Page 119 of Moonlight Hearts

On Wednesday, we were supposed to get even more snow, and while that wouldn’t really impact the subway, I still planned on being early in case anyone else was late because of the weather.I set the alarm on my phone, but that wasn’t what woke me.The doorbell did.

It took me a while to even fully place the sound, given that we didn’t get a lot of visitors who came up to this floor.As soon as I was on my feet, I looked at the foot of the bed, where Soyer would normally lay out my bathrobe for me when he got up early, but there was nothing there.That drove home the realization that Soyer was still gone, but the knocking on our door that had started up after the first few rings made me hopeful.

“Coming, coming,” I mumbled.

I pulled on my sweats and hurried down the staircase, still not fully awake, still rubbing my eyes.When I got to the hallway, I was sure this was either Soyer, who might’ve lost his keys, Ben with a flower delivery, or possibly Jules for some other reason.I didn’t think twice about not being properly dressed.

I flipped the lock and pulled the door open, low-key excited and curious to find out what this was about.

But it wasn’t anyone I’d expected or hoped for outside my door.An icy shiver of surprise tickled the base of my neck.

“Uh, hi?Thaeros?”

Thaeros had brought another man, who triggered a memory I couldn’t quite place.He was well dressed in a nice suit, and looked almost out of place next to Thaeros, who wore a baggy cropped shirt and oversized coat.

“Bonjour, Amory.So good to see you again,” the businessman said, and I realized where I’d seen him.He was the guy with the British accent who’d come into the Moonlight and told me how beautiful France was, that I should go to Nice rather than Paris.

“I don’t—sorry.Thaeros, what’s going on here?”I hadn’t noticed because of having been woken from sleep, but Thaeros had changed his hair style.He’d dyed it a light brown and cut it shorter.It barely reached to his shoulders now.“You got a haircut.”

Thaeros looked at the Brit.“What do we—”

The Brit heaved a sigh, and with his well-fitting gloves, he pushed the door open and then just walked right into our home.

“Amory, I do apologize, but we have to talk, and it would be best if we could be done sooner rather than later.Peiras, if you would?”

Thaeros took hold of my arm before I could even get a word in to complain.I looked at him, and he offered me a bright smile.

“Hello, sugar bee.You’re actually not too ugly.I think this’ll work out just fine.”

“Excuse me?Look, you can’t be here.Thaeros, let go of me.”

The Brit had walked into the hallway.He turned.“What’s taking so bloody long?Get him infatuated.”

“I…am trying.I don’t know.He should be drooling all over me by now.”

“Let go!”I wasn’t sure what this was, but I didn’t like it, didn’t like the way the Brit’s gloves fit him like a second skin, the way he seemed happy to just keep them on.

“Oh, bollocks.”One of those gloved hands reached for an inside pocket, and when he withdrew it, I saw that he had a taser.

“Whoa!You can’t—” As if it were a long way off, I heard ading.The elevator?

Thaeros’s grip tightened suddenly, and then he let go abruptly before collapsing on the floor.

“What—”

I turned toward the Brit, but he collapsed a second later.I saw his eyes rolling back in his head, saw the taser drop.

“Oh, my, that worked like a charm!”I looked into the hallway, where none other than the Sandman came into view.He wore his cape, which was still at odds with him being so short.He’d changed his flip-flops for high-heeled boots though, which made up for some of that.“Hello, Amory.You look as if you’ve had a nightmare.”

I stood there, frozen.Someone else dashed after the Sandman, someone I didn’t recognize.He had blond hair, long and fluffy.It would’ve hidden his eyes if it had been any less well styled.He looked at the two men on the ground first, then at me.

“Hi.I’m Echo.You don’t know me, but Thaeros told you about me.We don’t have a lot of time to get out of here.Say something so I know how to get you to move fast.”

I started.“But Thaeros—”

This Echo person pointed.“That wasn’t him.Thaeros is a narcissan, and they come in pairs.Mirror images of each other.Thaeros is waiting downstairs.These two are Cecil’s men.If we stay here, Soyer and the Lords Hawthorne could get hurt.Get dressed, grab your phone and your watch, and let’s go.”

The Sandman clapped his hands.“Oh, I love a nice action sequence!Echo, dearest, what about these two?”