Page 25 of Marked By Moonlight

Goal number three was to find Marius and do what he hadn’t had the balls to do: face him and declare eternal love…or say goodbye forever.

My lips wobbled as I gazed out the window.

The regional train followed the curves of the Yonne River, and I watched as we rattled past boats, locks, and vineyards, wishing I could trade my life for that of a cargo ship captain, lockkeeper, or winegrower. I even found myself wondering how their workloads compared to renovating a crumbling château.

Gradually, the open, undulating terrain of Burgundy gave way to more densely populated areas, and soon, we were rushing through the outskirts of Paris.

So, goals — check. Now, I had to figure out a plan and execute it.

But boy, was that the hard part.

All too soon, the train pulled into Gare de Lyon, and passengers spilled out onto the platforms, then the street. I joined them, carried by a human wave. Outside, I zipped my jacket against the fall chill. The Métro could whisk me to Gordon’s place in a few stops, but I procrastinated by walking.

On the sidewalk, couples embraced and businesspeople hurried to meetings.

“Taxi?” a driver asked.

I turned him down, but a couple of luggage-laden tourists accepted happily.

Cars beeped, and shop windows lured with eye-catching displays. A fashion shop here, a bakery there, plus the ubiquitous bookshops. I could have been blindfolded and had my ears plugged, and I would still have known this was Paris. The city’s unique vibe pulsed all around me, making me feel more like a country mouse than ever.

The feeling grew until I found myself standing across from Gordon’s building, where I steeled myself to walk over.

The door to a nearby café burst open, and I turned.

Every cell in my body tingled, first in joy, then in warning.

Marius!I nearly cried as he stormed out.

The air around him crackled with menacing energy. His strides pounded the pavement, and his fists were tightly balled.

I frowned. Wait. Roux said Marius had gone off on his own agenda, risking Gordon’s wrath and the future of the entire unit. So what was Marius doing so close to Gordon’s home?

My poor, hopeful heart almost beat itself into bursting, and only the lump in my throat kept me from calling out.

A good thing, too, because the door opened a second time, and Celeste emerged.

Yes, Celeste, the scheming succubus who’d once seduced Marius, as he’d admitted in a gut-wrenching heart-to-heart we’d had after returning from Mallorca. I hated the idea of the two of them together, but I could hardly feel betrayed since Marius hadn’t known me back then. Also, I’d witnessed the aftermath of her seductive powers on Henrik. The vampire and Marius were just two of countless men whose lives and emotions Celeste had taken a wrecking ball to just for the fun of it.

Worse, Celeste worked for Gordon — by choice, unlike Marius, Roux, Henrik, and Bene.

“Marius!” she called.

He spun, a tornado hovering over one spot, ready to obliterate everything.

I ducked behind a tree and peeked out.

Celeste walked toward Marius, swaying her curvy hips with every step. Marius folded his arms over his chest, his face a mask of fury.

I couldn’t hear what she said, but Marius barked a few words, then stalked away. Celeste’s mocking laugh followed him, but her pinched expression said things hadn’t gone her way. Her sheer black dress and dark hair rippled in the breeze, and a passing deliveryman stared at her long enough to make his moped swerve. She turned, flashing him a wide, lusty smile. Then she strutted up the stairs and disappeared into Gordon’s building.

My mind spun as I stood rooted to the ground. Now what?

I’d planned to drop in on Gordon unannounced, but I sure as hell wasn’t going near Celeste. Besides, I knew how to find my godfather. Marius, on the other hand…

I darted from one tree to the next, following him. A good thing I ran most mornings, because Marius’s long strides carried him to the end of the block in no time. The light changed just as I got there, and I sprinted across as drivers beeped and gesticulated.

I gestured back. I had a dragon to catch, dammit!