“I don’t know what else there is to do. And even if there was, I’m not sure there’s enough time.”
Lucas slid off the bed and stood in front of the window, his hands folded firmly over his chest, thinking.
“Nix and Amador tried everything they thought of,” I said. “The only history I found was about Yara Liliana.”
“Who?”
“Exactly. She was a cursed princess, one of my ancestors, whohad turned into a manananggal, too. I found her diary, and…she was never seen again.”
“Did it say how it happened to her? Any clue we might have that can break the curse?”
“No. Though she did say her heart was broken, and she needed to marry before the full moon or else she would be a monster forever. It didn’t happen soon enough for her, though.”
Lucas looked guilty. “So it’s because I broke your heart that this is happening?”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “People get their hearts broken all the time, and they don’t turn into monsters.”
“You’re not like everyone else.” Lucas’s shoulders dropped, but he still looked pained. “There has to be something we’re missing.”
“I found Yara’s tomb. It was empty. I don’t think she was ever buried.”
“Or she never died…”
“She looked like the lady of the mountain,” I said. “I think she became a spirit to stop herself from becoming a monster.”
That seemed to frighten Lucas. “You’re not dying. I’m not letting that happen.” He rubbed his jaw and paced the room. “And with Jade Mountain at our doorstep by tomorrow, it complicates everything.”
Time was running out for everyone. I wasn’t sure what else we could do.
“I love you, Lucas,” I said. “But it’s too late for me. You have to let me go.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not giving up!”
“Why? I’ll only hurt you.”
“I don’t care! I’ll do anything to be with you, monster or not!”
I almost laughed. “Unless you have some magical antidote or something out of a fairy tale, like the power of true love’s kiss—”
Lucas swept in and planted his lips on mine, stopping my words. My breath hitched, and my heart threatened to burst out of my chest.
My hands lifted as if by their own accord and rested on his shoulders, pulling him tighter against me. His lips were soft but firm, and he sighed into me. It was like nothing had changed between us. That day in the cave hadn’t been magic at all. It was the desire the both of us wanted to act upon but were unable to show.
He cupped my face, his hands warm against my cheeks, and my mouth slipped open, deepening our kiss. The sound of the rain turned into white noise as we embraced each other, caught in each other’s touch. His thumbs traced delicately against my cheek; the tips of his fingers brushed the soft skin behind my ears.
“I love you, MJ,” he said, breaking apart from me briefly before kissing me again. “I’ve loved you since I met you.”
His words lit something inside me, warm against the cold rot in my chest. “I love you, too,” I said.
A cry escaped me, and I crushed my mouth against his. I smiled despite the aching sadness gnawing away at me.
He pressed himself against me, and I fisted my hands against his shirt, unwilling to let him go. I wanted him—Ineededhim to kiss me so I could at least have this moment to remember forever. Even if I forgot who I was when I finally turned, I wouldn’t forget this last kiss.
His full lips were pillow-soft, each touch something new. He pulled me impossibly closer to him. Heat flared all through me. I felt like I could fly.
“I love you so much,” he repeated against my lips. “I can say it a million times, and I’ll say it a million more.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me to sit on the edge of the bed, then knelt in front of me. He kissed my fingers and my knuckles, eyes closed with such earnestness that it made me ache. “I love you—everything that is you,” he said.
