This is the moment we've been waiting for guys. STELLARLUNE SPOILERS AHEAD!

        "I can do this," Sophie told herself, ordering her legs to carry her forward.

         If she didn't start moving, she was going to look like a creepy stalker hiding behind the pterodactyl enclosure to spy on Keefe.

         He'd still been training with Grady when she got home from FoxFire, so she'd headed upstairs and paced around her room, trying to figure out what she was going to say. 

        But now she had her speech prepared. And Keefe was sitting all along next to Verdi's pasture  drawing more of his memories, and Sandor was off checking in with patrols, giving her a little goblin-free privacy. 

        She was out of excuses.

        I can't do this. I can do this. I can do this. 

        And she had to do this—because Edaline was right. 

        If she didn't talk to Keefe, all those unspoken words were going to morph into a giant, ugly truth monster that would eventually gobble up their friendship and spit it back out in lonely, broken pieces. 

        Keefe meant too much for her to let that happen. 

        Even if she was pretty sure she was about to get rejected.

        And after that less-than-peppy pep talk, her legs refused to get moving.

        This is ridiculous, she told herself, adding a mental countdown.

        Three.

        Two.

        One.

        She'd barely taken a step before Silveny swooped out of the sky and landed next to Keefe, flapping her wings and stamping her hooves and letting out an exuberant whinny and...

        There was no way Sophie could get through the conversation with a steady chorus of KEEFE! KEEFE! KEEFE! flooding her brain.

        She'd have to find another time.

        The next morning seemed promising. Sophie had barely slept anyway, so she got up early and grabbed a platter of sweet berry swirls, figuring she could pretend she'd stopped by the Grove to bring him breakfast and then slowly ease in the scarier subjects. 

        But Keefe was already awake, pacing under the swaying branches of the Panakes tree. And as Sophie started to head over, she heard him snapped his fingers and saying evil-sounding things in his mom's eerie voice. 

        "The star only rises at Nightfall!"

        "Stellarlune is my legacy!"

        "You would have a queen!"

        Nothing appeared from the void—but Keefe seemed determined to figured it out.

        And when he tried a particularly bitter "I will destroy my son!" Sophie knew it definitely wasn't the right time for a nice long chat about her feelings.

        Keefe looked a little less gloomy when she checked on him after school that afternoon—but he also asked her if she thought it was weird that Ro hadn't shown up yet. And Sophie had actually been getting a little worried about that—even though she knew it could easily be that Ro was so close to ambushing Cadfael that she was choosing not to leave. It felt like they should at least try to check on her—and by the time they'd added a fresh layer of Linquillosa to Sophie's wrist and asked Grady to see if he could get an update from King Dimitar, it seemed smarter to wait another day for all the intense emotional stuff.

        But Sophie overslept the next morning.

        And Keefe trained late with Grady that night—long past when Sophie went to bed.

        So he was still asleep when she left for FoxFire the following day. 

        All of which made Sophie wonder if the universe was trying to thwart them. 

        Maybe it was, because her friends picked that afternoon to finally pay Keefe a visit.

        Keefe went quiet when the group first arrived. And then he stayed on the fringes, mostly keeping his head down—until Dex asked him about human foods.

        Then Keefe had everyone cracking up with stories about the horror of beans on toast, and the cheesy wonder of Welsh rarebit. And how he'd searched high and low for the elusive Ding Dongs he'd heard about—and when he finally got to take a glorious bite, he...wasn't sure the creamy center actually counted as edible. 

        It reminded Sophie of her early days in the Lost Cities—before there were legacies and scars and way too many enemies. And she wished she could pause time and let them all really soak up the moment, because some tiny, twitchy part of her brain kept worrying that this would be the last time they'd all get to hang out like this. 

        She hoped she was wrong. 

        But they only had five days left in Vespera's timeline. 

        And she couldn't shake the feeling that Elysian was going to change everything.

        Assuming they managed to get there in time. 

        The one damper in the night was their quick update session, which once again added up to a whole lot of nothing. 

        Sophie knew how hard everyone was trying. But unless something changed, it wasn't going to be enough.

        And she hated how little she was actually contributing. 

        It seemed like all she did was check on other people's projects—and waste days stressing about her silly feelings. 

        And yet, even as she mentally beat herself up and vowed to do better, she also found her mind clinging to some of the words that Edaline had once made her repeat.

       I am a person.

       I'm allowed to take time for myself. 

        She really did believe that. 

        She just need to get this conversation over with and keep it from taking up so much space in her head. 

        So she made herself promise that the next day would be the day—no matter what.

        If she had to drag Keefe out of whatever tree he was sleeping in, or chase her friends and family away with goblin throwing stars—or barricade the two of them in a room.

        It.

        Was.

         Happening.

        She been put on her favorite red tunic when she got dressed that morning—with lace sleeves and supersoft fabric—and spritzed on a little of the Panakes perfume Dex had made for her as a midterms gift. And she practiced her speech until she could pretty much give it backward if she wanted to.

        But when she marched down to the pastures, Keefe was nowhere to be found. 

        The only clue came from Wynn and Luna, who kept chanting, KEEFE FLY! KEEFE FLY! KEEFE FLY! followed by JERK! JERK! JERK!

        Sophie had to smile at the combination. But she also wished she'd never helped Silveny figure out how to communicate without her, because Wynn's and Luna's memories showed the mama alicorn letting Keefe hop on her back—and then they were off! Soaring higher and higher, Keefe laughing with wind whipping his hair—until Silveny tucked her wings and plummeted into the void.

        All Sophie could do was take a sear under the Panakes and wait.

        And wait.

        And wait.

        She must've dozed off at some point, because it was dark when the sound of flapping wings had her stumbling to her feet.

        SOPHIE! SOPHIE! SOPHIE! FRIEND! FRIEND! FRIEND!

        "Is everything okay?" Keefe asked as he hopped off Silveny's back and made his way over.

        Sophie nodded, reminding herself to stick with honesty. 

        "Yeah, I was just... waiting for you—and I was starting to think you weren't coming back."

        Keefe fidgeted with his cape. "Sorry. I wanted to see what would happened if I had Silveny fly me around in the void while I talked in my moms voice. I thought maybe if I managed to say at least a couple of the right words while I was in there, whatever she hid would come crashing toward me."

        "Did it work?"

        "Not particularly. And in case you were wondering the voice never gets any more exciting. It's just darkness and more darkness—and oh, hey, even more darkness! I'm sure Tammy Boy would love it, but man, I'm glad to see color again."

         His eyes shifted to the vibrant red of her tunic—then quickly away. 

        Sophie felt her cheeks warm. "You could've taken me with you, you know. Or at least left me another note telling me where you went."

         They both froze. 

        She hadn't meant to mention his note yet.

        That was supposed to come at the end of her speech.

        But apparently she was going off script.

        And maybe that was better, because now that he was in front of her, dragging a hand through his wind blown hair, and chewing his lower lip, she didn't feel like saying most of the things she'd planned.

        She didn't want to talk about Fitz.

        Or the Great Foster Oblivion.

        She wanted to just...stay in the moment.

        So she asked, "Do you want to go for a walk?" and breathed a sigh of relief when Keefe agreed.

        "Are we heading anywhere in particular?" He asked as she led him into the pastures.

        "Not really. I just need to move. I've been stuck in one place for way too long."

        "I know the feeling. And if you don't have a specific spot in mind, then follow me—I found the coolest palace the other night training with Grady."

        He led her into the Grove and pointed out which of the stranger, bulbous trees he'd tried sleeping in. His favorite had all these tiny glowworms inside, covering the walls with flecks of blue light.

        "Sounds amazing," Sophie told him, even if the idea of sleeping that close to worms also made her skin very itchy. And she was debating about asking how much longer he'd be staying there when her toe clipped the edge of a root and she toppled forward. 

        "Sorry," she mumbled as she crashed into his back and clung to his shoulders like a Sophie-koala.

        And she couldn't help noticing how good he smelled—like wind and salt air and something a little citrusy.

        "You okay?" he asked when she didn't let go. "Did you hurt your ankle?"

        "No. Just...uh...getting my bearings."

        "Will this help?" Keefe asked, taking one of her hands and shifting their positions so they were now walking side by side—and she couldn't answer because KEEFE WAS HOLDING HER HAND!!!!

        She didn't care that he was just trying to keep her from falling on her face. 

        She'd take it. 

        "It's so weird," she said, mostly to herself. "I'm so used to having you feeling everything I'm feeling. It's strange to having you call me out on it all the time."

         "Tell me about it," he grumbled.

        "Sorry—I didn't mean—"

        "It's okay, Foster. I know what you meant. And just so you know, I can still pick up on certain things—especially from you. Pretty sure your emotions will always be stronger than everyone else's."

        "Really?"

        She couldn't help smiling when he nodded.

        It was nice to know she made a little more of an impact. 

        "I just...wish I could get back to how it used to be," Keefe said quietly. "It's hard not getting the whole picture. Makes me not want to trust anything I'm feeling—if that makes sense."

        It did, actually.

        And a few thingy sparks of hope flared to life. 

        But she was still dancing around the subject.

        Skirting the edges.

        And that wasn't going to get them anywhere.

        She needed to jump in headfirst. 

        "Here we go," Keefe said, pulling back a curtain of vines and guiding her into a small clearing.

        "Oh wow," Sophie breathed, craning her neck to take it all in.

        Hundred of delicate vines covered with sheer, twinkling flowers wove back and forth through the trees, creating a canopy that looked like shimmering gossamer lace. And the ground was dotted with wide, flat toadstools glowing green, purple, and blue, making it feel like they'd stepped into some sort of fairyland.

        "Did you know this place existed?" Keefe asked.

        "Flori mentioned it—but I haven't had a chance to go looking for it. She was trying to convince Sandor to bring Griselda here for a date, since it's so romantic."

        She realized how that sounded the moment the words left her mouth—and the way Keefe froze told her he'd caught the slip a well.

        But...

        Wasn't that exactly what she needed to talk to him about?

        She tightened her grip on his hand, telling himself, I can't do this, as she closed her eyes and said, "I'm glad I got to come here with you. Even if it was kind of an accident."

        Keefe sucked in a breath—but she needed to say the rest before she let him talk; otherwise she was never going to get through it.

         "I know you said you got over a bunch of things after you left the Lost Cities, and I'm sure that probably includes the stuff you told me in your note. And I know you said you're not looking for a relationship right now—and I get it. But...it makes me a little sad. Mostly because it means I missed my chance to be with this really incredible guy who makes me laugh and always finds ways to be there for me when I need him. And that's fine. It's my fault—and I'm not trying to, like...guilt you into liking me again. I just felt like you should know why I might get a little awkward around you right now. I'm trying to figure out how to go back to only seeing you as a friend, and it's not easy, because I'd just started realizing how much I care about you."

        She kept her eyes squeezed shut when she finished, giving herself a couple of seconds to process the fact that she did it!

        She told the truth!

        And it was absolutely terrifying.

        But also such a relief.

         Her brain felt a thousand pounds lighter—even if her stomach kinda wanted to crawl into her throat and—

        "Sophie?"

        Keefe's voice was barely a whisper—and it sounded so much closer.

        He said her name again before she scraped together the courage to open her eyes and found him standing right in front of her, staring at her like...

        There weren't words for his expression. 

        But her heart seemed to understand—stretching a little more with every beat, like it wanted to fill every part of her. 

        "You realize," Keefe breathed, and his ice blue eyes seemed to shimmer as they reflected the twinkly light, "that if we do this...it could get very messy."

        Sophie looked away, kicking her toe against one of the glowing toadstools. "Because I'm unmatchable?"

        "No—the Council can feed their match lists to the gorgodon for all I care. But...I wasn't lying when I said my mom will try to use anyone I care about to hurt me."

        "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I'm already at the top of your mom's list of targets," Sophie reminded him. "And I'm ready for her."

        She patted the holster of her dagger.

        Keefe daughter her hand before it returned to her side, cradling her palm I'm his. "That might not be enough to stop her."

        "It might not," Sophie agreed. "But I'm not afraid of her. And I'm not going to let her control my life. So if she's the only reason—"

        "I think we both know she's not," Keefe said, but he still stepped a little bit closer—close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheeks when he asked, "Would you like me to list off all the complications?" 

        Sophie shook her head.

        She was pretty sure she could guess most of them.

        And she didn't care.

        "All I care about is how you feel," she whispered. "If you're only doing this"—she held up their clasped hands—"because you don't want to hurt my feelings—"

        He twined their fingers together and shook his head. "Trust me—this is what I've wanted from the moment I first saw you, wandering through the halls in the middle of session covered in alchemy goo. I knew right away that I'd just met someone incredibly special—and every minuted I've spent with you since then has proven how true that is. But is this really what you want?" He squeezed her hand, and she could feel him shaking a little when he admitted, "I can't tell what your feeling—and it's seriously terrifying."

        Sophie's mind flooded with words.

        Promises.

        Confessions.

        But somehow they felt like too much and not enough all at the same time. So she tilted up on her toes and leaned forward, meeting his eyes as she lined her up with his—careful to leave a wisp of space.

        A chance for him to change his mind. 

        Keefe closed the distance between them.

        And then...everything was new.

        The soft press of his lips against hers. The way their breath seemed to fall perfectly into sync while her heart and brain screamed, FINALLY!

        Some tiny part of her had always wondered if kissing could really be as great as everyone claimed.

        But kissing Keefe was So. Much. Better.

        He was the one to finally pull away, leaning back to study her in shimmering light. "You're okay, right? No regrets?"

         She grinned. "Absolutely none."

         His relieved smile was the sweetest thing she'd ever seen—but it faded a little as he leaned his forehead against hers. "I don't want to mess this up," he whispered. "Please don't let me mess this up."

       "I won't," she promised, tilting her chin up to steal another quick kiss.

        But someone cleared their throat, and Sophie and Keefe practically flung themselves as far apart as they could get.

        Please don't be Grady, Sophie begged as she stumbled toward to sound.

        Thankfully it wasn't.

        Flori stood there, flashing a huge smile as she said, "I'm very sorry to interrupt. But you have a visitor, Miss Foster. And I thought you might want a moment to collect yourself."

        "Is everything okay?" Sophie asked as she tugged at her hair and wiped her mouth, wondering how badly her face screamed, I'VE BEEN  KISSING KEEFE.

        "I believe so, yes," Flori said. "But they wanted to come find you, and since I knew where you were, I though it would be best I came to get you myself."

        "Yeah. Um. Thanks," Sophie said, stealing a glance at Keefe, wondering if he was as flashed as she felt. 

        He definitely looked stunned.

        But his smirk returned pretty quick. 

        He even blew her a kiss, and she couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or roll her eyes.

        "Are you ready?" Flori asked, and Sophie took one last look around the twinkly clearing, suddenly worried that everything wouldn't feel so magical once they stepped back into reality. 

        But her eyes landed on Keefe again, and he whispered, "I'm ready for anything." 

        Sophie was too.

        "Good." Flori said, motioning for Sophie to follow her, "because I'm not sure how much longer we should keep them waiting."

        "Them?" Sophie asked, fanning her cheeks and smoothing her hair as she scrambled to keep up with her. "Who's them?"

        "You'll see." 

        Sophie could hear Keefe trailing a few feet behind her—and she was so glad he kept a Sade distance when Flori led her into Havenfield's living room and she saw her "visitor" sitting on the sofa with Grady and Edaline, studying her with striking teal eyes. 

        "Fitz?" Sophie asked, suddenly finding it very hard to keep breathing. "What are you doing here?"

-Shannon Messenger-Stellarlune-Chapter 42