Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,84

were dating.

And it got a whole lot worse when Fitz asked, “So… would you?”

“Would I what?”

“You know… do what Ro was asking. Decide you don’t want anyone to find out who your biological parents are.”

“Oh.”

She dropped her gaze to her hands, knowing this was another one of those questions where there was definitely a right answer.

But she couldn’t make herself say those words.

So she gave Fitz the same answer he’d given Ro. “Why would I do that?”

And Fitz looked relieved. “Exactly.”

THIRTEEN

I THINK I’M GOING TO CALL you the Droolmonster from now on,” Stina announced, and Sophie’s head snapped up so fast, she slammed the back of it against the braided bark of Calla’s Panakes tree.

She reached for her chin, sighing when she discovered that it was a little slobbery.

And the smirks on Dex’s, Wylie’s, Biana’s, and Stina’s faces made her wonder if she’d also been snoring.

She wiped the drool away with the side of her sleeve and scowled at Bo, Sandor, and Flori, who were patrolling the nearby pastures along with Lovise and Woltzer. Clearly her bodyguards had no interest in protecting her from humiliation.

The last thing she remembered was petting Wynn and Luna in the shade, waiting for the rest of her team to arrive for their first planning session. But the alicorn twins seemed to have abandoned her. And if the crick in her neck was any indication, she’d been conked out for a while.

“Couldn’t sleep last night?” Biana asked as Sophie rubbed the back of her head, finding the tender spot where she’d bonked it on the tree.

“Not really,” Sophie admitted.

No matter what images Silveny had tried sending—soaring through starry skies, galloping across pristine beaches, grazing in quiet meadows—Bronte always crept into the dream, lecturing her or scowling at her or threatening to exile her. And when he’d held out his arms and asked, “Who needs a hug?” she’d decided she was never sleeping again.

But then she’d gone outside to brainstorm for the first meeting of Team Valiant, and Wynn and Luna had been all snuggly, and the air had been filled with a soft, whispering breeze that felt like Calla was singing to her through the swaying leaves, and the day was warm and quiet, and the grass was soft and squishy, and… now she would probably forever be the Droolmonster.

But there were worse nicknames.

And thankfully, she didn’t remember dreaming at all—score one for Panakes-napping!

Maybe she’d start camping out there at night. At least until she got an answer to the Bronte conundrum. Which… might take a while, if she kept being such a wimp.

She’d planned to hail Bronte that morning to schedule the meeting with her and Keefe. But the thought of hearing his voice and seeing his face on that tiny screen—and then asking him the dreaded, potentially life-changing question, and having to face whatever new reality came with his answer…

“You okay?” Biana asked, plopping down beside Sophie on the grass and reaching out to brush some of the fallen pinkish, purplish, bluish petals out of Sophie’s hair. “Fitz wouldn’t tell me what you guys talked about last night. But he said it got a little… intense.”

“Uh, I think I speak for all of us when I say, ew,” Dex complained as he sat down next to Biana.

Biana shoved him. “That’s not what he meant. And gross—he’s my brother! He knows not to tell me that kind of stuff.”

“Um, there’s nothing to tell!” Sophie emphasized.

“Okay, but why not?” Stina asked, joining them on the grass. “We’re talking about kissing Fitz Vacker, aren’t we? Fitz! Vacker!” She curled her arms around her knees and stared dreamily at the swaying branches. “How are you not—”

“All right, just so we’re all clear,” Biana interrupted, holding out her hands like stop signs. “I’m good with Sophie dating my brother. It’s a little weird, but… whatever. But that doesn’t mean I want to hear about it.”

“YUP!” Dex agreed.

“And I really don’t want to talk about it,” Sophie added. “So how about we all just pretend it’s not happening?”

“But it is happening, right?” Stina pressed, tossing a handful of flowers at Sophie like confetti. “You’re done with all the pointless denial?”

Sophie honestly wasn’t sure if she knew the right answer to that question.

And all of her friends were watching her now, waiting to hear what she had to say—though Wylie looked like he was mostly wondering how much of this kind of drama he was going to have to deal with as a member of Team Valiant, and when he