I bent to kiss her forehead, then straightened, nerves fluttering in my chest as I padded down the hallway.
Bracken peeked his head around my bedroom door as I passed.
“You look like you’re walking to either a proposal or an execution,”he commented.
“Potentially both,” I whispered back.
“Och, grand, I love a bit of drama,”he said, scampering up to my shoulder.“Carry on.”
Torin was in the kitchen, exactly as Zara had predicted.
He stood at the counter, hands braced, head bowed. A mug of tea sat forgotten beside him, steam long gone. The muscles in his forearms flexed, the veins standing out, and guilt punched me right in the solar plexus.
“You see the world through possibility. People like you … you open doors for others without asking them to knock first. That’s a rare thing. A precious thing.”
His words came back to me, filling me with conviction that I was making the right choice in him—in choosing this life with him—and I cleared my throat as I stepped forward.
His head snapped up. Relief flooded his features so fast it made my eyes sting.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “How’s Zara?”
“She’ll live,” I said, voice soft. “Grumpy, which is how we know she’s on the mend.”
His mouth twitched. “Good.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and full.
Bracken shifted against my neck.
“I’m just going to… go… not be here,”he muttered, dropping to the floor and scampering toward the back door.“If anyone needs me, I’ll be climbing the bird feeder.”
I drew in a breath. “Torin, can we talk?”
He straightened fully, that steady, unwavering attention locking on me. Even with worry etched under his eyes and streaks of mud still on his jeans, he was… beautiful. Solid.
Home.
“Aye,” he said. “Please.”
I walked around the island so there was nothing between us. My hands shook, so I wrapped them around myself.
“I owe you an apology,” I began. “A proper one.”
His brows pulled together. “For nearly getting yourself killed?” he asked roughly. “Because I’m not sure I’m ready to be gracious about that yet.”
A choked laugh escaped me. “Add it to the list. But no. This is about the truth spell.”
He went very still.
“Torin, I’m so, so sorry,” I whispered. “I meddled with the one thing you value most—your integrity. I turned your own mouth into a weapon against your privacy. You didn’t deserve that. No one does.”
He looked at me for a long moment, eyes searching my face.
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose,” he said finally. “But aye, it’s been… a lot.” His jaw flexed. “It’s not that I mind being honest with you, Liora. I quite like it, actually. But I’d like it to be my bloody choice.”
Tears spilled over. “You’re right. And I want that for you too. That’s why I’m here.” I drew in a breath that shook. “There’s a way to undo it. Properly. If you want me to.”
He blinked, something like surprise flaring, quickly followed by guarded hope. “You can remove it?”