Lorien POV
“Thanks again, Novalie!” I called, lifting a hand in farewell as the teenager jogged back toward the café. I hadn’t been allowed inside, but to my surprise, several people had wandered out to meet me. Among them was Novalie bright-eyed and talkative who pressed a to-go box with a warm pie into my hands.
I wasn’t entirely sure it was safe to eat, but Rion’s eager expression as he hovered near it told me everything I needed to know. If there had been anything suspicious in the scent, he would have caught it instantly.
Not everyone hated me after all. Still, being barred from entering some of the businesses had felt like a slap loud, deliberate, and humiliating. They hadn’t just refused to serve me. They’d made a show of accusing me of trespassing.
The sting of it had burned at
