CHAPTER EIGHT
Rho sat in the backseat of the tiny four-door car, clutching Eldon’s hand as if her life depended on it. Which it still did, kind of.
She was traveling Paris. In the daylight.
And it was one of the most exquisite things she’d ever seen in her life. Lovely architecture stood proudly everywhere she looked, the double-sloped rooflines and rows of dormer windows all classically French. Winding cobblestone streets were lined with bicycle racks, and local markets selling fresh fruits and vegetables were open and busy with people.
None of this would be so active at night. She loved it.
The world outside her window traveled much too quickly, and she tried to soak it in as Lukas weaved in and out of traffic like a New York cabbie. That mover’s speed, coupled with her exposure to the daylight, made her twitchy as hell.
“We’re almost there, Miss Vasile. Never fear.” The corners of Lukas’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at her in his rearview mirror.
She tried to wipe the combination of terror and wonder off her face as she gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine, really.”
He chuckled. “Eldon tells me you aren’t friends with the sun these days.”
“Not really, no.” She shot Eldon a sidelong glance, and he shrugged. Since they’d gotten off the plane, he hadn’t let go of her hand for even a moment. His aura of protection surrounded her, although she couldn’t see it. This wasn’t like the protection circle he’d made before, where everything she saw had a tint of blue.
The colors were perfect. Crisp.
The car slowed and Lukas swerved to one side. “We’re here.”
As he parallel parked, Rho held her breath. They couldn’t fit into that parking spot. It was way too small. Granted, the car was practically a matchbox, but still.
Seconds later, the car was parked about one inch from the bumper in front of—and behind—them. Miracles really could happen, apparently.
Eldon cracked open his door and stepped onto the sidewalk, careful not to release Rho’s hand. The sun was high in the sky, and she squinted as she peered up at the tall building. From the front, each building had its own paint color and design, but the walls were connected, creating a long, massive structure all the way down the block. Each resplendent in its own way.
The one they stood in front of had been painted a rosy red, the windows framed in white on the top and flanked with aged shutters near the bottom.
Lukas removed her bag from the trunk and motioned toward a tiny door. “This way, please.”
“I can take my bag if—” Rho started then stopped when Lukas gave her a hard stare.
“You are a lady. In Paris, the ladies do not carry the bags.” He shook his head and muttered, “Silly Americans.”
She smiled and arched a brow at Eldon.
“What?” Eldon opened his mouth, feigning his shock. “Don’t look at me like that. I have more important things to worry about than suitcases.” He held up their joined hands.
She shook her head and laughed softly. “Only joking.”
Lukas fumbled with his keys for a moment before heaving the thick wooden door open. “This is our safe house. I do apologize in advance. We’re on the fifth floor and there are no elevators.”
Figured. The City of Lights was frozen in time, despite their progressive people. And she loved it this way.
“I don’t mind at all.” The entrance offered no frills, just ran directly into a set of stairs. Even when the door shut and she started to climb, Eldon didn’t let go of her hand.
When they reached the top, Lukas fumbled with his keys again. Just as he found the right one, the door swung open.
“Eldon!” A bright, cheerful woman stood in the doorway. Her espresso-colored hair had been pulled into a loose chignon, and her black skinny jeans with black long-sleeved shirt made her a model for French fashion.
“Evette.” Eldon reached out with his free hand and pulled the woman into a tight hug. “You look stunning.”
Her cheeks flushed pink and she gave Eldon a shy smile before turning her attentions to her husband. “Hello, darling.” She gave Lukas a kiss as he entered the flat with Rho’s suitcase in tow. “Please, come in!”
“Thanks for having us,” Eldon said, pulling Rho behind him.
They proceeded directly into the living area, the kitchen and eating nook just to the far side of the room. The space was small but somehow exquisitely charming at the same time.
“Who is this lovely lady?” Evette asked.
Eldon held up their joined hands as a display. “Sorry, Evette, this is Rho. My girlfriend.”
“Such a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our home.”
Rho cleared her throat. “Um, pleasure is mine.” She wasn’t sure why she had the sudden urge to be formal, but Evette’s classic French appeal made Rho feel like frump-girl. Maybe it was the need to compensate.
“Oh! So sorry. Let me close these.” Evette rushed around the room, pulling strings around the draperies and yanking them shut.
A pang of guilt rushed in as Rho realized the woman was trying to accommodate for her vampish nature. “You don’t have to—”
Evette raised a hand. “Nonsense! Your friend Preshea told me you were a vampire. I understand your needs.” She yanked another string. “Although I must say, Eldon, this spell you’re pulling off right now is impressive.”
“Thanks.” Eldon shrugged a shoulder and glanced at the floor, as if embarrassed by the compliment.
When Evette finished pulling the blinds and only the artificial light illuminated the space, Eldon finally released Rho’s hand. Strange. Exhaustion hit her as soon as his flesh left hers and she stifled a yawn.
“May I offer you some coffee?” Evette smiled.
Busted.
And hell yes, she wanted some coffee. “Yes, please,” she answered as politely as she could. “That would be wonderful.” French coffee and a soft place to rest for a moment sounded like heaven, but she didn’t want to impose too much. She’d only been here a few minutes.
Lukas reappeared, and Rho realized she hadn’t even noticed he’d stepped out. “Evette, darling, why don’t I show them to their room while you prepare the coffee? I’m sure they would both like to freshen up after such a long journey.”
Rho shot him a grateful smile. “You read my mind.”
He winked. “Nah, I’m just gifted with reading emotions.”
Good to know.
Lukas led them to a room only a few feet off the living area and shoved the heavy wooden door open. “This shall be your bedroom. I hope you don’t mind sharing.” He pointed to a door on the far wall. “The restroom is through there. I’m afraid you must share with your friends. Do forgive the undersized home.”
“Nothing to forgive, Lukas.” Eldon shook his head. “We’re just grateful for a place to stay.”
Lukas bowed forward slightly then left the room, shutting the door behind him. Rho flopped onto the bed headfirst. Rubbing her face against the soft comforter, she closed her eyes and breathed in the foreign smells.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Rho’s eyes popped open to find Eldon hovering at the edge of the bed.
“I’m just tired,” she mumbled into the soft material.
His eyes narrowed. “You slept nearly the whole plane ride.”
“I know, but it wasn’t good sleep. It was airplane sleep.” What a half-truth. Sure, she’d slept hard. But she definitely hadn’t slept well. She’d been preoccupied with nightmares about the Council for the entire trip.
She hated the idea of lying to Eldon, and omitting this kind of information was a lie, no matter what she told herself. Thing was, she couldn’t bear to bring any more bad news to the table. Not when he already had so much on his plate worrying about her. She could see the concern in his face every day.
He shook his head as if dismissing a negative thought before turning to grab her back from the doorway. “So what do you think of Paris?”
/> “I love it.”
His light laugh filled the air. “You’ve barely seen it.”
“I’ve loved everything I’ve seen. That’s enough for me.”
Eldon lifted the bag and set it on the end of the bed before unzipping it.
“How long do you think we’re going to be here, anyway?” Rho asked.
“Well, I’m not sure.” Zip. Zip. Zip. “Preshea and Tim are supposed to meet us at nightfall. They slept most of the day, but I think they went to pick up some food.”
“Do we have any plans while we’re here?”
“Nothing written in stone.” He pulled out four pairs of jeans and carried them to the wardrobe across the room. “Although we are going to meet with a friend of mine tonight.”
She frowned. “I thought we were meeting up with Tim and Preshea.”
“We are. And then we’re splitting up.”
“Why?” That plan made no sense. “We need to go after that Kamen.”
He shook his head and pointed a finger toward her arm. The one with the massive green fae mark and the death symbol that looked like a Greek letter theta. “Not until we get that looked at.”
“Seriously? You’re taking me to the doctor chick tonight?” Jess was the best in the west and she hadn’t been able to help in the slightest. Unless they had some medical ninja on this side of the pond, Rho wasn’t getting her hopes up.
“She’s not a doctor; she’s an emulator,” he said.
She snorted. “You magick movers have a fancy name for everything.” Healers, earth magick, ley line magick, it was all the same to her: scary as hell.
“Our gifts are widespread. Being a mover just means we’ve been touched with a gift.”
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, she asked, “So explain to me what you want her to do, exactly?”
“Emulators can trace magick. I’m hoping she can map your mark.”
“What does that mean?”
“If she can see what Rhyannon used to create the mark, we may be able to unravel and remove it.” He removed a stack of her dark, long-sleeved shirts from her bag, eyeing her as he spoke.
“Eldon.” She met his eyes and couldn’t help but be filled with a strange sadness. He wanted so badly to save her, but he was so unwilling to see the reality of her situation. She’d given her life up for his, and she was okay with her decision. He needed to be okay with it, too. “Stop trying to be a hero.”
He stomped over to the wardrobe and shoved a pile of shirts into a drawer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You keep trying to rescue me.”
With a heavy sigh, he turned around and leaned back against the wood panel. “I won’t let you go that easy.”
“I might die. You need to accept that.”
“I won’t.”
She shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why do you have to make this so hard?”
“I’m not.”
She opened her eyes and he spun around to face her. His brows were drawn over his concerned gaze, the combination somehow revealing the pain of emotions she knew he kept locked away. “Why do you give up so easily? You have more fight in you than that.”
She leveled him with her stare. Oh, she planned on going out swinging. But being a fighter and being in denial were two separate things. She just had to prepare herself that she might be going out. Period. Forever.
“I’m not going to get my hopes up, only to fail at something I can’t control,” she said.
“And I’m going to try and control it.” The cool logic in his tone made her want to smack him.
She rested her arm over her eyes, trying not to be frustrated with him for caring too much. Hell, if that was the worst problem they had, they didn’t have real problems. “Arguing with you is exhausting.”
“Do I smell victory?”
“Don’t even think about it,” she said without moving her arm. “I’ll go see Trinador with you, but that’s it. And if she can’t fix it, I don’t want you to be mad.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Rho popped up from the bed.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Evette cracked the door open and poked her head through. “I have fresh coffee for you on the table. And your friends have arrived. I thought you would like to know.”
“Thank you.” Rho smiled. “I’ll take a quick shower and then be right out.”
“Take your time.” Evette backed out and shut the door behind her.
Eldon strode by to press a kiss to Rho’s forehead. “Don’t be too long.” He pivoted around to head for the door.
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a fresh set of clothes. She needed a shower in a major way. Half an hour later, both Rho and Eldon were showered, dressed, and partaking in a blessedly hot cup of coffee at the petite kitchen table. The bitter blend hit the spot, warming her insides. Just the kick in the pants she needed. Kind of. She’d been so tired lately, she wasn’t sure what would liven her up anymore.
Could the mark be the reason her energy seemed to be fleeting? She shook her head, unwilling to entertain the thought. They did not have time for her personal problems to interfere with their mission.
Tim and Preshea sat across the table, shoveling croissants into their mouths. Shifters and wolves really could consume insane amounts of food. It was a wonder they were both so fit, as much as they liked to carbo-load.
“We have a lead on the mover Kamen.” Preshea’s words were muffled between bites of bread. “Gotta go to the Sacré Coeur.”
“Oh?” Rho had no idea where that was, but it sounded fancy.
“Evette said she was hired to perform protection spells, and that’s where she’d been told to cast them.” Preshea chugged her coffee like a beer and pounded the empty mug on the table. Then burped.
Rho wrinkled her nose. That shifter had the worst table manners on the planet.
In contrast, Tim broke the flaky croissant gently with his hands. “We’re going as soon as we’re done here. You guys coming? Or were you going to go see that lady?” He shoveled the piece into his mouth without dropping a crumb.
Rho nodded, but Eldon shook his head.
“I’ve already made other plans.” Eldon pegged Rho with a stare that told her this wasn’t up for discussion. “We’ll have to meet up with you.”
“Where you going?” Preshea asked.
“To see my friend here in Paris. The one who may be able to help with Rho’s mark.”
Rho shook her head. “I told him I’ll be fine.”
Eldon arched a dark brow. “Consider this preventative maintenance.”
“We don’t need to drag more people into this.” Rho hated the idea of exposing anyone to the death mark. Eldon told her it wasn’t communicable, but still. She felt guilty subjecting anyone more than absolutely necessary.
“She’s the best chance we’ve got.” Eldon lifted his mug from the table and brought it to his lips. “You have to try.”
Rho heaved a sigh and gave up. “Fine. Whatever.”
“Oh, before I forget.” Tim reached into both of his pockets before dropping four cell phones on the table. “Lukas hooked us up. No roaming charges on these bad boys.”
“I really owe that guy,” Eldon said as he eyed the merchandise.
Tim nodded. “Yeah, you do.”
Rho plucked a phone off the table and slipped it into her pocket. “Sun’s down. Time to go.”
They’d waited for the darkness on purpose. The team knew Eldon’s spell had been successful, but no one outside of this flat needed to know about it. They couldn’t afford to run down Eldon’s energy, either. At the rate things had been going, they never knew when they were going to need it.
Rho meandered into the kitchen and dropped her mug in the sink then strolled over to the couch and pulled on her wool trench coat, the warmest thing she owned. With a quick twist, she drew on her scarf and pushed the loose knot beneath her chin.
“We’ll meet you at the Sacré Coeur once
we’re done. It shouldn’t take all night.” Rho gave Eldon a questioning glance, and he nodded.
Preshea joined her near the couch and snagged her jacket from beneath the pile. “Call us if you change plans.”
“Will do,” Rho said.
After a few more minutes of bundling and gearing up, all four of them headed out of the flat and down the five flights of stairs. The streets were still bustling with people, the antique street lamps illuminating the cobblestone paths. Tim and Preshea waved as they took off in the opposite direction, heading up the sloping street and toward a massive hill.
Rho glanced around and tried to remember where she’d seen the sign for the metro.
“This way,” Eldon said, tugging gently on her elbow to steer her away.
She followed him but didn’t say anything. This district was old and farther from the center of town but had its own special quality. She smiled and breathed in the city air then jammed her hands into the pockets of her trench.
Time to see a lady about a death mark.
CHAPTER NINE
They emerged from the metro and into the cool night air, but the temperature barely registered with Eldon. He felt like a boulder had been dropped in his gut. The train ride to Trinador’s town had been a long one, and the trek to her house would be even longer.
Trinador lived in a quaint stone cottage outside of the big city. They stepped off the sidewalk and onto the grass, and Rho arched a brow at him.
“She lives off the beaten path.” He clenched her hand in his and paced through the grass, fighting the urge to release his hold. It wasn’t that he was ashamed to be with Rho. Not at all. He could give a shit less about what people thought.
But he hadn’t seen Trinador in years. And he hadn’t exactly told her he was coming.
He wasn’t proud of himself for dropping in on her like this. Things hadn’t ended well between them. Yet he knew instinctively this was the only way she’d ever see him. No way could he just arrange a simple meeting.
They trudged down the pitch-black, grassy path to Trinador’s house in silence. For no reason in particular, he hadn’t told Rho about his relationship with the emulator, but the tension emanating from her now made him wonder if she didn’t already know.
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