Tink, look. I'm not losing that much money -- I've got plenty of new Republic currency in the bank and in my safe. We'll be okay for at least another six months. But you're right, the Fae money isn't good any longer. What the members are paying me is basically worthless and neither you nor I trust many humans. Yes, Hook knows how to generate money for the club that's not coming out of my pocket, but I'm not comfortable taking it. I'm running out of options. Besides, you and I don't know Wendy will care. You said so yourself, she's famous."

"You are so hard to follow sometimes." Tink sighed and toyed with the spiked hair at the front of her head. "You know she's the one for you, don't you?"

"Possibly."

"Peter, honey, I love you. I do. You're not my type, but no one's perfect. Those facts aside, I'm not about to sit here and let you allow that sorry excuse for a man take over the club. I trust you to make the right decision, but I won't stick around if he's in charge. Find her and convince her we need... help. Anything. Got it? So do it."

Tink stood and stomped out of the room. She slammed the door, leaving him to his thoughts.

Peter swiveled in his chair and closed his eyes. He stroked the hairs on his chin. The last time he'd seen Wendy Darling, she wasn't more than eighteen. He'd longed to kiss her since the moment he'd seen her five years before that. In fifteen years' time, she'd aged gracefully. The last time he checked on her, he hadn't aged at all. The body of a teen and the mind of a man. What a fuck-up. Would she even remember him so many years later? He scrubbed both hands over his face and opened his eyes. He twisted the thick braid of silver around his wrist. He owned a fetish club for Fae and the mongrels -- the grown children of both Fae and human blood. What would she think if she came to visit him? Bodies in contorted positions, couples engaged in lascivious acts... moans and groans of pain and pleasure... Many of the humans he'd once known ran from him and called him a monster and Fae sympathizer. Sympathizer. Fuck. He was a Fae!

A knock at the door tore him from his thoughts. "I know you're in there, Pan."