Page 98 of Moonlight Hearts

Soyer made a bit of a face, then hid it, and nodded.I thought he looked relieved.“Good.Now you may pass me the pumpkin.”He lifted his plate.“In fact, feed me.”

And with that, our Thanksgiving Feast started.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ithoughtwehadthe best of times during dinner with everyone talking and laughing.Everyone except for Soyer, who was minimal in his comments and conversation, and given that Dwayne was sitting on his other side, I just hadn’t ended up at the chattiest corner of the table, and with Ben on my other side, it fell to me to do something about that.

Then again, from this vantage point, I had a pretty good view of Ant, who was sitting next to Elias and had Sophie on his other side.

“Your aunt made those pies, huh,” Ant asked, looking at the plate on the table.

Sophie looked at him as if he had insulted her phone case.“Yes.It’s a hobby, but she’s unusually skilled.”

“That’s kinda cool.She’s the one my mom works out with sometimes, isn’t she?Sorry, I spend a lot of time at work and with humans, so I don’t often come along.”

Sophie narrowed her eyes at him.“I believe they occasionally spar, yes.”

I glanced at Ben, who was also watching the exchange, and I wanted to ask what it was really about, since I had a feeling I was missing the entirety of the subtext that was happening.But with everyone’s super hearing, that wouldn’t have been the best idea.

Laura was taking apart my sea rose napkin, and it looked as if she were trying to figure out how to do it.First Rae tried helping her, then Ella leaned over Rae’s plate and got into deciphering my napkin origami as well.What was really freaky was Dwayne’s face as he watched them all from where he was sitting.He was smiling, I was pretty sure.It wasn’t a big smile, but even so, it made me feel warm and fuzzy.

While I had worried about the awkwardness of the vampires being guests at a dinner while being unable to eat, the three of them seemed perfectly fine with the wine.Kasey’s snakes wiggled happily while he talked with Vico and Simeon, and pretty much everyone around him.

The dinner broke up when Elias whined about wanting juice, making Chef take pity on him and head to the kitchen to run the juicer.Laura, having abandoned the sea roses, wanted cookies and went to get those, and before long, what had started out as a sit-down meal turned into a more casual, comfortable buffet-type situation.

When I got myself another cup of cider, I looked over at the table where Soyer, Vico, and Chef had gathered in a corner.I watched them discussing something, speaking French throughout.I basked in the knowledge that Soyer could just do that, could just go off and speak French and be so easily understood.

“Are you staring at his behind or his shoulders?”Elias asked from behind me before sidling up next to me on our side of the kitchen island.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.Plus, he’s sitting on his behind.”

He whined for a few seconds.“You don’t know what joys you’re missing out on.I could give you pointers about the things that I take note of when I look at other people.There’s a little bit of a mental checklist I typically run through.It’s quite helpful.”

“Like how full their champagne glasses are?”

He beamed at me.“No, that’s just you.I told you.I told you when we had juice that that is why you need me, and I stand by that, Amory.I’d not allow anyone else to steal your drinks, don’t you know that?”

“I’m not even arguing.”

“Good.You’re still not as social as you ought to be, but let’s not speak of all the wonderful work I shall be doing for you sooner rather than later.”He leaned in close.“Say, is there a chance—even the smallest—that you can make me a chocolate milkshake today?”

I had talked this through with Soyer.Elias didn’t really sound like he was expecting me to say yes.By my best judgment, he was trying to maybe make me feel guilty about having juice but no milkshakes for him, but for once, I was ahead of him.

“I absolutely cannot.”

Elias pouted.“You mean to say, Amory, that you made me convey your invitations and go to my knees in order to get Simeon and Valentin here, and—”

“I’m just not allowed to use the blender here.Soyer can make you a milkshake though.”

Elias’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped.“You mean that?”

“Soyer?”I hadn’t spoken loudly, but Soyer looked my way while Vico was talking.I pointed at Elias.“Do you think you could make us some milkshakes?”

I heard Elias’s incredulous gasp.“You will be sharing a milkshake with me?Two straws in one glass?My twin soul, you have found me!”He clasped my hand in both of his.

“You get your own milkshake and I get mine, and I’m not making it, so there is no rule breaking.”

Elias’s eyes sparkled.“Oh, the deviancy!I am so immensely proud of you, Amory!There is hope for you yet!”