“Nor will they ever again. So much for the nectar they could’ve eaten or the wind they could’ve felt between their little wings—”
There are footsteps in the main part of the tent. My heart leaps into my throat. Is it Venera, or someone else?
Luca puts his fingers over his lips and then peeks his head out of my room.
Venera shrieks.
“There’s no need to scream,” he says. “Honestly, you’re the one wearing green lipstick.”
“You must be Luca.” Venera pushes aside the tent flap and peers in. “Where is everyone?” Her gaze falls to the moth in my hand. “And, really, Sorina, there are more creative things you could be showing off back here besides your bugs.”
“The Giamese tortoiseshell moth is quite a sight,” Luca says.
She smirks. “I’m sure it is. Now, where is everyone else?”
“We had a family meeting. While in Gentoa, everyone is getting locked up in here.” I tap my forehead. “Except for shows. For protection.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Just trying to take precautions.”
“And who’s going to protect you? Isn’t this the one whose head you caught rolling off a stage?”
“So she’s told you about me,” Luca says, clearly amused.
“Just for tonight,” I say. “I have bodyguards coming tomorrow and for the rest of the time in Gentoa.”
“I have alife, Sorina,” she says.
“I realize that.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone after us.”
“It’s better to be safe.”
She pouts her green-painted lips. “But theparties.”
“There’ll be parties when we get to Sapris.”
“Beach parties—”
“Oh, just give it up,” I say. Before she can whine more, I hoist her Strings into my mental Trunk and lock it. Her defeated groan lingers in the air for a moment before she is entirely gone. “She’s such a baby.”
“It’s better that she’s safe,” he says. “You’ve made the right decision, keeping them locked away while in Gentoa.”
“You think so? I feel like I’m only going to start a panic. And I’m worried about Crown, who’s been coping with Blister’s death by convincing himself it was an accident,” I say. “After all this time looking for the killer, I feel like we haven’t made any progress. I feel like I haven’t protected my family at all.”
“Sorina,” he says, and the force in his voice quiets me. “You have gone above and beyond to protect them. I promise that the two of us will find out who is responsible. I will do anything I possibly can to help you. I don’t... I don’t know your family very well, but I care about you quite a bit.”
My heart skips a beat. “I care about you ‘quite a bit,’ too,” I say, imitating the posh way he speaks.
I don’t know which one of us moved first, or if I ever made the decision to move at all. One moment, we were at least a stride apart, and then the next, my chest is pressed against his and his arms are around my waist, our lips meeting with urgency.
This isn’t anything like the last time we kissed, when I was the only one involved. Luca’s mouth opens and his hands press hard into my back. He seems to want this as much as I do.
I squeeze the Giamese tortoiseshell moth vial in my hand, unwilling to drop it, but not knowing what to do with it. After a few minutes, when Luca makes it clear from his tugging on my hand that he wants to move to the floor, I pause for a moment to return the precious insect to the chest.
“It’s an interesting bug,” Luca says.
