The Orc and the Innkeeper (Elderberry Falls, #1)

by Cora Crane

Mariah was a dream I never allowed myself to have, a wish upon a star that I extinguished with my own hands.

“Have you properly groveled yet? Because from what you’ve told me, it sounds like you’ve barely apologized, let alone made a real effort to atone for your past actions.”

Watching a smart man confidently in his element does something to my insides that should be illegal.

It’s a strange kind of magic, this: the power of sincere words spoken by someone you never thought capable of them.

It feels like coming home.