I do not understand how she can fill me with such hope and fear simultaneously. I pull her hand to my chest and lean in to her, until we share breath. My lips brush across hers. It is barely a kiss, but she is somehow closer to me, her body a pool of warmth against mine. I want so desperately to turn it into more, to see where this blossoming attraction will lead.

Are you prepared to die, Grey?" I demand. "Because that is all that exists at the end of this path. I am sure of it. This was never a curse to be broken. This is a death sentence. The true curse has been the thought that we might find escape.

Have you not figured it out yet? The curse torments us all.

She was right - I have had over three hundred women to practice on. I should have known better.

Rhen puts his hands on my arms and leans in. When he speaks, his voice is very low, very quiet, just for me. "My father is dead, my lady. My whole family is dead." He pulls back, meeting my gaze, but his voice doesn't change. "That monster killed them all.

There are dead bodies at my feet and children whimpering in the snow. Any minute, my brain is going to catch up and I'm going to collapse into sobs.Instead, I saw the only thing my addled mind can come up with. "Thanks.