Page 117 of Castle of the Cursed
“That’s so bizarre,” I say, trying to picture it. “I hate the thought of you being blood-bonded or whatever to some amazing Bleeder and forgetting all about me.”
He shakes his head. “If blue bear taught me anything, it is that when you care for someone, they stay with you forever. Even if all we get together is one hundred Earth years, I will carry the eternal heartache of your loss, and I will still be better off for having known you.”
I curl more tightly into him, wishing I could pause life and stay like this for as long as possible; but after what feels like only a minute, he says, “Estela… it is almost time.”
“No,” I groan, but I can feel that the blackness has lifted, and sunrise is near, which means Sebastián will soon be gone.
“I want to make sure you are ready for today,” he says. “Your uncle could show at any moment.”
We get up, and after I use the bathroom, we stand together in front of the window. Gray light streams into the room.
“I’m eighteen today,” I murmur, mostly to myself.
“It is the day of your birth,” says Sebastián. “I have read that humans celebrate this occasion.”
“I don’t feel much like celebrating,” I say with a shrug.
“We will have to change that when I see you tonight,” he says with a smirk, even though the silver of his eyes swirls like a storm. “You remember how to tie the knots, right?”
I nod. The gray sky is giving way to blue, and there’s no denying the sun is rising. Sebastián is going to vanish into thin air, and now that I have just seconds left, I don’t want to lose a single one.
He seems to have the same idea because we begin to make out like the world is ending and any moment an asteroid will take us out. His kisses taste like blackberries and chocolate and minty ice cream.
I feel the first ray of light warm my face. Day has come, and Sebastián is going to disappear…
But we’re still making out.
We pull apart and stare at each other in the brightening air. It’s early morning, and he’s still here.
“The black seeds,” he says in awe.
I laugh in open delight. This is the perfect birthday gift.
Thank you, Bea.
CHAPTER 27
WHEN I OPEN MY EYES, Sebastián is the first thing I see.
I’ve never woken up next to someone who wasn’t my parents, and it feels more intimate than I expected. There’s a kind of vulnerability to seeing each other in the morning light.
“I can’t believe you’re still here,” I say, reaching up to touch his cheek. I’m used to seeing him haloed in silver, not in the warmth of day. He looks younger in the gold-tinged air.
“I watched you sleep all morning,” he says, “and it has become my definition of peace.”
I feel my cheeks flushing. Once we accepted that he wasn’t going to disappear, he offered for me to sleep longer while he kept watch for my family members.
“Are you hungr—?”
Sebastián’s voice drops out, his expression changing completely as his head angles away from me. Then he says, “Someone is coming.”
I get dressed in a rush, while he disappears.
My mouth is parched, and I can’t catch my breath. I’m not ready to fight my uncle or my sister yet. Not ready to remember I lost what was left of my family last night. Not ready to wake up—
“It is not them,” says Sebastián, startling me as I come out of the bathroom. “It is an older man. He walks with an aid. He is now approaching the front doors.”
“Felipe’s father,” I say, my heart falling with dismay. “Should I answer?”
