Chapter Twenty-Seven
ROUX
“Good morning,” I mumbled, finding Bene in the chateau kitchen the next morning.
We’d returned only a few hours earlier, and everyone had fallen directly into bed. Gen and I had curled up together in her bed without bothering to change or undress, and we’d fallen asleep after barely a kiss.
Well, maybe one or two.
We’d snuck in a few more when we forced ourselves awake at seven a.m., but there was no time for more. Not with so much still unresolved.
I showered, dressed, and lumbered to the kitchen, not far ahead of Gen.
Bene looked up from the bacon he was frying. As tired and disheveled as he looked, he still managed a teasing smile.
“Good morning? Maybe for the guy who didn’t sleep in his own bed last night.”
So, he’d noticed. Impressive, given that he was still getting the last of Grepper’s magic out of his system.
Ignoring him, I loaded a tray with plates, silverware, jam, and other breakfast supplies. The sooner we started this meeting, the better.
I lifted the tray and stepped toward the dining room, then stopped and closed my eyes.
This had been Claudette’s job.
I swallowed hard. She and I hadn’t been close, but that didn’t lessen the tragedy.
Aside from the sound of sizzling bacon, the kitchen went quiet. Bene put a hand on my shoulder.
“I know how you feel, man,” he said in a husky voice. “I know how you feel.”
We stood for a long minute, thinking. Remembering.
Wishing. Bene, especially, I guessed, since he’d been friendly with Claudette.
Too friendly, I’d thought at the time, but now, I was more forgiving.
Honest, good-hearted friends had been a rarity in Claudette’s life, and Bene had been one of the few.
“Small consolation, but you did get the bastards who killed her,” he added a moment later. “Celeste got what she deserved too.”
Then he cursed and turned back to the stove.
“You’re making me burn the bacon, man,” he complained, not too convincingly.
I let that one slide and carried the tray to the dining room.
Marius entered, stretching his arms high in a yawn.
Mina slid in beside him, and his arm came to rest on her shoulders.
They smiled and kissed, and instead of the usual stab of jealousy, my mood lifted.
There was a lot of bad in the world, but a lot of good too.
And if those two could defy the odds to get together, so could other couples.
One, in particular.
Gen entered the dining room next, and my soul soared at the sight of her.
Mate, my inner tiger rumbled.
Yes. Yes, she was. And the minute we wrapped up this mission, we would be discussing that.
She smiled and whispered into my mind. We’ll do more than just discuss, I hope.
I grinned, and for the briefest of instants, my surroundings faded away.
Or maybe not just an instant, because the next time I blinked, Bene was shouldering me out of the way, muttering, “Just what we needed. Another set of lovebirds.”
“Another set of what?” Marius grumbled cluelessly.
Mina nudged him in the ribs, hiding a grin. “Get the milk, please.”
Henrik appeared, and for once, I was glad for the distraction.
“Bonjour,” he said, giving Mina and Gen one of those old-fashioned bows he executed whenever he forgot what century he was in.
He stood by his chair, polite enough to wait for the rest of us, but not polite enough to disguise his impatience.
“All right, everyone,” Bene announced a moment later. “Dig in.”
We did, and a few minutes passed in quiet munching, slurping, and requests to pass butter, salt, or the toast platter.
Gen didn’t eat much. No surprise, considering everything she’d been through — not least of all, what Grepper had said.
Are you saying Gordon killed my father? she’d asked.
At the very least, he profited from the circumstances.
Even I had been shocked to hear that, despite my already low opinion of Gordon. Poor Gen had to be reeling.
You must ask Gordon if you wish to learn more, Grepper had added.
Would Gen dare? Would I if I were in her shoes?
Mina stood. “Coffee refill, anyone?”
Bene raised his mug with a smug smile. “Yes, because it’s excellent coffee, thanks to me.”
“Thanks to our Breville Barista Pro X380,” Mina teased while pouring.
“My Breville Barista Pro,” he emphasized. “That beauty is the number one improvement we’ve made here at the chateau.”
I snorted. “I’d rank renovating the stables higher.”
Bene shook his head. “That earns spot number two, tops.” He sipped his coffee, then kissed his fingertips and flicked them outward. “Definitely top of the list.”
“Mina’s painting of The Tower of Blue Horses in the west wing is a bigger improvement than that coffee machine,” Marius countered.
“Ha. Says the guy who moved out of the west wing,” Bene shot back. Then he grinned and looked at me. “Speaking of people who’ve started sleeping in the east wing—”
He howled when I kicked him under the table. “Hey!”
I swiftly changed the subject. “Time to begin this debrief.”
Bene pushed his chair out of kicking range and rubbed his shin while muttering into my mind. I did not deserve that.
You totally deserved that, I shot back, then turned to Henrik. “First, I believe thanks are in order. If you hadn’t arrived to warn us about the vampires, things could have ended very differently.”
Henrik straightened his collar, exuding snobby, I told you so vibes.
“I have to say, you had us worried for a while there,” Marius admitted.
Henrik’s frown said, How on earth could anyone ever be worried about a vampire as wonderful and pleasant as me?
“What are you suggesting?” he snipped.
“Come on, Henrik,” Mina said. “You didn’t respond to any of our messages. Even you can appreciate that seemed suspicious at the time.”
“By which she means, even more suspicious than usual,” Bene threw in, not all too helpfully.
I cut in, trying to defuse things before Henrik’s fangs extended.
“The point is, we’re grateful. So, well done and thank you.”
Bene pointed to Gen. “For the record, she believed in you the whole time.”
Henrik rewarded her with a slight nod. So, not exactly oozing gratitude, but not quite as snooty as usual.
“Now, what else can you tell us about those vampires?” I asked. “Such as, what kind of fallout might result from all this?”
Mina nodded solemnly. “Most importantly, should we expect Alexandre Ernaux and his coven to pay us a visit?”
“Let them try,” Marius growled, inching closer to his mate.
Henrik jerked his head in a no. “Alexandre’s sole interest was the Monet.”
“And?” Gen asked.
“According to my contacts, Grepper made it clear that Alexandre’s issue was with Celeste, not him. Now that she is dead, the matter is settled.”
Mina looked doubtful. “How settled?”
“Grepper’s considerable power convinced the coven to back down. Unless Alexandre Ernaux offers to buy the Monet, it will remain in Grepper’s hands.”
“Won’t Gordon be pleased,” Marius muttered vindictively.
“Will Grepper exhibit it, you think?” Mina asked.
Gen grimaced. “I doubt it.”
She didn’t bring up what Grepper had insinuated about Gordon. I supposed we would find out soon enough, though I didn’t relish the encounter.
“What about the vampires we killed — the ones who murdered Claudette?” I asked. “Ernaux won’t be angry about that?”
Henrik shook his head. “He was furious that they contracted out to Celeste without his permission. He offered them a chance to redeem themselves in Switzerland, and they botched it. Ernaux has no reason to come after you.”
“You mean, to come after us,” Mina corrected.
He gave her a cold look. “Our association ends when my contract with Gordon ends. Which is…” He made a show of checking his watch. “Let me see… Oh yes. Next week. But, no. None of us has reason to fear retribution from Alexandre Ernaux.”
Silent prevailed as everyone processed the fact that we were finally rid of Celeste — and safe from Ernaux.
“What else did you discover?” I asked.
Henrik rolled a hard-boiled egg over the table, cracking the shell agonizingly slowly. “We were right — Celeste hired vampires to pressure Claudette for information on us. My informants also confirmed that Celeste hired the nagas who attacked Roux and Geneviève that night.”
“The night I came to the rescue.” Bene patted his own chest.
“We both did,” Henrik snipped.
“For which I’m eternally grateful,” Gen said, placating them both. But even more grateful to you, she whispered into my mind.
I flashed her a tiny smile. My pleasure.
“I guess that means everything is all right on the vampire front,” Bene concluded.
Gen grimaced, though she refrained from saying, As right as things can be when it comes to vampires.
“Which brings us to the painting,” I said, trying to move things along.
Gen stood and carefully unrolled her father’s painting, holding it up for us.
“So good to have Dad’s painting back,” Mina murmured.
“Thanks to Gen’s quick thinking,” I said.
I’d nearly flipped out when she’d marched up to Grepper’s door, but her crazy plan had worked.
“Her quick thinking and her magic,” I added. “We wouldn’t have escaped without her shadow-weaving.”
Mina nodded proudly at her sister, and even Marius grinned.
“More magic left in this family than you thought, eh?”
Bene groaned. “Don’t encourage them. They’ll start sneaking up on us, just for the fun of it.” He faked a shiver. “Like, sneaking up on me in the shower.”
Mina groaned, and Gen shook her head. “Nothing there we need to see.”
Marius snickered, and Bene put a hand over his heart, showing how wounded he was.
Henrik shook his head, nailing the oh, how I suffer look perfectly.
Mina laughed. “Just wait. Dora is scheduled to arrive soon. Then there will be three of us practicing magic around here.”
I’d met the cousin briefly, and she was nice enough. Still, I wasn’t so sure about yet another change at the chateau. Then again, it had already changed with Marius becoming part of the family, thanks to Mina. So, that was a done deal. But would Bene stick around after his contract ended?
I glanced at Gen. Would I? Could I?
Please, I nearly pleaded.
She nudged my foot with hers, assuring me she didn’t need convincing.
So, change was definitely in the wind. A huge life change, not just a change of scenery.
I couldn’t wait, but one worry nagged at me. Was I cut out for a settled life and a serious relationship?
My tiger hummed happily. Try me.
Marius pointed at the painting. “As good as it is to have your father’s painting back, something tells me Gordon won’t be as happy about it. Not without the Monet.”
My phone rang, and everyone groaned.
“Let me guess,” Bene muttered. “It’s Gordon.”
I checked the display, nodding wearily. “He’ll want a few words, for sure.”
“Oh, I have a few words for him,” Marius growled.
I was about to take the call when Gen put a hand on my arm. “Wait. What are you going to tell him?”
Exactly what I’d been wondering. What to tell Gordon and what to withhold.
“I’ll summarize,” I finally said.
Gen squeezed my arm, shaking her head urgently.
The phone rang and rang.
“Just silence the damn thing,” Marius grunted. “Let him wait.”
I considered for a long minute. It was one thing to be selective in what I shared with Gordon. But openly defying him while still under contract… It just wasn’t in my DNA.
Gen snatched the phone out of my hands and silenced it. Even without the noise, my nerves remained taut.
“I have an idea,” she declared.
I stirred the air with my hand, hurrying her up.
“Possibly a brilliant one,” she added.
Bene grinned. “You mean, another idea that sounds crazy but somehow works out in the end?”
She gave him a thumbs-up. “Exactly.”
I waited, not all too convinced.
Finally, she came out with it. While everyone looked skeptical at first, we soon leaned in, absorbing every detail.
“Wow. Bold plan,” Bene murmured when she finished. “The question is, will it work?”
Mina chewed that over for a moment, then nodded. “Gen’s right. We need to take charge instead of defaulting to Gordon.”
“But he has to think he’s in charge,” Gen added quickly.
Bene chuckled into my mind. These sisters are more devious than they look.
I preferred clever. But, yes. Gen’s plan could work.
She handed me my phone. I took a deep breath, reviewed what I wanted to say, and turned the sound back on, waiting.
“He’ll call back,” Mina said. “I guarantee it.”
She’d barely uttered the words when Gordon did exactly that. This time, I answered.
“Yes, it’s me.” I winced and held the phone away from my ear at his reply. “Sorry I couldn’t get to the phone in time. Good to have you on the line now, though.”
Bene rolled his eyes, but I knew it wasn’t in my interest to antagonize Gordon. He would be antagonized enough as things stood.
“Yes, sir. Mission accomplished. We have the painting. No, sir. No trouble. Grepper wasn’t at home, and there was no sign of those vampires,” I lied.
Silence fell over the line. A long, stunned one.
“No trouble at all?” Gordon finally asked, loud enough for his voice to carry to the others.
Marius snorted. “He sounds so hopeful.”
Mina shushed him while I replied. “No, sir. An easy in-and-out operation.”
Bene made a face, rubbing his sore shoulder, while Marius grimaced. I doubt Celeste would see it that way.
Well, she was dead, though I wasn’t going to be the one to spill the beans to Gordon.
“Yes, sir. I’ll deliver it to you later today. Or perhaps you’d prefer Gen and Mina to.”
Gordon practically tripped over his own tongue to answer. “Not necessary.”
Gen frowned at Mina, who shrugged back.
“I want you and that painting on the first train to Paris,” Gordon ordered.
Gen held up her phone, having already pulled up the train schedule.
I nearly said The next train leaves in an hour, but Bene tilted his empty mug toward me.
“The next train leaves in two hours, sir,” I reported.
Bene grinned and passed me a croissant.
“Yes, sir,” I continued to Gordon. “That will get me to Paris by noon.”
Us. That will get us to Paris by noon, Gen whispered into my mind.
Yes, that was the plan. But Gordon didn’t need to know that.
Gordon didn’t need to know a lot of things.