Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
PARIS
We took a short walk down the path, about five minutes, passing through an invisible, humming barrier.
“Magical no-go,” Medusa said.
Here we go…
After another few minutes, we reached the famous cable cars connecting the city to the hills.
Glass ovals with a band of pearlescent metal around their middles, the two cars moved up and down their chunky cables. They were nearly silent apart from the gentle whir of the wheels and the pulley system above the station.
Hmmm. I wasn’t sure about getting in one of these. I’d rather walk. But the walk would take us about forty minutes, this hill seriously high. And Silvanus couldn’t just fly us down to the streets without drawing the attention of all those scanhawks.
Whoa. I’d never seen so many clustered together before.
The king ordered Elio to grab the tickets, the timing perfect. A car arrived just after my fellow elf made the purchase, releasing passengers who went off to South Hill Park, a popular spot further along the hill’s western side. A place Pearl wanted to visit because of its hot springs and climate.
Don’t think about this.
Half the year it was spring here, the other half Autumn. All the domains had their own unique climates. The Human Domain was temperate, cycling through four seasons a year.
It was always Summer in the Mer Domain, with two months of the year reserved for an intense monsoon season.
The Werewolf Domain was cold as fuck most of the time, with a spring period in the middle of the year.
As for the Hinterlands, well, that was pure chaos over there.
Silvanus gestured for us to step into the car.
Ugh. Why did the whole thing have to be see-through?
I climbed in, taking a seat on the center glass bench, spine straight, every muscle going rigid. I had no fear of heights, but I was wary of glass ovals hanging on cables.
Call me cynical about dangling over possible instant death in glassy contraptions.
The king sat beside me. “Are you alright?”
“Sweetcream,” I bit out.
Elio and Medusa stood at the front of the car, holding the frosted handrail.
Show offs. Oh, look at them, so unbothered by a floating coffin.
Stop it!
My fear might be a little irrational seeing as I’d flown across the ocean in Silvanus’s arms, but whatever. This was different, the risk exponentially worse. Like glass exploding and slicing me open, or being trapped inside this thing while it sank into the dark depths of a lake below.
There wasn’t a lake beneath us.
The vampire put his hand on my thigh. “Everything will be alright.”
I looked up at him, taken aback by the attempt at comfort.
He smiled, using his other hand to push a loose strand of my hair off my forehead.
Oh. Shit.
The car doors closed, only the four of us on this ride. It began its smooth descent with no rocking, rumbling, or anything to make me hurl.
And I barely noticed, too busy being trapped in Silvanus’s gaze. Again. Enraptured by the hints of scarlet behind his glasses, his hand pulsing heat into my thigh.
The cable car wasn’t so horrific anymore. In fact, it became, I don’t know, romantic. From the way it glowed, to the views it provided, along with the proximity it provided for me and him.
I lost myself to some swirly pleasure.
Uh-oh.
His lips parted, mine mirroring them. Slowly, drunk on his hotness, I leaned closer.
Yes. Just one kiss, a cheeky interlude before—
The sound of Elio clearing his throat threw me off. I pulled back, sliding away from the king.
Damn. Silly me getting caught up in my feelings.
We spent the rest of the ride in awkward silence. The car passed between two tall spruces, the trees bent over to form an arch. I greeted them, and they quivered with pine-rich happiness, their needles jiggling.
Beyond the trees, we lowered into the station at the end of a busy street.
It was good to be on the ground again.
I rolled my shoulders, then stepped out into the hustle and bustle.
Glass buildings lined the street, each one a uniform rectangle with no room for dissent. There were restaurants, bars, shops—all of them busy, the sounds of laugher and happy chatter in the air.
And so many elves. Man, I’d never see such a high concentration of my species before.
“Everything’s so clean,” I said.
There wasn’t so much as a scuff mark on the white pathways and smooth roads.
“An expert team of street cleaners keep it that way,” Elio responded.
For the first time, I noticed the melodic elvish lilt in Elio’s voice—something I lacked. He mostly spoke in the flatter, more clipped Human Domain accent, but with a sprinkle of that charming elvish intonation.
“I’m scared to walk on anything,” I added, the ground seeming fragile.
Elio chortled, then gulped when he realized the vampire king was watching him.
“Shall I take the lead, Your Majesty?” the elf asked, tapping the base of his throat.
“I know where I’m going,” Silvanus answered tersely.
Silvanus seemed grumpier. So, I left him in point alone, walking beside Elio, Medusa walking behind us. I kept quiet, taking in the sights of glass and super-clean stone.
At a T-junction, Silvanus turned right into a narrower street with triangular, pointed buildings—half glass with white stone bottoms. All of them residential aside from two closed cafés.
No awesome bakery, though.
On the left side of the street were ten market stalls, each one selling flowers. Man, the rich cacophony of perfume and floral energy warmed my heart.
I sent my greeting to the sweeties, veering in the direction of a pink-painted stall selling potted white orchids.
A pang of sorrow hit me over Oliver, my fabulous orchid.
Dammit. I missed him millions.
“Hello there.” An elf with the pinkest hair I’d ever seen greeted me.
“Hi.”
“Nice evening, isn’t it?”
“I’ll say. These are beautiful.” Oof. Check me out getting all misty-eyed.
She clasped her hands together, her myriad of bangles jingling. “Thank you. Are you interested in keeping orchids?”
Don’t chat. Move on. “Yeah. Well, I did have one, but I lost him.”
“Him, eh? Poor thing.”
I nodded, inspecting every plant here. They were so happy to be amongst elves, and I’d love to take them all home with me.
Only, I didn’t have a home anymore. My flat was officially out of bounds, Hal having pissed over everything with his betrayal. I mean, I could kick him out, but I didn’t want to go back there ever again. It was nothing but a tainted space now.
What was it like for Hal with Aidan inside him? Was he fully onboard with being the vessel for a deity? Was he suffering, begging for help in some metaphysical prison?
Damn. I hated that I cared, but we’d been through so much. I had to save him because he’d saved me. Been a support for me after Pearl died, and a source of so much physical release.
Save him, then kick his arse out of my life for good. I couldn’t forgive him for selling me down the river like that.
Oh, but you’ll fuck a vampire king?
Ugh. Here we go again.
“Maybe some other time,” I told the flower merchant.
“Are you sure?” she questioned.
“Yeah. They’re gorgeous, though.”
“Until then,” she said, immediately moving on to another elfy customer.
“Alright?” Silvanus questioned.
I nodded. “Sorry, we don’t have time for me making big eyes at the orchids.”
He smiled. “It’s fine.”
We carried on down the street until we reached a stone archway nestled between two of those pointed buildings, leading into a wide, circular area.
Curved, almost flat-looking glass buildings surrounded us, while a glass fountain shaped like a dolphin bubbled away in the center. Folk went about their business, some tossing coins into the fountain.
What a peaceful place.
“It’s just up ahead,” Elio muttered.
Awesome. I couldn’t wait to get this over with. As peaceful as this place might be, a constant lick of unease spiked my anxiety.
An Aidan Temple loomed directly ahead of us in the shape of a frosted glass cylinder. Its golden Aidan’s Knot glittered on its flat roof, reaching for heaven.
White stairs lead up to the double doors of its entrance. There were about thirty bodies gathered on the steps, clad in the golden robes of Aidan Acolytes.
Whoa. I hadn’t seen one in ages. They were usually found living in their abbeys in the most remote areas of the world. They were quiet folk, always in prayer and reflection, the most devout of all. It was rare to see them in a city, let alone thirty at once.
Silvanus growled, adopting a protective stance before me as he bristled with fury, watching the figures intently.
“I don’t think we should stay here,” Elio suggested.
The king didn’t answer.
“Silv?” I asked.
He’d gone as rigid as stone, his lips drawn back into a snarl.
Shit. We couldn’t have him losing his temper here.
Two scanhawks flew overhead, unleashing their green beams, picking up on nothing.
“Silv?”
His nickname didn’t work this time.
“Sugar?” Medusa tried. “Come on. We have to keep going.”
The whining crackle of a microphone sounded and, every disciple turned to face us.
Their eyes blazing with golden fire.
Oh. Fuck.