“Paris? I always wanted to go to Paris,” I said with a shrug.
“Well, next time, it can be a leisure trip. Right now, we need to find Maxwell.”
I followed Sinthy down the sidewalk as she tried to find the trail of her tracker. The longer I walked, the tenser I became. The citizens were glancing around and fidgety. There were absolutely no other shifters on the street. In fact, I was already getting funny looks. Shifters always had an effect on humans. A slight crackle of energy, not quite as strong as a static charge, but always there and noticeable. When they were all around, most humans either got used to it or ignored it. Eyes slid toward me as we strolled by. Many were not happy, and others were openly hostile as they saw me and realized what I was.
“Any time now would be great, Sinthy. I think the locals are restless.”
“Hell, I forgot. I didn’t even think of it. Come here.” She pulled me into another alley and murmured a few words.
“What are you doing?”
“Covering your shifter and alpha aura. If you were a mere shifter, the humans would probably not even look twice at you. It would be too faint to pick up, but alpha energy is stronger and easier to register. You’re good now.”
“Are we getting anywhere? Can you tell where Maxwell is?”
“He’s close,” she said, holding her hand up like she was feeling a breeze. “He’s nearby. I can almost taste it.”
We walked down the alley to get away from the people who’d already clocked me as a shifter and walked the street until we came to a small office building. Sinthy walked past it once, never even glancing at it. Then at the end of the street, she took my hand and walked back, pretending that we were a happy couple on vacation. As we passed the building again, she cast a sidelong glance at it.
“That’s it,” she whispered as we stopped to browse at a flower cart.
“The building back there?”
She nodded. “I’m not sure if it’s that exact building, but it’s on that block for sure. We need to scope it out for a while. Make sure no one’s keeping an eye out for intruders like us, and circle the block to narrow it down.”
I glanced away from the flowers and into a café. Through the windows, I could see a TV on the wall behind a small wine bar. Maddy’s face stared out at me from the screen.
“Shit,” I muttered.
Sinthy followed my gaze. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the café to watch the report. It was in French. I was totally lost, but Sinthy was frowning as she watched the report like she was listening.
“Can you speak French?” I asked.
“Isme taught me French, German, Russian, Third Century Wiccan, Sanskrit, Latin, and Atlantean Hieroglyphics. She always said we’d get around to ancient Egyptian, Mandarin, and Greek, but that didn’t happen. I wasn’t a great student when it came to languages.”
“Well, what does it say? Anything new?”
Sinthy patted my hand. “My French has always been rough, but I think I’ve got the gist. The American president is askingthat Maddy turn herself in for her own protection. That it’s the best way to ensure Viola doesn’t kill her.”
It was complete madness that the leader of the free world was on the news, asking my mate to turn herself in. Pretty much everything that had happened since the night I found Maddy covered in blood in her bar had been bonkers, so I wasn’t sure why this was so surprising.
My phone rang, and I tugged it out. Maddy was calling.
“I already saw,” I said as I answered.
“The news?” Maddy asked. “You saw what the president said?”
“I did.”
Maddy let out a humorless laugh. “Never in a million years did I think the president would be saying my name over and over on the news. I can’t turn myself in.”
“Absolutely not. If you’re in the government’s hands, our options are limited. Who knows what kind of spies or followers Viola might have deep in the government? All it’ll take is for one US Marshal or secret service agent to turn, and then Viola will have you in her clutches. Nope. I trust Donatello’s island more than I trust Gitmo or some NSA safe house. Stay there. We’ll figure this out without the government.”
“Where are you guys?” Maddy asked, sounding a little calmer.
“The City of Love. Wish you were here.”
“Ugh, asshole. I’ve never been to Paris.”
