Echoed Lullabies (Lunar Chronicles x Reader)

Chapter 93

"She'll be fine," Thorne told me for the hundredth time.

"I know, I know," I said. "I just don't like separating when we don't have to. And she still has the video chip, so we need to circle back eventually and find her." I wrung my hands.

"You're not a fan of improvisation, are you?"

"You don't understand, Thorne. I know who bumped into her."

"What, a crazy Lunar aristocrat?"

"No." I stopped walking and faced Thorne. "He's a guard. One of the guards that discovered me in Jacin's room before I was taken."

Comprehension slowly dawned on his face.

"Which means he might have recognized you," he finished. "Which means he might now know who Cress is. Aces, this is bad."

"It might...not be." I bit my lower lip. "When he found me, he...he didn't sell me out. In fact, when the other guard came asking about me, he had tried to hide my existence."

Thorne quirked an eyebrow. "But why—?"

"I don't know," I sighed. Thorne and I continued our stroll through the palace. "But...if Cress is smart about this, which she will be...the plan might still be salvageable."

We passed by a group of young men, and I watched, baffled, as they stumbled across the hallway. One of them shoved open a glass door and headed toward the lakeshore and expansive gardens. He nearly tumbled off the staircase that led down to the sprawling lawn.

Shaking my head, I faced forward again—and realized I was alone.

Every muscle tensed as I swiveled around, spotting Thorne a few paces away.

And...me?

I watched as this other version of myself smiled at Thorne through her long lashes in a way that was both sultry and vicious.

But why was this Lunar glamouring as me?

For his part, Thorne just looked surprised.

"I thought I sensed an Earthen boy," said the girl wearing my face. Reaching up, she traced the glowing lights on Thorne's bow tie, then trailed her finger down his chest. "And a well-dressed one at that. What a lucky find."

Pulse thumping, I surveyed the corridor. The crowd was beginning to trickle toward the great hall, but plenty of guests were still fluttering around one another in no apparent hurry. No one was paying us any attention. This woman, too, seemed to have eyes only for Thorne. I racked my brain for some way to get him away from her without raising suspicion or drawing attention to myself.

Then the woman wrapped her arms around Thorne's neck and every thought flew out of my head. Dumbfounded, Thorne offered no resistance as she pulled him into a kiss.

My spine stiffened indignantly, at the same time a group of Lunar women chortled not far away. "Good eye, Luisa," one of them called, followed by another: "If you spot any more pretty Earthens like that one, send them my way!"

Neither Thorne nor Luisa seemed to hear them. In fact, as I watched, Thorne slid his arms around Luisa—around me—and drew her closer.

I wasn't sure whether to be perplexed or revolted.

I backed into an alcove behind a pillar. There I waited, trying to work out why on Earth this Lunar decided to wear my face, as Thorne kissed the girl.

And kissed her.

And kissed her.

Even if she looked like me, I still was appalled. My fingernails had left painful crescent moon imprints in my skin by the time they finally pulled apart.