She stared at him, searching his face for some sign that he was joking, but his expression was deadly serious.“That’s what Saber was offering.”
“Yes, but I’m not Saber.”Liam stepped closer, his familiar scent washing over her.“I’m not offering out of charity or community spirit.I want you there because I want a future with you.”
“Liam…” She backed away instinctively, her shoulders hitting the wall behind her and rattling a framed certificate.“You don’t understand.Can’t possibly want—”
“You?”His gaze flashed with a combo of hurt and anger.“Why is it so impossible to believe I might care about you?”
“Because no one does!”The words burst free, raw and desperate.“Because I’m damaged goods.Because any man who gets involved with me is signing up for a lifetime of stares and whispers.”
“Stop.”His voice cut through her spiral like a whip crack.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” she pressed on, as if he hadn’t spoken.“You have no idea what it means to be part of this family.The genetic lottery we lost.The chance that any children we had might—”
“Might what?”Liam snapped.“Have ears like Kitto?A tail like your father?Be different?”
“Yes!Who wants that burden?Who wants to explain to their kids why people cross the street to avoid them?Why they can’t have normal jobs or lives?”
“I would.”His voice was steady, certain.“I’d want that, Sienna.I’d be proud to call them mine.”
She shook her head.“You say that now, but when reality hits—”
“When it hits, I’ll love them as fiercely as I love your brothers.Just as I love you.”
The world tilted under her feet.“You don’t love me,” she whispered.
“Don’t I?”His laugh was bitter.“What do you think the past few months were about?Last night?”
“Guilt,” she said.“Obligation.Stockholm syndrome.I kidnapped you, Liam.I ruined your life.You’re just—”
“Confused?Delusional?”His voice rose, control slipping.“Give me some credit, Sienna.I know the difference between obligation and love.”
“But we’re not mates,” she said, clinging to the one argument that still made sense.“We don’t have that connection.That instant recognition.”
“So what?Not every couple has fireworks and destiny.Some of us have something quieter.Something that grows over time, built on trust and respect and shared experiences.”
“Like what we have?”The question came out smaller than intended.
“Like what we could have, if you’d let yourself believe in it.”He took another step closer, and she could see the frustration in every line of his body.“If you’d stop punishing yourself for something that wasn’t entirely your fault.”
Sienna laughed, the sound harsh and full of judgment.“I drugged you.I kidnapped you and stole months of your life.”
“And gave me the best family I’ve ever known in return,” Liam said.“You think I had something wonderful waiting for me in New Zealand?That people who loved me unconditionally surrounded me?”
The pain in his voice made her flinch.“You had friends.Saber and London and—”
“I had colleagues and friends.Good people who cared about me, yes, but not family.Not the acceptance your father showed me from the first day.Not the way your mother fussed over me when I was sick, or the way your brothers included me in everything without question.”
“But your job—”
Liam tugged at his hair, frustration clear in every movement.“A good job, yes, but replaceable.What you gave me—what your family gave me—that’s precious.”
Sienna blinked hard as tears threatened to fall.“So this is about gratitude.About what we gave you.”
“This is about love.About wanting to build a life with someone who challenges me and frustrates me and makes me want to be a better man.”
“I’m a mess.I’m broken and guilty.”
“You’re the most courageous person I know, willing to risk everything for your family.You faced down hunters and bullies and your own fears to keep the people you love safe.And you came to the castle alone to confess what you’d done, knowing you might face consequences.”
