Page 42 of These Fractured Bonds

He looked at her over his shoulder and squatted, surprising her. He motioned her toward his back. “Well, partly because we need its expertise to figure out Tuom’s curse, and partly because it won’t be able to kill you.”

She didn’t move, unconvinced. “Why?”

“It’s woven into the wards. It cannot kill any Fae or human that enters its cave.”

Yareli raised her head to the clear, blue sky and sighed. She walked up to August’s back. “Don’t drop me.”

“Never.”

It crossed her tired brain that she was going to touch him again, and a traitorous thrill elicited a shiver. She placed her hand on August’s shoulder; his warmth sent a flurry of tingles up her arm. She thought of Leo, but they weren’t exclusive; in fact, they were more akin to an unofficial situationship.

Ya vez cuando te metes con muchachos.

The strange but familiar voice reverberated through her skull. The throbs intensified, and she stumbled, but August was there, catching her arms and holding her up. She pressed her forehead into his chest and moaned in pain. It was a memory wrenching itself back into shape. A woman’s face, not unlike her own, stitched itself to the forefront of her mind. She had a spatula in her hand, pointing it at her, and she repeated herself.

Don’t you see how getting involved with boys leads to trouble?

Yareli didn’t agree. She wanted to argue, but her tongue was like lead, heavy.

Mamá.

The woman’s identity clicked into place, and an abyss of longing ripped through her. She knew she had forgotten her family, but until then, she had been able to skim over this fact.It was better not to think about it lest she succumbed to despair. How awful was she to forget her family? No, it had been better to ignore it, but now, with her mother’s face in front of her, she couldn’t deny it.

It hurt. Every missing piece of her…hurt. It rattled in her chest, raging against its binds. With trembling hands, she tightened the knots on it until it no longer shook. Pain such as this would only be a hindrance to her task—breaking the curse. Her eyes fluttered. Lightheadedness came over her, and she passed out.

When she came to, August held her in his arms. He looked straight ahead, and her body jostled as they moved. He was still marching them forward, and her heart clenched.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

He glanced down at her, a bead of sweat on his forehead. “I’m not sure. You passed out after complaining of pain. Are you okay? Is it your memories?”

It rushed back to her then.

“I remembered my mom.”

“The tea is working.” He met her eyes, an inscrutable emotion passing through them.

The magnitude of recovery was upon her, and fear stirred in her. Her excitement paled in comparison to the growing pit in her stomach that she had forgotten something urgent. Having forgotten her family had been one painful matter, but whatever else she had forgotten seemed to loom over even that.

Troubled, she said, “It seems so. You can put me down, thanks.”

“We’ve just about made it. You might as well keep resting.”

She gaped at him. “You’ve been carrying me fortwo hours?”

“It’s not much more different than carrying you on my back.”

He had a point.

“At least let me switch to being on your back.”

“Sure.”

He set her down, and her legs shook like jelly. His proximity, although still new and exciting, was akin to entering a hot bath after a long day—relaxing. She settled into his back, nestling her head on his shoulder.

“You’re warm, you know,” she murmured and promptly fell asleep, missing his response. It didn’t matter. All she wanted was for him to know—his distance didn’t mask his kindness.

Abitingwindblewfrom the cave’s dark entrance, raising goose bumps along Yareli’s arms. Although they had set up camp to the right of the cave, away from the constant howling, she had been drawn to it more than once. There was a pull in her lower abdomen, beckoning her to go inside, but still, she waited. She knew they were stalling. At first, it was to regain their strength from the hike. Then, it was to set up camp and eat lunch. Now, no more excuses were left. She had to go.