Page 33 of A Castle of Broken Memories

My heart slammed into my chest when he stumbled to the floor with a grunt of pain, his right knee buckling beneath his weight.

The fingers swooped back around, pointed nails scraping the marble as they moved toward him.

“Jack!”

It was my turn to grab him, jerking him away from the monster’s hand a split second before it could close around him. Stumbling onto the upcoming landing, I yanked open the nearby door and threw us both inside without checking to see where it led. I’d deal with whatever I needed to, so long as it got us away from that thing.

We landed on rock—a huge, slate stepping stone to be exact. A dozen or more curved in a u-shaped path that bordered the grassy peninsula we found ourselves on. Steam-kissed, cerulean water filled the rest of the room, fed by a translucent waterfall that fell from the heavens. Tall, stone cliffs acted as walls, rising up around us like ancient sentinels, and lush, green bushes with bright orange and pink flowers skirted the line between rock and water. A bright moon and sparkling stars cast a silvery glow throughout the room, despite the fact that I was almost certain it was still morning, and the faintest hint of rose hip scented the air. I breathed it in while I pushed myself into a seated position, my gaze roaming hungrily over the magical room.

“What is this place?”

“Hot springs.” Jack’s reply came out in a pained grunt, and I winced when I looked down at him lying flat on his back, one hand rubbing his head.

“You okay?”

He sat up with a grimace. “I was fine until someone decided to barrel into me like a freaking sledgehammer.”

I blinked. “Are you serious right now? How about ‘thanks for saving my ass out there, Mariana. I’d be a crushed tomato if it weren’t for you.’”

“I’ve been running these stairs for ten years without your help,” Jack grumbled. “I would have managed it.”

Okay, so we were in denial now. Awesome. I leaned over, placing my face in front of his as I studied his complexion. The paleness wasn’t all that alarming—he was a pureblood vampire. But now that I looked closer (instead of avoiding looking at him altogether, as I’d been doing), I could see the red rimming his eyes, the hollow of his cheeks. He wasn’t fine; far from it.

“How long has it been?”

It took him a moment to answer, his gaze darting to my lips. A burst of fireflies danced through my stomach as I refrained from licking them. Barely. He swallowed, and my gaze was immediately drawn to his Adam’s apple, which led to his jaw, square and strong with just the faintest hint of scruff. My fingers itched to reach out and trace it; to tunnel into his thick, wavy hair and latch on, anchoring me as I pulled myself up⁠—

“A few months.”

I blinked at the sound of Jack’s voice, which was decidedly rougher than a moment ago, and heat pricked the back of my neck when I realized I was the one staring at his mouth now—a mouth that was turned down at the corners in a tense frown.

What am I doing? Snap out of it, Mariana.

“That’s way too long, as that little incident in the hallway proves.” I brushed away non-existent dirt while I stood. “Especially given the lack of variety around here. What have you even been feeding on?”

“Tigers.” Jack stretched slowly to his feet. “From the jungle room.”

“Tigers.” I bit my lip as an image of Jack wrestling one of the majestic beasts beneath a canopy of lush green filled my head. When the tiger morphed into a wolf, then the wolf into me, I gave myself a mental slap. Stop picturing it, damn it.

I focused on the clear water and the tendrils of heavenly steam wafting from its surface. “Tiger blood is good, although not as strong as human.” Or werewolf. I squeezed my thighs together, grateful for the leather pants and knee-length red cloak hiding any signs of wetness conjured at the memory of Jack’s fangs sinking into my flesh. “And knowing you, I’ll assume you only took the bare minimum.”

He’d always been a softy at heart.

“Killing off my best blood source wouldn’t exactly be in my best interest,” Jack replied, although I knew it was more than that. Jack hated unnecessary violence. Sure, he’d always been up for an adventure and didn’t shy away from a fight when it was shoved in his face, but he’d never sought it out or been deliberately cruel. His tackling Tenebris yesterday aside.

Yet another reason I wasn’t fit to be with him anymore.

The things I did to “protect” myself, to harden myself against feeling weak—when I thought of them now, I burned with shame.

“No, I suppose not,” I murmured, tugging at the ends of my cloak. It suddenly felt far too heavy amid the heat and steam of the springs. In fact, my entire ensemble seemed bent on suffocating me at the moment. I eyed the water longingly.

If only I could scrub my past clean.

“I’m going in.”

I shucked off my boots, the cloak following close behind. It wasn’t until I dropped my belt and leather bracers onto the growing pile and began loosening the ties on my pants, that Jack finally spoke up, his voice strangled.

“Shouldn’t we be getting back? Tenebris and Calum will want to know about the, um…”