my upper back. I ignored the pain and wrapped the crystal in my palm, letting it absorb and heal the new curse through the skin of my hand.
“Bri!” Tavar grabbed my shoulder and rolled me to face him. “What’s wrong with you?” His eyes were wide. “You still had two counts left. You were supposed to defend against a blow to the head, not lie there with your guard down while you break the curse. I could have knocked you unconscious.”
“Oh.” I sat up. Perhaps I could feign cluelessness. “I forgot—”
“And we’re only training!” He shook his head. “I could have seriously injured you. You should have just let the curse take hold. I would have broken it a moment later.”
His chest heaved. I could see the throbbing of his pulse in his throat. Was Tavar truly so concerned about accidentally hurting me?
“Sorry.” I ran my hand through my hair, making an even worse mess of my braid. I felt off-kilter and confused. “I guess we should finish up.”
Tavar’s tense shoulders eased. He studied his hands, then glanced at me. “We could go get some dinner, if you want.”
I found myself staring at his lips. “Dinner …” There was a freckle just on the edge of his upper lip, and it always seemed to draw my eyes. We were both sixteen now. Other Sentinels our age got dinner together at the nearby markets after training all the time, but Tavar and I had never gone out to dinner alone. Why did it seem like it would mean crossing an invisible, unspoken line?
Tavar didn’t smile. He always smiled when I was distracted. “Bri …” He shifted slightly, glancing quickly at the small group of recruits on the other side of the training room. “C’mon. Dinner. Let’s go.” He stood, then held out his hand.
I took it, enjoying the shock of warmth coming from his skin on mine, my attention still fixed on that freckle as he pulled me to my feet. It was close enough to kiss—
IDIOT. The curse shot a spike of pain into my chest.
I yanked my hand out of Tavar’s, but the curse was just getting started. A second, searing stab of pain fired from the stitch into my heart, followed by a third pain.
I collapsed to my knees and clutched my chest, breathless from the pain. Would it kill me this time?
I SHOULD kill you. You deserve to die, worthless creature! The curse’s voice in my mind was a high, piercing shriek. For some reason, all I could think of was Elektra’s face when she threatened to transport into my family’s sitting room and break their necks. How DARE you?
I clutched my chest. Another pain seared my heart. You will not kiss him, the curse shrieked. You will not touch him. You will not you will not you will not—
“I’m so sorry,” I tried to whisper, but I had no air to voice the words. I slammed my hand against the ground, begging the curse to stop without words.
I couldn’t breathe. There was a roaring in my ears, drowning out what I thought might be a chorus of voices yelling somewhere over my head.
Someone turned me onto my back, but another pain came at once. I shoved their hands away and rolled onto my side, covering my chest protectively.
“Please,” I finally choked out. “Please.”
The curse only shrieked with wordless rage.
“What is it?” A man’s unfamiliar voice spoke urgently over my head. “Please what? What do you need?”
The curse shot another jolt into my heart, then stilled, as though it had just realized we had an audience. You will pay, creature, it hissed. I will not forget this betrayal. Neither will you.
The pain in my chest disappeared. I froze, then let the hands on my shoulder roll me to my back.
A man with a brown beard and black tattoos running up his arms stared down at me, his lips moving as he checked my pulse and pupils. Tavar knelt beside him, looking horrified. Raven crouched on my other side.
The roaring in my ears finally faded. “—you tell me your name, kid?” The bearded Sentinel felt along my ribs. “Can you say anything?”
“Briar Rose,” I rasped. I shoved onto my elbows, then sat despite his protests. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Tavar growled. “Lie down, Bri.”
“I mean, I’m fine now.” I rubbed my chest gingerly. “It just ached for a minute.”
“It ached, huh?” The Sentinel raised his eyebrows. “That’s one way to put it. I’ve never seen someone rendered breathless