Chapter 41

41

L ive bait—that’s what the last few days, hours, or however much time I had left in this world had been reduced to. I’d been stuffed into the human-sized equivalent of a birdcage and mounted on a post surrounded by guards in the middle of the main foyer, all because one spoiled little prince was upset he’d lost his favorite toy.

The joke was on them, though, because if Tenebris held up his end of the plan, there was no one in the castle to lure out. I was the only one left. Dangling alone in a cage, waiting to die.

Gods, that was a morbid thought.

Then again, it was hard to feel heroic with your knees tucked up to your chin and wearing nothing but short pants. Because imminent death wasn’t enough, they had to add a little public humiliation to the pot as well.

My spiraling inner diatribe was interrupted by the thumping of spears—meaning, the queen was coming. Huzzah. The top of her crowned head hovered just below the cage, and the two giants standing sentry beneath it stepped aside when she approached, her hard, flat face twisted in triumph.

“Congratulate me, bloodsucker. My patience is about to be rewarded.”

I kept my expression impassive, despite the gnawing worry her words produced. “Congrats.”

Her borderline manic grin fell into a harsh frown, and she smacked the side of the cage with her scepter. “Insolent leech. I’m going to line my stockings with your guts.”

Turns out sixty years spent fluttering about the castle at night as curse bats and the like had left the giants a little…unhinged. The guards kept their crazy eyes somewhat in check due to years of training, but the queen and her demon spawn? Not so much. Speaking of which…

“I. Want. My. Harp!”

The prince’s bellowing whine literally shook the floor, and the guards’ faces tightened from the effort not to flinch. Even the queen mother herself cringed at the sound of it. Turning her attention toward the six-foot child bounding down the stairs, she called, “Mommy’s working on it, sweetheart. Go back and play with your toys.”

“Don’t want toys,” the prince screeched. “I want my harp.”

“And you’ll have her,” the queen soothed. “Why, at this very moment, the red-caped werewolf approaches through the clouds. No doubt to broker a deal to free her lover. Once she sees him here in this cage, she’ll trade your harp for his life in a heartbeat, I guarantee it.”

The prince’s ugly face twisted. “That nasty wolf who bit my ankle? I’ll bite her back.”

“Of course you will, darling,” the queen replied. “But first let’s get your toy back, hmm?”

He folded his pudgy arms over his chest. “And if she doesn’t trade?”

“Then you get dibs on the drumstick, my love.”

A wide grin slashed across his face, revealing rows of white pointed teeth, and I was struck by the similarity he bore in that moment to the monster who’d haunted this very hall for all those years. That nasty wolf who bit my ankle. Mariana had torn off a piece of Gregar’s leg.

Shit. He was Gregar, just smaller. Much, much smaller.

The revelation barely had time to sink in when the castle doors flew open with a resounding bang, and my heart lodged itself in my throat at the sight of my mate striding defiantly over the threshold, red cloak flapping over her bare limbs like a banner of war. She didn’t even spare the queen a second glance as her gaze met mine, a possessive growl rumbling up from her chest.

“Release him. Now.”

The queen’s lip curled into an amused sneer. “I think not. At least, not until you’ve turned over the golden harp and her treacherous brother. Then, perhaps, we can discuss…terms.” Behind her back, the prince licked his greedy lips.

Mariana’s gaze never wavered from mine. “Counter offer—you release my mate and I don’t tear your oversized face to shreds.”

The queen waved her arms around the room, where at least twenty armed giants stood at attention. While the rest of the giants had returned to their homes—the tiny villages lumped into various rooms—the queen had kept her guard on hand for this very moment. “By all means,” she purred. “Go ahead and try. But even for a werewolf, you’re outnumbered.”

The tiniest smirk tugged at the corner of Mariana’s mouth. “Am I, though?”

A wrinkle of confusion knit the queen’s brows together, but it was soon replaced by irritation. “Enough of this. If you refuse to see reason, then we’ll cut to the chase and begin feasting on your bones. Seize her!”

The responding clatter of spears was interrupted by an outcry of panic when the guards struggled to move forward. “Your Majesty,” one of them cried. “There’s something else here.”

The queen whirled around, and screamed when her crown went flying off her head. “Who’s there?”

Mariana’s grin turned feral. “My pack.” Bursting into her wolf form, she lunged at the queen’s face while hints of color flickered throughout the room. One by one the werewolves appeared out of thin air, teeth gnashing and claws flashing viciously as they battled the giants throughout the foyer hall.

I slammed my foot into the cage door, attempting to free myself so I could join them, but the thick metal remained stubbornly intact.

“Hold on,” a voice called from beneath the cage, and my eyes widened at the sight of a younger me blinking into sight. “We’re going to get you out of there.”

It couldn’t be… “Sean?” I almost choked on the name, my emotions were so thick in my throat.

His reply was equally rough. “Long time, no see, bro.”

Another face flickered into view beside him, tears streaking age-worn cheeks. “We missed you, son.”

“Dad.”

He was here.

My family, who I hadn’t seen in ten long years, was right below me.

I slammed my foot into the bars again, the need to tousle my brother’s hair and wrap my father in a long-awaited hug fueling my muscle-cramped legs.

“Jack.”

I paused my bar-bashing long enough to look down at my little brother. A vial of crimson liquid flashed in his hand. “Catch!”

The vial flew up between the bars, and I had it unstoppered within seconds, the elixir sliding down my throat with a bitter tang—troll’s blood. Not as potent as giant’s, but it still packed a strong punch. Literally. As soon as the fresh blood reached my legs, I kicked out, smashing the door straight off its hinges. The moment I dropped to the floor, I was bombarded by hugs on both sides.

“I’m so sorry, Jack,” my dad rasped, squeezing me tight. “I should have known you’d never leave like that.”

“Noah’s gonna eat shit if he ever shows his face in Mondue again,” Sean added. “Bastard skipped town when Lotte caught him sneakily torching the beanstalk the night after Mari and them ascended.” He shook his head. “Now we know why he was so against them going up in the first place.”

I pulled back at the mention of Mari’s name and the reminder that our little family reunion was taking place in the middle of a brawl. I scanned the melee and swore when I spied her wolf tangling with the queen. The giantess had Mari locked in a crushing grip, despite Mari’s claws forging bloody trenches along her arms.

The queen’s knuckles whitened while she tightened her grip around Mari’s ribcage, and the faintest whimper slipped free from Mari’s muzzle as she went limp and shifted back into human form.

I tore across the room in a rage-induced haze.

“Take your beefy, fucking hands”—I leaped straight for the arm holding Mari captive, fangs ripping into the thick forearm and digging out a hunk of flesh—“off my mate.”

The queen roared, but still she didn’t release her hold on Mariana, and I was sent flying onto the floor by the back of her free hand. Her mouth twisted into a deranged grin while she lifted Mariana’s body up to her face and sniffed. “Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of werewolf scum.” Her eyes bulged grotesquely as her thick tongue slid the length of Mari’s body with a skin-crawling slurp. “Be she alive or be she dead, I’ll grind her bones to make my br?—”

Enough.

A deep, growly voice echoed through my mind, and from the way the rest of the room froze, I’d guess I wasn’t alone in hearing it. Every head turned as one, instinctively seeking out the source, and my jaw hinged open at the sight of a silvery black werewolf perched atop the second-floor landing. A green cloak billowed out around her hulking form that made every other werewolf I’d seen look like pups, and a pale-faced prince dangled upside-down from her jaws. The queen let out a pained cry at the sight of him.

That’s right , the wolf rumbled low inside our minds. I have your obnoxious little shit of a prince, and if you want him to remain in one piece, I suggest you release my granddaughter and tell your guards to stand down. It’s over.

Granddaughter. Meaning, that wolf was?—

“Let my son go, Cabrera,” Queen Alba growled through gritted teeth. “Or I’ll crush Little Red here into mush.”

Like hell she would. I tried to push myself up to my feet, but an invisible force kept me pinned to the floor. When I continued to struggle, a soft, elderly voice whispered in my ear, “Patience.”

A menacing snarl vibrated through the room. You remember me, Alba. How flattering.

“As if I could forget an upstart alpha such as yourself. You and your pack of half-breeds are the reason we giants preferred staying in the clouds. Fewer fleas.”

A wise choice I encourage you to continue in the future. Now, let her go, and we’ll be on our way. Fleas and all.

Queen Alba’s eyebrow twitched, her face wavering with indecision. “What about the boy? The one who brought this curse down on our heads. I want him turned over to us. Justice is required for his crimes.”

From what I’ve been told, the boy spent sixty years imprisoned beside your well in the form of a frog. That is ample punishment for one so young, especially considering the barbaric enchantment you laid upon his sister.

“She was sold to us by her father for a fair price,” the queen hissed. “We did nothing wrong.”

She was not his to sell, and if you continue to press the issue, I’ll send for the goblin king to resolve it. I wonder which side he’ll rule in favor of?

“Your king has no jurisdiction here,” the queen snapped, but there was an underlying hint of trepidation in her tone. “But I tire of this pointless back and forth. My kingdom has sixty years to catch up on. Why waste any more of it on you? Take your damn pack and be gone.”

The force holding me back released, and I sprang forward just in time to catch Mariana when she slipped free of the queen’s hold.

“Run, Jack. Take her down the beanstalk before the queen changes her mind, ” the voice whispered inside my head, and cradling Mari against my chest, I made a mad dash for the double doors. Dad and Sean joined me, flanking my sides, and a cacophony of claws clicking over marble rose up as the werewolf pack followed close behind.

And then my feet were sinking into misty clouds and the sun—the real sun—was stinging my face, and it was like a yoke had been lifted from my shoulders. I was free .

A warm hand cupped my cheek, thumb wiping away the tears I hadn’t realized I’d been shedding, and I looked down at Mariana’s beaming face. “Jack Braun, my dashing hero in underpants.”

I choked out a laugh as I slid to a stop beside the beanstalk. Mariana slipped from my arms but made no effort to move away as the others shifted around us to begin their descent back into the forest. Lifting her other hand to my opposite cheek, she gently pulled my face toward hers as she whispered, “Promise to make it to the ceremony this time?”

I closed the distance between us, brushing my lips against hers. “Cursed giants couldn’t keep me away.”

Her mouth slid across mine, the corners curving upward. “You know I hate you for that stunt you pulled, right?”

“Oh, I know.” I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against me as I kissed those exquisitely plump lips. “But that’s okay, because I’m going to love the hell out of you.”

“Quit the smooching and get moving, mis tortolitos. There’s a stampede of giants on my ass.” Mariana’s abuela skidded to a stop beside us, her faded green cloak flapping around wrinkly bare limbs. She pursed her lips at my shock, snapping, “Well don’t just stand there gaping—vamos!”

A roar of angry voices coming from the castle quickly brought the urgency of the moment to a glaring reality, and I met Mariana’s gaze as her abuela swung onto the beanstalk and began shimmying her way down. “You next.”

She growled, snatching my hand as she used the other to grab onto the beanstalk. “Like hell I will. We go together.”

Arguing was clearly pointless and I could see the queen and her guards thundering towards us through the clouds. So without a second thought, I released her hand and swung onto the stalk opposite her, and together we began working our way down the thick green stem.

We were almost a quarter of the way when I looked up and saw Queen Alba’s hulking form grappling clumsily with the stalk above us, with more giants backed up above her.

“They’re following us,” I called over to Mari, the wind howling loudly in my ears.

“We need to get down now ,” she yelled. She reached across the stalk and grabbed my hand. “Do you trust me?”

I squeezed her palm. “With my life.”

“Good. Now jump.”

Without a second thought, I was leaping off that beanstalk into the air, her small hand tucked in my big one as the ground came flying towards us.

“Levitas,” Mariana breathed, and warmth surged through my arm as a bubble formed around us, slowing our descent as we floated lazily downward.

“The magic of mates,” I whispered, gazing about the shimmering orb with awe.

“A handy little trick,” Mariana replied, throwing me a smile. “And look—Abuela must have used her own magic to reach the ground ahead of us.” She squinted at the people surrounding the beanstalk’s base. “But what are they all doing down there?”

A glint of steel flashed through a gap in the crowd, and I pressed my face as close to the bubble as I dared without popping it. “I think those are axes they’re swinging. They’re?—”

“Chopping down the beanstalk,” Mariana finished along with me.

No sooner had the words left our mouths than there was a terrible cracking sound, and the gathered crowd hastily fled, dashing off towards the edge of the meadow as the massive beanstalk came tumbling down, giants and all.

Boom!

Our bubble burst as the shock of the crash swept the meadow area, and Mariana and I fell the remaining distance, landing on the grass-covered ground with a teeth-rattling thump.

“Are you okay?” I grunted, willing the world to stop spinning as I attempted to sit up.

“Never better,” Mari groaned from her prone position beside me. “Although I’m gonna be in trouble if we need to fight anytime soon. Pretty sure I broke something.”

I looked over at the three giants lying on the other side of the meadow. Abuela and Mariana’s pack had already rushed out to surround them, although from the looks of it, they wouldn’t be seeing any combat. The giants’ bodies were as still as corpses.

I slumped back down. “I think we’re good.”

“Thank gods,” Mariana sighed.

I rolled onto my side, swallowing a groan when my muscles protested the added movement. The pain was worth it, though, and I let out my own sigh of relief as my gaze washed over Mari’s face. Love flooded my heart as I watched her lay there with her eyes closed, those long, black lashes sweeping down over her cheeks.

“Thanks for coming after me, Freckles,” I whispered, gently brushing her hair away from her face.

Her lips curved into a soft smile. “Thanks for waiting.”