Page 64 of A Castle of Broken Memories

“Ten-Ten, you go scout out where they’re keeping our things. Preferably without being seen. While you’re gone, I’ll work on freeing Jack and myself from these shackles.”

Tenebris looked dubiously at my bound wrists. “How? Without magic, I don’t see how you’ll manage it sans cutting off your hands or breaking all the bones in them until you can slide them through.” His eyes flared wide. “Oh my gods, you’re totally going to do that, aren’t you? Shit, I can’t watch, but I can’t look away either! Aaaah, okay. Everyone just breathe and stay calm. Calum, grab a hammer from Jack’s cabin. They’re going to need our help.”

“Dude, no.” I delivered a swift kick to Calum’s butt when he turned a little too eagerly toward the cabin. “That is so not the plan.”

“It’s not?” Tenebris cocked his head. “Huh. I really thought that was it. So… what then? Do you have some kind of super lube I’m unaware of? And if so, can I borrow some? And by borrow, I mean keep, ’cause gross. Friends don’t reuse other friends’ lube.”

Dear lord, to think I’d actually been intimate with this guy once upon a time. Darker times. “I’m going to use magic, ” I sighed. “Obviously.”

“Seriously?” The levity finally disappeared from Tenebris’s voice as he stared back at me in surprise. “But… you can’t work magic without your tools.”

I rolled my shoulders. “Watch me.”

37

Tenebris shook his head, laughing softly as he lifted his hand. “As much as I’d love to watch you in action, I’ve got scouting to do, remember?” A snap of his fingers and he was gone, but I knew what I’d seen behind the careless cheek: tired eyes and shaky limbs. He looked like a vamp who’d gone too long without feeding. The teleportation was wearing him thin.

We needed to end this, soon.

“Draw a bucket of water, Calum,” Mariana instructed, sitting down in the grass, “and place it right up behind my back. Jack, I want you to sit with your back to the other side of it.”

I waited for Calum to set the bucket down, then settled into place on the opposite side. “Done. What now?”

“Stick your hands in the water so that the cuffs are fully submerged.”

I followed her instructions, the icy liquid biting at my skin. “Fuck, that’s cold,” I hissed. Mariana’s hands slid down to join mine, making them instantly warmer as our fingers twined together. I closed my eyes, picturing her face in my mind. The dusting of freckles that painted her light brown skin. The dark, springy curls cascading over her forehead. The flash of gold and amber in her almond-shaped eyes. The hard edges and soft, subtle lines.

Unflinching determination.

She released a slow sigh and began quietly chanting, “Has catenas frange quae nos ligant.” Over and over she whispered the words, and each time the water surrounding our hands grew warmer. Her grip on my fingers tightened, voice straining as it grew louder. “Has catenas frange quae nos ligant.”

The water was no longer warm but hot, and I steeled myself against the burning pain as she continued to chant. The words were coming out choppy now, ragged with effort, so I did the only thing I could think to do: I began chanting along with her. “Has catenas frange quae nos ligant.”

Our voices rose, blending together in perfect harmony, and I opened my eyes to find the world awash in a rosy hue. The pain in my hands melted away, and they were free. The chanting stopped, leaving a reverent silence in its wake. It wasn’t until I reluctantly released Mariana’s hands and brought my own back in front where I could see them, examining the faint red lines painting the skin where the cuffs used to be, that Calum finally spoke.

“That was the most beautiful piece of magic I’ve ever seen. How? Just… how?”

A shadow fell over me, and I turned to find Mariana standing, a serene smile curving her full lips. She stretched out her hand, and I took it, rising to my feet as I faced her.

“It was special magic,” she replied, never taking her eyes off mine. She laid her free hand over my heart. “The kind that can only be achieved if the wielders have an unbreakable connection. The magic of mates.”

I lowered my head, resting my forehead against her curls. My body hummed with need, aching to be closer. “You are absolutely incredible.”

She tilted her head back until her lips brushed against mine. “I think I left something back in the shelter,” she breathed, her fingers clutching my vest. “You should help me find it.”

I swept her into my arms without missing a beat. “Calum, you and Danny wait here for Tenebris. Mari and I need to check on something real quick.”

“What if the giants come while we’re waiting?” Calum protested.

“Howl.” Mariana nipped at my lower lip while her hands tunneled through my hair. “Loudly.”

“Jack, come on,” Calum yelled, but I was already jogging through the trees. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Ten years, man,” I called back, picking up my pace. I buried my face in Mari’s neck with a growl as we broke free of the trees and dashed across the open field toward the cabin. “Ten fucking years.” The door slammed open, and I tossed her on the bed, mouth stretching in a fanged grin.

Her eyes glowed in the low light, hungrily watching my every move as I peeled off each layer from the waist up. When she reached to untie her cloak, I snatched her wrist, holding it over her head while I towered above her, one knee pressed onto the bed beside her.

“Leave it on.”