Book 15: Snap

Blake

The castle grounds are full of sunlight and bees when I step out of my car and squint against the brightness reflecting off the exterior windows. I brush a bee off my shoulder, which gives me an angry buzz and zooms to the nearest group of rose bushes, which are in full bloom now, painting the garden in shades of red and pink.

It’s a quiet day, a weekend, which is why I planned to be here this morning. Both of my parents are here and alone.

A flash of platinum blonde catches my attention, and I turn to my mother, who’s crouching in a thicket of hydrangea bushes only a few feet away. She pokes her head up, beaming at me, but that smile fades when she sees the dark expression casting shadows over my face. “Blake? I didn’t realize you were coming today. I spoke to Kenna, and it sounds like you were very busy in Moonrise. Someone got cursed?”

“Can we talk? Where’s Dad?”

“He’s inside,” she says, her eyebrows pinched together as she dus