Author's Note: Thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter, they keep me motivated to keep writing, because as you can imagine this is a labor of love! I've been spending many late nights with Harry and Melody to finish this and I could definitely use the encouragement 😊
Harry's entire body went rigid, frozen solid by his father's voice.
Then, slowly, he seemed to thaw, muscles unlocking enough for him to take several stuttering steps backward. Melody had never seen him react this way to anyone and watching Harry Hook shrink before another human being was enough to lodge her heart in her throat.
But they were trapped, and she could only look on helplessly as Harry continued to wilt under the murderous glare of his father who stood at the top of the stairs.
The thump of boots against the wooden stairwell and the creak of shifting weight on loose boards had her pulse crashing in her ears. Each of Captain Hook's footfalls came in an achingly slow, controlled rhythm as he descended into the corridor.
"Saw Ursula's little bitch leading my men on a chase, so I knew you had to be nearby," Hook said. "Still following her around like a starved dog looking for scraps?"
Step, step, step.
"Pathetic," Hook snarled.
Luckily the passage was so dark, there was a chance Captain Hook hadn't seen Melody yet. She hoped, prayed he hadn't.
"Hide," Harry whispered to her. "Find a room and hide."
Melody began a slow backwards shuffle, fingers brushing against the splintering walls of the corridor to help find her way, never taking her eyes off that dark silhouette on the stairs.
"Stop," Hook's voice grated in his throat like sandpaper, the sound sending a chill up Melody's spine. "Or I will have my man who is waiting at the end of the hallway eviscerate you where you stand. I'd rather not do that. It would be a shame to stain the floors."
And Melody turned behind her, down the dim corridor to see that there was a man there, lurking in the shadows. And who knows how long he'd been there.
There was nowhere to go. They were trapped.
Bile rose in her throat now and she had to swallow to keep from being sick.
"You were always the most useless of the brood. Too pretty to get your hands really dirty, eh son?" Hook taunted. "Except when it comes to stealing from your father. You never had a problem with that."
Harry stared back at him, but his hand was fisted so tight around his hook, she could see the weapon was beginning to tremble under the force of his father's verbal onslaught.
"Left dear old da' here to rot while you went off to school like a real pretty boy, huh? Met yourself a little Auradon whore too, I see?"
And apparently Harry could only take so much, because he sprang, whipping his sword from its sheath at his side without a second thought. His father met the attack with his own hook raised. Metal rang loud in her ears, echoing down the corridor as it joined with the harsh sound of Captain Hook's laughter.
At that moment, she felt the cold bite of a sword against her neck as the man who had been hiding came from behind her, pinning her in his grasp.
Seas, how stupid could she be? After all of Harry's hard work teaching her self-defense and she had simply forgotten to use any of it?
"Ah, ah, ah," Hook clucked, wagging a finger at Harry. "Touchy. You never used to care so much for the wenches you brought home before."
Harry's face twisted in anger and he continued to press down on his sword. His arms flexed and it was obvious that he was physically stronger than his father. So many years of being forced to work too hard had honed him into a machine made for this, made for fighting and killing and he pressed down with his sword against his father's hook until Melody saw sweat beading on the older man's forehead.
"Put it down," Captain Hook demanded. "We wouldn't want your little wench to come to any harm now would we, son?"
The way his father twisted that last word with such unimaginable malice made her sick to her stomach.
Harry glanced nervously over his shoulder, and seeing the blade against her throat, all the fight left him at once and he deflated, lowering his sword.
"That's better."
Captain Hook took two steps closer and the smell of sour liquor filled the corridor. The lantern light cast shadows across his pock-marked face and he curled a lip into a disgusting imitation of a smile, revealing several missing teeth. Hook turned his eyes to Melody then, and her blood froze underneath that stare. His eyes were empty. Cold, like the deepest black at the bottom of the sea.
She swallowed hard. And when Hook looked her up and down with that icy stare, she wanted to run, to scream, to do anything, but her feet were frozen in place.
"She's a looker though," Hook teased, watching Harry's reaction all the while. "At least you have some taste."
Clips and chains jingled on Hook's belt as he made to approach her. But Harry put up a hand to his father. "Stop." Harry's voice was strung tight, but he squared himself to his father anyway. "Go ahead and punish me, whip me, string me up. I dinnae care. Just let the lass go. She hasnae done anything to yeh."
Captain Hook looked at his son as though he were just a roach that needed squashing. His eyes settled on the hook in Harry's hand. "Still playing pretend I see?" he cooed, leaning close to Harry's cheek and holding out his open palm. "Return whatever you've plundered and then we'll talk."
Harry glanced back at Melody. His face was turned at an angle so his father couldn't see, but she didn't miss the tiny signal Harry gave as he winked at her.
It was time.
Harry jerked the secret weapon from his coat pocket and flipped the switch.
Tick, tock, tick, tock echoed down the corridor and Hook screeched, stumbling back. This was Melody's cue to try to break free of her captor.
She elbowed the man in the gut, just as she'd practiced with Harry and ducked low under his blade as he lost his balance. When he tried to square up to her, she unsheathed the dagger strapped to her thigh, and pulled it into a reverse grip, slicing deep into the wrist of his sword hand. His blade clattered to the ground and blood spilled in crimson streams down his arm.
As she was engaged with the pirate, Harry had thrown the clock onto the ground and Captain Hook was now plugging his ears to shut out the sound, backing toward an open doorway to escape.
Secret weapon indeed. The stories were true, then. Captain Hook was deathly afraid of ticking clocks after losing his hand to the aptly named crocodile, Tick Tock. She'd doubted the plan's effectiveness when discussing it with Harry, but he assured her it would work.
Harry, of course, knew him best, and now he pushed his incapacitated father back into a corner and offered Melody his hook. She took it and they ran side by side, bounding up the stairs two at a time.
She could hear Captain Hook bellowing from below now. "Smee!" Then a strangled cry, a throaty wail of true insanity and he yelled for his first mate again. "Smee! Get them!"
She heard the man she'd cut, cursing and yelling for back-up as he was ascending the stairs at full speed behind them.
When she and Harry emerged from below deck, four pirates were already there waiting, having heard their captain's call to action.
But they'd planned for this scenario, too. She released Harry's hook hand and the next second he had both weapons, hook and sword, crossed against two different pirates, meeting their attacks. He held them back, trying to make room for their escape. Meanwhile, Melody had one arm around the lockbox and one on her sword, parrying strikes that came too close.
The fire was burning so bright now it had created an otherworldly mock-daylight as the eerie glow flooded the ship. Flames had jumped to the bow and the smoke was a thick cloud hanging over the sails. Crew members heard the yelling below and were now coming to the aid of their Captain, blocking their escape route to the docks. The only way out was toward the shark-infested waters of Hook's inlet.
And that was just fine with Melody.
Harry managed to push two of the men back and had just hooked a nasty gash into another pirate's shoulder when he stopped fighting suddenly.
With his escape route created, Harry blew the injured crewman a kiss before bolting to the railing on the sea side of the ship. Once there, he grabbed Melody's hand as though leading her to a fancy ball, bowing deeply and removing his hat like a true gentleman when she reached the edge of the railing. "Yer time to shine," he said, practically singing.
Captain Hook had been right about one thing, Harry did have a flair for the dramatic.
Melody played along, sheathing her sword and bowing back before jumping in headfirst. She tucked the lockbox close against her body with one hand and opened her locket with the other, letting the magic take her easily into the black water of the sea.
She surfaced in time to see Harry splash down next to her. He fumbled with putting his sword back in its scabbard, stashing his hat in his jacket, and working to secure his hook on a belt loop to free up his hands to swim. Afraid he was taking too long, she grabbed onto his arm and started towing him farther away from the edge of the ship. A crowd was now gathering there, gnarled faces leering at them from over the railing.
A hoarse, raging cry carried over the roar of fire and mayhem, "After them! Get in that water you bloody useless maggots or I'll have you strung up before sunrise!"
Splashes issued from behind them and it was clear the whole crew was going swimming. Apparently, they'd rather face the man-eating sharks than their captain's wrath at the moment.
But by the look on Harry's face, he'd already decided his father's crew had no chance, that the two of them had already won. Because despite the threat of the men swimming toward them and the adrenaline of nearly being caught, his eyes locked onto hers in that time-stopping, reality-shifting way that always jolted her heart into skipping a beat. Water dripped from his hair and the liner around his eyes ran in dark rivulets down the sides of his face as he stared at her, transfixed.
"Stormy seas, lass… yer stunning."
He was gaping, open-mouthed at her, as head to tail, he took her in. She'd forgotten he hadn't seen her up close like this before. Treading water, he ran his hands along the curve of her waist, down lower, gently skimming his fingers over the smooth scales at her hips. And she wished she could bottle that moment, save it forever to experience again and again. The reverence in his eyes, the sheer wonder, was so pure and she knew... he truly found her beautiful like this, not strange, not something to be feared, but someone worthy of… of admiration.
The glassy surface of the water shattered behind Harry as a swimmer appeared from below, grabbing hold of Harry's coat and jerking him back. Water sprayed and arms flailed before Harry whirled on the other pirate, crashing a fist into the side of his face and the dazed crewman released his hold.
"You can ogle my tail later," Melody said. "Come on."
She drew in one long, deep breath that she knew could last her for at least an hour as a mermaid. Then she grabbed for Harry's hand and they dove under, into the black, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see with his human vision in the dark waters. And that meant neither could their pursuers.
But Melody could.
She led Harry by the hand, deeper, nearer the sea floor, lockbox still tucked under her other arm.
The sand down here was littered with garbage - crates, cans, and seas knew what else. There were very few fish, but she did see the familiar outline of a dorsal fin and a knife shaped tail fin drifting nearby. Sharks.
The shadow wandered closer until she could see the white gleam of its underbelly catching in the low light as it passed. It was a blue shark, deep indigo on top and lighter below. Its large black eye studied her carefully as it coasted by again, closer this time.
When it came by for a third pass it became obvious the shark was circling. Melody was glad it would be much too dark this deep down for Harry to see anything. One less person to panic.
"Leave us alone," she demanded. "My grandfather, Triton would not be happy to hear that you had so little respect for his family."
The shark whipped his tail in agitation. "How about the pirate then? Surely you have no need for him." The shark circled closer, near enough that she could now reach out to touch him. "I recognize that one. That's Hook's son, that is. He'd be quite a feast, one to brag about to the others I'd say."
"He's not on the menu tonight," Melody said, dragging Harry along as she continued her swim, pretending to be completely unconcerned with the shark's threat.
"The sea bass were spreading rumors of a mermaid on the Southern Shore of Auradon, but we never thought we'd see you this far west."
"I had business here."
He glided closer, letting his tail skim against the skin of Harry's exposed calf. Harry jerked his leg back and he clenched Melody's hand a little too tight.
She placed a hand on Harry's cheek to steady him, a silent reminder that she had things under control. Then she pushed herself flush against him, closing her lips over his mouth to deliver a breath of life-sustaining oxygen.
"Want to tell me why you're saving Hook's son, princess?" the shark asked, letting his tail fin sweep against Harry's outstretched arm this time.
"Want to tell me your name, first?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Sharks were nosy creatures, but they could be reasoned with.
Most of the time.
"Florian."
"Well Florian, I'm helping Harry Hook because he's helping me," she said. "And since Zach Sparrow and The Black Pearl are after me, I need all the help I can get."
"I've heard Sparrow has been nosing around," Florian said.
"If you hear anything more, I'd appreciate any intelligence you can get me," she said. "And if you're ever near Belle's Harbor at Auradon University, stop by and I'll be sure you are rewarded for your loyalty to my grandfather. You can usually find me in the evening at Moonstone Beach or look for Ursula's daughter, Uma, on The Lost Revenge and she'll relay the message."
Florian flicked his tail, giving her a very coy look for a fish. "Anything for you, Princess," he said, "But are you sure you won't change your mind on the pirate?"
"I'm afraid not, I've become pretty attached to this one."
She gave Harry another breath as if to prove her point.
Florian blasted water through his gills, the shark version of a sigh.
"I never get to have any fun," he said, teasing Harry with one last sweep of his tail against the back of his neck. "Until we meet again, Princess."
Florian propelled himself through the water, his tail swaying back and forth until his outline blended with the ocean all around and he disappeared. She pulled Harry with a little more urgency away from the wharf and soon, trash was replaced with rocks and seaweed on the floor below them. Once they were a safe distance away, she stopped and turned to Harry.
She wondered what it felt like for him, following her blindly, unable to breathe, unable to see, with only her hand anchoring him to the physical world. No other senses to go by besides that of her touch. He would never show it, but she was sure it had to be terrifying.
She placed a hand on the side of his face and sealed her mouth over his, exhaling to fill his lungs. When she began to pull away, he grabbed for her waist, drawing her close as he turned that breath into something more.
Maybe it was the adrenaline of being so close to death, or the memory of that cold steel pressed against her neck, but she found she craved Harry's touch more than ever. It was as though she needed his hands on her to prove they'd made it, that they'd survived.
His mouth was a warm contrast to the cold pressure of the entire ocean pushing down on them. His taste mixed with the salt of the sea in a dizzying combination that had her dragging her free hand through his hair, grabbing on to him and not letting go.
His lips spoke to her there, at the bottom of the sea, telling her exactly what he could never say on land. She felt his emotions spilling out in the way his hands explored her everywhere, felt his fingers worship every inch of her, skin and scales, and soon, a familiar ache was building inside of her.
She was so caught up in the sensations he was drawing from her body, he had to hum against her mouth to remind her that he still needed to breathe.
She found the angle to cover his lips and exchanged another breath, feeling a tingle of embarrassment at getting so caught up in him she'd nearly let him drown.
He mimed strangling himself with a chokehold on his own neck before closing his eyes and letting his tongue droop from his mouth as if she'd killed him. He couldn't talk, but her pirate was still teasing her.
She chuckled, studying his expression. His eyes were open, but she knew he couldn't see her. And something about that sent a hot thrill through her veins. She had all the time in the world to appreciate the perfect combination of his handsome features, the arch of his kissable lips, the angle of his jaw, those eyes with secrets deeper than the sea itself.
He was gorgeous like this. She reached her free hand up to trace the contours of his face, letting her fingers trail along his cheekbones, then up to run her thumb across his brow. His eyeliner had mostly rubbed off by now, and she helped it along, scrubbing the area around his eyes until she saw the natural look of his gaze on her.
Without the liner he seemed softer somehow, and at her mercy here on the sea floor, he seemed vulnerable even.
This time she remembered to give him another breath. And he didn't let her go.
He gripped her by the back of her neck and drank deeply of her, pulling heat from places she never knew could ache for someone. His hands were becoming bolder now, exploring over her bikini top and she moaned against his mouth. She felt his lips turn up into a smile and then he was teasing her with his thumbs, dragging them in circles over her most sensitive parts until she tipped her head back and groaned.
She wrapped her arm under his shoulder and around his back to keep him from drifting away, feeling him against her, basking in the warmth of his body as she ran her free hand under his shirt. She was becoming very irritated with the lockbox she was forced to hold, which was now taking up five whole fingers she could be using to touch Harry.
Another breath exchanged and she began to feel a tightness in her chest.
Seas, she'd already used so much air, how long had they been down here?
But he felt so good, tasted so good, maybe she could last a little longer.
And if it was just her, she could have. But he needed her breath, too. So, lips still exploring his, she grabbed for his hand, uncurling his index finger to point it up toward the surface. When he realized that she was putting an end to their little adventure, he whined a little against her mouth, air bubbles tickling her cheeks as they floated to the surface. But she kissed him once more, a silent assurance that she wanted to continue this just as much as he did before tugging him toward the surface.
They came up at the same time, both drawing in a long breath before exchanging a smile and Harry pulled her to his chest in a wet, panting embrace.
"Tell me those werenae sharks down there," he said, inflating his lungs with a long inhalation and lying on his back to float.
"Not sharks," she said. "Shark. His name was Florian and he was actually very nice. After I told him he couldn't eat you that is."
She put her hands under Harry's back to lend him some buoyancy. He was probably tired, swimming with clothes and boots on was not easy. And by the looks of it, they still had a lot of swimming left to do to reach land.
"That shark was teasin' me," Harry complained. "And I bet yeh put 'im up to it."
"You probably did something to deserve it," she said, voice going soft as she nuzzled her face against his cheek.
"Yer probably right," he agreed. Then, Harry raised his brows as a sudden though struck him. "I thought mermaids didn't have to surface for hours, lass."
She gave him a look from underneath lowered lashes. "Some silly pirate took my breath away."
This was her territory now, and she was feeling much more confident than usual. Something about finally having a physical advantage over him made her want to do… things. She studied him then, water dripping from his hair, eyes soft and natural, lip turned up into a smug smile from her confession, and it took everything she had to keep from kissing the daylights out of him.
And he must have seen the hungry look in her eye because his smug little smirk spread into an expression that was practically sinful, making her realize he was thinking the same thing. "And I'd like naethin' more than for yeh to hold whatever wicked thought is passin' through that bonnie head of yers," he said. "But I'm freezin' me arse off."
He gazed off into the distance, seeing the lights of the bridge and his eyes widened.
"I know where we are." He pointed off into the vast blackness she knew was the channel separating the Isle from Auradon. "There's a narrow strip of islets off to the east. Have to be careful when yer sailin' to avoid 'em. It'll give me a chance to warm up and rest me legs."
They swam in that direction for about fifteen minutes, making it about halfway when Harry began to tire out, so she towed him along the rest of the way.
The moon illuminated the rocky outcroppings at the top of the tiny islet ahead. A few more good fin flaps and she was sprawled out on the sandy shore, tail still submerged, basking in the moonlight. It was a warm night, so she figured Harry's chill had come from being so deep under the water for so long. It was always much colder down there.
As soon as he'd reached solid ground, Harry pulled out the phone he'd stowed in a waterproof pouch in his pocket and she heard him release a long breath.
"They made it. They're crossing the bridge already," he said.
Harry typed a response back, probably that they had the pixie dust and they were safe, too.
"Can you tell Uma to text Jane that we're alright?" she asked.
He fiddled with the phone a bit more and Melody felt her tight muscles relax. They'd done it. They'd actually done it.
She reached behind her, setting the little chest containing their stolen treasure gently in the sand, out of the waves.
"I told 'em nae to wait for us. With the pixie dust we can find our own way back," he said.
She laid on her side, propping her head on her elbow to watch as Harry stripped off his wet clothes. She probably should have looked away, but he didn't seem concerned at all, not giving it a second thought as he pulled off his jacket, his shirt, and his sodden boots, only stopping to give her a playful wink when he stripped off his pants. Then he was bare down to his underwear.
All of that glorious ivory skin rippling and dipping in just the right places, wet and glistening in the moonlight, meant she was the one ogling now.
She reached for her locket, suddenly feeling like legs might be a better choice than fins, when he shot her a look. "Nae. Dinnae do that," he said, shaking out his coat and spreading it out over a rock. "I wisnae finished with yeh yet."
