SELIN'S POV.
"But why didn't I?" I whispered. "What if the curse is ending?"
"It's not ending," he said sharply. "If it was, I'd be able to touch you right now without feeling like my bones are being ripped apart."
I stared at him. He stared at the floor.
"And that's happening to you now?" I asked softly.
He nodded once…tiny, painful. "Every time you're near."
I didn't know what to do with that kind of truth. Nobody had ever cared about me enough to suffer for it. And here was a man, a terrifying, powerful man, who looked like my presence hurt worse than a wound.
To cover the ache in my chest, I tried to lighten it the only way I knew how.
"So what you're saying is…" I gave a small crooked grin, "maybe we're meant to be together. Maybe I'm like the chosen one who was made to survive your touch."
It was a joke. I expected him to roll his eyes. Or give one of those rare almost-smiles, but he didn't.
