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She rolled her eyes. “Did you block out the rest of the words I said?”
“You said something else? All I heard was endearing.” I grinned at her.
“Fine, should I repeat it?”
“Nope, I think we’re good,” I said, quickly letting her go.
Her dark eyes glowered at me before she looked at the men standing and waiting in front of us. She was the smallest of us all, but the way Taelon looked at her, you’d think she’d taken up the whole room and blinded him. When he noticed me staring, he regained his composure and looked at Theseus.
“She must ride with you.” His voice was softer. “As she is your guest.”
Theseus nodded, not explaining why, and I didn’t want to ask. Instead, I followed them toward the front of the cabin. The pilots and the stewards were already out and waiting. Lucy waited for me to walk first, when I did, the pilots and the stewards bowed their head in a show of respect to me, but they ignored her, and I had to put effort into not scowling.
“What is it?” Lucy asked as I stared back at them over her head. Her eyes told me she understood but was more annoyed with me for bringing attention to it.
“Nothing.” I walked down the stairs.
Just like when we left the museum, there were luxury cars waiting. At the front of the line, there were two flags, one for Canada and the other that double swan, on a half white and red flag. We weren’t at an airport but a private airfield. In the distance, I could see Mount Royal and the city at the base of it.
Theseus held the back door for me, and Taelon held the front passenger seat for Lucy. Sliding into the back of the Mercedes Benz, I took a seat behind her, and he followed beside me. He took my hand, but instead of kissing it like normal, he wrote four letters on my palm followed by a question mark.
“Gift?”
I nodded and did my best to write back. “On plane.”
Theseus nodded, his face not betraying any emotion. Then he rested back into the seat as the driver, a woman this time, started the car. He didn’t let go of me, and for some reason, I felt the urge to lean against him. But I ignored it and focused my attention outside. As we drove, I couldn’t help but go full-tourist mode. I’d always seen people taking selfies in front of the capital or just going crazy for gift shops, buying random things they never would buy at home simply because they had Washington D.C. written on them. But looking out the window, I wanted one of everything. I couldn’t eat it, but I wanted to take a picture in front of the fresh bread shop we passed. There were no gift stores on the cobblestone streets, but I was certain that I could find something with the word Montréal on it.
“Lucy,” Theseus spoke, getting her attention and mine. “Will you take Druella shopping? She does not have her things here. And you know as well as I do, there is never a dull night among Nobles, especially the ruling class.”
I glanced down at the black dress and black cardigan I still wore.
“Should we go now?” Lucy questioned.
He glanced at me. “Do you want to go now? You will need things here, Druella.”
“What about you?”
“I must speak to President Swan as well as get in contact with my family. I prefer to keep you from all the politics of our kind for a little longer. I know you’ll be safe in the city, especially at night. As we are guests, President Snow will assure it, out of principle alone. You may not be comfortable not having the things you need,” he explained, and I didn’t need to think about it; he was right.
I had basically fled with the clothes on my back. But even still. “It wouldn’t be rude if I didn’t go see this president first?”
“You are a Thorbørn,” he started to say. When he saw my expression, he said, “You are whom a Thorbørn intends to mate. There is no such thing as rudeness; besides, I have already said I will meet him, with no offense, I am sure he is more interested in me than you.”
Of course, who was I but a baby vampire? It seemed Theseus was the real attraction. “Fine. But I’m sure there is such a thing as rudeness, but they just don’t say it to your face.”
“Exactly,” he said proudly, making me smile.
I was doing that a lot—smiling—looking to Lucy, who was just watching us somewhat bored with our conversation, I asked, “Do you mind?”
“I am your guest, of course, I don’t. Plus, I need things, too. Here is a good place,” she answered, pointing to a shop called 72 Rue de la Pompe. It looked like a French version of Rodeo Drive. The sign above the Cartier star shined like a diamond in the night sky as we pulled off at the street corner. When we did, the car in front of us did a few cars up, as well.
Stepping out on the street corner, a few people glanced toward us—the strange, beautiful creatures out wearing nothing but light sweaters as snow fell. But the minute they saw the flag, they seemed to come under some sort of understanding because they stopped gawking and just went on their way as if nothing were strange anymore.
“The humans here—”
“Have lived alongside the strange and supernatural for generations. It’s the biggest city in Quebec, and almost everyone knows the Swan family—human, witch, and vampire alike,” Lucy answered before I could ask the question.
Taelon came over to us flanked by two men dressed in black.
