“Well, why don’t you go outside then, and I’ll be there in a sec.” I suggested and couldn’t stop a grin myself.
But when I came back outside Kylian was already gone, and it was a low and unexpectedly sharp stab to the gut.
Epilogue
Two weeks later...
A rebellious and really annoying ray of sunlight had found its way through a slit between my curtains and had decided to dance a cha-cha across my face. Half asleep I threw my pillow in the rough direction; only to have the curtains part a little wider.
“Oh, come on.” Groaning I sat up, all the while shaking Malo awake, who held his head high like the Sphinx and looked at me as if to say in very dignified manner ‘is-all-that-noise-really-necessary?’
“You know, you can go back to sleep if you want to, but I’m pretty sure there’s a can of food with your name on it in the kitchen.”
Malo hopped quickly off the bed, in ‘let’s-move-it’ modus now, but something had caught my attention. There was a letter lying on the pillow beside me. Frowning I took it, broke the blood red wax seal and pulled out a sheet of paper. I unfolded it, and gasped. It was a beautiful and masterly drawing, of me grinning and Kylian scowling. I felt a pang as I studied his face. I didn’t know what had been between him and me but I had thought we might have been able to find it out together. Then I noticed that there was something written in the left upper corner. “Opposites attract. Thank you for everything. We owe you. Romaric and Josianne.”
Utterly touched and smiling I kicked my covers away, got up to carefully pin the drawing onto the cork chart above my desk for the time being, and then padded into the kitchen.
Pauline was sitting at the counter and yawning into her cup of coffee. Music was on. Good. That meant it was a good day today. It had been two weeks since I’d gotten us out of the laboratory, but when the morning started without music I always knew her dreams had taken her back there.
So while U2 claimed ‘It’s a beautiful day’ I set out a little bowl of food for Malo, poured myself some coffee, and then settled down on a high stool beside Pauline.
“Morning,” she murmured, her voice a sleepy whisper.
“Good morning. What a beautiful day, huh? Want something to eat?”
She grimaced. “Ah, don’t mention food. I’m still full from Viviane’s dinner yesterday.”
I laughed. Yeah, in Viviane’s opinion it was food that healed every wound, not time. “Subject change, then. I’m off today, wanna do something?”
Pauline smiled. “Sure. What about the movies?”
“I can’t even remember the last time I went.”
“See, then it’s been too long.”
“You’re probably right. So the movies it is. Hey, but I also want to hear everything about your Chastel-thing.”
She hopped off the stool and said, “Deal. I’ll take a shower.”
“Oh, not so fast, Lady. Rules are rules.”
With a gentle groan she turned around and came back, holding out her fist. “One, two, ...”
“Three,” we called out in unison, and then she squealed and started jumping up and down. “I won, I won. Scissors beat paper. Ha, the shower is mine.”
Damn, but rules were rules, and so I sat down on our couch, enjoying my caffeine and the music.
The phone rang, but since I wasn’t in the mood for talking I let the machine answer it.
“Bonjour Mademoiselle Cadic”, said an unfamiliar male voice, “this is Commandant Moulin, from the police. With The Turn coming up and all I’m putting a special magical crime unit together for Paris, and I’d like to have you as head. The Council recommended you. Call me back under...”
Eyes wide I stared at my phone. The police wanted me? Not as a visitor in a cell but as an employee? I shook my head. What was the world coming to?
I would call him back, and politely decline. I liked my job as a P.I. just fine, and given my experience behind the bars accepting that offer might result in too big a shift in this realm.
The doorbell rang and pulled me out of my thoughts. I groaned. Why had to turn my lazy day into a busy one?
With a sigh I went to answer the door.
A tall, dark and dangerously handsome Kylian stood there. I slammed the door shut in his face. What the hell? Then I looked down at myself, and groaned again. I was wearing one of my oldest tops, gray of all colors, and even older green shorts. First Ro Sham Bo with Pauline, and now this. Destiny, the Fates, the gods, all the higher powers had obviously cuddled up together with the sole purpose to piss me off.
With yet another sigh I opened the door again. “What are doing here?”
“Good morning to you, too,” Kylian said and stepped past me to head for the living room.
“Sure, come on in,” I said dryly and closed the door firmly and followed him.
On my way I tried to lighten up a little, since, well okay, we’d kissed, but it had happened two weeks ago, no attachments, and he’d probably forgotten all about it anyway, and so could I – hopefully, sometime, in the near future.
“Want something to drink? Or a snack?”
“No, I’m fine. Thanks.”
Hands on my hips, I shrugged. “Okay, then let’s forget the courtesies and I’ll jump right to the most obvious and interesting question. What the hell are you doing here?”
He ignored me and asked instead, “How is everyone?”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
He grinned and asked again, “How is everyone?”
I shook my head but decided to go along with it. “Everyone’s fine. Mathieu is with the pack for now, learning to control his wolf. They say he’s doing great, so it’s luckily not the end Michel had hoped for. The ravens, Riva, Luc and Gabin are with them, too, trying to understand our world. And Pauline’s healing, slowly but gradually. It will take some time yet, but she’s strong and she’ll be alright.”
He cocked his head to the side. “And you, how are you?”
“I’m fine. What the hell are you doing here, Kylian?”
“Come on, how are you really?”
“Pissed off is what I am. Why are you here, tell me right now I’ll kick your butt right out the door!”
He chuckled and stepped closer, and his body heat sipped into me, making me dizzy. Then he reached out and touched my cheeks with his fingers, lightly, softly, but unbelievably blistering. I couldn’t breathe. “Now, how are you really doing?”
I stepped back. “I admit I’ll be even better as soon as I can get rid of this damn sling and you.”
He chuckled. “I’ll bet. Speaking of which, do you remember our bet?”
I frowned, trying to remember. “Sure, you said it was highly unlikely that the ravens were magical shapeshifting creatures we haven’t yet heard of. Is that why you’re here? The bet?”
He took a step towards me again, and I hit the wall with my back. “No, that’s not why I’m here, not really anyway.” He leaned his head down and inhaled deeply, his whisper touching my ear, “But now that you mention it, I believe we agreed that the winner gets whatever he wants...” Turning his head, his lips softly brushed against mine. I didn’t know where to go, what to do. I was trapped and he was just so close, too close and too warm. Then his mouth closed on mine, and thought slipped away. It was a soft, sweet kiss that swirled right to my toes, but I finally got my hands up between us and pushed him back, breaking away.
“Y-You...What do you mean it’s not the reason? Why are you here, Kylian?” I felt like after waking up, when your mind had not yet caught up with the present.
He looked down at my hands, and we both knew that I had only pushed him away because he had let me. He ignored my question, didn’t say a word and stared at me, his gaze sliding over my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth, before he closed his eyes to nuzzle my neck and to inhale my scent deeply once again.
I didn’t know what to do. That guy was driving me crazy.
Then he stepped away from me, and calmly he opened the
door beside me. He turned and when he looked back at me, mischief twinkled brightly in his eyes. That guy was enjoying himself a little too much for my comfort.
“I just dropped by to check on you, and to tell you that I’m looking forward to working with you again.”
Pretty sure I was missing something big here I tried to keep the hysteria down as I asked, “What are you talking about?”
Widely grinning he leaned down a little, his eyes twinkling directly into mine. “Well, I’d thought you’d have figured it out by now. I’m the new Chef de la Meute, the leader of the Parisian pack. See you around.”
The door closed behind him, and left me dumbstruck.
***
Turn the page for an excerpt from the all-new tale of Maiwenn and Kylian
THE HUNT IS ON
by Natalie Herzer
Coming December 6, 2012!
ONE
Paris, France
December 2012
Lightning struck, splitting a tree that was a little too close for comfort. Immediately another blinding flash followed to the right. The noise of tearing wood and cracking thunder deafening, and the scent of ozone was thick in the air.
The rogue vampire I had been following cowered, frantically searching the sky with glowing red eyes as if frightened he might be grilled next - and quickly decided to take off. Running for his life and obviously more terrified of the capricious weather than at the idea of being offed by the Patroness of Paris. Go figure. He wasn’t the first, and if this kept up I would have to put in more training sessions to keep in shape. My shoulders slumped and a sigh escaped my lips at the incredible truth of that thought. But that’s what it was like these days. If it had started to rain frogs, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
I snorted, shaking my head as I remembered the words of the US president when he had talked to the citizens of the world about the upcoming Turn. ‘We live in interesting times, full of change’, he’d said. Really nice way of sugarcoating impending doom.
I looked at the pitch-black sky above me that was boiling with a rage and flaring with violet-blue forks of lightning, and which seemed even more eerily as it stood in stark contrast with the orange halos coming from the streetlamps, flooding the otherwise dark and empty street below.
The Turn, the earth’s shift into becoming a place of magic, was only three weeks ahead and mother earth was either very thrilled or annoyed about it. Really hard to tell. The weather was a major force and going haywire. Storms, rain, or an incredibly warm sun – it all could change in the blink of an eye. Three days ago a tornado, which was a rare thing on the European continent to begin with, had nuked an entire small town in the north of France. And it hadn’t been just a whirlwind, but a full-blown F5. The people had been totally unprepared and not forewarned.
It wasn’t just the weather, though. Earth itself was in an uproar. The ground trembled all around the world, in California and the usual spots, but also places where no plates were tectonically active, like some parts of Europe, Russia and the heart of North America. Tsunamis and lava rolled over land, and if the ash clouds were anything to go by, air traffic was about to become a thing of the past. Interesting times indeed.
I was finishing up my daily, or rather nightly, patrol through Paris a little earlier than usual since there had been annoyingly little for me to do. The steady buzz of cars that never completely faded away had dimmed, and the streets were empty except for those searching oblivion at the bottom of their glass. Just like the other nights. One would have expected quite the contrary, but no, it seemed that even the magical creatures had holed up, waiting for the Turn and chaos to pass. Well, I certainly wouldn’t complain, though I had to admit it somehow made me restless and edgy. In my experience such draughts ended with a big, messy boom.
Which made me think of the letter I had received a week ago. It had been from the police. No one liked to get letters from the police and I wasn’t an exception, especially if the letter was an invitation. Tomorrow the new special unit investigating magic-related crimes was to be officially introduced. And I was invited. Yay.
The job of leading that unit had been offered to me after the Council had come out of hiding and explained the facts of magical life to the human governments and other higher institutions. But I had politely declined since I was quite happy in my position as a private detective and had a long and not so good history with Paris’ finest that all too often had ended with me twiddling my thumbs behind bars.
Word was, I wasn’t the only one invited. I shook my head at that, pretty sure that the rest of the police didn’t like the idea of having the Parisian leaders of the two biggest magical factions in one place at the same time either, especially given the fact that the undead and shifters didn’t like each other that much. It made me curious indeed to see who had taken on the job of leading that new unit. The invitation was either a proof of utter stupidity or cunning.
The sky flashed white and thunder boomed, leaving no place for any other sound. Heavy rain started to fall. The last souls that had had the courage to walk these streets scattered away, hiding out or giving up. I liked the rain and loved the roar of this downpour.
Drenched I reached my building, punched in the security code and got in, where I shook myself like a dog before heading up the stairs to the sixth floor. As quietly as possible I opened the door and got inside, slipping out of my coat before noticing the flickering blue light coming from the TV in the living room.
When I walked into the room, I found Pauline snuggled up on the couch with my orange tiger-trapped-in-the-body-of-a-cat Malo beside her. “Hi, already back? Calm out there, I take it?”
Pauline was a German faery with violet eyes, flaxen curls and pointed ears. She was also my roommate and friend. “Yeah, just like the other nights. What are you watching?”
“Pretty Woman.”
As she continued to watch the movie, I sat down beside her, stroking a happy Malo under his chin, and studied her. We had met three months ago while I was patrolling the Jardin de Luxembourg where I had found her dancing naked in the fountain before the Senate building. I had been nearly dead broke, Pauline more or less homeless thanks to some unfaithful jerk, and so it had seemed logical and kind of natural to start apartment-sharing right the next day. And however crazy Pauline seemed to be on a first glance, there was more to her, a kindness and warmth that made me feel grateful for letting the fresh breeze (tornado, cough) she personified into my life. My eyes drifted to her lavender wings that still seemed a little too thin and delicate, but had finally reached their usual size after a mad scientist had ripped them out a few months back. My stomach clenched. Pauline might not see it that way, but I knew that it was my fault. He had mistaken her for me.
“I don’t need a knight. I just want the right one, he’ll do just fine.”
My gaze drifted back to the TV to see Richard Gere swinging his umbrella instead of a sword.
“You’ll find him. I’ll go get some sleep, tomorrow might be interesting.”
Pauline looked up, grinning. “The meeting, right. God, let’s hope they didn’t pick a human as the leader. You have to tell me all about it when you get back.”
I smiled back. “Will do. Good night.”
The walls were cold, white tiles. It stank of fear and death, covered by the sharp smell of disinfectant. Even behind closed eyes the light was blinding. I was cold. I knew I lay on a steal operating table in the lab.
“You should have been there,” a hard voice accused.
My eyes snapped open and focused on Pauline. Pauline, cut and probed, with blood running from her back where her wings should have been and down along her legs. “They wanted you, not me. You should have been in your office, not me. Look what they did to me.”
The leather straps around my wrists and chest snapped tight, making it hard to breathe. Instead of panic, guilt and regret swamped me.
“I’m sorry.” Silent tears, hot against my cold skin, ran down the sides of my face
. I couldn’t breathe.
The next moment I was in a dark room, where a hooded figure stood in front of an altar. The priest I hadn’t been able to save. The man I had killed. His only mistakes had been ignorance and the fear of change, both of which had turned quickly into madness when a god had taken his mind prisoner.
But the madness was gone now and the hooded figure turning to face me was only human. A kind man I had met in a church, with warm yet painfully sad eyes. “You could have saved me. There must have been another way.”
The pain was back in my chest, a heavy weight. I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t cry. Then blackness surrounded me and I was alone. Utterly alone
“You failed. You will fail again.”
Suddenly cruel, feminine laughter rang out, echoing from the invisible walls and rising to a piercing cacophony. Louder and louder, inhuman. I covered my ears that felt like bursting, but to no avail.
I woke up, a whimper escaping my throat, and covered in cold sweat. It wasn’t the first time I had this dream, and I didn’t need a shrink to understand what was going on inside my head.
I rubbed my face and just sat in my bed for a moment, darkness surrounding me. It was difficult to remember the ones you saved, when you kept seeing those you couldn’t, wanting to change that one moment it went wrong. Like me being in the office, instead of Pauline. Sweet Pauline who came here to live with me, not knowing she would soon be abducted and tortured. I told her to leave after we got her out. I wanted her to leave, and yet I was selfish enough to want her to stay. Which she had. She had stayed, without ever voicing a reproach. She had stayed because she had wanted to. Because somehow in that short time we had become a family.
The night and its understanding silence were comforting and yet as I watched the gray and black shadows that were my room, there was a painful tug inside of me. A tug of loneliness. Out of their own accord my eyes drifted to the pin board hanging on the wall above my desk, where even now I could make out the drawing a lovestruck and thankful demon had made for me.
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