Chapter Thirty-Four #2
I shook out my wrist, the one Ambrose had bent back. “He had a guy with him, Thaeros’s twin—Thaeros is my co-manager, the one out there in the blue coat.”
Ambrose nodded. “Yeah, the narcissan. Hell of a choice.”
It annoyed me that people knew what Thaeros was when I didn’t, but not enough for it to take center stage among all the reasons why my heart was racing.
“He—Echo—showed up. He had the Sandman with him, who made the Brit and the twin fall asleep, and we left through the other apartment on our floor. He said no one lives there because they died and that Soyer looks after the place.” I looked at Elias. “I didn't know that.”
He took my hand. “It’s a harmless thing. Like this. We have a Band-Aid to put on this, don’t we, Ambrose?”
Ambrose opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. “Bathroom upstairs, the one two doors down from your room. Take him up there and then go to your room.” He looked at the door. “I’ll deal with this.”
Elias nodded, his head bobbing rapidly. “Good idea. Amory—”
I dug my heels in. “No. I’m staying. He told me not to call Soyer because Caecilius still has a witch blade left. I’m not leaving.”
“B-but you’re bleeding,” Elias said.
I looked at where he’d bitten me. It was soaking into my sweater, but it wasn’t too bad. It hadn’t gotten on my watch. “It’s fine. If Caecilius is here and plans on hurting people, that’s not.”
“The only one he’d really want to hurt is you,” Elias said. “I remember the IBT. You were in a state, and he did that.”
I had been. Logically, I remembered it. I also remembered what had happened to the person he’d made shoot me. Still, I squared my shoulders and said, “What’s he going to do, kill me again?”
Ambrose clicked his tongue. “Point. But you’re a baby. You don’t know how misery is made.”
“I’m not—”
Elias put his arm around my shoulders. “Ambrose doesn’t mean it like that. He means simply that you’re very new to our world and that it worries him, because in secret, he’s a big fluffy bear. Although he’s never called me ‘baby.’”
Ambrose ignored that. “You two do what I say. Elias, you keep that arm where it is, and you drag your buddy off to the back room if shit goes down.”
Elias just nodded, his lips pressed tight.
“I hate shit like this,” Ambrose said, then opened the door.
Echo and Thaeros were already right outside.
“You got the gist?” Echo asked.
I noticed only now that Thaeros was still wearing his uniform under his coat, his bow tie askew. That irked me more than it should have in this situation.
“Yeah. I don’t understand what you’re doing in the middle of it though, and I don’t like things I don’t understand.”
Echo met my eyes. “We’re called Cassandrians for a reason. If we take money for it, people find it easier to believe the truth than if we simply speak it.”
Ambrose crossed his arms. “Talk to me, not to him.”
“I’m letting you listen,” Echo said.
“I’m letting you breathe.”
Thaeros actually flinched at Ambrose’s words. Maybe I wasn’t sure whether Echo was lying or not, but I had no trouble at all believing that Thaeros didn’t want to be here.
“Hold on a sec,” I said, and pulled out my phone.
With Elias looking over my shoulder and right at the screen, I navigated to my chat with Soyer, ignoring how embarrassing it was to let someone else see it.
>Hey, I got in the secret chat, but I’m behind. Thaeros mentioned something someone called Echo said, something about our menu for the holidays. Idk who that is. Soyer, am I being paranoid again right now?
I didn't have to wait long for an answer.
Not about Echo. Has an attitude, but that’s it. Didn’t think he’d be the kind to be impressed by Thaeros’s charm.
“I would remind you that this is the definition of being out of context,” Elias said. “And you lied. I get spanked when I do that and get found out.”
“Not the time,” Ambrose said.
Thank you. Maybe Echo wants us to cook a holiday menu he likes.
A possibility. You’re going to manager that, my heart. I’m confident.
“Aww!”
I elbowed Elias, who didn’t evade like Soyer would have, but he didn’t really budge or show much of a reaction either. He was a vampire, after all.
I looked at Echo. “Is this why I had to bring my phone?”
He shrugged. “I am good at this, but I’m not sure.”
Ambrose turned to me. “Best stay out of this.”
Echo shook his head. “He won’t. He can’t.” He looked at Elias. “I’ll need your help as well, but I know it will be difficult. There is a witch in the city.”
Thaeros turned as white as the walls in this grand house, and Elias’s hold on me tightened. Ambrose’s expression grew tense.
Elias’s voice was small, fragile. “Whatever you want, Echo. I’ll help as best I can.”
Echo shook his head, his eyes meeting mine. “She’s the one from the orchard, and she wants to destroy everything the Black Shuck loves.”
My mouth fell open. I felt warm feathers brush over the skin of my back, the lingering cold I’d felt from the outside vanishing at once.
Like a daydream, I could see the night sky, phoenix-beloved, and while there were few things that had the power to harm a phoenix for long, that didn't mean there weren’t creatures that hunted them, creatures that indulged in phoenix meat and phoenix blood. In the pain of a phoenix cry.
I slipped Elias’s arm and took a step toward Echo. “What do I have to do?”
“I’m not sure yet, but someone has to kill it, and we don’t have much time.”
My phone dinged, and I looked at it.
We are done here now, my heart, much sooner than I thought. Just a few last things to wrap up and sort out. We’ll be back soon. I can’t wait to see you.
My fingers were trembling, but I couldn’t help responding.
I’m waiting. I miss you, Soyer. I love you.
I looked up from my phone and right at Echo. “Now what?”