Page 43 of Moonlight Hearts

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”He let go of my hand and put his arm around my middle instead.“Stop being such a worrier.There isn’t a reason to worry at all, at least not for you.”

“Not for me?Then who has reason to worry?”

He raised his left eyebrow.“Me, of course.I’ll have to leave my handsome young fiancé alone for a few days.That’s plenty worrisome.”

My mouth fell open.A snowflake landed on my bottom lip and melted there.“You’re leaving?”

“I’m going out of town for a little while.That’s different.”

We’d reached the subway entrance and were heading down the stairs.Walking arm in arm wasn’t the easiest, but Soyer didn’t seem to want to let go of me, and I didn’t mind that at all.

“When?And for how long?Can’t I come with you?”

He sighed.“Let’s talk about it in the car.I’d rather not have anyone overhear.”

The subway station was still somewhat busy, with people getting home late or going out early, or people heading to work for a very late shift.No one looked like they had the time to overhear, but I could wait a few minutes.

My steps slowed when I saw a person in a corner wrapped in an old sleeping bag, all the things they owned in a duffel they were leaning on, not for comfort but so that they’d wake up if someone tried to take it from them.

“Hold on.”I pulled away from Soyer, who’d slowed when I had.

I had a few bills in my pocket—more cash than I’d have felt comfortable carrying before Ben had started acting as my bodyguard.I dug for them.The person saw me walking their way and tensed.When you were used to being ignored, someone noticing you all of a sudden could be scary.

“Could I give you some money?For some food, a warm bed maybe?”

They glanced past me at Soyer, but not in the way supernaturals did.It was just that we were seeing them and everyone else wasn’t.

They nodded after a few seconds, and I gave them what was maybe fifty dollars total.Not a lot, not for me.Not anymore.It was all rolled up so it wasn’t super obvious.I didn’t want anyone to think about taking the money from them.

They looked at it with big eyes, their throat working.

I didn’t want to linger, didn’t want to scare them.“Take care, okay?And stay warm.”

I turned toward Soyer, walked away.

“Hey, thank you.Thanks, man.”

I looked back at them.They had blue eyes.“It’s nothing.Please stay warm.”

They nodded and broke eye contact, effectively ending the interaction.

We’d crossed all the way to the other end of the station before Soyer spoke again.“It wasn’t that long for you, was it?”

We took the first step in sync.“Who’s the worrier now?No, it wasn’t.I told you I was lucky.”

“Need to remember to send Dwayne some kind of present to thank him for that.”

I remembered Dwayne’s face, not when he’d realized what had been up with me, that I didn’t have a place to stay, but when he’d told me what was going to happen; how he was going to help me out, how he expected me to work and keep my nose clean—his words.Dwayne, calm though he was, had looked more furious than my father the day he’d kicked me out, but I’d never once been afraid of Dwayne.I’d only ever been afraid of disappointing him.

“You might make him uncomfortable.”

“Don’t fucking care.He looked after you when I didn’t even know you existed.”

I smiled as we made it back up to the surface level, where thick snowflakes landed on my hair.“He took up knitting.Can you imagine.”

“Amory, my imagination is quite powerful.”