Page 67 of Castle of the Cursed
A body in a leather jacket.
Felipe.
RAUL’S RULE #9YOU CAN,T SAVE EVERYONE.
CHAPTER 16
“FELIPE!”
The hooded figure backs away, and I sprint over. I drop to the ground by Felipe’s fallen body, his clothes covered with dirt and twigs. I grab his wrist to check his pulse—
And I flash to lifting Mom’s limp arm.
Heaving, I rip open Felipe’s jacket and press my ear to his chest. The world shifts orientation, and I remember pushing a woman’s leg off Dad’s shoulder so I could listen to his heart. His chest was as silent as the train.
I gave Dad CPR first.
I trusted him to save Mom. He would know what to do, I was sure of it. I needed his help.
But I couldn’t revive him.
What if I’d chosen Mom first? asks the tiny voice for the thousandth time. What if I could have saved her—?
A faint beating sounds in my ear.
It’s weak, but I hear it.
“He’s alive,” says a man’s voice, confirming it. “But not awake. He dreams… even in waking life. He believes he’s destined to be one of us.”
One of us.
I snap to my feet and stare at the hooded man. I recognize his accented voice. “The driver,” I say. “You brought me here from the airport.”
The man pulls his hood back. He has a buzz cut, piercings on both brows, and tattoos creeping up his neck—but I can still make out Beatríz’s identical nose and jawline.
“I’m Mateo,” he says, “but you used to call me Tío Teo.”
“You’re twins,” I say in awe.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t introduce myself before. I wasn’t ready for my sister to know I was here.”
“You’ve been sleeping in the clínica,” I say, thinking of the unmade patient bed.
“Only since Beatríz left town.”
“Which I’m guessing you had a hand in,” I surmise, my mind making connections at breakneck speed.
“I may have led her to believe I’d disappeared and was in danger. I’ve been sending her on a wild chase through Spain.”
“Because you needed her away tonight,” I finish. “For the full moon.”
“You really inherited your mother’s smarts, didn’t you?” He moves toward me, and I walk around the bonfire, keeping a good distance between us.
“My dad taught me to investigate,” I correct him.
He cranes his head, exposing the largest ink on his neck: a long black tower. It’s la Sombra’s library.
“Let’s play a game—” he begins.
