“Same goes for cures, I’m guessing?”
He shrugs, and despite everything my gaze is drawn to the dark crescent of his lashes against his flushed cheekbones, the wry line of his mouth, the blue tendrils of hair clinging to his strong neck, the powerful muscles in his arms and chest.
And the terrible wound in his tail.
“Give me the pendant,” I whisper, “and I will kiss you. I want you to get away from here. I want to cure you.”
“You don’t even know why I am cursed,” he breathes.
“What does it matter? You’re paying the price. Also… you’re right. I want you to kiss me.”
His eyes narrow on me. “Really?”
“I…” The heat in my cheeks is not feigned as I remember his kisses. “I’ve been thinking about you. I can’t seem to stop.”
“You’re telling the truth,” he whispers, his voice a little choked.
“I am. And you were right. This prince who gave me the token… I’m not sure I’d like to spend my life with him. So I need the token so that I can return it to him.”
“Selina…”
“Where is it?” I step closer to him, close enough to touch. His braid is trailing in the mud and I want to lift it, rescue it. I want to brush a strand of hair from his too-bright eyes, do something to erase the lines of pain around that generous mouth. “Where is the pendant?”
He’s watching me, a question in his eyes that I hope I’ve answered already. He mutters something under his breath, something that sounds like a curse judging from the vehemence in his tone, and I think he’s going to refuse, string me along some more. Maybe forever.
But he reaches up, behind his head, under that old-fashioned braid that reminds me of warriors of old in paintings and statues scattered around the palace of Kyrene. He tugs, and when he lifts his hand and opens it, on his palm rests the pendant.
The arrow-pierced heart gleams dully, a little muddy.
My breath stutters out of my chest.
At last.
There is a light in his eyes, a light I refuse to read, a light that looks like trust and hope and a little defiance as he offers me the pendant.
Grabbing it, I step away. “So long, Adar.”
A crease appears between his brows. “What? Wait. What about that kiss?”
I step further back, passing the pendant chain over my head, letting the silver disk hand against my collarbone. “I lied. I’m human, remember? We lie.”
“Selina.” He reaches for me but I move further back. Why haven’t I run away yet? It’s so hard to walk away. Harder than I thought.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
His eyes are wide. “You’re not really leaving. It’s a ruse.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I thought you were going to help me.”
“You’re not the only one who can play games.”
“I wasn’t playing,” he says, so low I barely make out the words.
“Sure you weren’t,” I mutter and I step further and further up, stepping onto dry ground.
“Selina!” With a roar, he throws himself at me, hands slamming into the mud, fingers digging into the soil as he drags himself further up the bank to reach me.