“What, my flame, has given you the impression that I enjoy being surrounded bypeople?”
“Moth!”
Finally, he blinks, following my gaze. Wow, there are a lot of cameras and dropped jaws; realization dawns over him. It’s like this entire time he was only half-aware of the situation, as if everyone else besides me was simply part of the scenery.
The crowd swarms around us, and his wings shield us both. He seems to be bracing for impact, but instead, a series of voices break through his featheredbarricade.
“We love yourcostume!”
“Mothman is myfavorite.”
“Can we takea selfie?”
“The budget for this year must be wild! That wasamazing!”
“I think that’sreallyhim.”
“I want a picture too.”
Slowly, Moth tucks his wings back. He turns, revealing himself to the excited locals and tourists. It’s different from the fanfare back at the palace; the royals love the prince while this crowd loves the monster.
I’mluckyenough to love both. All of that stuff Holly told me—the letter—it has to be a misunderstanding, right?
I loop my arm in his. He bends down so I can whisper in his ear.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” I pull him forward. Surprisingly, he doesn’t budge—his beak dips into something I’ve come to recognize as a smile. The crowd around him has only grown. A group of kids who can’t be more than ten years old stand off to the side with their cameras ready. Their grins are wide as they bounce on their heels, gathering the courage toapproach.
“We could perhaps stay a little while,” he whispers back. To my surprise, he beckons the group forward.
For the next hour, we’re doing a full-on meet and greet with an entire queue of fans. I don’t even want to peek at the festival hashtags to see what’s trending after allof that.
When the crowd thins, Moth gathers me in his arms—literally flying us off the beaten path. We land in a wooded area a few miles away, and I relax under the cover of the forest.
“That was …unique,” Moth says under his breath as he places me down in front of him.
“What are you doing here?”
He grins, toying with the new keychain onmy purse.
“I could ask you the same.”
My face burns. I look down, trying to obscure my expression. What was I thinking buying that silly—yet adorable—thing?
“My uncle has a table here. He needed help, so … what about you?”
“I certainly did not come for the festivities.” His tone is grim, but he can’t hide the amusement in his eyes. “Rosie told me where I couldfind you.”
Ah, in hindsight maybe texting her was not my smartest move, but with Moth here in front of me, I can’t exactly regret it.
“She and Clara are watching Sprout,” he continues, cocking aneyebrow.
“Sprout’s here?”
“Who do you think led me to theportal?”
Oh my god. I can just picture him bursting into the ballroom and pulling Moth out by the hem of hissuitcoat.
“And you flew straight here after that?”
