Page 910 of Coal Hearts

I got it now.

I got why Henri looked at Ily with such wonder in his eyes. Why he gravitated toward her even when they sat so close on the couch.

Ily held a piece of his soul.

Henri held a piece of hers.

And somehow, I was lucky enough to share Lucy’s.

“Goodness, it’s pretty gruesome.” Lucy wrinkled her freckled nose. “I thought you said he wrote a romance.”

I burst out laughing. “What? No way. I’m pretty sure this is the handbook on how to kill a trafficker.” Grabbing my own copy, I skimmed the first part.

I stiffened.

So he had written about Joyero.

Fuck.

“We should buy a copy.” Lucy hugged the thick book to her chest. “I like the title. The Curse of Blood and Darkness. I bet it does have romance. He has to mention Ily, surely. He’s not whole without her.”

I nodded along, not really listening, my heart pounding.

Don’t. Please don’t have written about—

I froze as my fingers slipped. The pages fanned back to the first one, leaving the dedication exposed.

To every jewel who survived the pressures of being formed in hell.

This book isn’t for you.

It’s for all those who didn’t know.

For those who think diamonds are pure when we know they’re nothing but blood and darkness.

Nothing on earth is as strong.

Nothing cuts as sharply.

That is what you are now.

You’re a diamond that didn’t shatter.

Flicking to the next page, a smile touched my lips.

A second dedication made all my worries vanish.

If you’re reading this book and clutching your pearls at the graphicness...then you should be grateful that it is fiction. If you’re reading this book and find yourself reaching for a gun...then be aware that it is fact. Monsters surround us. This is how to destroy them. From one beast to another...happy hunting.

“We’ll buy all of them.” I grinned at Lucy.

The shopkeeper overheard me, staggering with his arms full of books. “Wait...all of them?”

“It’s going to be a bestseller, don’t you know?” I chuckled.

Fishing my phone from my pocket, I snapped a picture of Lucy hugging the table of Henri’s confessions. I would read it. I would be brave enough to face Lucy if she figured out which character was me, and I would remember all those we had lost.

Henri was right.