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Saint frowned.

“What did they say that is not true?We are both lovers of men—we desire to be together instead of finding females and settling down in the normal way.”

“So you believe what we feel for each other is unnatural and wrong?”I demanded.

Saint looked at his hands for a moment.

“I do,” he murmured after a pause.He looked up at me.“But I cannot seem to stop feeling it,my Corazon.These urges inside me are too strong to fight anymore.I want you and my Drake wants you—that is enough for me.”

“Well it’s not enough for me!”I told him.I was still pacing but I felt like my heart was going to break.“It’s like I have you under a spell or something,” I pointed out.“Like you only care for me because Imadeyou care!”

“You didn’t put the spell on me—theBrujaof the Southern Swampsdid,” he said, frowning.

“Yes, but it amounts to the same thing!”I ran a hand through my hair.“I can’t deal with this.Wehaveto lift the curse!”

Saint looked at me with wide eyes.

“You want to lift the curse so I won’t love you anymore?”

“You don’t love menow,”I said.“Notreally.Your Drake only chose me as yourl’lornabecause of the damn curse.If it wasn’t for the curse…”

I shook my head, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.Trying not to say what I was thinking, that if it wasn’t for the curse he would find me as revolting as the rest of the Drakes did —aside from Kaitlyn and Ari, of course.

Saint sat forward and reached for my hand to stop my pacing.Looking up into my eyes he murmured,

“But, Avery…mi Corazon,I don’t want to lose you!My Drake and I, both of us, weyearnfor you.”

“You won’t lose me,” I said.“Not if the curse isn’t to blame for your, er, yearning for me.If what you feel is real, it will still be there after the curse is lifted.If it’s not, well…” I shook my head, unable to go on.

“Well,what?”Saint demanded.

I cleared my throat and tried to make my voice steady.

“Have you ever heard the saying that if you love something or someone you have to set them free?”I asked him.“If they come back, the love is mutual.If they don’t, it wasn’t meant to be in the first place.”

“What if I do notwantyou to set me free?”Saint whispered.“What if I feel that I willdiewithout you?”

It was not only his own fear but his Drake’s that I saw in his eyes as he spoke.I reminded myself again of what Ari and Kaitlyn had both told me—that the love of a Drake is intense and passionate in the extreme—no doubt his Drake’s fear of losing me was affecting Saint deeply.

I reached down to cup his cheek.

“Saint,” I said gently.“I care about you too.But I don’t want your love under false pretenses.The idea that you think what we’re doing is wrong but you feel you have no choice in the matter iskillingme.Please, just let metryto break the curse.”

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, his long black eyelashes like fans above his high cheekbones.When he looked up at me again, his dark eyes were suspiciously bright, as though with unshed tears.

“I can deny you nothing,” he murmured.“Do what you wish.But please promise me if you are unable to break it that we can still be together.I cannotbearthe thought of losing you.”

“Oh, Saint…” I sank down on the couch beside him and this time it was my turn to hold him.I could feel his big body quivering against mine as he wrapped his arms around me and I knew the thought of losing me really was tearing him up inside.

But what if his feelings for me—as intense as they were—were only the result of the curse?

The thought was unbearable.Maybe even more unbearable than the thought of losing the man I cared for so deeply.

I have to let him go,I thought to myself.I have to free him of this curse and if he comes back to me, it’s meant to be.If not…

If not I would remove his Blood Mark from my forehead and just be single the rest of my life.Yes, I know that sounds dramatic but that was how I felt—like Saint was the only one for me and if I couldn’t have him, I didn’t want anyone else.

But Ididn’twant him under false pretenses.I resolved that I was going to break that damn curse or die trying.