Bound In Darkness
That the careful way he was treating me, the patience he was demonstrating, the kindness he was offering—none of it was random.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked quietly. "Why did you pull me from that ravine? Why are you keeping me here, healing me, treating me like I matter?"
Rowan was quiet for a long moment. He moved to the fire and adjusted one of the logs, then returned to the stool beside my bed.
"Because," he said finally, "someone has to believe that you matter. Until you can believe it yourself."
It was a simple statement. Almost mundane. But it resonated with something deep inside me, something that had been dormant since my mother died.