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I nodded at the bruised and swollen side of his face.

“Oh, this?”Avery shrugged and gave a self-deprecating little laugh.“Please, I’ve had worse than this—you think I haven’t dealt with homophobic Neanderthals before?Because I have, all my life.I told you, I’ve known I was a, er, ‘man-lover’ since I was six or seven.And the other boys werenotvery forgiving.”

“Couldn’t you hide it?”I asked, lifting my eyebrows.After all, his orientation wasn’t like my Drake, bursting out at the most inopportune times and places and doing things that were beyond my control.

Avery gave me a level look.

“I shouldn’thaveto hide it, Saint.This is who I am.This isme—and I refuse to apologize for it.”

I looked at him with admiration.We were both different to the rest of the world—we both had a secret inside us.But Avery wore his with pride, while my cursed Drake was a constant source of shame to me.

“You’re very brave,” I told him.“In the Sky Lands, we are taught that lovers of men are weak and faint of heart.But I think you are one of the most courageous people I’ve ever met.”

“Well,thank you,roomie.”He smiled at me—an expression that lit up his whole face and made him more than handsome—which he already was.It made him…well, it made himveryattractive, though I didn’t really understand why.For some reason I kept looking at his lips, which looked very soft.Very…kissable.

Not that I would ever kiss them, I told myself hastily.But the strange thoughtdidgive me an idea.

“Avery,” I said slowly.“There is one upside to my curse.At least, I have been told there is.”

“There is?What?”He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Supposedly I should be able to heal small wounds…like those on your hands.”I nodded at the rope burns.“If…you would like me to try?”I asked hesitantly.I had never offered to try healing anyone before—because I wasn’t close enough to anyone, except perhaps Jalli and Ari—to even think of it.And I wasn’t strong enough to heal something big like Jalli’s twisted foot, only small things, like the wounds on Avery’s hands.But would he even want me to try it?

“How can a curse come with anything good, like healing magic?”he asked, frowning.“Did the witch who cursed you feel sorry and want to make it not so bad or something?”

“Oh, believe me, thebrujathat cursed me had no guilt about it,” I said darkly.“But a pinch of good in an evil curse makes it that much stronger.The way a tiny pinch of salt in something sweet will make it sweeter.”

“Oh, I get it.”He nodded thoughtfully.“So…you really think you can heal me?”

I shrugged.

“I don’t really know—I’ve never tried it before.But…” I glanced at him uncertainly.“I’d like to try.”

“Well, sure—if you really want to.”He shrugged.“How does it work?Do we need to recite a spell?Maybe call the Corners?You know, ‘Hail to the Guardians of the Watch Towers of the West…’ It’s a witch thing,” he explained, when he saw my confused expression.

I shook my head.

“I don’t think so.I think I just have to breathe on the wounded areas and think of healing them.”I held out a hand to him.“Can I try?”

“I guess so.”

Avery gave me his right hand and I leaned over his wounded palm.The rope marks were red and angry-looking, even in the dimness of our room.Slowly, I brought his palm closer to my mouth and blew on it lightly.

“Oh!”Avery jumped, his fingers twitching in response to my breath.“I think I felt something.A kind of…tingle,” he said.

But when I looked at his palm, I saw no change in the angry red lines.

“I don’t know,” I said, frowning.“I don’t think I’m doing any good.”

“Try again,” Avery suggested.“Healing magic is difficult to master.Sometimes you have to do it more than once to make it work.”

Since I didn’t want to stop holding his hand in mine, I decided to try again.

“All right.”I nodded and leaned over his palm again.But this time I brought it right to my mouth.I opened my lips and breathed out, exhaling a little of my Drake’s warmth, though I was careful not to wake him as I did so.But it wasn’t until I actually pressed my lips to Avery’s flesh, that I really felt the power begin to flow through me and into him.

“Oh…” Avery’s voice had gone a bit hoarse.“I definitely feel it working,” he said, his fingers twitching slightly again.

I breathed on his palm a few more times—pressing my lips to his wounded flesh—before drawing back to look at it.