Page 42 of Moonlight Hearts

Rae shook their head.“I didn’t say that, but just FYI, that one would barter away his firstborn for a chocolate milkshake.”

I cackled.“Unlikely.The thing about the firstborn, not bartering them away.Anyway.”I leaned in close.“They—Thaeros I mean—they dropped some names I’ve never heard.The one I remember is Echo.You know someone like that?”

“Uh, like the echo?Like, hello, hello, hello?”

I looked around, not wanting to be caught talking about this.“I don’t know.”

“Makes two of us.But… Look, I haven’t lived in Newstaten all that long, and I wouldn’t necessarily know everyone.I don’t see why you can’t ask her though.She seems nice enough.For your replacement, you know.Not that anyone could really replace you.”

Those words out of Rae’s mouth helped me put my uneasy feelings of suspicion into perspective.I didn’t think Rae was overly trusting.I really didn’t get that vibe from them, no matter how extroverted they were.

“Right.I’ll do that.”

They bit their lip.“You look like you’re about to mope.Or burst into tears.You’ll freak Ben out if you do.You know that, right?”

“No, no, I’m fine.”I looked at the big wall clock over the passthrough.It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet.“Just feels weird leaving this early.”

“We’ll manage.And I totally promise to call you if anything terrible happens and we need your managerial guidance.Unless you also have a no-phone rule when you’re spending private time with your Shuck?”

I shook my head, smiling.“I’ll leave my phone on, okay?And do call.If anything happens.”

“Sure.But nothing will.It’s just a Tuesday.Anyone could handle a Tuesday.”

I had to give it to Rae.They weren’t wrong about that.

It was snowing still, but there were only a few touches of white visible in the corners around the buildings.It wasn’t quite cold enough for that yet.Instead, the concrete had turned wet and shimmery, like a dark mirror of the city lights and the sky far above.

Soyer had driven here in his little hybrid, which he’d parked right across the street.

“What’re you doing?”I asked when he took my hand and headed for the curb.

“Crossing the road, what else?”

“That’s jaywalking, you know.You shouldn’t be doing that.”

He blinked twice.“I forgot you’re a rule-follower like that.”

“It’s not that I wouldn’t, but we could get hit.”I pointed at a car that drove by much too close to him.

“Worrier.But fine.”He looked around like he’d never actually crossed the street at the light, and wasn’t even sure where the light was.That made me giggle.

“Let’s head to the subway station and go through there.It’ll take us out on the other end.”

He sighed, his breath misting.“What’s a little detour when I get to abduct you from work early?I can handle that.”

“You don’t sound like it.”I had to tug him along with me.Perhaps he was hoping I’d change my mind, but immortal or not, I didn’t want him to get run over.I didn’t want him to hurt.

“Is that so, Amory?What do I sound like, hmm?”

“Happy?Are you?Oh, I forgot to ask how your day was.I mean, you don’t have to tell me what came up or anything, but is everything okay?”

He let out a heavy breath and dropped his gaze.“Leave it to you to find a sore spot.I was just enjoying having you back.I’d have liked to savor that until after dinner at the very least.”

My heart squeezed tight.That didn’t sound good.Soyer didn’t have a regular work schedule—didn’t have regular work—but I knew he did dangerous things sometimes.He’d come after the witch who’d taken me like it was an everyday occurrence for him.I didn’t want it to be.Didn’t want him to have to do the things I could guess he was used to doing, the things he didn’t tell me about.

I’d asked a few questions, like how he’d learned how to shoot a gun, where he’d kept the gun he’d shot the witch with, how he’d been so calm and known just exactly what to do.Soyer had answered me, but not always in much detail.I knew he kept weapons behind that ornate door back home now, and yes, I’d been well aware that he killed witches.That he was an assassin sometimes.Having met a witch had turned what he’d told me about what he did from something abstract into a very tangible reality, and I didn’t think that kind of work was as easy on him as he wanted everyone to believe.

So yeah, I didn’t ever want to press him for too many details, didn’t want to make him talk to me if he didn’t want to talk.I was pretty sure he was like a cop in regard to his work, and at least from movies and books I could guess that not all of them liked talking about it.