Chapter Nine

Rose...

We stood still under the perfect serenity of that moment until Peter gave my hand a gentle tug, pulling me towards him. "Come on," he murmured, "we should get to this place before we grow old."

Haha.

The undergrowth of the forest was soft with moss and grass, blades of green silk weaving between my toes. We ducked and chased the moonlight through the trees, fingers linked the whole time. His palm was cool and dry against mine. The chirps of cicadas and the sweet scent of pollen permeated the air, creating a light and passionate atmosphere. Just breathing in such intoxicating air was making the both of us giddy.

Peter released my hand swiftly and disappeared before my eyes. I stopped walking and revolved three hundred and sixty degrees slowly, eyes warily searching the shadows for him. "Peter," I called, "if you're trying to scare me it won't work."

No answer.

"This is your last chance. Come out now and I won't kick your butt later." My annoyance was woven into my words, blatantly obvious.

Again, there was no answer.

"That's it," I announced, raising my voice slightly, "I'm going back to the Camp."

Before I had the chance to stalk off, a pair of large hands appeared out of nowhere and covered my eyes, making the world disappear behind a veil of black. I was jostled forward, much to my discomfort. I swore and dug my feet into the ground but to no avail. Leaves brushed against my skin like cool, dry fingers and the sound of water bubbling played quietly behind my scuffling. At that moment the hands obscuring my vision dropped, letting pure beauty take place of the darkness.

A small lake, no larger than an average sized pool, formed in a perfect circle in the middle of a clearing. The lake was a rick azure, the water glowing as if lights from beneath the surface beamed upwards. The water was a mirror of the sky above, reflecting the glittering stars and the giant moon. Edging the lake were blue stone bricks that were woven with dark vines and white flowers that shone silver in the moonlight. The flowers were very similar to roses. Mere metres from the perimeter of the lake the forest began again, trees leading off into darkness. Peter moved to my side, his luminous eyes gauging my reaction.

"Peter," I breathed, losing myself to the beauty of this small lake. "It's beautiful."

"I thought you'd like it," Peter sounded pleased. "Only I know about this place, well as far as I know."

"Obvious you've fixed it up a little. I mean, it didn't start off like this," I said, eyeing the blue stone bricks.

"Well, all I did was set the bricks down to keep the shape. Other than that, this is how I found it."

"Amazing," I turned to look at him, my previous irritation at his disappearing act dissolving like jelly crystals in hot water.

He met my gaze with a glorious grin, a flash of hesitation sweeping across his face before he visibly swallowed it down and reached out to run the back of his hand gently down the side of my face. A long pause of silence stretched between us before he sent me a wink. "Well, fancy a swim or what?"

I felt the corners of my mouth lift in response to him. "Of course."

Peter wriggled out of his belt, where his weapons were sheathed. He dropped it to the ground and flew up into the air, making a beeline for the centre of the lake. When he was satisfied with his location, he sent me a small salute before promptly dropping into the middle of the lake. While he was submerged, he left me with a dilemma. What was I supposed to wear?

Slight panic fluttered in my chest as I thought of my options. Either I waded out to Peter fully dressed in the beautiful dress Princess Hurit lent me, which really wasn't an option. The skirt of the dress was long and flowing with bright, gauzy materials of crimson and gold and amber. It was as though a fire was burning its way up my legs. The top half of the dress was a tight bodice of moss green that moulded to my figure as though it was made for me. Yes, it would be a ridiculous idea to even consider wearing this garment in the water.

But...all I was wearing under this dress was my bra and underwear! And it wasn't even a matching set; a white lacy bra and bright red briefs. My neck and ears were burning with mortification. By this time Peter had surfaced and was cutting through the water with lazy, powerful strokes. I was grateful he wasn't watching me, giving me some much appreciated privacy.

With some resolve, I straightened my shoulders and took a deep breath before unbuttoning the small buttons that dotted down the bodice. Once my trembling fingers undid the last button I slipped the dress from my body and, without looking down at myself or over at Peter, I walked into the water.

The water was cool and gentle against my heated skin. The Lake was deep; I had only taken a few steps toward the centre of the pond and was already in waist deep. Peter had stopped his journey around the lake and was now heading for me. He stopped a short distance away and grinned devilishly. "Why, hello there," he murmured, his skin glowing from the light of the water.

"Hey," I giggled nervously. His eyes twinkled and he reached for me. His hands wrapped around my forearms, pulling me gently into the circle of his arms. He wrapped his arms around my body like warm chains, holding me securely to him as he kicked off into deeper water.

The sandy floor fell away from under me until all that was surrounding me was the sapphire water and Peter. His skin was smooth against my own, his warmth chasing away any coolness the water may carry with it. His hands sat at my waist, holding me above the water.

"Rose," his voice played against the teasing waters, causing shivers to run across my skin. He pulled me closer to him so that our foreheads touched. His breath mingled with my own, his heart beat a wild, erratic rhythm under my palm that was in sync with my own hammering pulse.

"Peter." My body heeded my mind's cautious nature; my fingers skimmed up his chest, tracing the hard planes and wide shoulders. They travelled up the length of his neck before disappearing beneath the tufts of golden hair, pulling gently at the soft strands. Peter made a low sound of contentment at the back of his throat. His hold on me shifted; one arm remained firm around my waist, whereas his other hand slid up my spine to rest at the base of my neck. His fingers pressed into the side of my neck, right near the pulse point. He brought my head closer, so that the small border of air that separated us was eliminated as our lips pressed together. I gasped into his mouth, clutching myself closer to him so that our chests were crushed together.

His lips were soft, so soft. The pressed against mine once, twice, three times. I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling gently. He moaned quietly and opened his mouth under mine, forcing my lips open. His tongue, ever so hesitantly, ran along my bottom lip. I followed suit and soon the tentative embrace turned into a frenzy of hot, passionate kisses.

Peter's arm dropped from my waist and traced down my hip, along my bare thigh to curl around the back of my knee. I was shocked out of the whirlwind of heat and stolen kisses when he suddenly hitched my leg up. I broke away from his mouth with a gasp and turned my face away, panting for forgotten breath. I had no strength at that moment to pull my leg away from his side.

"Peter," I said, breathing heavily. "We need to stop."

"Mmm?" His lips travelled hungrily along my neck. "Stop what?"

"T-this," my voice broke when I felt his teeth graze my throat.

"What, this?" His fingers pulled at my hair as his mouth claimed mine again, stifling my protests. I closed my eyes in bliss, losing myself to his sweet, dangerous mouth. A small voice at the back of my mind shouted to be heard. I shook my head, wrenching my eyes open.

"Yes!" I cried. "Please, stop."

"But do you really want to?" I felt, rather than saw, his mouth curve into a wicked grin.

"Peter, please," I set my hands against his shoulders, holding him at arm's length, "you know it will only hurt us more if we do things like this."

"Hurt?" Peter was completely perplexed. "Why would it hurt us?"

"Well," I chewed my lip, suddenly anxious, "when I have to leave..."

I was watching Peter's face as I said this, and watched as he shut down. His glittering green eyes turned dark, his smile slithered from his face like the blood in his cheeks. His arms dropped from my body, catching me unaware. I plunged beneath the surface of the water before my legs reacted and kicked me back into the world above. I found myself alone in the water.

Treading water, I looked around in distress. "Peter?" I finally found him, standing under the shade of a tree that led into the dense forest. "Peter, wait." I cut through the water sloppily, cursing my sluggish speed. The water droplets that speckled his skin caught the light from the moon; they shone like diamonds. At last I reached the edge, standing on wobbly legs to stagger over to him.

"Stop," his voice was cold, alien. I stood still and looked at him, my eyes stinging.

"Peter, I'm sorry! I thought you'd have already known that." My hands were held out in front of me, imploring him to understand.

"You never wanted me, did you?" Peter's voice broke on the word 'wanted'.

"What? No, Peter it's not that!" I broke free from his glare and fell towards him. Before he could skitter away I grabbed his arm, digging my fingers in.

"Of course it's that. No one wants me; everyone just leaves me for better things." I could say nothing, watching in horror as one hasty tear escaped from his eye, dropping in a metallic trail down his cheek before he angrily wiped it away.

"Peter," I said softly, realisation dawning on me. Peter suffered so much more than anyone understood, even me. His own mother forgot about him when he'd escaped to Kensington Gardens, barring the window so he couldn't return to his bed when he'd gone home one nostalgic night. Wendy had chosen to return to London after their adventures in Neverland. Every child Peter had brought to Neverland used him for adventure and excitement, only to return back to their mothers in the real world. Peter, though surrounded by adventures and people, was lonely.

"No," Peter shook his arm out of my grasp, stepping away. "Don't you dare pity me, or I'll – I'll kill you!"

"Peter, really, you're threatening me?" I took a step toward him, reaching for him again. I just wanted to hold him, reassure him that everything would be ok. But before I could make any contact Peter snatched my wrists and used sheer force to push me backwards into a tree. He pinned my wrists against the bark and leaned in.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Each word was like a slap in the face. "Don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for yourself. You're nothing to me, nothing."

My heart gave a hollow thump at that, but I refused to believe him. "What happened to me being 'beautiful'?"

Peter shrugged. "I say that to all the girls. They always end up doing what I want. You were nothing special, believe me."

I had to keep telling myself it wasn't Peter saying this, but his hurt. But it was very difficult to believe myself. "What about me being the 'prophet' of Neverland, or whatever. Was that a lie too?" My throat was aching with unshed tears. The sky was beginning to growl.

"No, that's true. Of course I had to get on your good side. It was easy. You're just a girl, and girls are all the same." He lifted my arms up above my head and gathered both my wrists into one hand while the other hand held my chin. "All it takes is one kiss," he touched his lips to the corner of my mouth, "and you just unravel."

It took me a moment to collect myself. And once I did, my world imploded. "How dare you, you stupid, arrogant, intolerable boy!"

Something passed over his eyes as he let my wrists go. He gave a cruel half smile. "She finally gets it."

"Now I understand why everyone left you!" I shot back brutally.

Peter's face went slack with shock for a moment. Regret burned through me. I opened my mouth to apologise before he cut across me. "Well why don't you follow their lead and go home." With that he kicked off the ground and shot up, disappearing through the leaves of the trees and from my sight. Rain plummeted from the churning sky, large droplets splattering my skin.

I stood motionless, struggling to keep my tears from spilling. Tears of anger, grief and shock blinded me. I sunk to the floor, clenching my fists so hard that my nails cut into my palms. A sob escaped me, the sound loud and painful to my ears, yet silent and lost to the roar of the downpour.

I fought for control over my own body, taking in great, shuddering breaths. I finally gained enough strength to lift my head. My breath caught in my throat. On the muddy ground in front of me was a pair of large, booted feet.

"Good evening, lovely." a low, silky voice wrapped around me. My heart almost stopped. I raised my head with apprehension, blinking away the rain that fell on my face. I was met with a pair of eyes that glowed with the chilling colour of periwinkle.

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