Page 25 of A Castle of Broken Memories

“Yeah, night wings?” I added, on the same page as Tenebris for once. My fingers twitched with the sudden desire to be holding a weapon.

“Don’t worry,” Jack said, collecting a handful of wood from the crate. “They won’t be able to get in once we bar the door for the night. Speaking of which”—he looked at Calum before nodding toward the door—“would you mind?”

Calum shuffled around Jack as he crouched in front of the fireplace and heaved the heavy wood beam into place over the door. He then made his way over to sit on the floor beside the bed and began pulling off his boots. Guess we’re hunkering in for the night. I shrugged off my cloak and folded it on top of my rucksack, which Calum had apparently brought in earlier. Surveying the cabin’s limited seating, I finally opted to squeeze onto the bed beside Tenebris, leaving the lone chair for Jack.

Then proceeded to watch his every move.

Every twist of his hand, every shift of his shoulders—I couldn’t tear my hungry gaze away, even as I begged myself to do just that. Pull yourself together, Mariana. You got over Jack years ago. This thing you’re feeling right now? It’s just a fleeting bit of sentimental what ifs. It’ll pass. No need to get your hormones in a bunch.

Jack tossed the last of the kindling into the growing orange flames and glanced over his shoulder.

I tried very hard not to swoon as the light danced across his porcelain features.

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a knowing smirk.

I countered by snuggling into Tenebris’s side and tucking my hand around his arm.

Jack’s eyes darkened.

And then the shrieking began. A cacophony of high-pitched chirps rang out around us, followed shortly by the scratching of wings and tiny claws against the roof and outside the walls. Tenebris sat up ramrod straight, the tension rolling off him in waves. “Night wings, was it?”

Jack grinned. “That’s right. They’re like bats on crack with a taste for human flesh.”

“You don’t say.” Tenebris shivered, and Calum leaned closer, placing a comforting hand on his thigh and lightly squeezing.

I watched as Jack’s gaze traced the move with marked interest. So much for my beard. I gave Tenebris’s shoulder a half-hearted pat, but I had a feeling our fake lovers act wasn’t fooling anyone.

Jack let out a humorous chuckle. “This place is crawling with nasty creatures after dark. Just wait until you see the jungle…”

“There’s a jungle?” I echoed, jaw dropping. Damn, this place is big.

“Jungle, farmland, forests, lakes. Even villages. You name it, one of those doors opens up to it,” Jack replied. “How else do you think the giants could survive in the space of a single castle?”

I pictured the multitude of doors lining the spiraling staircase. There must have been sixty, at least, each one leading to a different room or section of land. “Amazing.”

“I drew a map of it,” Jack said. “Or of the parts I’ve explored anyway, if you want to see it.”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed. “Of course you made a map. The walls of our treehouse were covered with them. A map of Mondue, a map of the forest, a map of your freaking house.”

Jack shrugged. “What can I say? I like a good map. Although, calling it a map might be a little misleading. It’s basically just a sketch of the places I’ve explored, notes about which shadow creatures are lurking there. Nothing fancy.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Can we see it?”

“Sure. Let me just get that box you were all helping yourselves to back out…” He swung a pointed look around at the three of us, to which we all tried to appear properly apologetic. “It’s just under here,” he murmured, kneeling in front of me and using one hand to hoist my legs over his shoulder while the other pulled out the hidden chest.

I squeezed my thighs together, praying those damned vampire senses of his didn’t pick up the sudden excitement working its way through my system. Given the smug little smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth, I was fairly certain he knew exactly what his touch was doing to me. His thumb stroked a lazy circle over my ankle as he shifted through the jumbled items.

I bit my lip.

His grip tightened.

Tenebris smothered a snort, and I jerked to my senses, pulling my legs off Jack’s shoulder and tucking them up against my chest. “Did you, uh”—I cleared my throat—“find it yet?”

Jack held up a cylinder of rolled-up parchment. “Got it right here.”

“Excellent.” I nodded toward the paper. “Let’s see it.”

Anything to distract me from the fluttering mess that was my heart.