Brooke narrows her eyes, zeroing in on her target. “So, you’re doing this to protect Theo,specifically.”
Theo winces, but Henry just smiles. “Have you heard of the phrase ‘the heir and the spare’?”
“If we’re being technical, you’re now the heir, and I’m the spare,” Victoria says. “I should eat it first.”
“So, because he was born first, you’re going to taste all of his food in case of poisoning? That can’t be a real thing.”
“No. At home, we pay someone to be the poison tester,” Victoria says with a dramatic eye roll.
“I’ll eat it,” Theo protests.
“No, I will,” Henry says.
“And if youdie?” Brooke asks.
Henry tips his head to Brooke. “It’s in the name of protecting the Crown.”
Theo groans loudly.
“I have loads of food allergies, so that’s how you know I’m willing to risk it all for you, brother.” Henry winks.
“Oh, bollocks; pineapple gives you an itchy tongue. You’re not risking anything,” Victoria says.
“Explain to me why his life is more important than yours,” Brooke says to Henry.
“Brooke, come on,” I say. If she’d seen Theo’s expression last night when this exact topic came up with Reggie, she’d realize how unnecessary this little lecture is. “That thing’s not going to kill anyone. It’s probably just a passion fruit.”
“That’s not the point!”
I snatch the fruit from Henry’s hand and bite it open. A tangy, sour flavor floods my senses. I suck out the yellow, pulpy insides and I don’t drop dead or get violently ill. Crisis averted.
I open my mouth and stick out my tongue. “Passion fruit.”
“How egalitarian of you,” Theo deadpans.
“You know what I always say, everyone deserves equal rights to die by poisonous tropical fruit.”
Henry salutes me. “Thank you for saving me from a potentially itchy tongue.”
I roll my eyes. “I only did it so my sister wouldn’t murder you.”
“Stop flirting with my sister and get us more fruit,” Brooke says. Theo and Henry look at her, and then me, and then each other. Theo stalks into the trees, his brother hot on his heels.
A few minutes later Theo drops a large handful of passion fruit into my lap before settling next to Comet and me, and I make a silent wish that Reggie, Winston, and Naomi have also been able to find something to eat. Henry moves to sit with us but Theo glares at his brother until he joins Victoria several paces away.
“I’m sorry about Brooke. She can be intense,” I whisper to Theo.
He shrugs. “I don’t disagree with her on principle.”
“She doesn’t, like,wantyou to be poisoned. You know that, right?”
One half of his mouth hitches up. “I understand. She wants me to have an equal chance of being poisoned when we’re playing Mystery Fruit Russian roulette.”
“Exactly.”
We grin stupidly at each other, and for a few perfect seconds I forget about all our problems. “Do you think your brother is flirting with me?” I tease.
Theo takes a bite of passion fruit. “Yes.”
