by Shannon Bell
The room was dark and I had to remember that Nico was in the bed. The urge to throw back the curtains was biting at me and it was Nico in the bed that kept me from doing so.
The clock showed that it was already past breakfast time. I took a shower, lingering under the showerhead. I was dressed and ready and Nico was sound asleep. Or dead. Still wasn’t sure how to classify that one.
I couldn’t sit around in a dark hotel room all day long waiting until sunset. I would lose my mind before that happened.
Scribbling a note to Nico in the event that I wouldn’t be back before sunset, I grabbed my messenger bag before heading out of the room.
The housekeeper asked me something about cleaning the room now and I told her no. I prayed she listened.
The elevator was already on my floor, making it easy for me to get down to the lobby fast.
“Dylan.”
I cringed.
Leuc came at me, smiling. “How are you? I did not realize you were staying at our hotel again,” he said.
I nodded. “The reservation is under my husband’s name.”
“Oh, is he with you?”
“He is up in the room feeling under the weather,” I lied. “He just needs some sleep.”
“Absolutely,” Leuc said. “We will make sure he is not disturbed.”
Good. That was one less worry.
“Can I get you a taxi anywhere?” He asked.
I thought about it knowing I didn’t want to be inside the hotel room, but had no idea where to go. “Can you recommend something to do?”
Leuc smiled. Apparently he lived for this kind of thing. He called over to concierge and said something quickly in French. The man behind the desk nodded and then yelled out to the doorman to hail a taxi.
“A tour down the Seine?” Leuc asked.
I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”
A taxi was out front in no time in order to take me over to the pier where a boat tour would be leaving shortly.
Aside from seeing the Seine in some of my walking tours and last night, it was one of the few places in the city that I hadn’t had a chance to explore. Taking a tour down the river seemed like a great way to pass at least a portion of the day.
***
“We always seem to run into each other,” a voice said behind me as I left the pier area. The thick German accent was familiar.
“Gregorio,” I said, turning to meet him.
“I just got into the city.” He smiled.
I nodded behind me at the pier. “Passing the time.”
“Ahh yes, the mortal one in the equation,” He joked. “It must be tiring to do everything on your own during the day.”
“Sometimes. Sometimes I prefer the peace and quiet.”
Gregorio nodded without saying anything. He seemed to understand that.
“I was going to get something to eat,” I said. My stomach growled as it decided to chime in on the conversation.
“Is that an invitation?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“Very well,” he said and we began walking down the boulevard to the downtown area where more bistros were located. “Any place in particular?”
“No. Do you speak French?”
“Oui.”
“Great, then you can do the ordering.”
“You do not speak French? I am surprised by that,” he said.
“Really? I speak English, obviously, and am learning Italian because that’s where I live now. As for French, it’s not coming to me as easily.”
“Well, you may have to work on that,” he smiled.
I nodded. I’d get started on that with all of my free time.
“Perhaps you can visit Berlin again. I can have you speaking German as well.”
“Berlin was a beautiful city and the people seemed friendly,” I said. Berlin was definitely a place I’d like to visit again and spend some more time. Beyond Checkpoint Charlie and the hop on bus, I hadn’t seen much.
“If you and Nico ever desire a getaway, I would be happy to be your tour guide,” Gregorio offered.
“Thank you. I appreciate that and we may take you up on that offer one day.” I was about to step through a group of people when Gregorio put his hand up in front of me.
“Stop. Look.” He pointed to three men that were walking amongst the group. They appeared to be drunk and were knocking into people. They were being pushed around and said nothing. A few people cursed in French at them, but there was no response. The glazed look over their eyes said it all.
Before Gregorio could tell me what they were, I knew.
“People are going to notice,” I said. He had to do something. It was only a matter of time before someone went up to a police officer to report them.
Gregorio nodded. He waited for the crowd to thin out a little and then went up to the three men. He put his arm around them and guided them across the street to a park area that didn’t have anyone around.
The zombies were not cognizant of anything going on, so they followed without question.
“Do you see?” Gregorio pointed along their necks.
Flesh was beginning to flake away. Exposed tendon and bone could be seen as he pulled along the collar of their shirts.
“This,” he said, “is a problem.”
I turned away. It was disgusting and I felt bile rising up in my throat.
Gregorio whispered something to each of them and tapped his thumb to their forehead. They stumbled through the park and sat down at a bench.
“What did you do?”
“I sent them away from the public,” he said.
“Why not just take them down? Less for you to do tonight,” I said.
Gregorio shook his head. “It’s not that simple. I need human blood and it’s the middle of the day. There’s no way to perform a ceremony in daylight without having a dozen or more witnesses. That’s not a chance I can take.”
I nodded. Oh.
“So, lunch,” he said.
My stomach turned. After seeing rotting zombie flesh, lunch wasn’t really at the top of my mind any longer.
He laughed. “It’s part of life. You have to eat because when we get together with everyone else tonight, there will be no time. If you think three is bad, wait until there’s more.”
He was right. Damn it, he was right. “Okay.”
We crossed back over the street now that the zombies were out of our way and stepped into a small restaurant. It was a lot more intimate than it looked from the outside, but we found a table and took a seat.
I looked at my watch and realized that it would still be at least three hours until sunset. At least I would have some company until then.
Gregorio handed me a menu, breaking me from my daze.
“Any idea what you’re going to have?” He asked.
“Plat du jour.” It was the plate of the day. Being a foodie, it was easier to order that than anything else and it usually earned me points with the staff for not putting up a fight.
“Adventurous,” he commented. “I will do the same. So you do speak some French.”
“That counts as knowing French?” I laughed. “If that’s the case, sure I know about 100 words.”
He smiled. “That’s better than a lot of Americans. Many refuse to speak it at all. They will not even say please and thank you in a foreign language.”
I had heard that and it always upset me that people weren’t willing to speak another language. I shrugged. “I’m open to the culture. It gets me further if I can at least struggle with the language.”
“I agree completely,” Gregorio said.
The server finally came over and stood there, waiting for our order.
“Do you drink wine?” Gregorio asked me.
I nodded enthusiastically. Silly man, of course I drink wine.
Gregorio placed an order in French. The server perked up once she noticed he spoke French and that meant we would get better service. The only part of the conversation I understood was w
ine, two plates of the day, and thank you. So really, I understood the important parts. Point for me.
The wine came first and Gregorio poured two full glasses and set the bottle between us. It was white and upon inspecting the bottle, noticed it was a Riesling. It was a little sweet, but ice cold and went down maybe a little too easily. After walking around the city, it was better than anything else I could imagine.
“It’s German,” Gregorio commented, noticing I was enjoying the selection.
“Nice.”
“How are your men getting along?”
I almost spit my wine out. “Excuse me?”
He laughed. “I apologize if that was forward or out of line. I just noticed that you seem to be caught in a bit of a love triangle.”
What the fuck? I had no idea how to respond to such a thing and shook my head. “I’m married to Nico.”
“Yes, but you went to Berlin with Olivier.”
“Yes.”
“And Olivier wants to be with you.” So it seemed that everyone was aware of that fact.
“I’m married to Nico,” I reminded him.
Gregorio smiled. “Yes, you mentioned that. Are you reminding me or yourself?”
Ouch. He rendered me speechless after that comment.
He continued. “Not many people take the vow of marriage seriously these days. If you do, that’s wonderful. But if you were not aware of Olivier’s intentions, he is looking to be with you.”
I nodded. “Yes, he has made that known to me as well.”
“And you are not interested?”
Before I could answer, he said, “Yes, I know you’re married.”
That earned him a snort. “Well, yes. I’m married. I am friends with Olivier. That is it.”
“But they are yours. Whether you realize it or not, they are both yours. They are your vampires.”
I shook my head. “They’re not mine. Nico is mine,” I said, holding up my hand with the ring on it. “But not Olivier. He is not mine. I take no claim to him.”
Gregorio put his hands up. “I could debate this with you all day. I am a man, remember. He is not interested in anyone else. I see how he is protective of you. Nico may have marked you, but Olivier is not planning on giving up that easy.”
Well, shit. I didn’t even know where to go with that one. Luckily I didn’t have to because the server came over and put plates in front of both of us. She said something quickly, looking more at Gregorio than me and he shook his head.
I looked down at my plate, not sure exactly what was in front of me. There were vegetables scattered in organized chaos with a drip of red sauce that connected them. Periodically, there were chunks of meat that looked like they had been stripped from the bone moments before being stacked on my plate.
Gregorio began dragging the meat out of the piles and into the puddles of sauce. I watched, waiting for him to identify the protein for me. He slipped a few bites into his mouth, obviously enjoying the food.
“Well?” I asked.
He was oblivious to me watching him. “Yes?”
“What is it?”
“Oh, rabbit. It’s good. Eat,” he said, sinking back into his plate.
Rabbit. That was a new one. I had eaten frog legs and snails and all sorts of things since getting to Paris. After dragging some of the meat and cutting up some of the vegetables, I popped some in my mouth. It tasted a lot like chicken, only more moist. It wasn’t gamey like I expected it to be.
“Good, right?” Gregorio had been watching me.
I nodded and reached for my wine glass, which he topped off for me. “Yes, thank you.”
We ate the rest of our meal in relative silence.
When the check came, I reached over and he swatted my hand away. “I have this.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“No thank you is required. You are about to make me very rich tonight,” he said. “I can handle this.”
My mouth opened in surprise. “That is not your normal fee?”
“One million dollars? For one night’s ceremony? Of course not.”
“Then why…” Before I could finish my question, I knew. They were vampires and most vampires he had met were assholes. This was his way of sticking it to them. He also knew that they had the money and they were desperate. Kudos to him, really. I couldn’t say I wouldn’t do the same when given the chance.
“You get it,” Gregorio said. It was a statement not a question. He saw the realization cross my face.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“You will not say anything?” His voice held some shock.
“The deal has been made already.”
“You are a smart woman, Dylan,” he said.
“Sometimes.” Here I was in Paris sitting across the table from a necromancer, waiting for the two vampires I kept company with to wake up. If someone had told me a year ago that this is where I would be, I would have told them to check themselves into a mental institution.
He threw some money on the table and we got up.
“Would you like me to take you back to your hotel?” Gregorio asked.
I shook my head. “No, I’m going to do some more walking around. You?”
“Scouting. We know where three are, but I need to see if I can locate the other eight so I know they are all within city limits.”
“Oh.” I wanted to tell him to have fun with that, but left it at what was said. There was no way I’d accompany him for that. The zombies were disgusting creatures rotting as they walked around and the sooner they went down, the more soundly I could sleep at night.
“I will see you tonight,” Gregorio said.
“Yes,” I said and we walked off in opposite directions.
Chapter 17
I WAS ONLY a block or two from Rue des Martyrs, which I had read about in a travel magazine years ago. It was filled with vendors that sold cheese, fruit, wine, chocolate and just about anything else that was edible. While lunch was good and filling, there was always room for something else.
The vendors were nice and provided samples of more than I expected. Once reaching an upscale chocolate shop, I gave in and bought some truffles and some interesting pieces of chocolate with little decorations on top. The sun had finally started to set and it occurred to me that I should probably head back to the hotel.
While I was on the right side of the Seine, it was still a long walk so I grabbed my map to figure out how to get back to the hotel. I took a turn down one road and then proceeded down the steps to get on the metro line. While I leaned against the pole and waited patiently to be delivered to my stop, the chocolate called out to me. By the time I got off at the Republique stop, the chocolate was gone and I felt a bit gluttonous for eating it all.
The hotel was just around the corner once I made it back up to street level.
As I entered, Leuc came up to me. “Did you enjoy the river tour?”
I smiled. “Yes, thank you.”
He eyed the bag in my hand. “I see you also visited the Rue des Martyrs.”
“Couldn’t help myself.”
“I don’t blame you one bit,” he said.
There was nothing else to say, so I excused myself and headed to the elevators. It was only six in the evening, but sometimes Nico surprised me by being up a little earlier.
I clicked the card into the door and quickly slid into the room. The large bump under the comforter was still there, so that answered the question about Nico.
Since he was still asleep, there was no point in hanging around the room. I slipped into some gym clothes and threw the first note away and wrote another one for Nico. It was time to burn off the calories from all that chocolate and I headed up to the top floor where the hotel had a fitness room.
A high-end treadmill was located right in front of the windows, providing me with a relatively good view of the city. I stepped on, enjoying the privacy because no one else was in here with me. I started off slow and then brought the speed up faster and faster. Within a few
minutes, I was in a full sprint on the conveyor belt.
My legs burned, but it was the good kind of burn. It was safe to run where I was in Italy, but in Paris, I didn’t trust the city enough to run alone in the mornings. Not running was biting at me because it had become part of my routine. I hung out with too many people that could harm me. Nico and, if I was being completely honest with myself, Olivier, were the two I knew would not harm me and would protect me. As for anyone else, there was no way to be sure and they weren’t always around, especially during the day. That meant I had to lookout for myself and if I could run, I stood a chance of getting away from trouble if it presented itself.
My eyes were closed. I ran and ran as if my life depended on it. Techno blared into the headphones and I kept running. Sweat dripped from my brow and I grabbed the bottom of my shirt to wipe it as I continued on.
I stared out the window, watching the sun set further into the clouds. I was getting darker and Nico could wake up at any minute. I started to slow down the treadmill in a cool down mode. The headphones tugged and I almost tripped while trying to turn around.
“Nico,” I said, pulling my headphones down around my neck. “Hey.”
I continued to jog on the treadmill and he came to stand in front of it. “Saw your note,” he said. “Damn you’re fast.”
I smiled. “Working on it. Thought I’d get some running in while I waited for you.”
He nodded. “Sure. Almost done?”
“Yep.” I wiped more sweat away with my shirt.
“That’s hot.”
“My sweat?”
“You. The way you grab your shirt up like that. The hint of your skin.” He stared at me and I saw the hunger fill his eyes.
He had that way of looking at me that turned my insides to jelly. My body responded to him and suddenly, I didn’t want to run anymore. I knew my body would hate me if I didn’t do the cool down properly, though.
“Give me five minutes?” I asked. The treadmill was coming down off of its incline and the speed slowed down again to a brisk walk.
Nico nodded. “Of course. I was going to shower. Should I wait?”
“Yes, I will need one, too.”
That made him smile. “Yes, you will.” He left me to my workout.