The Angels of Paris Chronicles Books 1-3: Boxed Set Bonus Edition

by Anna Santos

  “Gabby, there’s more to Philippe than you might think.”

  “There’s a lot more to people in general than meets the eye. I know that. Yet…you are so innocent. You have no idea of what he has seen and lived through. Do you even know how old he is?”

  “How old is Sean?”

  “It’s different.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  Gabby wore a concerned expression.

  “Do you want to be one of my maids of honor or not?” I asked with a calm expression.

  I wasn’t expecting my cousin to make so much drama over it. I wasn’t going to let her ruin my day or doubt my decision.

  “Sure, but…wow!”

  “I thought you would understand better than anyone else since you are in love with Sean, and he’s a vampire.”

  “He doesn’t like being a vampire, not anymore… He wishes he was human, so we could have babies and have a real family. I’m not that keen on being a vampire, either. Sure, being immortal must be cool, but…they can’t come out in the sunlight. Do you know that?”

  “Yes, I do. I know everything about it. I don’t care about the sun. I don’t care about immortality. I care about Philippe. I love him. What good would it be to go to heaven or to have wings if I couldn’t be with him?”

  Gabby paused and then burst again. “Your mom and dad will freak out. Sure, they love Philippe. He can be a charming prick. That was before he dated you. Your dad will say you are too young to get married.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  “You are so calm that it’s scary!”

  I grinned. “I had debated about whether I should give in to my feelings for Philippe or not. Then, I realized that I can’t fight love, can I? We understand each other on a level that I’ve never thought was possible. Philippe needs me, and I need him.”

  “Can you give him wings? Can you make us into angels?”

  “No, I can’t. I wish I could, but I can give up my wings and be happy with him.”

  “It would be cool to be an angel.”

  “Yes, it would,” I agreed. “Once I chose Philippe, being an angel was no longer an option because… It’s complicated, Gabby.” I changed the subject. “What do you think I should wear to go out with Philippe for dinner and an art gallery exhibition?”

  “Something classy. If Philippe is willing to show you around, you need to dress up for the occasion.”

  “I need your help. I’m hesitant about what to wear. I tried to message Camille, she’s my best friend, but her phone is off. She must be in the other realm.”

  “Angels, vampires, another realm, my life has become an adventure. Stop stressing, I’m here to save the day, I mean, night,” Gabby declared, stepping forward and checking out the dresses. “You shouldn’t wear something that you’ve already worn to go out with the angel hottie. It would be weird.”

  I nodded, following Gabby around and listening to her advice.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  PHILIPPE

  Happiness. What is that? I didn’t have a true concept of it until the past two days. Now, the fact that this happiness could be temporary and taken away from me frightened me. Since, for me, happiness was talking to Aria, watching her smile, and having her with me. Happiness was being around her, hugging and kissing her. Happiness was Aria.

  “Are you sure?” Sean asked me, waking me from my thoughts.

  We were in my study, talking about the future.

  I focused on him. “About what?”

  “Do you truly want me to take over your businesses, restaurants, nightclubs, and even the crown?”

  “I raised you to be my successor.”

  “You weren’t king when we first met.”

  “True, but you are like a son to me.”

  “I’ll never forget what you did for me, Philippe. You took me from the streets and gave me a place to sleep. You gave me a lot more than I could expect. When the time came for me to decide whether I would remain human or a vampire, you also let me choose freely. I respect you, and I’ll always have your back, but giving up everything you’ve built here because of a girl…”

  “I need a break, and she’s not just any girl. She’s my soul-mate. You have found yours. You do everything Gabby wants, and she’s annoying as hell. I could renounce the title, but then there would be a war between the fractions to decide who would be the next king. I don’t want unnecessary bloodshed. I will nominate you as my successor.”

  “Some might not be happy about it. Hell, I know they won’t. There will be insurgencies.”

  “You will deal with them and rule over them. I want to start a new life with Aria, away from here, from death and ancient memories.”

  “And do you really need to sell the house? It’s been in your possession for generations. All your former identities have been inheriting and making this your home.”

  “Do you know how I became Philippe Duchamp?”

  Sean shook his head.

  “I enthralled the owner to marry my mother and legally adopt me as his son after Sophie’s death. I chased this man, who I thought was the one guilty for Sophie’s death, and forced him to make me his son and leave me his fortune. Duchamp was Sophie’s last name. Her father became my father. I grew accustomed to that surname. However, I was no one’s son, and I didn’t have a fancy last name or family tree. I’m not a descendant from royalty. It’s about time I leave this house and let go of my past.”

  “You never told me how Sophie died,” Sean said.

  “Once she found out that I was poor and couldn’t give her the life she wanted, she rejected and humiliated me. She married someone of her own social status. He had plantations overseas, in Jamaica to be more specific. After they got married, they moved there, yet they never arrived. There was news of a storm. The ship sunk in the middle of the ocean, and I blamed her father for letting her marry that rich man and let her leave Paris. But I don’t want to linger on the past. No one else except me remembers about what happened and about Sophie’s existence. She was an important part of my past, but she didn’t love me as much as I loved her. At this moment, I’m not even sure if I loved her or the image of her that I had created inside my head. It doesn’t even matter because I love Aria. I want to change my life and leave my past behind. And this house is a part of my past. I’ll have a new home wherever Aria and I will live. You can move in here with Gabby. It can be my wedding present to you. What do you think?”

  “I guess I would like that,” Sean agreed. “Even if I’m not so keen on being left behind.”

  “Then sell everything and let’s leave.”

  “Philippe, you know that it’s not doable. Someone needs to stay to take care of business and secure peace between the fractions.”

  “You’ll need to step up and rule.” I crossed my hands over the desk. “Now, did you bring what I asked you?”

  “Yes, I have the ring right here,” Sean said, taking the black velvet box from inside his pocket and giving it to me. “It’s one of a kind, exactly how you asked. The table is set on the balcony. I’ve closed the second floor to give you privacy during dinner.”

  “Good, I don’t want Aria to feel consternated. I know she doesn’t want a crowd to witness our private moment. I want to do this right and romantically, without an audience.”

  “I’m sure she’ll love the surprise.”

  “And the roses, have you bought them?”

  “The florist will take them to the restaurant and will arrange everything as you’ve instructed. Everything will be perfect.”

  “I hope she likes the ring,” I whispered, opening the box and staring at the bright yellow diamond solitaire engagement ring.

  “I’m sure she will since yellow diamonds are extremely rare. Though, now that you set a precedent, I’m sure Gabby will ask me for some colored diamond as her wedding ring, and I’ll have to look around half the world for it.”

  I smirked because of his words and the beautiful ring. “It
’s perfect, not too big or too small. Aria has delicate fingers, and she doesn’t care about expensive things or money. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable wearing it, and I want the ring to be special.”

  “So, let’s revise. You want a romantic dinner on the balcony of your most expensive restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower, so you can propose to Aria.”

  I nodded.

  Sean pursued his reasoning. “About that, I had to cancel the reservations of the other customers and create a romantic setting for you to propose to your better half.”

  “Small price to pay to make Aria happy.”

  “And if she says no?”

  “She already said yes.”

  “So why propose again?”

  “Aria is my soul-mate. She deserves a proper wedding proposal and not a clumsy and rushed question in the middle of a ballroom. I want it to be special, and I want her to know that she’s special.”

  “She’s a good influence on you. I haven’t seen you this happy…well, never, actually.”

  “I’ve never been this happy. It’s scary. I’m always waiting for something bad to happen and ruin my life again.” I sighed and looked at the wall with the curtains closed. “I hope she likes the surprise.”

  “I’m sure she will.” Sean leaned back in his seat and smiled at me while playing with a pen that was on the desk. “I may have to take Gabby to London to beat your romantic gesture.”

  “It’s not a competition,” I said, chuckling.

  Sean shrugged and sighed. “Are you sure you need to abdicate?”

  “I can’t rule and be abroad at the same time.”

  “Then I’ll have to deal with a possible war while you live happily ever after with Aria in a foreign country.”

  “Yes. Besides, Gabby will be Queen. I’m sure she’ll be happy about it.”

  “Gabby is not as futile as you might think. She’s just young and likes to own things.”

  “Your mate, your problem,” I teased him. “I’ll miss you…”

  Sean rolled his eyes like any petulant teenager would do to a parental display of affection. “There is something called a plane, old man. I can always visit you, and I’m sure Aria will want to come back to Paris a lot. She loves it here, doesn’t she?”

  “Maybe after college, we can live here for a while. Do you need me to sign anything else?”

  “No, it’s all good. Have you decided what shows you want to attend in the opera house?”

  “I’ll ask Aria what she wants to see.”

  “What are you going to do tonight after dinner?”

  “Attend an art exhibition, bring her home, and…”

  “I don’t need that much detail!”

  “And call her parents to tell them the news,” I finished the sentence.

  “You are going to tell the parents of an eighteen-year-old girl that you want to marry her… Good luck with that.”

  “It would be worse to tell them that I was moving to the United States to live with her and that we could only visit them at night since I’m allergic to sunlight.”

  “Just enthrall them to accept it and stop worrying about it.”

  “I don’t want to use any of my powers on them. I happen to like them, and I want them to continue to like me.”

  Sean waved with a carefree attitude. “Do you realize we are going to be family?”

  “We are already family.”

  “Family by law. You are marrying Aria, and I’ll marry Gabby. They are cousins. What will that make us? Cousins in law?” Sean laughed at his own joke.

  I simply smirked.

  My senses alerted me that Aria was at the door. I kept the box inside my coat. I had put on a tuxedo for the occasion.

  “We are going to drive around the city first. I want to show her some things before the night falls.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “It will be fine, and I won’t get out of the car.”

  Aria knocked on the door.

  “Gabby can show her around town during the day. It will be nice for them to bond.”

  “It would be nice if she could show her the Elysium Gardens,” I said, getting up and opening the door.

  I smiled at Aria, noticing how beautiful she was. She was wearing a metallic jacquard dress with a full A-line mini skirt. She had a dark red colored lipstick that showed her gorgeous pout. The rest of the makeup was light with a hint of pinkish blush and extra thick lashes and gold eye shadow. The makeup highlighted her fair complexion and her neck was on display. She was wearing her red hair down, swept to one side with cascading curls.

  “You look stunning,” I said, leaning down to grab her hand and kiss it. “Who’s the designer?” I wondered, just to see her blush a bit more.

  “Hmm…” The way her mouth opened and her eyes gazed at me made me wish I could lean down and kiss her. However, there were other people around us, and I could kiss her in the car.

  “Mary Katrantzou,” Gabby answered for her. “I helped her get ready.”

  “Hello, Gabby,” I said, greeting the girl. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “I was with Sean when you called.”

  “Make yourself at home,” I said, not wanting to delay our departure with small talk. “Shall we go?” I asked Aria, putting my arm around her waist.

  “It’s still daytime. Do you think that’s a good idea?” Gabby asked.

  “We are going for a walk in town,” I explained to her.

  “Have you lost your mind?” she inquired.

  “We won’t leave the car,” Aria explained.

  Gabby frowned and looked at Sean.

  Sean shrugged and put his hands into his pockets. “He’s a big boy, and we aren’t their parents.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Aria assured them, putting her hand on mine which was resting on her hip. “I need to get my purse from my bedroom.”

  I leaned down and placed a kiss on her neck. “We’ll stop there before leaving,” I said. “I hope that’s kiss-proof lipstick,” I added with a smirk.

  “I have no idea, we should probably test it,” she replied with the most innocent face.

  Then, she grinned at me, almost making me stumble and fall as my insides burned with lust.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CEDRIC

  Minutes seemed like eternities. A day never went by as slowly as this one. I longed for the night. The night would wake up my gargoyles and would tell me if Josephine was alive or gone forever. Dusk would bring me closer to her or shatter my heart into pieces. Even if I dreaded the moment, I couldn’t long more for it. If suffering for love was that painful, then I didn’t want to continue existing if I had to endure that for one more day. I knew I was overreacting. It was confusing to have so many feelings dueling inside my heart and so many thoughts tainting my soul with sadness.

  “This whole snowman grieving costume is getting out of proportion.”

  I looked for the owner of the voice. It was Camille. She was in front of me, wearing a furry winter jacket. That’s when I noticed that it was snowing for the first time in my world, and I was covered in snow myself. Though, it made no difference since I wasn’t feeling cold.

  “How long until sunset?” I questioned.

  “Ten more minutes,” she informed, brushing the snow from my head and face. “You look a mess. Just come inside and stop drowning your kingdom in snow. It’s cold like…well…like the North Pole, and we, normal angels, aren’t as resistant as you to the cold.”

  “Not until I know if she’s cursed or gone forever.”

  “Jacob is worried about you…”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I also liked Josephine very much, but you need to prepare yourself for the worst if…things don’t go as you expect.”

  “I know,” I grumbled. “I…don’t want to leave her alone.”

  Camille crouched in front of me with a sympathetic face. “She doesn’t know if you are here or not, and she wouldn’t like to see you th
is sad because of her.”

  “I don’t care.” I laid my head against the cold stone of her statue, taking comfort in the closeness.

  “Okay. I’ll wait with you until the sun sets and the other gargoyles wake up from their curse.” Camille sat down on the other side of the statue.

  I knew I couldn’t change her mind, and her company was welcomed if she didn’t try to convince me to leave.

  The snowflakes stopped falling. I stared at the cloudy violet and pink sky with hope. As if the golden sand of the hourglass continued to fall only grain by grain, minutes passed by excruciating slow.

  Minutes later, my eyes caught the glimpse of a gargoyle spreading their wings and flying away. Others followed him. I got up, impatiently gazing at the immobile statue beside me. I inhaled, scrubbed my clothes, and swept the snow from the statue. I could feel the shadow of the night coming closer, washing my world with darkness.

  “Please wake up…” I placed my hands on hers, in a stupid attempt to rescue her from the oblivion. “Please, God, although I’m not worthy of her, please wake her up.”

  I was feeling emotional, and my body was experiencing too many feelings at the same time. Love, grief, and sorrow. Everything seemed tangled inside my heart and, at the same time, crushing it and making me gasp for air.

  The shadow of the night reached us, spread around us, and when I was about to lose hope, the stone began to crack and scatter as Josephine stepped forward and gasped for air. Before I could hold her, she pushed me away, stumbling and trying to breathe while grabbing her chest.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked.

  Camille moved and placed her hand behind her back. “Jo, are you okay?”

  “It’s…all blurry. My lungs…burn. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move…”

  Being trapped in rock was never a pleasant thing. I had memories of my first times, and it could be scary, thinking that we could die from suffocation if we weren’t freed in time.

  I moved closer and helped her straighten up. “It’s all right now. You are here and you are safe.”

  “What happened? Where am I?”