Page 139 of Moonlight Hearts

Soyer led me out of the room, away from the sights in there.The building was swarming with people by then.Ambrose had ordered them to stand by, stay close, to come in when needed or called.

We walked outside on bare feet.Maybe it was the fire or maybe it was the shock, but I barely felt the cold.We were silent, my hand in Soyer’s.He’d brought his car again, and he frowned when we got there.

“Ah, shit.”

I drew the crinkly blanket tight around me.“What is it?”

“I had the keys in my pocket.”

“I see.Oh!That reminds me.Echo gave me your key back.The one for 19B.He said you look after it but not why.Elias said it wasn’t anything bad.Echo… Look, he got hurt, so you can’t be mad.He said it was the safest way to get out of the building.”

Soyer’s face showed a flash of pain, and it nearly had me in tears.He reined it in though, and kissed my hand.

“I’ll tell you what you need to know.The person who lived there left everything behind, and I’m really only looking after things for him.”

I bit the inside of my cheek.“Is he coming back?”

Soyer hesitated.He looked up at the sky, at the few stars visible above the city.As if he were greedy for it, he sucked fresh air into his lungs.

“No.”

I nodded.“That’s good enough for me.”

Soyer glowered at his car.“I don’t even have a spare for this one.”

It wasn’t fair or appropriate, but that filled me with laughter that built slowly but soon was loud in the dark street.Soyer rubbed his face with sooty fingers.

“If this keeps happening, we’ll need a backup car.”

“Can’t we take a cab?Or Ambrose could drive us.Though if we take Elias, I think he’ll make a lot of comments about us being naked together.”

“I like being naked with you, but sure.Let’s go find ourselves a cab.”

We didn’t really look for one.Soyer made one of the Hawthorne people who were outside the building call one for us, and we barely had to wait two minutes.

“Is Jules okay?”I asked when Sundial Tower came into view.“Echo said so, but then after that… I don’t know what happened after he picked me up.”

“Ben was angry is what happened.”

“I’ll apologize.I wanted to call him, but Echo said…he said this was how it had to be.”

Soyer put a corner of his own blanket over my knees.“Ben’s not angry at you, Amory.He’s angry this happened.I’m angry this happened.I’m relieved that you’re fine.”He lowered his head.“This is a second chance.I’m not going to fuck it up, I swear it.”

I cupped his cheek and made him look at me.“You didn’t fuck anything up.I’m just glad the witch is dead.I’m glad you didn’t have to face her alone.”

The corners of his mouth turned down.“Face her… I couldn’t kill her.I knew this was going to happen at some point.I wanted this to happen.I didn't want you there.I sure as fuck didn’t think Cecil would get her with a witch blade.Pretty much the only good thing he ever did.”

He was right about Caecilius, but I didn't want to say that.He was dead, and someone had once told me not to speak ill of the dead.Like so many other things, that was clearly something I needed to reevaluate and unlearn.

Instead, I said, “I wanted to be there.For you.”

He was silent.His eyes, dark pools that shimmered like midnight oceans, remained focused on me for the remainder of the drive.We got out and walked into the building, the sound of the blankets announcing us.

I was looking for Jules, but he wasn’t there.I recognized the man behind the desk though.He’d come to the Moonlight, had introduced himself.

“Atkins,” Soyer said.“Helping out today?”

Atkins straightened.“Mr.Bennet.Mr.Saintclair.I wanted to apologize in person for what happened.For this breach.”