“Go on then. How was the castle?”
“Wild,” I admitted. “Hilarious. But, kind of emotional, too, I guess. But in a good way.”
“As opposed to the bad way you usually get?” he teased lightly.
I winced. “Yeah, actually. Which is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
He blinked, sensing the tone shift. He sat up straighter, face softening. “All right. I’m listening.”
I drew in a breath.Here goes nothing.
“I feel like I’ve spent my whole life … messing up,” I said quietly. “Missing red flags. Putting my faith in people I shouldn’t. Believing in the best-case scenario because… because that’s what I want to be real. What Iwishwas real.”
Torin’s brow furrowed slightly.
“And tonight,” I continued, voice shaky, “I was surrounded by this incredible group of women—strong magickal women—and they looked at me like I belonged there. Like I wasn’t the charity case or the disaster waiting to happen. Like I was … one of them.”
Torin opened his mouth, but I held up a hand.
“I know I ramble,” I said, needing to get this out. “I know I jump into things too fast. And tonight, being with them … it felt like being seen in a way I’m not used to. They treated me like family.” My throat tightened. “Like I wasn’t the screwup sister. Or the friend who needs saving. Or the weird girl with the tarotcards and wonky astrology readings. Och, I don’t know, like I was someone valuable.”
“Youarevaluable.” Torin’s eyes softened, something tender flickering in the depths there.
“But I don’t feel that way most of the time,” I whispered. “I hate that I screwed up like, ten minutes after moving into Loren Brae. I’m messy, Torin. And too trusting. The one who believes in people even when I shouldn’t. Zara always says I ‘love too loudly.’ I think she means it in a nice way, but sometimes it feels like a criticism.”
Torin leaned forward, forearm resting on his knee. The firelight painted amber shadows across his jaw. “Liora. Look at me.”
I did.
And the world narrowed to just us.
“You’re not naïve,” he said, voice low but certain. “You’re hopeful. There’s a difference.”
I swallowed.
“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.”
I blinked back sudden tears.
“Hope is brave. Not stupid.”
My chest tightened painfully. “But I keep getting hurt. I keep screwing up, Torin. Look at you. Five minutes into my new life and I hexed you with a truth spell.”
He nodded. “Aye. Be that as it may, it doesn’t change that a hopeful heart is a special thing. But that doesn’t mean you should change. Or shrink yourself.” His gaze deepened. “It means you need people around you who actually see you for what and who you are. People who protect your softness instead of making fun of it.”
“That’s …a lot.” I let out a shaky breath.
“It’s true,” he said simply.
Bracken nudged my hand gently, chittering in agreement.
“Tree man is correct.”
Torin glanced at the squirrel’s noise, amused. “He sounds like he agrees with me.”
“He does. Which is incredibly sweet, of both of you.” I needed time to let his words settle into me. I knew I’d be replaying them in my head for a while. I tucked my hair behind my ear and shifted the conversation because I wasn’t sure how much more sweet truths I could take at the moment before I dissolved in a puddle of need and vulnerability at Torin’s feet. “Speaking of … seeing. There’s something else I have to tell you about. Something, um, strange happened for me.”
His expression sharpened. “What happened?”