Lore of the Tides (Lore of the Wilds #2)

by Analeigh Sbrana

She told him this. Finndryl listened to her, his face resigned, patient, as he waited for her to finish. Silence. Lore bit her lip, glancing upward to stop the tears from escaping. She’d ruined the whole of everything between them. Just like she knew she would. “I understand your fear,” he began, his voice low and steady. He reached out, brushing a stray curl away from her face, his touch a lightning bolt. “You think you are too messy, your circumstances too . . . much. You think I want a butterfly flitting from flower to flower in the sunshine without a care in the world?” He paused, his eyes searching hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. “You are more moth than butterfly,” he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, as he cupped her chin, tilting her face up. “I’m not afraid of the darkness that follows you . . . that tries, even now, to bury you. Instead of being lost to it, you thrived.” His thumb traced the curve of her cheek, delicious heat spreading through her at the contact. “The dark means stars and moonlight . . . You shine golden in the moonlight; you thrive under the glow of the stars, Lore. You are worthy of adoration. Unveil your mosaic wings for me. Let me adore you.” His words suspended in the space between them, thick with emotion. He knew how messy her life was, and he didn’t care; he’d never shied away.