Chapter 32

32

“ W here do I even begin,” Harp worried, hands fluttering about her person—fiddling with this and fussing with that. “It’s been so long, and yet, I was only here for a few years before the curse set in. I’m not sure how much I can recall.”

“Whatever you can remember is fine,” I assured her. “Don’t worry about it making sense. Just anything that comes to mind.”

“There was…a room. A dark room, lit only by candles. It was damp and chilly and smelled of… of flowers. Like ones that had been sitting in a vase a bit too long.” Harp’s fidgeting slowed as her gaze drifted off in the distance. “And there was a tall— very tall—woman wearing a mask over the upper half of her face and long, flowing robes. She looked at me, and I… I thought she seemed kind of sad. She said, ‘I’m sorry, but what the young prince wants, the young prince gets.’”

Harp blinked, looking almost startled by her own words. “I’d forgotten that.”

“You’re doing great,” I said.

Jack nodded beside me. “Really great. Was that your first memory?”

“Yes.” Harp gestured around at the stage. “Soon after that I was carried upstairs and placed behind the curtain. There was a celebration that evening here in the ballroom—a birthday party for Artie—and I was brought out to perform. Afterwards, I was presented as a gift for His Highness.”

“What the young prince wants, the young prince gets,” I murmured, eyeing the curved arch of the stringed instrument protruding from Harp’s back. When I’d first examined it, I’d felt the most curious energy radiating from the strings. Like the thrum of multi-layered enchantments. One for Harp’s magic, one for her creation… what else?

There’d been more than two layers, I was certain of it.

“We were in the prince’s room earlier and found a golden egg hidden inside the bedding,” Jack said. “It was charred black inside. Mariana thinks it might have held the curse before it was unleashed. Do you know anything about it?”

“A golden egg,” Harp mused. She shook her head. “I don’t recall anything like that. But then, I wasn’t in his room the day the curse swept through the castle. They carried me in here to perform for the party. It was Artie’s tenth birthday.”

“There was wrapping on the floor,” I said. “The egg might have been given to him as a gift?”

Harp wrung her hands. “Possibly. Everyone brought him a gift. It was the prince’s tenth birthday, after all. There was a table overflowing with them at the party.”

“Well, then, what about enemies?” I pressed. “Did the prince have any that might go to such drastic lengths to kill him?”

“He was ten years old,” Harp protested. “A child. Who could possibly hold a grudge against a child?”

I sighed. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“I’m sorry,” Harp said. “I know you need answers.”

“It would have been nice,” I admitted. “But it can’t be helped. You’re the only living thing left in this castle that can actually talk. If you don’t know who the curse originated from, odds are we’ll never know.”

“So where does that leave us with ending the curse?” Jack asked.

“It leaves us…” I made a face. “Not great. If we can retrieve the egg from the foyer, along with my spell-working tools, I could work the spell again, hoping our assumptions are right. Then again, if they’re not...” I grimaced.

“Who doesn’t love a good gamble?” Jack remarked wryly, running a hand through his hair.

“Well, I say let’s go for it,” Harp declared. “I’ve been stuck on this lousy stage for sixty years,” she added when Jack and I gave her matching looks of surprise. “I need to see people again. See other rooms .” Her voice trembled, and my heart squeezed when a tear trickled down her cheek. “I can’t even remember what it felt like to feel the sun on my face,” she whispered. “Do you have any idea what that’s like?”

“Harp,” Jack rasped. “I didn’t think… gods, I should have realized how hard this was on you.”

“Why would you?” Harp gave him a watery smile. “I’m just an enchanted object. I’m not supposed to have feelings.”

“ Everyone should be allowed to have feelings.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, hugging her tight. “And you’re going to see the sun again, I promise. And I’m not talking about this fake sun they’ve conjured inside the castle. I’m talking about the real deal. When those doors reopen, I’m taking you outside with me.”

“Outside the castle,” Harp breathed, and I could feel her heart racing while she returned my hug with a crushing squeeze of her own.

Warm arms, a pounding heart — was this all just the expert work of a craftsman?

She felt so real .

I tucked the thought away for later. There would be time to ponder Harp’s origins after the curse was broken. Right now, I had a satchel to rescue, and the tiny matter of a massive shadow giant not crushing me while I did so.

I extricated myself from Harp’s embrace and turned to Jack. “Okay. Operation: Fetch My Bag is officially on. Jack, you’ll be in charge of distracting the giant while I nip down and grab the bag in my wolf form.” My wolf growled with approval, and I could feel her anxiously pacing inside me. She was dying for a good run.

Jack frowned, but he knew better than to argue. My wolf could outrun us both.

“Or,” Harp interjected, “instead of trying to distract it, I could play it to sleep. Magical strings and all that.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “You can put that thing to sleep?”

She shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

He dragged a hand over his face. “And you never thought to suggest trying this during the ten years I spent dodging that beast’s fists?”

Harp gasped. “And have you struggling to carry my weight all by yourself? What if I crushed you? I would have been mortified.”

I spoke over Jack’s groan. “That’s an excellent offer, Harp, and we’ll most definitely take you up on it. Won’t we, Jack?”

I elbowed him in the ribs, and he stopped grumbling about wasted opportunities long enough to nod and mutter, “Yes, please. That would be great.”

I clapped my hands. “Awesome. Seeing as that’s settled, there’s no better time than the present. Let’s get it done.” I eyed Harp’s frame. “Jack, why don’t you stand behind Harp, and we can gently tip her backward so that we can both carry her over to the door.”

“You got it, boss.”

“Glad to hear you know who’s in charge,” I shot back with a smirk. Then, to Harp, “You ready?”

“To move off this stage?” she replied. “Oh, yes.”

Together, Jack and I squatted down and lifted the instrument up off the floor with matching grunts. She hadn’t been kidding—she was heavy. Really heavy. Thank the goddess for supernatural strength. We shuffled over to the stairs and down the steps, Harp’s awkward shape making us sway from side to side when her weight shifted. But eventually, we made it all the way across the ballroom, where I proceeded to strip down (Harp’s blush could have started a forest fire it was so bright) and Jack and I both stuffed cotton in our ears in preparation.

“Once we get Harp through the door, I’ll shift and make a run for the bag,” I instructed. “Harp, best start playing now, to be safe.”

Muffled music immediately began trickling through the ear plugs, and I felt my muscles relax happily at the sound. Fortunately, the cotton blocked out enough to keep me from nodding off completely.

Jack opened the door and kept it propped that way with his foot. We waited a moment for the music to spread into the foyer before lifting Harp up and cautiously edging our way through the doorway.

Gregar stirred, his head swiveling our way, and we froze, breath held while we waited, poised to move back into the room should he make a move. He blinked, once, twice. Thick, black lids slid lower and lower over sunken eyes, and then—miracle of miracles—they closed altogether.

A nod from Jack, and I set my end down. I pointed at him, then Harp, with a look that said don’t you dare leave her side . He merely raised a brow in return.

Apparently, I’m not nearly as intimidating without my clothes on.

Whatever.

My wolf growled low in my belly, reminding me of the task at hand. I rolled my shoulders and let her loose, paws flying down the curving, marble staircase and skidding across the smooth floor at the bottom. A quick look around the room found my discarded satchel lying on the floor a few feet from where Gregar sat hunched over, his head drooping forward against his chest. I slowed to a trot as I padded in a wide arc around his side.

He didn’t wake, and I darted forward, snatching up the bag with my teeth. The scent of elderberries and ash reached my nose first. Then it was the distinctive ping of liquid dripping onto the floor and the clink of glass shards inside the bag.

My potion bottle had broken in the fall.

Fuck.

At least I still have my brushes and the egg. Potions can be remixed.

Right. Time to get back, only…

My gaze flicked to one of the arched doors lining the bottom floor. I was pretty sure it was the same one Tenebris was headed for when he dragged Calum to safety. I could just pop my head in, see if they were there.

I looked up at Gregar—snoring away.

A quick glance at Jack showed him leaning halfway over the banister, his expression tight. He shook his head. I chose to ignore him.

A smooth shift, and I was back in human form when I grabbed the door’s handle, praying for a cheeky greeting I could scoff at and tell them to stop lazing around and help. But all that met me when the door creaked open was a waft of stale air and a set of stairs that disappeared into a dark void. Lead lined my stomach, and I gripped the edge of the doorway to keep from falling to my knees. There could be any matter of beastie down there, feasting on my precious friends.

I peeked over my shoulder, assuring myself Gregar still slept. “Tenebris?” I whispered. “Calum? Are you down there?” I held my breath, ears straining for an answer that didn’t come. “Boys?” I called, growing bolder. “Can you hear me?”

The muscles in my back clenched, that creeping feeling of being watched clawing up my spine. I turned, ever so slowly, and looked up.

And found Gregar staring down at me. Awake.

“Mari! Get out of there!” Jack’s voice broke the silence, and the giant blinked, sluggishly turning his way. Fear curdled deep in my gut. I can’t let them get hurt.

“Fucking run, Mari!” Jack yelled again, and the words snapped my limbs free of their paralysis.

“Take Harp to the cabin,” I shouted. “I’ll meet you there.”

“I’m not leaving you?—”

“Fucking do it!” I infused every ounce of alpha I could manage into the command, hoping it would work despite the fact that Jack wasn’t technically in my pack. He was closer than that, really. He was…

My mate.

I lunged forward into a shift and howled, prompting Gregar to drag his gaze away from the pair awkwardly shuffling down the staircase. I darted straight for his ankles, which were tucked close to his body, his bony, black knees pointing straight up.

Two birds, one stone. I sank my teeth into his leathery flesh and tore a strip free. It burned like acid on my tongue, but it’d be worth it if it helped complete my spell. ’Cause I had a plan, and it was going to fucking work. It had to work.

I ran circles around the dazed giant until the hum of music died away. Taking that to mean Harp was safe in the room, I made for the staircase. Jack stood crouched at the door, his eyes shooting daggers sharp enough to rival the sword in his hand. I trotted past him into the room, shifting back into my human form and taking my cloak from Harp’s outstretched hand. I tossed it over my shoulders, and turned to face the waiting jury, the memory of that dark, ominous staircase and Calum and Tenebris’s lack of response adding a layer of grim determination to my next words.

“Let’s get this done.”