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“My Curse is lifted,” I heard theBrujasay.Her face was sagging and her whole body was bent almost double with the weight of the magic she’d done to remove it.“But beware,” she snarled at me, her features contorting with rage.“You may have had your way with me, but I will have mine with you as well.You lose the Curse, then you lose yourself as well, witch-boy!”

Then she muttered something else in the Drake language, though I couldn’t tell if it was magic or just something obscene and fell over into the mud.As I watched, her body melted into the stinking ooze and she was no more.

I fell to my knees as well—I couldn’t help it.I was sodizzy.The magic had certainly had its way with me too—it’s not easy to conduct seventeen years of hatred and pain through your body without getting overwhelmed by it.I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up.

Saint’s Drake lifted his head to the sky and gave a bugling call—then he lowered his long neck and nudged me anxiously with his snout.I could hear him asking if I was all right…and then he disappeared.

In his place was my boyfriend.Saint was naked but I didn’t care about that.The look on his face was one of pure horror.

“Avery!Avery, let it go!”he begged, reached for my hand.“It’s over now—it’s done.Dios, you’re bleeding yourself dry!Let it go!”

I tried—I really did.But by now my fingers were locked around the Curse Breaker and the spines of it were buried in my palm—I literallycouldn’trelease it.

“Trying,” I whispered faintly.“Can’t…sorry.Love…you.”

And then everything around me faded to blackness and even Saint’s beloved face was gone.

35

SAINT

Igathered Avery into my arms and held him close to my heart.His eyes rolled up in his head and he was limp in my grasp—I truly feared that he was dead.I leaned closer, trying to feel his breath on my cheek but I felt nothing.

My heart ached and I expected to hear my Drake roaring within me.But to my surprise, I felt nothing inside.Well, not nothing—I could still feel him in there.But there were no emotions coming from him—he was completely mute.After years of having him roar and rage inside my head, it was strange in the extreme.But right now, I was too obsessed with the man I loved to think much of my other half.

“Avery!”I begged, patting his cheeks.“Avery, please come back to me!Please!”

Suddenly there was a rush of wings overhead.Looking up, I saw a Drake landing near me.And then another and another.I recognized them too—they were some of my Sire’s most trusted guards.One by one they changed and came over to me.

“Santiago, your father has sent us to bring you to him.”

It was General Lupe, my Sire’s second in command.

“What…how…how did you know I was here?”I asked, finally getting the words out.

“Your father had aBrujaput charms around the entrance to our lands,” he answered.“We knew as soon as your Drake flew through the Rift.Come—I am ordered to bring you to him.”

“No!”I glared up at him fiercely.“Can you not see that my beloved is wounded?”I couldn’t bring myself to say the word, “dead” though I feared that Avery was.He was so limp in my arms—the only thing still tense about him was his fingers—the evil spiked ball was still clutched in his hand.

General Lupe made a face of disgust.

“Let him be—you must take your place at your father’s side and there is no room for another man beside you,” he snapped.

“No!”I held Avery even closer to my heart.“He is myl’lorna!I will never let him go!”

“You must!Men—come and help me.”General Lupe motioned to the other men who had changed from their Drake form.All of them wore ragged shorts—we who change forms often carry a change of clothes with us.I hadn’t put mine on because I didn’t care about changing—didn’t care about anything but Avery.

“Let him go—leave him!”the General demanded and many arms began to pry Avery away from me.

“No!”I shouted.“Don’t you see?He saved me!He took the Curse from my Drake and it killed him!It killed him!”

Tears were pouring from my eyes—Avery’s face was blurry.I didn’t want to let him go but they were making me, prying him from my hands.

I felt the rage and grief build inside me and tried to release my Drake.If he came out, he could make them stop—then I could take my beloved’s body someplace safe.Someplace I could mourn for him.

But he wouldn’t come out—I could feel him inside but he didn’t respond when I begged for his help.What was wrong with him?Had removing the curse silenced him completely?

“Why don’t you help me?”I raged at him.“Avery cured you and you do nothing!He lifted your curse—he gave his life and now you won’t even come out to help me with him!”