Page 40 of A Castle of Broken Memories

I let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, I fully plan to murder him at first sight,” I agreed, wiping my fingers over my eyes and dashing away any lingering moisture. They dropped to Jack’s vest, gripping the lapels as I let my forehead fall against his chest. His arms immediately wrapped around me, cocooning me with their familiar warmth, and I breathed in a mix of leather and fresh grass while I relaxed into his hold.

“I came here to comfort you, you know, not the other way around.” I smiled as his chest rumbled beneath my cheek.

“Yeah, well, deal with it,” he murmured, arms tightening around me.

I slid my hands around his waist. “I missed you.”

He dropped his head, huffing a laugh into my hair. “Was that before or after you wanted to chop my balls off for ditching our bonding ceremony?”

“Have you been reading my diary?”

“Don’t need to.” He loosened his grip, leaning back enough so I could see the bittersweet smile gracing his lips as he gazed down at me. “I know you better than anyone, Freckles.”

I made a face at the old nickname, arms dropping to my sides when I took my own step back. “I still think you could’ve come up with something a little more original than that. I mean, Freckles? Really? Talk about pointing out the obvious.”

“Hey now, I was ten,” Jack protested. “Cut me some slack.”

I stuck out my chin with an exaggerated grimace. “Never. It’s all or nothing, kid.”

“And Mariana Cabrera ain’t got time for chumps,” he finished, mirroring my expression. He shook his head. “I’ll never forget the fire in those amber eyes of yours when you challenged me that first day, daring me to steal one of Mary Müller’s prized apples off her tree. I was terrified we’d get caught.”

“We did get caught.”

“Oh yeah.”

We stared at each other for a long moment, the memory of childhood shenanigans filling the space between us like hot tea on a snowy day. I smiled, holding my hand out.. “Friends?”

He clasped his long fingers around mine. “Friends.” He gave them a little tug, drawing me back in as he lowered his lips to my ear, the soft flesh grazing the lobe and sending tendrils of heat dancing through my core.

“For now.”

25

Islept like a baby that night, the sound of Mariana’s gentle snores as sweet as any lullaby Harp could play. Even Tenebris and Calum’s warring rumbles couldn’t mar the perfection that was Mariana’s presence in my cramped little cabin. Her walls were crumbling, and I was holding a sledgehammer, poised to bring them down once and for all.

But first, we had a curse to rein in.

Tenebris, Calum, and I stood in a line outside the shelter while Mariana brandished her spell brush, the first glints of sun highlighting her dark curls. She dipped the tip into the potion bottle clasped in her left hand and lifted it to the front of Tenebris’s shirt. Thick, black ink soaked into the soft linen as she scrolled the word invisibilis across his chest.

She repeated the process on Calum’s leather vest before moving her brush to my jerkin, her cheeks dusting a rosy pink when I leaned in a fraction of an inch, tracing her sweet, lilac scent. Her hand twitched as she scrolled ink across my chest—ink that shifted from black to a glinting silver as it soaked through my clothing.

I stared down at the glittering words in confusion. “Is that supposed to happen?”

She cleared her throat, avoiding my gaze while she painted the word onto her red cloak. “Magic can be… peculiar at times.” She exchanged her brush and potion for a small, suede bag. “Last step,” she added, taking a pinch of sparkly gold dust and holding it up to her mouth.

“Should we think happy thoughts?” Tenebris quipped. “Head for the second star on the right and straight on ’til morning?”

I smirked as Mariana shot him the look of someone who’d heard this same joke a million times over. “Try to keep your commentary to yourself while we’re out in the open,” she retorted. “I’d hate to see you devoured by a giant monster simply because you couldn’t keep your trap shut.”

Tenebris fired off a brisk salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” Mariana said. “Now close your eyes. This shit stings like a bitch if it gets in there.”

We all dutifully closed our eyes and held our breath while Mariana blew the glittery spell sealant across our painted clothing. Bright golden light lit the back of my eyelids as the spell took effect, and I slowly blinked them open to find the others were nowhere in sight. A glance downward made me balk—I couldn’t even see myself.

“Holy shit.” Calum’s deep voice sounded from the empty space on my right, and I felt someone brush my shoulder with a probing hand. “It actually worked.”

“You doubted your alpha?” Mariana’s voice came from somewhere in front of me.