Page 96 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

I’ve never been sofull in all my life. My father kept ordering more food until I thought I would literally explode. He wasn’t kidding about making up for a lifetime of meals. I didn’t think he’d try to do it all in one sitting.

I barely fit through the door as we exit the restaurant, and I’m about to swear off food for all time when he stops and turns to me. “Do you want to set off for Skoro now, or wait until morning?”

The thought of traveling for another week makes me groan. Not to mention the fact that it’s dark out now.

“You don’t want your sword back?” he asks.

“I don’t want to hike through the woods for days on end again. Harek and I just got here yesterday.”

“Who said anything about hiking?” My father’s eyes sparkle with a secret only he knows.

Harek and I exchange a curious glance.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“I have a much better form of travel.” Einar grins.

“Can we fly?” I reach for my back, curious if there are wings hiding under my skin. Pretty much anything is possible at this point.

“We can.”

I can barely believe my ears. “We have wings?”

“Not like that. Something better.”

Harek wrinkles his brows. “What, then?”

I stop looking for wing nubs. “How could something be better than sprouting wings?”

Einar waits just long enough to build the suspense. I’m about to jump out of my skin when he finally speaks. “I have a dragon.”

My mouth falls open and nearly hits the ground beneath us. “Dragons are real?”

“You have one?” Harek stares at him in disbelief.

“I do. She has a boyfriend, and if he’s there we won’t all have to crowd onto her back.”

Is he for real?

Harek voices my doubt. “Dragons can’t be tamed.”

“No?” My father cocks an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

Neither of us reply. I’m still trying to come to grips with dragons really existing.

Einar turns to me. “Want to meet her? I think you two will connect—she’ll love your energy.”

“Uh…” I can’t find more words than that.

Harek straightens his back. “I’ve got to see this. Let’s go.”

“Wait,” I say, finally finding actual words. “Should we tell Vivvi what we’re doing? She’s probably expecting us for dinner, and all of our stuff is at her place. We can’t just hop on a dragon and fly back to Skoro.”

My father stiffens. “You’re staying with Vivvi?”

“Yeah.”

“Vivvi Chamirel?”

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