A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #3)

by Stephanie Garber

Apollo was there. She could hear him, striding up beside her. Then she felt the brush of his hand on the small of her back. Evangeline spun to the side and slapped him hard across the face. The sound of her hand hitting his cheek echoed through the inn, loud, cracking, and satisfying.

YESSSS GET HIM GIRLBOSS!!!

He was horrible. Evangeline knew he was horrible,

Real

“What about those self-defense lessons you told me about? Did Jacks teach you anything, or was it just an excuse to put his hands around you?” LaLa waggled her brows. Evangeline’s cheeks turned very warm. “He taught me a few things … but mostly it was a lot of his arms around me.”

I am Jacks’s true love.

Evangeline was quite terrified that she might tell Jacks that she loved him, and then he still might leave her. She had been turned to stone, poisoned, shot with arrows, flayed by a magical curse, and nearly killed over half a dozen times. But all those things didn’t scare her as much as the idea of Jacks deciding that he didn’t want to love her back.

Evangeline wanted to throw up and pace, or maybe pace and throw up. She couldn’t stomach the idea of Jacks with Aurora—and she couldn’t imagine that Jacks would want that either.

Same

Maybe Jacks didn’t want a happily ever after, but she still refused to believe he didn’t want her.

“Jacks is unnecessarily cruel,” said LaLa. “He used to do things like this all the time. You don’t know this Jacks because he’s always been different with you.”

Heart or no heart, she still wanted Jacks to be hers.

Evangeline’s own heart broke a little at the sight of him, tossing his heart so carelessly as if it were a bit of fruit that he’d dispose of, instead of something unspeakably precious and beautiful.

Either he was trying to be careful because of the protection cuff on her wrist. Or … he didn’t want to hurt her because the nearness of his heart was giving him some feeling.

“I love you, Jacks.” He closed his eyes as she said the word love.

You are my choice. You are my love. You are mine. And you are not going to be the end of me, Jacks.”

“I am living, Jacks, and I am not going to die anytime soon.” Evangeline closed her eyes and then she kissed him.

AHHHHHHHHHH OH EM GEE OH EM GEE

Every moment of everything had brought her to this place. It had taken all the heartbreak, all the almost love and the wrong love, to know that this love was true love.

EVAJACKS ENDGAME I WON!!!!!!

Glass shattered. He’d dropped the jar—and as soon as he did, the kiss took on new life. It felt like stars colliding and worlds ending. Everything was dizzying and spinning. He kissed her harder. She held him tighter, fingers bruising on the back of his neck before slipping into his soft hair.

“I already told you. You are the love of my life. You are mine, Jacks of the Hollow. And you’re not going to be the end of me.”

I'M NEVER GONNA SHUT UP ABOUT THIS!!!!

Once upon a time, there was nothing but kissing, and everything was perfect. And then there was even more kissing.

OH I WON SO BAD EVAJACKS ENDGAME!!!

All the heartbreak and the pain and the fear and the terror almost felt worth it, just to see the way Jacks looked at Evangeline when their first kiss ended.

She thought she knew all his looks. She’d seen his taunting, his teasing, his anger, his fear. But she’d never seen him with so much wonder in his blue eyes. They glittered as the leaves of the phoenix tree rustled with a sound that made her think of a slow exhale.

At some point, they’d moved closer to the tree. Now Jacks’s back was resting against the trunk as she rested against him.

I'M SO HAPPY

She didn’t remember the leaves glowing before, but there was enough light to see a wave of golden hair fall across Jacks’s forehead as his mouth twisted darkly and he held her a little tighter on his lap.

Jacks idly stroked her jaw with his fingers. “I love you,” he said simply. Then his face went abruptly serious. “I’m never going to let you out of my sight.”

i'M NEVER GONNA SHUT UP ABOUT THIS I'M NEVER GONNA SHUT UP ABOUT THIS I WON I WON I WON EVAJACKS ENGAME!!!

He continued to look at her solemnly. “This isn’t just for now, it’s for always, Little Fox.”

And he loved her. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her.

He loved her so much he’d rewritten history. He’d given up what he had believed was his only chance at love. And now he had finally broken the spell that he never thought he’d escape.

OH EM GEE I'M SO HAPPY

She traced one of his dimples with his fingers. “You know,” she confessed, “I’ve always loved your dimples.”

“I know.” He smirked. “You were so obvious with your love at first sight.” “It was not love at first sight.” She huffed. “I only said I liked your dimples at the start.” She dropped her hand from his cheek. “I didn’t even like you. I thought you were terrible.” “And yet.” He grabbed her hand again and wrapped it around his neck. “You kept staring.”

I KEEP WINNING I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!

She gently tugged on his neck until he lowered his head and brought his lips down to hers.

Jacks had his heart. She had Jacks. They were in love. This was everything she wanted. This was happily ever after.

Evangeline pulled away from Jacks’s lips to see Apollo standing just a few feet away, his stance wide, his head tipped high.

GET HIM OUT OH HERE HE RUINS EVERYTHING

“Jacks!” “I’m coming, Little Fox!”

Jacks thought he could not witness anything worse than Evangeline dying in his arms. But this was close. She was on the ground, bound up in front of a tree, and the bastard who stole her memories was leaning in to kiss her. “Get your hands off her, you son of a bitch!”

i'm gigling wiggling kicking my feet right now

“Little Fox!” Jacks lashed his arms against his captors as he screamed and cursed everyone in the cavern. “Little Fox, I’m sorry.” His tortured voice echoed toward the sky. The broken sound of it would have made Evangeline cry if she wasn’t already. She wanted to tell him not to be sorry, she wanted to tell him again that it would be all right—but just in case it wasn’t, she called, “I love you!”

Apollo suddenly dropped to his knees and clutched the ground with one hand as if trying to find purchase. “You told me it would take the life of the person I love the most.” “It is,” Wolfric replied. “It’s taking you.”

DRAG HIM DRAG HIM WOLFRIC!!!

Evangeline merely glanced at him before jumping in between the three fighters and yelling, “Stop all of this nonsense, right now!” Jacks was the first to freeze, followed by one of the Valor sons.

But if Wolfric Valor wanted the kingdom, he could have it. Just as long as she could have Jacks. Jacks laughed softly beside her, and Evangeline had the impression he’d heard what she was thinking.

The Magnificent North’s infamous story curse watched the star-crossed lovers, who were star-crossed no more, walk out of the ancient cavern.

And so the story curse watched as the wounded not-quite-human-boy kept his arm around the shoulder of the girl he had once brought back from the dead.

The curse really did hope the two of them would find happily ever after. It wasn’t entirely sure if the not-quite-human-boy deserved it, but the girl with the rose-gold hair definitely did.

She looked up at her not-quite-human-boy adoringly, despite the bruises, cuts, and blood spattered on his person. “I s...

It watched as the not-quite-human-boy raised an offended brow. “You only have one?” “No—I actually have far more.” She worried her lip between her white teeth.

Something shifted in the not-quite-human’s eyes; he looked as if he wanted to take her lip between his teeth as well. “You can ask me whatever you want, Little Fox.” “Splendid!” Her mouth turned up into a sweet smile. “Tell me about the apples.” “Next question.” “You said I could ask whatever I wanted.” The not-quite-human-boy’s eyes turned teasing, sparking with little flecks of silver. “I didn’t say that I would answer.”

The girl’s mouth fell into a pout. The not-quite-human reached out with one finger and traced her lower lip. “It doesn’t matter,” he sai...

The girl’s lashes fluttered with surprise. The not-quite-human-bo...

And the story curse decided to stop watching. It was time to leave these two alone and let ...