Page 69 of A Castle of Broken Memories

I kept my back to him as I took in our surroundings: the backyard of a Bavarian-style farmhouse with a steepled roof of dark brown shingles. A dense forest curved around behind it, as if attempting to draw the house into its shadowy depths entirely. And what I couldn’t see but could feel in the subtle hum pricking my bare skin beneath my cloak—my human form having returned after passing through the portal—was the thick barrier lurking in those woods.

“Where are we?”

Annabelle-Harp’s voice drew my attention back to the group huddled beside the well, and I did a double take when I saw her standing there, arms wrapped around her little brother.

“Harp, you’re… you’re not a harp.” I rubbed my eyes. Is the rain playing tricks on me now, too? “The enchantment…”

She shook her head, strands of her rain-soaked hair plastered against her cheeks. “I don’t know how it happened, but the moment we came out the other side of the portal, I was human again.”

“It’s a miracle.” Danny clutched his sister’s arms where they folded in front of him. “Annabelle is finally Annabelle again.”

“Miraculous, indeed.”

Danny and Annabelle startled at the time-roughened voice that cut through the rain, but Calum, Tenebris (the traitor), and I merely turned toward the approaching figure, her wiry form obscured by the persistent downpour and a large, black umbrella.

“Abuela.” I stepped forward to meet her, ducking beneath the umbrella’s pointed brim to embrace the woman who’d raised me since childhood. “How is it you’ve had a magic portal in your backyard this entire time and never thought to mention it?”

“And how am I supposed to mention it, when you hardly ever visit?” Abuela’s hands framed my cheeks. “Look at you—practically a stranger to these old eyes. Why, I’d hardly recognize you if you weren’t wearing the cloak I made you.” She pursed her lips. “You do realize you’re supposed to wear clothes underneath it?”

“I’m aware,” I replied dryly.

“Mm hmm.” She tucked the crimson fabric around me before peering over my shoulder at the others. “Now, Tenebris I expected, and Calum isn’t all that surprising, but who are these other two? And where’s Jack?”

Jack.

My heart twisted painfully at the reminder. Would I know if they’d killed him? Without an official ceremony, our souls lacked the tether most mates had to each other, but still…

I would feel it. Even without a binding.

I searched Abuela’s amber eyes, her words finally clicking in my head. “You knew? That Jack was up there, in the castle?”

Abuela’s shoulders slumped. “He’s not with you, is he?”

“No, he’s not.” I spared Tenebris a brief glare before giving Abuela my full attention. “And I need to get back there so I can drag his wannabe hero ass back home. Please tell me you have more of those magic beans?”

“I’m afraid the ones I gave you were my last.” Abuela tugged on my arm, guiding me toward the house. “Never mind that, there are other ways to be had, but first we need to get you all in out of the rain so I can feed you. No one’s saving anyone on an empty stomach.”

“If we wait too long, there might not be a Jack left to save,” I protested.

“Now, lovey, when has your abuela ever steered you wrong? Hmm? Besides, Tenebris looks white as a ghost. If we keep him out in the rain any longer, he’s liable to melt away completely.”

“Good.” I grudgingly followed her along the stone path leading to the back door, even as every nerve in my body screamed at me to jump down the well and rip the portal back open, bean or no bean. “It’d save me the trouble of doing it myself.”

“Oh dear,” Abuela clucked. “What have you done now, mi chico tonto?”

“Just saved your granddaughter’s ass,” Tenebris grumbled, trailing behind us. “Though I’m starting to regret it.”

I whirled on him, claws flashing to the surface along with my anger. “You should regret it. I trusted you, and you fucking lied to me. You lied about saving Jack, and you forced me to leave him behind.” Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I held them back by sheer force of will. I would not cry. Not now. Not ever. “If he had the right to throw himself on the sword for us, then I had the right to do the same. You should have let me stay.”

The twitch of Tenebris’s right eye was the only sign that he was fighting emotions of his own. “He wanted you to be safe, and damn it, Mari, so did I. I’m sorry, but if I had to do it over again, I’d still bring you here. Even if you hate me for it.”

I narrowed my eyes at my former best friend. “Well, congratulations, Ten. ’Cause I really fucking do.”

Abuela touched my arm. “Come inside, Mariana. I’m sure we can sort this out.”

I yanked my arm away. “I’ll come in, but I want one thing clear—I will never sort things out with that traitor. He’s dead to me.”

Tenebris blanched. “Mari, come on. You don’t mean that.” He turned to Calum, but he only shook his head, his expression hard.