Chapter 2

2

“ I t's wonderful to see you, darling, but if you don't put some clothes on soon, things are going to get awkward.” Tenebris extracted himself from my arms with a pointed look down at his pants—perfectly tailored black trousers, complete with thin, black suspenders over a fitted black button-up. The boy hadn’t lost his trademark style.

“How do you know that isn't the reaction I was hoping for?” I gave my chest a little shimmy. “What do you say, Ten-Ten? Once more in the hot springs for old times’ sake?”

“Tempting,” he chuckled. “But not why I'm here.”

“Ah. So there's a reason behind this visit.” A visit that occurred the morning after Raz's vision. Coincidence? Doubtful, since I didn’t believe in them. I retrieved my bundle of clothes and threw on my red cloak. “Shall I make us some tea then? I have a feeling I'm going to want something to hold on to.”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you.” Tenebris followed me inside and made himself at home at the kitchen table while I worked.

“I'm surprised the boys didn't come out to greet you,” I remarked, fussing over the wood stove. “I assume you had to come up the trail from Bremen like the rest of us now that you can no longer teleport.”

“It's this ring you gave me.” He held up his hand, and my traitorous heart squeezed at the sight of the slim, silver band encircling one of his fingers—my would-be bonding ring had Jack not run off before the ceremony. I hated the sight of it almost as much as I hated myself for caring about it in the first place. “Not only does it allow me to safely pass through the barrier to the outside world, apparently it dulls my scent as well. They probably don't even know I'm here.”

“Well, you'll have to say hi to them later.” I forced my gaze away from the offending ring and set the kettle on the stove top. “They'll be put out if they discover you visited without seeing them.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He pulled an envelope from his shirt pocket and placed it on the table. “But first things first—a message from your grandmother. Who misses you, by the way.”

I eyed the seal. A howling wolf silhouette had been pressed into the crimson wax—the pack's signet. “Last I checked, the barrier worked both ways. She’s more than welcome to come back and visit anytime. Besides, I gave you my ring, remember?”

“A truly devoted granddaughter would find a way.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course she would. So, is that what the letter’s for? Guilt tripping me into doing the impossible?”

He grimaced. “It’s more of a missive than a letter, I'm afraid. Something's come up.”

“I see.” A missive from Abuela, Raz's ominous beanstalk painting… opening one of my cupboards, I found the bottle of whiskey I kept tucked in the back and splashed some into my mug. I had a feeling straight tea wasn't going to cut it. “So what, you're Abuela's new messenger boy? Is that your official job now?”

“Actually,” Tenebris said, flashing me a toothy grin. “I'm a model.”

Well. Didn't see that coming. “Seriously?” I asked, measuring out tea leaves. “You're a male model?”

“That's right,” he stated. “I was scouted shortly after my arrival. My agent is a pack member, maybe you know him—does the name Rupert Lancing ring any bells?”

“Vaguely. He left the forest around the same time as Abuela, I believe.”

“That sounds right,” Tenebris agreed. “Anyway, we met and he immediately snapped me up as a client. I've been doing it for almost two years now. I love it.”

“Huh. Well, good for you. It sounds like you're making a real life for yourself out there.”

“Did you expect anything less?” He flashed me a cocky smile, but I couldn’t help but notice the way it frayed at the edges. As if there was more to the story he wasn’t sharing—not that I’d pry it out of him. If he wanted to talk, he would.

I poured hot water into the prepared mugs, taking a moment to breathe in the rising steam. “And your love life? Any hot new prospects?”

“I do all right,” he said, avoiding my eyes as I passed him a mug.

“I'm sure you do.” I studied his face. “Anyone serious?”

“I'm far too young for anything serious,” he scoffed.

“Ah yes, you're just a green pup of twenty-two years. Not an old crone like me. How easily I forget.”

He rolled his eyes. “You're hardly an old crone. I should know—I’ve been inside you.”

“That just makes me a cougar.”

“You're thirty, not eighty,” he pointed out. “What's with the old lady talk, anyway? It's not like you to be self-deprecating.”

I sat down with a sigh. “I don't know, lately I just feel so tired all the time.”

“The boys wearing you out?” Tenebris teased.

“That's just it, though. I haven't been with any of them in ages. It's like the moment the forest started brightening and things got better with Lyall, my libido flew out the window. I have friends now, Tenebris, and my last threesome was over two years ago.” I shook my head. “I hardly recognize myself anymore.”

He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it means you're finally ready to move on and find someone new to bond with. Or someones. Whichever.”

“There’s nothing to move on from,” I retorted. “I’m just not interested in serious relationships. They don’t suit me.” Nor did spinning out of control and hurting the people I loved when my partner ultimately abandoned me. That really didn’t suit me. Never again.

“So… a missive from Abuela, huh?” I slid the envelope over and ran my thumb under the seam, breaking the seal. “Any idea what it says?”

“Not a clue. Just that it’s time sensitive.” Tenebris sipped his tea as he watched me pull out a folded sheet of paper. I glanced at the creased parchment, the familiar handwriting pinging me with a stab of homesickness. It really had been too long since I’d seen her. I took a gulp of whiskey-enhanced tea to steady my nerves and read:

My Dear Little Red,

I know, I know. You’re not so little any more, even if it feels like only yesterday that you were perched on that rickety wooden stool in my kitchen, your face scrunched up in concentration while you mixed your first potion. I miss my little apprentice shadow with her constant questions. You worked hard to become a great witch like your father, rest his soul. I pray you’ve kept those skills sharp, for I have need of them now.

I’ve received a message, you see. From the beyond. (Goodness, that sounded dramatic, didn’t it? I’m afraid your friend Tenebris has been rubbing off on me. But I digress.) You’re familiar with my abilities—half werewolf, half witch, I’m one serious chignona, if I do say so myself. Not unlike my nieta. But badass as we both may be, my particular brand of magic differs from yours. It speaks to me, whispers to me in my dreams.

Last night they whispered of a castle on the clouds, of a beanstalk left to rot and wither, its caretakers drawn into the darkness. And they spoke of a soul crying out for help behind lonely stone walls.

Mariana, I believe that someone is trapped inside the Sky Castle. Someone who’s not meant to be there.

But… that was impossible. No one in my lifetime had even attempted to climb the beanstalk. Not only was it forbidden, it was stupidly lethal. Unless this someone got stuck before the barrier formed… someone Abuela’s age? But that would mean they’d been up there for—I shivered—fifty, almost sixty, years. And what did all of this have to do with me?

As the grand-alpha and resident bruja de ensue?o of the Cabrera Clan, I can’t ignore this blatant cry for help. I am duty bound to help this poor lost soul in any way I can, only… I am ashamed to admit I’ve grown too frail to pass through the forest barrier, much less the one at the top of the beanstalk. Which is why I need you to go in my place.

Abuela… frail? I couldn’t even begin to fathom such a thing. She was always so strong and fierce. What, eight years ago when you last took the time to visit? Even alphas grow old eventually. Guilt twinged deep inside my chest. I should have gone back, should have paid closer attention. It’s not too late. She’s asking for help. You can still be the woman she needs you to be. Squaring my shoulders, I returned my attention to the missive before me.

How are you supposed to do that, you ask? The answer, my dear Little Red, requires a bit of a story. One that goes all the way back to my childhood, when the werewolves and vampires still lived together in Mondue. I was twelve, and the enchanted storm had come out of nowhere, taking hold of the clouds above the village and cutting off access to the giants’ castle. Fear and confusion spread like wildfire, and an eerie shadow fell over the entire town. When we discovered we could no longer ascend the beanstalk, it was all the more devastating. The giants’ love of Mondue wine was the cornerstone of the village’s economy. Without their patronage, money became scarce. It was a dark time for all who dwelled there.

My family’s savings soon dwindled and without any incoming revenue, we found ourselves on the brink of starvation. Something had to be done. I’d been practicing my potions—nothing complicated, but good, solid work all the same. So I collected what I had and ventured out into the northern forest, planning to try my luck at the night market. On my way there, however, I came across an old man with a beard down to his toes and the brightest twinkle in his blue eyes. He was sitting on a stump by the roadside, rubbing his bare feet, the bottoms of which were riddled with painful blisters. I asked if he wanted to buy one of my healing potions, but he shook his head and said he hadn’t a penny to his name. It was foolish, seeing as I was in pretty much the same boat, but I couldn’t help myself—I gave him one anyway. In return, he gave me a bag of rainbow-colored beans.

“Throw one of these beans into any barrier or portal and the way will be made clear,” he said. “But—it will not last long. A single hour and the way will close once more.”

I was elated. Here was a way to pass through the clouds to the giants’ castle! But when I returned home and showed my mother, she scolded me for believing a stranger’s tall tale and bid me to rid myself of the useless beans at once lest I be tempted to do something dangerous. Instead, I hid them, and when I grew older and more practiced in my craft, experimented on them.

Because of course she did. My clever abuela and her ever-brimming curiosity.

They were, in fact, extremely powerful.

It was the beans that allowed me to craft our rings. I made one for myself and another for your abuelo, Wilhelm, when we bonded. A third was crafted when the werewolves began multiplying and the forest grew too cramped to hold us all. Since then, the majority of our race has relocated outside the forest—all except the younger, more wild ones such as you and your pack. Some of the vampires relocated, as well, but they found the sun outside the forest’s barriers to be intolerable. Most of them returned to live in Mondue, while the handful who remained confined themselves to moving about at night.

When I was elected to the village council, I gifted each of the other members with one of my magic beans. Which, it turned out, wasn’t my wisest decision. Gladys, a vampire, used hers to perform forbidden magic so that she could bring her deceased husband back from the grave. The resulting zombie epidemic was a nightmare to clean up. I get a headache just thinking of it. My point being, be careful. Trust the enclosed beans with no one but yourself and keep them on your person at all times.

I paused, taking a moment to peek inside the envelope again. This time I spied two tiny beans wedged into the corner. I shook them into my palm and held them up to the light, making their pink and green iridescent skin sparkle. Folding my hand over them, I turned back to the letter.

Use one bean to pass through the clouds and enter the Sky Castle. Once you’ve located the poor soul in need of help, you can use the second bean to pass through the barrier again and return home with them. And whatever you do, take care. No one knows what became of the giants after the storm broke out. Proceed with caution and remain alert at all times.

As my nieta and alpha of your own pack, I trust you will make me proud and complete this momentous task I’ve thrust upon you.

With all my love,

Abuela

P.S. Take Tenebris with you. That emo music he listens to is driving me crazy, and he's constantly hogging the TV. Not to mention the inordinate amount of time he spends making kissy faces in the mirror. The boy needs a little adventure in his life.

I set the letter on the table but continued to stare at the scribbled words. Was it true? Could one of these tiny beans actually cut through the storm clouds and allow me to climb the beanstalk? The same beanstalk I’d spent my entire childhood wishing to scale? Adrenaline coursed through my veins in a rush of building excitement—excitement that was only tempered by the knowledge of the stalk’s location.

Fucking Mondue.

“Well?” Tenebris prodded after a protracted moment of silence. “What did it say?”

“It says you're a real pain in the ass to live with,” I hedged, rolling the beans around in my palm. Did I really want to do this? Sure, scaling the beanstalk and seeing the Sky Castle would be epic, but it’s not like we could just show up and do it. The council would need to be addressed, permission to climb obtained. I’d have to face people I’d rather not face. Then again, if I didn’t, Abuela would be pissed .

And there was that whole being a better person thing I’d been attempting. Rescuing strangers in need of help was undoubtedly considered the right thing to do .

“It does not,” Tenebris scoffed.

“See for yourself.” I nodded toward the letter. “By the way, how are you with heights?”

Tenebris gave me a suspicious look as he picked up the letter. “Not great. Why do you ask?”

I stretched my arms overhead. “Seems we've got a beanstalk to climb.”

Tenebris immediately set down his tea and stood. “I'll get out of your hair then and leave you to it.”

“Yeah, sorry.” I grimaced. “You're coming with.”

“What? No way.”

“Abuela's orders. Read the letter.”

“And where exactly is this beanstalk we're supposed to climb?” he whined, dropping his gaze to the missive.

I glanced out the window, stomach tensing as I thought of the meadow Abuela had referred to. The same meadow that hosted the full moon festival every year. Where I'd seen Jack for the first time after moving to the hilltop with Abuela and realized he was no longer an annoying teenage boy but a young man with a smile that could charm the warts off the Elder Witch herself.

I sighed. “Somewhere I haven't been in a very long time.” And could have happily gone forever without returning.