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  “What’s going on?” Jasper asked.

  With a shaky hand, I reached out and touched his smooth skin. “It’s just that…you don’t look like…” I paused, taking in his face, his perfect pale flesh, his heart-shaped lips, and sharp jawline. It was only when my eyes met his that I felt peace.

  “I don’t look like what?” he asked.

  “I was going to say that you don’t look like you anymore, but that’s not right. I can still see you.”

  Furrowing his brows, he lifted a hand and touched his face. “Does this mean what I think it does? Is my face normal?” His mouth dropped open.

  Smiling, I nodded.

  “You did it,” he said excitedly. “You broke the curse.”

  “What curse?”

  “Layla,” Mom’s voice rang out. Her footsteps neared us, then stopped. “There you are. What’s going on?” Her gaze landed on Jasper, and her eyes widened. Henry and his friends came up behind her.

  “Nice try, Layla, but I told you that you couldn’t escape--” he paused, glancing around. “What the hell? Where is he?” Behind him, muttering and curses ensued from the rest of his friends.

  “Oh, there Layla is. I knew I’d find her,” the reporter’s voice broke into the moment, as she walked up, her face flushed, and her microphone in hand. The cameraman hurried behind her.

  “There’s nothing more to see here. The beastly boy is gone,” my mom said.

  “Gone?” The reporter asked.

  “Yep. Gone,” Mom answered in her no-nonsense voice.

  “Where did he go?”

  “Good question,” Henry muttered.

  “Everyone back off. There’s nothing more to see here,” My mom was yelling to the crowd. She shoved at Henry and his friends, ushering them away from us. I heaved a sigh of relief as they disappeared around the corner of the building. It seemed unfathomable that they’d leave us alone, but it also made sense. They were in search of the beastly boy. There was no way they’d believe that he was sitting right beside me.

  “Jasper!” I craned my neck at the sound of Nina’s voice. That was her I saw in the crowd. “Jasper. Oh, thank goodness you’re all right. I thought they were going to kill you. I always knew those little bombs we had in the garage would come in handy one day.”

  “You set off the explosions?” I wanted to ask why they had bombs in their garage in the first place, but thought better of it. Besides, it didn’t matter. They saved Jasper. That’s what counted.

  Nodding, Nina dropped to the ground next to Jasper and took him in her arms. Then she pulled back and framed his face with her hands. “Oh, just look at you. It’s incredible.”

  “The curse was broken, Nina. Just like I told you it would be.”

  With tears in her eyes, she turned to me. “I’m so sorry I doubted you, Layla. Jasper knew that you were a good person. He thought that maybe you were the one, yet I didn’t believe him. But he was right.” She drew me into a fierce hug and cried into my shoulder. “Thank you, Layla. Thank you so much.”

  “I still don’t understand what’s going on? What curse?” I asked when Nina released me.

  “Sorry. I’ll explain.” Jasper took my hands in his. Mom returned alone and stood behind us. “My father was an unkind man. Ruthless. Very wealthy and powerful. He treated his first wife Colette horribly because she couldn’t give him a son. He wanted a son to pass his fortune on to. He had no interest in daughters, but she bore him two. So, he divorced her, leaving her with nothing. He cut off his daughters as well. Then he married my mom. When she was pregnant with her first son, Colette put a curse on our family. She said that any son bore to my father would be as ugly as his heart. She wanted him to suffer the same fate that she had, by taking away the one thing he wanted more than anything. When my dad’s first son was born, he was deformed and hideous. My dad couldn’t stand to look at him, so he told the nurse to get rid of it. And she did. The next son was me. Nina was my nurse. When my dad saw me, he gave her the same instructions he’d given the last nurse. But when my dad left the room, my mom begged Nina not to get rid of me. She gave her money, and keys to a house in the forest her family had owned. And she made Nina promise to keep me hidden so that my father would never find us.” Now it was all making sense. “And that’s what Nina did. She kept me hidden. We knew that if my father ever found out about me, he’d have us both killed.”

  “But there was one way that the curse could be broken,” Nina interjected. “And that was by true love. When Jasper was a little boy, I used to hope that my love would be enough to break the spell, but it never did. I guess the spell had to be broken by a different kind of love.”

  Jasper smiled at me. “It had to be broken by your love.”

  I mulled it over for a second and then shook my head. “No. You’re wrong, Jasper. It wasn’t my love that broke the spell. It was yours.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The curse said that all of your father’s sons would be as ugly as his heart, and that it could only be broken by true love. That love had to come from you. You cared about me so much that you let me go even though you believed I could break this spell. And on top of that, you knew that by doing so you were risking your life. You put my needs ahead of your own. You chose me over your own safety, over your own future. That was something your father couldn’t do.” Reaching out, I placed my palm over his heart. It beat erratically under my flesh. “Now your outside matches your inside. You’re as beautiful as your heart.”

  He snatched up my hand, lifted it and brushed his lips over my knuckles. “You’ve always been as lovely as your heart, Layla.”

  “Yes, she has,” Mom said in agreement.

  Smiling, I nestled into Jasper’s chest. I still couldn’t believe this night had ended like this. Peering up at him, I said, “Your cuts and bruises are all gone.”

  Jasper ran his fingertips over his face. “So they are.”

  “What happened to your parents?” I asked, curious.

  He sighed. “My mom died a few years after Nina took me. It was during childbirth.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  “She’d set up a secret bank account for me before she died. That’s what’s kept Nina and I going all these years,” he explained.

  “What about your dad?”

  Jasper glanced at Nina. “We don’t know. Nina used to keep tabs on him, but it got to be too dangerous.”

  My stomach tightened. “He may still be alive then?”

  He nodded.

  “It wasn’t just the townspeople you were afraid of, then?” I asked, and he shook his head in response.

  “I’m so sorry for all of this, Jasper. For the curse and for your mom.” I glanced back at the police station. “And for everything that’s happened today.”

  “You don’t need to apologize for any of it.” He smoothed my hair back from my face. “You’ve done nothing but bring me joy from the moment we met.” Leaning down, he placed his lips over mine once again. They were soft as they moved over mine. There wasn’t any explosion this time. No big transformation or supernatural encounter. But it was every bit as good as the last kiss, because it was with the man I loved.

  16

  THE MIRROR

  “MOM!” GRANT’S VOICE rang out. “There you are.” Footsteps neared us.

  Jasper’s arm came around my shoulders and he drew me closer. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to hide behind the clouds. I shivered.

  “We saw Layla on the news a little while ago, and we’ve been looking for you guys ever since. What’s going on?” Kevin stepped out of the shadows. When his gaze swept over toward me, his eyebrows leapt up. “Who’s he?”

  “Yeah. Seriously, what’s with the new dude?” Grant asked, seeming annoyed. “And where’s the beastly boy?”

  Dad came up behind them, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

  “Let’s all head back home, and Layla and I can explain everything,” Mom said in a calm voice. She�
�d taken everything in stride today, and it appeared that she’d continue to. When her eyes locked with mine, I realized that today had bonded us in an inexplicable way. We could share the entire story with my family, but they’d never understand the way Mom and I did. They weren’t here. They hadn’t seen and experienced it the way we had. My whole life I’d seen Mom as the enemy. My brothers and I schemed and manipulated and kept secrets from her. But today it became clear that she had my back more than anyone else. She was my ally, my friend.

  I flashed her a knowing smile, and she returned it.

  “You boys go ahead. Layla and her...friends...can ride with me.”

  Kevin and Grant were still staring at me dumbfounded. Dad leaned in close to Mom and whispered, “Are you sure everything is all right?”

  “It’s fine.” She pecked him on the cheek. “We’ll explain it all at the house.”

  “Okay.” He gave me a wary look and then turned around. “Come on, boys.”

  Grant and Kevin hesitated momentarily before following him.

  “You two don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I said to Jasper and Nina. “I understand if you want to head home.” It’s not what I wanted. I didn’t want to let him out of my sight, but I knew that was selfish. It had been a long couple of days, and I was certain both Nina and Jasper were tired.

  Nina blew out a breath, stepping toward Jasper. “About our home,” she said slowly, a pained expression cloaking her face. “The police sort of ransacked it, and some of the townspeople vandalized it as well. The garden is destroyed, and a lot of stuff is broken. Also, some of your books and pictures were destroyed.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wrinkled photograph. “I made sure to save this though.” Raising her arm, she thrust it into his hand. I knew then that it must be the picture of his mom.

  “Thank you, Nina,” he said with gratitude.

  “You can stay with us if you need to,” Mom offered.

  Jasper turned to her. “That’s very generous of you, but you’ve already done so much for me. I can’t ask anymore of you.” He touched her arm briefly. “I’m forever grateful to you for everything you did here today.”

  “It was all worth it to see my daughter so happy.”

  “Yes, that is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?” Jasper said.

  “Well, we better get back to the house before the boys come looking for us again,” Mom said, walking forward.

  “So, what do you say? You guys coming?” I asked, holding out my hand toward Jasper.

  Nina and Jasper exchanged a glance, and then he nodded, threading this fingers through mine.

  The drive home was a short one. So short it didn’t give me time to prepare myself for what we were walking into. It wasn’t until we reached the entryway of my house that it all hit me. My brothers and Dad had no idea that the young man standing next to me was, in fact, the beastly boy. Would they even believe it when we told them? It was a fantastical story.

  Mom led Nina toward the kitchen where she said she would get a pot of tea going. I turned to Jasper, wanting one last moment alone with him. It was still surreal to look at his perfect face. I always thought Henry was good looking, but Jasper was so much better looking than Henry ever was. Jasper was used to turning heads, but now he’d be doing it for an entirely different reason.

  “Layla.” He ran his hands up my arms. “I want to thank you.”

  “You already have,” I teased. “And so has Nina.”

  “No. I don’t mean for my transformation. I want to thank you for all the kind things you said about me to that crowd. I want to thank you for seeing something in me that no one else ever has. And I want to thank you for fighting for me.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said simply right before he planted a firm kiss on my lips.

  When he lifted his head, his eyes widened and a shocked gasp erupted from his mouth. “Is that me?” Running a hand over his cheek, he stepped forward.

  I peered over my shoulder at the round mirror hanging on the wall, reflecting Jasper’s face. It was the first time he’d seen himself.

  “Yes, that’s you,” I said.

  His eyes shone. “I can’t believe it.” Reaching into his pocket, he took out the photo of his mom. Then he held it up to his face and stared at the reflection again. I took in her dark hair and eyes, her heart-shaped lips.

  “You look like her,” I observed.

  “I do, don’t I?” His voice cracked, causing emotion to well in my throat. “This is what I was supposed to look like. It’s what I would’ve look like…if not for the curse.”

  Sympathetic, I placed a hand on his back. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair what she did to you. If she was angry with your father, she should’ve cursed him, not you. She could’ve made him as ugly as his heart. That would’ve made more sense.” Resting my cheek on his arm, I sighed. I wondered how different his life would have been if not for the spell. “I’m sorry for what she stole from you.”

  Mom stepped into the entryway. “Tea is made.” She paused, taking in our expressions. “Are you two joining us?”

  I peered up at Jasper. “You ready?”

  Swallowing hard, he nodded.

  ***

  We took turns telling the story – Mom, Nina, Jasper and me. We were interrupted often by questions and moments of shock. Not that I was surprised. It was a lot to take in. I think Mom had hoped that copious amounts of tea and cookies would make it go down easier, but it didn’t seem to. Once the questions finally died down, exhaustion set into my body, the events of the day finally catching up to me. I could only imagine how tired Jasper was. However, he appeared wide awake. Then again, he’d been given an amazing gift today. He had a new lease on life. It was like how I used to wake up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning, high on adrenaline and the promise of presents.

  After a few moments of silence as everything sunk in, Kevin stood, his gaze catching mine. “Layla, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry to you as well, Jasper. You have to understand, I thought I was protecting my sister. I thought you had kidnapped her.”

  “To be fair, he did. He took her and kept her locked away for two months,” Grant pointed out. “And he did it because he hoped she’d turn him into this. That she’d break the curse. He used and manipulated her.”

  My stomach knotted, and I opened my mouth to defend Jasper, but he placed a steadying hand on my arm.

  “You’re right. It was wrong of me to keep her at my house. And you’re also right that I thought she might be the one to break the spell, but the only reason I thought that was because I was so incredibly drawn to her, and I could tell she was to me too. But that wasn’t the reason I kept her. I kept her because I was scared. I was scared of what would happen when she told people about me.” He shook his head. “It was still a selfish, awful thing to do, and that’s why I let her go. I know it doesn’t make it all right, but you have to believe that I feel terrible for what I did to Layla. If I could go back in time, I’d do it all differently.”

  “Even if it meant you’d stay a monster?” Grant asked.

  Jasper nodded emphatically. “Layla means more to me than any of that. I made a lot of mistakes, but I love Layla. I loved her before she changed me. I loved her when we were at my house.” His gaze found mine. “I loved her when she had pizza sauce dripping down her chin, and when she stuck out her tongue while playing piano, and when she got upset about losing a card game, and when she had no idea which vegetable was ripe enough to pick.”

  I smiled, remembering.

  “I’m sorry, but this whole thing is just a little too weird for me,” Grant said, causing my stomach to tumble to the ground.

  “I think we all need to take some time to process this,” Dad interjected. “In the meantime, I do want to thank you, Jasper, for saving my daughter’s life and for returning her to us safely.”

  “It was my pleasure, sir,” Jasper said.

  Dad nodded, but didn’t smile, and it worried me. Would my family ever accept Jasp
er? Would they ever accept our relationship?

  After Dad and Grant left the room, Kevin approached me. “Just give them time.”

  Pressing my lips together, I nodded.

  “Layla, I meant what I said. I am really sorry about betraying your trust.”

  “I know you are.”

  His head bobbed up to Jasper, but Jasper cut his pending words off by holding up his hand. “You don’t have to apologize to me again. I get that you were trying to protect your sister, and I respect that. Besides, I like knowing that Layla has someone like you looking out for her.”

  “Man, this whole thing is so weird,” Kevin responded. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

  “You and me both, man,” Jasper agreed. They shook hands, and then Kevin headed upstairs.

  Leaning against Jasper, I let out a yawn.

  “You’re tired. Nina and I should head out,” Jasper said.

  My head snapped up. “You’re not staying?”

  Jasper looked over at Nina. “I’m not sure we should.”

  “Nonsense,” Mom cut in. “It’s late and it’s been a long day. There’s no way I’m letting you and Nina drive all the way back to the forest. Besides, you heard Nina, the place is wrecked. And at this point, you can’t rule out the fact that the townspeople may still be out there looking for you. We’ll all get a good night’s rest and decide what to do in the morning.”

  “You don’t want to argue with my mom,” I whispered. “She always wins.”

  Jasper chuckled. “All right, then. I guess we’re staying.”

  Nina smiled. The weariness on her face was evident.

  “I’ll show you to your room, Nina,” Mom said. “Layla, you can take Jasper to the guest room on the lower level.” I wasn’t surprised that’s where she’d put him. It was the guest room furthest from mine. No doubt she was putting Nina on the one closest to mine. Between my parents, my brothers and Nina, they would be certain Jasper and I couldn’t sneak off together. Not that I had any plans to. I was too tired for anything other than a good night’s sleep.

  “Your house is beautiful,” Jasper said as we walked the stairs to the lower level.