Page 91 of Moonlight Hearts

“You can curse in front of me,” Laura said, trying to move my finger in an unnatural way.“Dwayne says I can’t do it randomly though.It has to be like a punch to the face, and I have to know the exact right word to use and when to use it.He has a swear jar, and there’s candy in it.If I swear right, I can have one.”

“Wow.”

Soyer nodded.“Dwayne’s reasonable like that.When is he teaching you self-defense, kid?”

She looked up at him.“You mean like how I’m supposed to kick or punch men between the legs if they bother me?”

Soyer nodded.“Yes, that.And about that knitting needle—”

“Soyer!I think I need—ugh.This is more difficult than I thought.Can you make me some coffee with the hazelnut syrup?”

He shrugged.“Fine.Kid, you’re not getting money if he can’t at least knit in a straight line by the time the guests get here.”

Soyer walked off.Laura looked at me.The sternness in her gaze reminded me of Jenny.“Look, this isn’t that hard.I’ll show you again, and you do what I do.”

She then took the creation I had worked so hard on and unmade it all by pulling on the thread.I sighed.This wasn’t how I’d thought Thanksgiving would go.

When there came another knock on the door, Soyer opened it on account of the fact that I was trying to get the knitting right without stabbing myself.

“You’re holding it funny,” Laura said.

“Yeah, well, these aren’t easy to hold.”As I spoke, I dropped the yarn again, something I knew shouldn’t have happened.“Shit.I mean, shoot.”

She sighed.“I’m not going to get paid, am I?”Then she pouted.“I should’ve just worked on my present.”

“Amory?Amoryyyy!”Elias was rounding the guest table when he spotted us.He came closer, but stopped short.He and Laura looked at each other.“There’s a little human next to you, Amory.”

Laura straightened in her chair.“I’m not little.”

“That’s Elias.”I pointed with the knitting needle, seeing as how I wasn’t supposed to drop any more of the yarn or the finicky little loops.

“What isthat?”Elias looked at the fruits of my labor with a delicately balanced mix of shock and disgust.

“I’m learning to knit.Laura’s teaching me.”

The little girl glanced at Elias but didn’t quite meet his eyes.“The principal at my new school says you can learn anything if you really want to and work very hard at it.”

Elias took the chair Soyer and I usually put our feet on.“That is correct.Is that Headmaster Farrow?He is ever so entertaining.”Elias looked at me.“We socialize at fundraisers and such.”

I had questions about that, and was about to ask them while holding on to the wool when Valentin walked in and spotted us.“Ah, Bennet, you set up a children’s table.Excellent.”

Elias narrowed his eyes.“This is the artists’ table, and you have not been invited to join us.”

Valentin walked up right behind Elias and put a hand on his shoulder.“As you say, pet.Amory.A blessed harvest season.”

“Oh, this is more of a friends-giving rather than anything harvest related.No reason to make it sound so serious.”

It hadn’t escaped me that Valentin was wearing a nice suit and tie, though Elias had on a cardigan and a plain shirt.

“We do celebrate the apple harvest with apple cider though,” Soyer said as he came back to the kitchen, carrying a crate of wine.Simeon was behind him, carrying another.

Valentin followed my gaze.“We found something in our wine cellar.Red and white.”

“Dwayne says wine is for boring people,” Laura informed the ancient vampire.

Valentin took the remaining chair next to Elias.“Is that so, little one?”

“It’s what Dwayne says.”She took a sip of her own apple cider, looking right at Valentin.