Page 39 of Shannon in Sombra
Damien steps forward. Then, in that creepy voice he gets when he’s reciting a prophecy, he says, “Diamonds in my laugh, I shine too bright… make your pulse race under the neon lights… you talk big, I guess we’ll see…”
Kennedy gasps. Even as he stops, she hurriedly adds another line: “Can you keep up with a girl like me?”
What the?—
“Kennedy? You’ve turned psychic on me now, too?”
“No! It’s just… I recognized it. Those are lyrics to one of my favorite songs!”
Huh? “What are you talking about?”
“It’s ‘Ooh-Bop-Bop’,” Sierra mumbles. “Thr33peat’s break-out hit single.”
Oh. Well, that would explain it. I was never a fan of Thr33peat—though I adore the three individual members on their own just as they are without stanning them the way that Kennedy does, or how Hope is a huge follower of Whiskey Rose’s career—and it’s probably been a decade since I heard the bubblegum pop hit of my high school years.
Tandy slides her gaze over to Sierra. “You remember?”
Sierra pauses, then nods. “Yeah, I remember. I remember a lot from those days.”
Tandy flinches.
Billie releases Glaine. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. I’ve waited months for the two of you to finally grow a pair and hash this out.”
“Bee, I don’t think this is the time?—”
She points at Sierra. “We’re immortal, Sierra. We have nothing but time. And if your mates have seen something to do with us, with ‘Ooh-Bop-Bop’? Then we can find the time.” She jerks her thumb at Damien. “Listen. This one? He likes to speak in riddles, but sometimes he uses song lyrics in his prophecies. He did it for me with ‘Heart Barely Used’. That’s your song. ‘Ooh-Bop-Bop’ was ours. When we were a group.”
“When we were friends,” Tandy says softly before raising her voice. “Before I fucked up and betrayed you.”
Sierra bites the corner of her mouth. “That’s ancient history, Tan. We don’t have to bring that up now. Not when Shannon and Malphas’s baby needs us.”
Tandy glances at Lucian. He nods at her, and I know that whatever he’s seen, this isexactlythe time they need to hash this out.
“Listen. I’ve told you how it happened. How Jared lied to both of us… I thought that justified my behavior. It didn’t, Sierra. It never did. I should’ve known better than to turn to him whenyouwere the one I cared about. He was just a dick. You… you and Billie were my best friends.”
“I told you I forgave you?—”
Billie nudges Sierra.
Sierra glares at her, though she does amend it to: “I told you I would try. And I am. Jared… what the fuck do I care about Jared Turner when I have Dagon? My mate loves me. He’ll never stray. I can trust him.”
“You can trust me, too. Remember what Billie said. We’ve got nothing but time… and, if you’re willing to give our friendship another try, I’d love to be Auntie Tandy to that baby you’ve got cooking.”
Sierra’s hand settles on her bump. For a moment, I think she’s just going to blow off Tandy again—and I might throttle her if she does—but, instead, she gives her old friend the same smile that’s graced the covers of nearly every single freaking magazine on Earth.
“Yeah,” she says. “Yeah. Auntie Tandy… I’d like that.”
Billie’s poke becomes a proud pat on Sierra’s arm. “So long as you remember that I get to be her godmother. And, yeah, maybe that means I’ll have to be agodsmother in Sombra, but you know what I mean.”
Sierra chuckles. “Yeah, Bee. I know.”
Aw. I’d be lying if I said this scene wasn’t super freaking heartwarming, but I’m impatient and worried and still need to get my daughter back so…
“What exactly did you see, Lucian?”
“The huigitz is a ferocious beast with only one weakness. Music. A three-part harmony expertly song will serve as a lullaby, enabling us to get one step closer to retrieving Alana.”
Retrieving Alana… here’s hoping that he sawthat, too.
