before Cait forced her into the pub later that night. It was quite crowded and she hoped he would not notice her.

His eyes met hers the moment Cait pushed her in. Anthea's breath caught. How could she even think that it was going to be possible for her to forget him? His voice sounded beautiful. Once again, Anthea had that odd feeling of sensing his feelings as clearly as her own. She could hear two hearts beating, two hopes blazing with a new spark, two torrents of emotions mixing into one overwhelming sensation.

He sang three more songs, then announced a short break. The crowd cheered but immediately turned back to their drinks and talks. Anthea's whole body trembled with excitement as he walked toward her. He still used his crutches for support though he seemed to be doing much better. She turned to find Cait and ask her to stay by her side. Her friend had betrayed her. She had found a guy and was cheerfully chatting with him.

Anthea opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her, pressing his palm to her lips silencing her.

"Just listen," Connor said. He looked into her eyes and Anthea doubted her ability to listen or comprehend. It had been so easy to leave him when he was away. Now, as he stood next to her, she knew there was a connection between them so strong and deep that she could not break it no matter how many curses worked against them. "I do not care now many ancestors of mine have believed they suffered a curse. I am not sure if there is magic or curses in this world. Hell, I am not going to let any of those to determine my life, Thea."

They both fell silent for a moment. He had come to find her. He needed her—not a witch to undo his curse, not a healer to help him recover—just the girl he liked.

"I guess everyone else had fallen into that trap. The curse is fueled by us believing in it, is it not? I refuse to believe it and I refuse to try to fight it. Cursed or not—this is what I am. Please accept me and do not hide from my anymore."

She wanted to scream "yes," to yell so loudly that everyone in the pub could hear, so that her lungs hurt. No words came out of her mouth though. Minutes ran by and all Thea could do was stare at him and smile. Then she felt tears in her eyes.

"Thea? I want to take that as a yes, but I need to be sure. Thea, say something, anything."

She was beaming like a fool, unable to pronounce a simple "yes." She nodded weakly, then a bit stronger, and eventually her head was bobbing up and down uncontrollably and tears falling down her cheeks.

Connor grabbed her waist, lifted her easily with one arm, leaned on one of his crutches and started turning so fast that everything turned into a blur. When their lips touched, she knew this moment was the one true magic she believed in, the feeling was intense as never before. Both had put aside their fears and prejudices. This moment was theirs and theirs only—none of the old stories, none of what had been foretold mattered. He had come to find her and that was all that mattered. Cursed or not, Anthea knew together they could overcome it.

Later that night, when Connor was back to playing his music, Anthea felt that another soul—an ancient one so far away from them—was smiling with relief. She hoped it was Tara's restless soul that had finally found peace. Anthea smiled back and promised to live and love for all those dreams that had been unfulfilled for so many years.

THE END

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