Horizon Ridge Never safe from you.

Yami was too young, too naive, and too hungry for affection to consider what a blatant lie his compliments were. She wasn't hard-working in the least. She'd spent most of her time at Rusalka just wandering around, wondering what she was supposed to do with herself. At Moonspear, she'd known exactly what to do with herself and had made it her life's mission to not do anything remotely close to what she ought. She never felt particularly charming or beautiful either, but those were the things she wanted to be. The not hating him was the only real truth, except for the part where everyone else hated him. That part probably wasn't true.

But did she question any of it? Nope. It was what she wanted to hear, and she wanted to believe he truly felt that way. So she did. Yami stopped when he did, peering quietly at him as he finished speaking. She longed for his touch, to physically feel his admiration for her. Tru had made her feel like a child. She wanted to feel like a woman now and leave all of her insecurities and feelings of inadequacy from her childhood behind.

She stepped closer to him and reach to touch her nose to his chin, her heart hammering in her chest.