Page 68 of A Castle of Broken Memories

This was who I was entrusting Mariana’s safety with? Fucking hell.

“He and his werewolf lover have defiled our potions room with their fornication, destroying precious magics while doing so,” she continued.

Another tug. Oh my god, they were watching us? Tenebris mouthed. He wrinkled his nose before tilting his head to the side. That’s actually kind of hot.

And on that note…

I sucked in a fortifying breath, then dashed out from between the two thrones. My sudden appearance incited an uproar of deep voices all clamoring at once, but I blocked it all out while I sprinted headfirst through the startled crowd. A glance over my shoulder ensured the queen’s narrowed gaze was on me and not the hand sneaking around the side of her throne to grab the satchel there.

He’s got the bean. Now, all he needs to do is grab Harp, and they’ll all be safe.

And I was going to buy them time to do it.

Sliding between a pair of column-like legs, I made a beeline for the huge double doors as meaty paws reached for me from every angle. Luckily, while giants are impossibly strong, they were also relatively slow to react, allowing me to slam through the doors and out into the foyer. Sunlight shone through the colored-glass ceiling, painting the monstrosity of a room in streaks of pink, yellow, and green. Beyond the staircase’s balustrade loomed a vast expanse of empty air before the stairwell curved around to the other side, plunging farther and farther down to the floor below, where the front doors stood… open?

Hope flared deep in my chest.

Maybe I can make it.

I leaped onto the railing and began to slide.

The beanstalk’s gone—where would you even go?

Hulking figures filled the stairwell behind me, their shouts garnering the attention of the guards below. They slammed the butts of their spears against the marble as they filed up the stairwell to reach me.

Better to take my chances getting lost in the clouds than becoming the centerpiece of their celebratory feast.

A shriek split the air above me, and I almost fell from my perch on the railing.

“She’s gone,” a young voice wailed. “The bad people stole her.”

I leaped over a spear when it came swinging toward me, nimbly regaining my footing as I landed. Halfway down, you can do this. Vampires trump giants, always. Just stay focused.

Lightning flashed in a streak from the domed ceiling, a mass of gathering storm clouds blocking the sunlight, and a massive woman draped in a silky, white robe and wearing a jagged, gold crown snatched me mid-stride as she flew past, her sandaled-feet hitting the the foyer floor with earthshaking force. She held me up by my neck, her long fingers easily wrapping around it.

“You,” she boomed. “How dare you help the dark one steal the prince’s most treasured possession? After everything he’s been through. Filthy, bloodsucking thief.”

I clawed desperately at her thick fingers, rasping, “To be fair, the prince stole her first.”

“Lies,” the queen bellowed, her breath hitting my face with the strength of a building hurricane. “The girl was sold to us. Her father’s compensation was more than fair.”

“Human beings aren’t objects that can be bartered or sold,” I argued, struggling in vain to loosen her hold. “Both you and her father are in the wrong, not us.”

The queen’s eyes flashed dangerously, her hand squeezing just tight enough to make me see spots. “You would deny your thieving ways when that was the very reason you came to be here among us? I heard you and your friend chattering in anticipation of stealing our treasure.”

She kind of had me there.

Her remonstrations faded to a low buzz as reality folded in on itself, blanketing the room in darkness, but in my head, my feeble defense rang loud and clear.

I’d only wanted to find the perfect gift—the perfect gift for the perfect woman who wasn’t really perfect at all, but she was fucking perfect for me. She was the spark that fueled my laughter, the voice inside my dreams. She was the hero of every adventure I wanted to live. And she chose me. Loved me.

And I was so fucking grateful I’d gotten to see her one last time before I died.

40

It was raining when the world tipped over, and we went from falling to climbing, working our way up the thick rope while the fat droplets pelted our faces. Calum was at the top, waiting to help us over the well’s edge, but I ignored his hand, hoisting myself out before I gave into temptation and kicked the man climbing up beneath me.

Tenebris, the traitor.