Page 154 of Property of Whiskey

Cider looks at her.

“They did that.”

“Who?”

“The song.”

Her eyes squeeze shut.

“Mercy.”

Cold crawls over my skin.

“What does Mercy mean?” I ask.

Every King in the room looks toward me.

Not good.

Legend answers carefully. “Cider remembered that name before. We still don’t know what it means.”

Sophie looks sharply at him. Not surprise. Frustration. She was there when Cider remembered Mercy the first time, which means whatever Legend is holding back now goes beyond the name itself.

“There’s more,” I say.

Legend’s jaw works once. “There are fragments. Nothing I’m putting on Kaylee right now.”

Sophie gives him a tired look. “Legend.”

“Not here.”

Her expression closes. “Of course not.”

I’ve seen enough of those two to recognize the fight without either of them raising a voice. Legend decides what counts as protection. Sophie decides when she’s had enough of being protected from her own damn life.

He looks at her. “Sophie.”

“No. It’s fine.”

It clearly ain’t.

My gaze drops briefly to her bare left hand out of habit.

I already know their wedding is postponed. The missing ring isn’t news. The distance between them tonight is.

Legend starts toward her.

Sophie steps away.

A warm palm hovers near my back.

Whiskey.

He doesn’t touch me.

I shift half a step closer until his hand meets the small of my back.

He leaves it there. That scares me more than when he used to simply grab me.