The Angels of Paris Chronicles Books 1-3: Boxed Set Bonus Edition

by Anna Santos

  “How was your day?” He brushed my red hair from my face.

  “It was amazing. I love my classes and my teachers are so smart! I can’t believe I’m attending all these incredible classes.” Controlling my excitement, I asked, “How was your day?”

  “It was great, but I still haven’t found the right chef for this restaurant. I want to have more free time to be with you. I can’t spend my days in the kitchen, cooking.”

  “I’m happy to stay here with you and help you, yet I wish you had more free time, too. My parents are coming next week to check on me. Mom is dying to eat here, and Dad wants to taste the wines you promised him.”

  “I’m pretty sure your mom also wants to help with the wedding preparations,” he added.

  I nodded and looked down at his lips. “I can’t believe it’s been three months since college began. Camille’s belly is huge. Have you seen her?”

  “Well, she refuses to leave my restaurant. It’s hard to miss her. Is she having twins?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “It’s just a normal, healthy baby.”

  “There is nothing normal about an angel baby.”

  I cupped his face. “We are going to be the baby’s godparents. You need to treat Camille better. She’s always nice to you.”

  “I’m nice to her. I even let her pretend she works here.”

  “She likes managing your restaurant.”

  “She’s quite good, and I can use all the help I can get if I’m stuck in the kitchen. Now, changing the subject. Cedric and Josephine are coming to dinner tomorrow night. They want to talk to us. It seems important.”

  “Oh, it is.” I smiled widely. “Camille can’t keep a secret.”

  Philippe frowned. “What did Cedric do this time?”

  “Maybe it’s best if they tell us, and I pretend to not know anything about it…”

  Philippe lifted me up and seated me on the countertop. “Now, you need to tell me. Are they breaking up?”

  “Of course not! They love each other. Cedric kisses the ground Jo walks on. I thought you and he were starting to get along.”

  “We have our ups and downs. What are they going to tell us tomorrow?”

  “Can’t you guess?”

  “I have no idea. Are they moving here, too? We’ll have to buy a bigger mansion if the other angels decide to live with us.”

  “Camille doesn’t live with us, silly.”

  “It seems like it. She even has her own room.”

  I kissed his lips. “It’s your fault. She craves your food all the time. Plus, I love having her around. We chat when I get back from college. She helps you here, and you are Jacob’s best friend.”

  “True. Then what? Are they telling me that they can’t come to our wedding?” His eyes became sad.

  I stroked his hair. “No, babe. Jo is pregnant. You are going to have a sibling.”

  Philippe’s expression changed from surprise to happiness. “Oh, that’s good news. She’ll be a wonderful mother. We need to prepare an awesome meal. I’ll close the restaurant, and we can have a private party.”

  I tapped his shoulder. “It’s supposed to be a surprise. You need to pretend you didn’t know.”

  Philippe smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. His breath feathered my skin. “I’m happy for them. I know how much Cedric wanted an heir. Jo must be thrilled.”

  “Camille said that they were both over the moon. I hope it’s a boy. He could marry Camille’s daughter.”

  Philippe chuckled. “She isn’t even born yet, and you are already trying to find a prince to marry our goddaughter?”

  “Hmm, they do have to be a match to get married. I shouldn’t get my hopes up.”

  “Yes, you shouldn’t.” Philippe placed his forehead against mine and added, “Maybe in three years, we can start thinking about making our own babies. What do you think?”

  “That sounds like a good plan.””

  “In a week, we’ll be on our honeymoon.”

  I nodded as my arms laced his neck. “Just promise me that by then you’ll have a chef for this restaurant.”

  “I’m training my sous chef. He’ll be ready before the wedding, and we will be able to relax and enjoy our honeymoon.”

  “Okay.”

  Pulling my legs around his waist, he asked, “Do you have homework?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you want my help?”

  “It’s easy. I’m good.”

  “Do you want to fly outside for a while? I could use the fresh air.”

  “That would be great. We could fly back home. Camille is waiting for me by the pool.”

  Philippe tickled me. “Who do you love more, Camille or me?”

  “You, of course,” I said as I tried to protect myself from his hands. “I love you to the moon and back.”

  He stopped. “Only to the moon and back?”

  “How much do you love me?”

  “I love you more than every planet that is in the universe, and there are a lot more than there are stars.”

  “Then I love you more than the number of asteroids in the universe.”

  “Still not enough.”

  “I love you more than I love my own life, and I couldn’t live without you,” I whispered, holding his face in my hands, so he would stop moving.

  Philippe’s eyes beamed. Leaning down, he spoke close to my mouth before kissing me. “Back at you, honey.”

  THE END

  SAVE ME—PREQUEL

  The Angels of Paris Chronicles

  A Curse to Break, a Mate to Save.

  Young Camille’s dreams are shattered when she’s rejected by the ruthless and abusive Alpha of the Shadow Pack. Her only chance at survival is to arrive in Paris and pray that what her brother told her about the angels is true.

  Chased and almost killed upon her arrival, she’s saved by the mythical creatures who protect the city. Plus, Fate gives her a new mate. The one she always dreamed about. But with a price.

  Jacob had been waiting a long time to be matched to a rejected soul so he could break his curse and become a full angel. Camille is everything he’d been looking for in a mate—she has a good heart and she’s extremely brave. Running against time, they have thirty days to fall in love or he will turn into stone, forever.

  Peril strikes when Alpha Simon wants to reclaim Camille. In a mad quest for power, he wages war on the other packs. Now more than being saved, Camille needs to be the savior.

  CHAPTER ONE—RUNNING

  They were chasing me down the tiled corridors of the subway station. Somehow, they had found out where I was running to and came to take me back to the beast whom Fate had chosen as my soul-mate. But he had rejected me. He had humiliated me. And it still wasn't enough. He wanted to break and shatter my soul into tiny pieces and destroy me to the point of no return.

  I managed to run away before the worst had happened. But his hounds, a group of his most ruthless werewolves, had found me and were chasing me to take me back to him.

  I knew that I wouldn't survive if I was caught. He would beat me senseless and let his men rape and abuse me until madness overtook me and there was nothing left of my mind.

  I couldn't go back. I wouldn’t go back!

  My lungs were burning, and my limbs were shaking. I stumbled and fell. People avoided me and didn't offer any help. They thought I was mad, or maybe they instinctively knew that whatever was after me was far too dangerous to face. I crawled to reach the wall so I could use it as a support to get back up and keep running.

  They were getting closer. I could smell them and hear their growls.

  “Help,” I whispered.

  No one came.

  My brown hair fell tousled in front of my eyes when I kneeled and tried to push myself off the wall.

  If I could reach the surface, maybe I could find a police officer to ask for protection. Surely they weren't foolish enough to kill a cop. I hoped.

  “There she is,” a man shouted.

 
; “We got you now.” Another one said mockingly. “You will regret running away. No one can save you. Not your brother and, certainly, not the humans. You are ours and we can do whatever we please to you.”

  I tried running further, but a man stood in front of me, blocking my way. He was the same one who had been speaking to me. My heart sank as I realized who he was. It was Cameron, my former mate's Beta. He took pleasure in terrifying everybody, especially the females.

  I anchored my back to the wall. My breathing became shallow. I was petrified.

  When I looked up, there were five lethal werewolves with menacing eyes that shined, gnashing their pointy teeth and growling at me. The few humans around had fled. To my left were the stairs to the surface, and to my right was a long corridor that led back to the subway train. I was trapped.

  “You can’t run anymore, Camille. Once Simon finishes with you, we are going to have lots of fun together.”

  “Help.” My cry for help was barely a sound.

  Suddenly, one of them grabbed my leg and pulled me off my feet, dragging me across the floor. Tears fell down my cheeks as I kicked him in a feeble attempt to try to push him away.

  “You are coming back home with us,” one growled.

  Several kicks connected with my body. My body curled into a fetal position as I tried to protect my stomach. I was too tired to fight. I stood no chance against them. Pain shot through me as I kept whimpering, knowing that nothing I could do would save me from them now.

  The kicking stopped, and I heard loud growls. It was followed by the sounds of teeth snapping, clothes being shredded, and bodies being slammed against the tiles.

  My body was numb due to the coldness of the surface. My face was swollen from the beating. I tasted iron as blood filled my mouth, and I tried not to choke on it. Around me, growls and punches were echoing throughout the tunnel.

  When I finally opened my eyes, there was blood pooled before me and a dismembered body of what used to be Cameron. His eyes glazed over as his face twisted in horror. I muffled my scream with my hand. The blood from the internal bleeding and the meager food I had eaten were threatening to come out.

  “I’ll check the girl,” a guttural voice said, but it didn't sound familiar.

  Feet that looked like claws stood before my face and a hand touched my hair, brushing it back.

  “Are you okay?”

  With eyes opened wide, I stared at the beast’s grotesque face and pointy ears. Despite the initial impression of his appearance, he had kind brown eyes. He smirked at me and showed his tiny sharp teeth. At first, my eyes widened in fear, but then I relaxed, knowing that he wouldn't hurt me.

  I had heard rumors about them, but I had never seen a gargoyle before. It was true: Paris had gargoyles, and they just saved my life like my brother promised me they would.

  “She's bleeding. She may have internal injuries,” a throaty voice said from somewhere behind me.

  “She's a strong werewolf, aren't you, sweetie?” the gargoyle who faced me asked.

  I couldn't move and when I tried, I shrieked in pain.

  “We need to take her to see William. Then we’ll call the prince,” the other creature urged.

  “I need to see the prince,” I mumbled, cringing at the taste of my own blood.

  “There's no need for a doctor, Aaron,” the first creature said. Suddenly, his claw-hands reached down and carried my body as if I weighed little more than a feather. “This one is mine,” he whispered, and I felt a strange heat taking over my body. My stomach burned and my hands tingled. Serpents of fire seemed to weave around my right arm. I grew lightheaded as if I was dying. I whimpered and closed my eyes.

  “What's happening to me?'' I asked, out of breath.

  “You are healing.”

  My hand clutched at his broad chest and my other arm snaked around his neck. Despite his ugly appearance, the beast smelled nice. They had saved me. I had no reason to fear them.

  “It burns,” I mumbled, hiding my face in the crook of his neck.

  His hand clutched mine, and he tightened the hug. I have no idea what happened next because I blacked out.

  I sat straight up. A pair of brown eyes haunted my dreams as fire consumed me and had awakened me from my slumber. I think I screamed. But when I touched my chest, my damp clothes clung to my skin, and my mouth was as dry as sandpaper. I brushed away my hair, clearing my view. I had no idea where I was.

  There were four lilac-colored walls and beautiful furniture decorating the bedroom. Rays of sunshine streaming through the window told me that it was daytime.

  I touched my body. I was wearing my clothes. Then, I frowned at the blonde curly strands of hair falling about my shoulders. Grabbing a strand, I examined it. My hair was a lot longer than it was the night before, and I was blonde. Seeing my hands, I noticed how amazing my nails looked. They were thick and long. My skin seemed different, too.

  Pushing aside the bedding, I got up and saw my backpack on one of the armchairs in the room. Finding the bathroom, I searched for a mirror.

  Minutes later, I was still trying to understand how there were no signs of swelling, cuts, bruises, or tired eyes. Someone had done an amazing job coloring my hair blonde and applying invisible make-up to my face.

  The door to the bedroom opened, and I rushed to see who was there.

  A gorgeous, tall, and broad-shouldered young man entered with a tray of food. We stood there, staring at each other in silence. My eyes lingered on every inch of him until my cheeks burned, and I avoided his chocolate eyes.

  I had no idea what had come over me. But he was giving me the same inquisitive look that I was giving him.

  “How are you feeling?” He stepped forward.

  I shrunk back with a fear filled gasp.

  “I'm not going to hurt you,” the young man said. “You are safe here. Do you remember what happened to you last night?”

  I nodded.

  “Why were they chasing you?”

  I bit my lower lip and sucked in a breath before explaining, “They wanted to take me back...to him.” After gulping, I continued, “I need to talk to the prince. Are you an angel?”

  “I'm Jacob,” he said, holding the tray with one hand and offering me the other as a greeting.

  “Camille,” I whispered with my hands safely against my chest.

  He eventually put his hand back down.

  “Where are the gargoyles who saved me? I would like to talk to them and thank them for coming to my rescue.”

  Jacob put the tray on the bed and rubbed his hands down his jeans. He seemed nervous. I know his presence made me anxious. I had never seen an angel before. He was breathtakingly beautiful. At least, I thought he was.

  “Gargoyles sleep during the day.”

  “Oh! I didn't know that. Well, I thought it was a myth.”

  “It isn't.”

  I looked at the food, unsure of what was more appealing to my senses—the bacon and eggs or Jacob.

  “Hungry?”

  I placed my hands over my stomach and red colored my cheeks. “I'm starving.”

  “Eat. Take a bath. Relax. We have a lot to talk about.”

  “You must be curious why they were chasing me. I did nothing wrong. You need to understand that.” Raising my eyes, I saw him nod.

  “Were any of the werewolves attacking you, the one who rejected your bond?''

  My eyes widened. How did he know that?

  “Are they all dead? I remember the blood and his...” I didn't voice my memories so that I wouldn't get sick.

  Jacob sighed and trailed his fingers through his hair. Tilting his head with an arched eyebrow, he asked, “Would you be sad if they were?”

  I shook my head, remembering all the evil they had tried to do to me and all the verbal abuse I had to endure from them and my mate.

  “They didn’t deserve the air they breathed. But he wasn't with them. They were his men. He won't be happy. He will continue to come after me. I need to talk to the pr
ince.”

  Jacob narrowed the distance between us and put his hands on my shoulders. A heavy cloud of nerves overtook me. I was stuck to the floor and blushing like I never had before.

  Were angels that appealing to my werewolf senses?

  “Do you love him?” he asked.

  His question was perplexing. I mustered enough courage to look him in the eye. “Love who?”

  “The one who rejected you.”

  Jacob's face was serious. His hands tensed on my shoulders, and I realized how tall he was. And how strong!

  “He didn't want me. He humiliated me. He...” Words stuck in my throat. My eyes hurt. I was done crying, though. My body shivered in protest. “I hate him with all my heart. I don't want to see him. I need a safe haven to stay in.”

  Jacob's plump and sexy lips curved into a smile that, in turn, made his eyes sparkle.

  His next words blew my mind. “Good because you are mine now, and I have no intention of living without you.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  “You better sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

  I didn't move. But Jacob managed to turn me around and put his warm and electrifying hand on my lower back to show me to an armchair where I sat down.

  CHAPTER TWO—SECOND CHANCE MATE

  “We are bonded. You are my mate now.”

  Jacob's explanation was hard to process.

  He proceeded, “I'm your second chance mate. We were chosen by the power from above to become mates.”

  His hand took mine, and he showed the almost invisible tattoos that were weaved around my arm. They were exquisite and matched his. My eyes lingered on his perfect skin and the muscles that sculpted his arm. His pristine white t-shirt glued to his torso like a second skin. My fingertips brushed the smoothness of his arm and goosebumps emerged.

  I blushed and searched his eyes. I pleased him.

  “Am I not to your liking?” he asked.