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Then Saint took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes.

“Don’t look at him—look at me!”he demanded.

I looked and saw flames burning in the obsidian depths of his gaze.But not the flames of a Cursed Drake anymore—these were the eyes of a Drake who loved and cherished me.The Drake who had claimed me as his own when Saint had Blood-Marked me.

“I…I don’t wear your Mark anymore,” I whispered to him.“I had to…had to take it off.”

“I know.My Sire made me take yours off too,” he murmured.“But it’s not too late, Avery.We can Mark each other again.We can be together always.”

“I don’t know!”I winced as the pain shot through me and the two sets of memories warred in my head.“Part of me thinks I love you…and part of me thinks you’re nothing but my roommate!”I told him.

“Then let me remind you of what’s true.”

He opened his mouth and I saw that he had grown fangs—doubtless the razor-sharp teeth of his Drake coming through.He pushed his thumb against one of the sharp points and then pressed the bleeding tip into my mouth.

“Blood of my Blood and Breath of my Breath,” he said to me.“Nothing can part us now except Death!”

As the salty taste of his blood filled my mouth, I felt a rush of power flow over me.At once the bright memories began to dim and the ones with Saint and my coven mates in them grew brighter.My head began to hurt less too.

“Saint,” I breathed, reaching for him.“Saint, it’s true!You’re mine and I’m yours!”

And just at that moment my father broke whatever magic was holding him back.He rushed into the circle and grabbed me around the middle, holding my arms to my sides.

“Stay back!”he snarled as my friends started towards him.“I’m taking Avery and leaving!”

“You don’t dare!”Megan had a pin in her hand and she was about to prick her finger and do Blood Magic, I was sure of it.“I’llmakeyou let him go!”she threatened.

“I’m wearing a counterspell!”my father shouted back at her.“I’ve heard all about you, you Latimer witch!The minute you try any of your Blood Magic on me, the spell I put on Avery will get twice as strong.So go on—doit.You’ll be doing my job for me!”he sneered.

Was he telling the truth?I had no idea and clearly neither did Megan.She stood there, the pin poised by her finger and a look of indecision on her pretty face.

Meanwhile, my father—who was still bigger and stronger than me—was beginning to drag me backwards out of the circle.

“Stay back—all of you just stay back!”he was shouting, so loudly that my ears hurt!

“Let me go!”I struggled against him but he wasn’t budging an inch.“Let me go back to my friends—to my boyfriend!”I demanded.

“No!You’ll thank me for this in the future,” he snapped, his grip on my arms tightening.“When you’re settled with a good job in Magical Finance and a pretty little wife, you’ll see this is for the best.”

“I don’twanta ‘pretty little wife’—I want Saint!”I growled, but I still couldn’t get free.

As for Saint, I could see he was just about to change.His Drake might not be cursed anymore, but he was still extremely territorial and he clearly thought I was being hurt—or at the very least, kidnapped.

I knew if Saint Shifted and his Drake came out, people were going to get hurt.My whole coven was there—even little Jalli was standing a little way away, watching with wide eyes as her three pet chimelings flew around her head, calling in alarm.They were too close together to let a twelve-ton Drake come out into the middle of them!

But what could I do?How could I stop Saint from Shifting—how could I reassure his Drake that I was all right?My father had my arms pinned to my sides—I was helpless to do any magic.

Well, except the only magic that had never failed me—the simplest spell of all which had come to me first, at the very start of my magical career.

Concentrating hard, I called my magic needle.

It zipped into existence right in front of my eyes.Twisting my hand outward, I called for it to pierce my thumb.As I felt the sharp little pain and the blood welling up, I knew what to do.

Good—now stab my father—poke his hands—make him let me go!I directed the needle.

It zipped hurriedly into action, obeying my will.Of course, it wasn’t very big but it was fast.I felt it stabbing my father’s big hands over and over—it must have felt like he was getting stung by a whole swarm of wasps!

“Ouch!What the hell?”he cried as he yanked his hands away, freeing me at last.“What was that?”