Keefe groaned. “What is it with girls and sparkles?”“Sparkles make everything better,” Biana informed him, and Sophie had to agree.

It’s been her secret-her burden-since she fell and hit her head when she was five years old. She’d tried blocking the noise. Tried ignoring it. Nothing helped. And she could never tell anyone. They wouldn’t understand.

Alden turned to Grady. “I’m sorry to be late. I’d hoped to get here before the Hekses arrived. But Fitz, Keefe, and Biana insisted on seeing the long-lost alicorn, and someone needed time to fix their hair.”“Hey, a guy’s gotta look his best for the ladies.” Keefe patted the back of his head. “Right, Foster?”Sophie ignored him—though she could feel her cheeks blushing.

No more notes.No more clues.She’d followed them to this point, and now it came down to her.She wasn’t the Black Swan’s puppet anymore.She was broken.All she had left was trust.

Ew,” Dex complained, plugging his nose. “Who knew sparkly horses had such bad breath?”“It’s nothing on Iggy breath,” Sophie reminded him. Her pet imp might only be a palm-size furball, but every time he opened his mouth it was like standing near a mountain of rotting eggs and dirty diapers.

But something about the way Grady was smiling at them made Sophie’s cheeks feel hot. Dex must’ve noticed it too, because his face was bright red as he mumbled some excuse about his parents worrying if he wasn’t home soon, and quickly leaped out of there

Aw, aren’t you guys cute?” Stina sneered. “Better watch out, Biana. It’s only a matter of time before she drags your whole family down to her level.”“That’s still way higher than your family,” Sophie snapped back.

Sophie moved to his side. “Hey,” she said, nudging him until he looked at her. “Think you can help me master these dance moves before the Ceremonies next week?”A small grin spread across his lips. “I don’t know. I can’t exactly work miracles.”“Hey, I’m not that bad.”He grabbed her hands as she tried to shove him, and his face turned serious. “You’re not bad at all. You’re awesome.”He blushed after he said it, and Sophie dropped her eyes to the ground.

Keefe reaches for Sophie’s shaky hand. “We’ll get them back safe. I promise.”Sophie squeezed his hand, twining their fingers together.