Page 37 of A Castle of Broken Memories

Jack’s eyes narrowed, his thumb gliding over my skin until it was pressed against my lower lip. “If that’s the case”—his grip tightened while he leaned down, closing what little distance remained between us—“then I guess I’ll just have to be a bad guy.”

“You…” Oh gods, I couldn’t think, couldn’t move. All I could do was hold my breath when his head dipped even farther, his lips achingly close to mine.

“What’s going on here?”

Tenebris’s amused voice cut through my daze, and I wrenched myself free of Jack’s hold. “Nothing’s going on.” I took a step back, praying a little space would dampen the intensity of Jack’s gaze. It didn’t, although I swore the corner of his mouth twitched upward. I turned, focusing on Tenebris and Calum, both of whom looked far too entertained. “We were just coming to find you and go over the plan. Jack’s harp friend gave us a lead.”

Tenebris’s eyes crinkled, a cheeky smirk spreading across his face. “That’s great. ’Cause for a minute there it looked like the two of you were on the verge of sucking face, which would be awkward seeing as how we’re together. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

I narrowed my eyes on my so-called friend. “That’s right.”

“We’ll go ahead and grab you something eat. You guys must be famished,” Calum interjected, slapping his hand on Tenebris’s shoulder and dragging him backward. “Be right back.”

“Hear that, Mari? We’ll be right back, so try to keep it in your—oof!” Tenebris grunted as Calum’s elbow hit his side, and I shot my pack mate a grateful look while he hauled the mischievous bastard back to the shelter.

“Tell me again how he’s your lover,” Jack remarked, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug look when I swung my glare at him.

“He’s easygoing,” I snapped back. “Unlike someone else I know.”

“If you’re referring to me, you’re right. If you were still mine, there’s no way in hell I’d be laughing if I caught some guy with his hands all over you. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’d wanna rip those fucking hands right off.” He nodded toward Tenebris and Calum’s retreating figures, his gaze never wavering from mine. “You really think I’m gonna believe he’s the one holding you at night?”

“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” I retorted. “Because he is.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true.”

“Bull. Shit.”

Gods damn, why did he have to be so freaking stubborn? A growl of frustration rumbled through my chest as I threw my hands into the air. “You know what? Fine. You win. Tenebris and I haven’t been together for almost two years. In fact, I haven’t been with anyone for almost two years. I’m just a dried-up, wannabe hermit who hasn’t felt even the tiniest bit of desire since Tenebris’s curse stopped affecting the forest.” Or I hadn’t, anyway, until seeing Jack. But there was no way I was going to admit that out loud. I stuck my chin out. “Happy now?”

A soft smile settled on Jack’s face, and he brushed his knuckles against my cheek. “Not quite, but I’m getting there.” He dropped his hand, and I had to force myself not to reach for it. His gaze was already far too knowing as he turned toward the cabin. “Come on. Let’s go make some plans.”

23

Veloria's Blessing was one of the farthest rooms I’d been to. The few times I’d made the journey, it’d been en route to the jungle room to hunt, and I’d taken multiple days to reach it.

“Here’s what I’m thinking.” I traced my fingertip along the map, which we’d spread on a large stump outside the shelter. “We work our way up the stairs in four-door intervals, spending at least half an hour at the first stop to allow Gregar to lose interest and go back to whatever it is he does all day when not trying to dismember me. The second layover will need to be longer, since he’ll be riled up from the previous run. We’ll spend the night in the third room since there’s a scattering of houses we can stay in there, then repeat the process the following day until we reach Veloria's Blessing. From there, Mariana will work her magic and hopefully end this curse once and for all.”

“If there are rooms with actual houses in them, why the fuck are you living in a crappy ass cabin?” Tenebris grimaced. “No offense.”

Gods, this little shit irritated me to no end. “I happen to like my cozy cabin,” I ground out. “But more importantly, this room has the only viable water source.”

“It’s a nice cabin,” Calum supplied. “And I don’t think I’ve ever had such refreshing water before.”

“I suppose that’s true…” Tenebris reluctantly agreed.

I rolled my eyes. “Moving on—Calum and Tenebris, you two will stay here until the threat is cleared.”

Calum snapped his head up with a growl. “Like hell we will. If Mariana’s going, I’m going. Pack mates stick together. It’s why I came in the first place.”

“Is it?” I looked pointedly over at Tenebris, who shuffled uncomfortably. And when I arched a brow back at Calum, he had the decency to blush. Honestly, who these guys thought they were fooling was beyond me, but I got that they were trying to protect Mariana. I wasn’t about to indulge it, but I could respect it.

“We’re all going,” Mariana cut in. “And we’ll get there tomorrow, no stops.”

I reared back, meeting her determined gaze with an incredulous one of my own. “Impossible. Not only would we be moving at half speed to accommodate Mr. No Powers over here, but Gregar would be on us before we reached the quarter mark. If he gets his claws on you, you’re fucked. A twitch of his hand and you’ll be crushed.”

Mariana shrugged. “Not a problem, because he won’t. In fact, he won’t even know we’re there.”