Page 5 of Moonlight Hearts

He took my hand in his.“We are.It’s where the ice cream is.Are you scared?”

“Of…the ice cream?”

He didn’t fall for that.Of course he didn’t.He was Soyer, and he knew me better than I knew myself sometimes.“No.Of the memories.”

I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn’t, but that would’ve been a lie, and he would’ve known.I snapped my mouth closed again and nodded.

“Okay.It’s all right to be scared, but it’s going to be fine.Stay where you are, I’m helping you out.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and by the time I realized, Soyer had already rounded the car and was opening my door.Cold air whooshed at my face, and he was holding out his hand for me to take.I did, but my stomach was in knots.

The last time I’d been here…well, it had been daytime, and I’d been under a witch’s spell, if that was the correct expression.I shivered, remembering that creature, the way he’d spoken to me.Then, how he’d taken my ring and broken my finger—

“Amory.Stay with me.It’s fine.”

We were walking toward the bodega in a complete reversal of that day.Now, I was safe, and Soyer was going to hurt anyone who’d even think about hurting me.Still, it wasn’t just the cold that had me breaking out in goose bumps.

“You never told me where you went,” I heard myself say, meaning that day.

My phoenix mind reader understood right away.“Just some errands.You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Okay.”

We were almost at the bodega.The lights were on inside, which was…good?I hadn’t thought about this place, not in the concrete sense of who was there running it now.It still said Lorenzo’s Bodega on the sign above the entrance, but that was…

“He’s…dead.”

Soyer turned to me.The light from the bodega outlined him.With his hair and his coat—with his black nail polish, even—he faded into the darkness of the night so easily, even in the city.

“He actually isn’t.Assuming you’re talking about Lorenzo.”

“But I saw—”

The memories came flashing back.Animal crackers and a detached eyeball.I squeezed my own eyes shut.

“It’s okay.We’re just here for ice cream.What flavor do you like?”

“Uh.”Breathing.I had to concentrate on breathing.There had to be a reason for Soyer bringing me here, I knew that.“Maybe…mint chocolate chip?”

He turned when the automatic door opened for us.“Really?”

“I think so.I mean…raspberry’s nice.”

Soyer stuck out his tongue.“Too many seeds.”

Then we were inside the brightly lit bodega.I looked around.I couldn’t help it.I wasn’t sure whether I was looking for any sign that remained of that day—dried blood or a sliver of broken glass—but the bodega was spotless, and just as upscale as I remembered from my first time coming here.

“Black Shuck,” said someone from behind the counter.

“Lorenzo.Hi.”Soyer pulled me with him toward the counter, toward the man.“You remember Amory.”

The man pushed his half-moon glasses up on his nose.He had very blue eyes.Eyes I thought I almost recognized.

“Of course.He survived the witch.”The man smiled.“The witch that didn’t survive the Black Shuck.”

He saidwitchlike it was something vile, something loathsome.I looked at the name tag on his shirt.It said Lorenzo.

“Amory was quite concerned.He saw what the witch did to your spawn.”