Shadowseer: Paris
Page 20
Pinsley put a hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happens, Kaia, whatever is going on here, I will come with you. Too much has happened to us both now. Our fates, if there are such things, are bound together.”
“So, Munich?” Kaia said.
“Munich,” Pinsley agreed. “But later. There is business I need to attend to first.”
“Me too,” Kaia said.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Pinsley stood outside fifty-three Rue St Cecile, staring up at the tall, white painted expanse of the apartment building, and trying to screw his courage together. It was an impressive building for the area, but he could see the way each window had different patterns of curtains, and several had washing hanging out of them. It wasn’t quite as expensive as it looked.
He stood there, staring at the building, watching people come and go as the morning started to unfold. A part of him hoped that he would see Olivia there, just walking out of it, because somehow that felt easier than having to walk up to the door and knock, seeking entrance.
Would she be surprised to see him? She must have seen him at the theatre last night, must know that he was in Paris, yet Pinsley still couldn’t imagine what came next without gasps of surprise, and shock that he was there at all. It was hard to imagine it without recriminations, too, and that prospect fueled the fear inside him.
There were so many things that they both needed to say, and so many questions that they needed to ask. The prospect of all of it was terrifying in ways that facing a killer last night had not been. Olivia was one of the only people in the world Pinsley truly loved, and the thought of her turning him away or reacting to him with anger was almost too much to bear.
Yet he knew that he had to do this, because if he left Paris without seeking Olivia out, he would never forgive himself. Pinsley strode forward, keeping an eye open for the Sûreté, since he felt sure that they would still be looking for him. He tried to look purposeful, like he belonged.
When he got to the apartment building, he checked the nameplates. Mdms. O. Fabien lived on the top floor. Would she be home? What if she’d already left for the day? What if she hadn’t come home last night, or refused to open the door to him? Pinsley recognized his fears talking, and waited until another of the residents there opened the door, coming out to start their day.
“Hold the door,” Pinsley said, and walked past them before they could think to ask if he belonged there. He strode into the interior of the apartment building, relying on the probability that in such a place, no one would truly know who all their neighbors were.
He looked around until he found the stairs, and started to climb. The interior of the building was decorated in rich woods and had artwork on the walls that looked as if it had been hung there almost at random by the residents. There was a musician behind one of the doors he past practicing the flute, the tune coming through the wood muted. Was this some kind of building for artists and actors? The floor above featured the sounds of two people having an argument, and then a woman came out of a door with a sheet wrapped around her and an armful of clothes.
“If you want me to model for you, Francois, you have to pay me!”
It was a chaotic place, and a part of Pinsley couldn’t accept that his daughter would live like this. Yet honestly, was it any stranger than the way Lottie kept the vicarage back in London? The fact that it was his daughter changed things, though, even if Pinsley couldn’t exactly say how. He kept walking up the stairs, reaching a landing at the top that had a window opening out directly onto a rooftop terrace, and a green painted door that presumably led to his daughter’s rooms.
Pinsley stood outside that door with the same trepidation that he’d had outside. All the same fears came back to him. Was this the right thing to do? Should he be here, or should he allow Olivia to live her life as she wished? She’d given no indication that she wanted him here; quite the opposite, given that she’d run away.
For what seemed an age, Pinsley stood stock still outside the door. He tried to think of what Kaia would do in this situation. That answer, at least, was straightforward.
Lifting his hand, Pinsley forced himself to approach the door.
And knock.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kaia walked through Montmartre Cemetery, the monuments to the dead reminding her too much of the catacombs she’d raced through after Jean-Charles Ariette. There were more people walking here than she’d anticipated, with couples out in the sun, as if this were a public park rather than a place for the dead.
Kaia was here only because it was the starting point of Amelie de Fiaux’s instructions. A house near Montmartre, with a statue of an angel over the door. Kaia left the cemetery and started to walk its perimeter, trying to find that house.
She realized how vague the instruction had been. There had been no indication of just how close the house was to the cemetery, or if it would be easy to spot. For all Kaia knew, she might walk for hours without finding it, and miss her chance.
Then, without warning, she spotted it.
It was a grand house, on a scale that made it seem impossible that it was just one building. It was easily the size that the orphanage had been, although its classical columns, painted façade, and large windows made it look far more welcoming. The doorway had a porch of rose veined marble, and unlike the theatre, Kaia had the feeling that this was the real thing.
She walked up to the front door, and Kaia was all too aware of how shabby she looked in comparison to this place. It wasn’t that her clothes were exactly rags, but she had travelled in them, and been engaged in chases through the city. She certainly didn’t look as though she fit in here.
Even so, Kaia forced herself to lift a hand to the house’s brass door knocker and struck it against its plate, creating a hollow, booming sound that seemed to echo through the house.
After a few seconds, the door swung open, revealing a young woman dressed as a maid in a dark dress and white apron. She looked Kaia over, and for a moment, there was disdain on her face, presumably at Kaia’s disheveled state. Then her eyes widened as she stared at Kaia a second or two longer, resting on her face as if trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
“You… you should come in,” she said, in a slightly shaky voice.
She let Kaia into a huge foyer that seemed as big as most of the houses Kaia had been in. The floor was a chequerboard pattern of black and white stone, while landscape paintings adorned the walls, and doors led off in the direction of more rooms than Kaia could count. A sweeping staircase led up into the rest of the house.
“Please remain here,” the servant said, indicating the spot where Kaia was standing. “I need to… that is, I… just wait here, please.”
She sounded as if Kaia’s presence there had shaken her, which Kaia didn’t quite understand. Still, she stood there, waiting as patiently as she could, while the servant all but ran up the stairs. Kaia waited, hoping that the next couple of minutes would explain what was going on.
A young woman came back down the stairs, wearing a dark dress with a corseted waist and a bonnet. That bonnet obscured her face until she got closer to the bottom of the stairs, but then, Kaia couldn’t do anything but gape at her.
She might have been looking in a mirror.
The young woman had the same blonde hair as her, the same blue eyes, the same heart shaped face and almost fragile looking features. Kaia knew every contour of that face, because she’d seen it so many times before. There was no mistaking who this had to be, even for a moment.
Her sister.
Her twin.
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SHADOWSEER: MUNICH
(Shadowseer, Book Three)
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SHADOWSEER: MUNICH (Book Three) continues the story of Kaia, 17, an orphan coming of age in the Victorian Europe of the 1850s. Kaia yearns to escape her horrific orphanage, to discover who her parents were, and to understand why she can sense shadows when others cannot. When the brilliant Detective Pinsley, 45, takes Kaia under his wing and enlists her help in solving the mysterious and bizarre murders sweeping over Europe, the two of them become unlikely partners.
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Dark fantasy meets mystery in SHADOWSEER, a page-turning, atmospheric thriller packed with authentic period detail, with twists and cliffhangers that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Kaia, a broken hero, will capture your heart as she struggles to claw her way up from the depths, and to solve unsolvable crimes. Fans of books such as Spellbreaker, The Dresden Files, Mortal Instruments and Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde will find much to love in SHADOWSEER, satisfying fantasy fans who appreciate mystery and suspense, and mystery lovers who want something new, a clean hybrid that will appeal to both adult and young adult readers. Get ready to be transported to another world—and to fall in love with characters you will never forget.
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–The Romance Reviews (re the paranormal series Loved)
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SHADOWSEER: ROME (Book #4) and SHADOWSEER: ATHENS (Book #5) are also available.
SHADOWSEER: MUNICH
(Shadowseer, Book Three)
Did you know that I've written multiple series? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
Books by Morgan Rice
SHADOWSEER
SHADOWDEER: LONDON (Book #1)
SHADOWSEER: PARIS (Book #2)
SHADOWSEER: MUNICH (Book #3)
SHADOWSEER: ROME (Book #4)
SHADOWSEER: ATHENS (Book #5)
AGE OF THE SORCERERS
REALM OF DRAGONS (Book #1)
THRONE OF DRAGONS (Book #2)
BORN OF DRAGONS (Book #3)
RING OF DRAGONS (Book #4)
CROWN OF DRAGONS (Book #5)
DUSK OF DRAGONS (Book #6)
SHIELD OF DRAGONS (Book #7)
DREAM OF DRAGONS (Book #8)
OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS
THE MAGIC FACTORY (Book #1)
THE ORB OF KANDRA (Book #2)
THE OBSIDIANS (Book #3)
THE SCEPTOR OF FIRE (Book #4)
THE INVASION CHRONICLES
TRANSMISSION (Book #1)
ARRIVAL (Book #2)
ASCENT (Book #3)
RETURN (Book #4)
THE WAY OF STEEL
ONLY THE WORTHY (Book #1)
ONLY THE VALIANT (Book #2)
ONLY THE DESTINED (Book #3)
ONLY THE BOLD (Book #4)
A THRONE FOR SISTERS
A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book #1)
A COURT FOR THIEVES (Book #2)
A SONG FOR ORPHANS (Book #3)
A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (Book #4)
A JEWEL FOR ROYALS (BOOK #5)
A KISS FOR QUEENS (BOOK #6)
A CROWN FOR ASSASSINS (Book #7)
A CLASP FOR HEIRS (Book #8)
OF CROWNS AND GLORY
SLAVE, WARRIOR, QUEEN (Book #1)
ROGUE, PRISONER, PRINCESS (Book #2)
KNIGHT, HEIR, PRINCE (Book #3)
REBEL, PAWN, KING (Book #4)
SOLDIER, BROTHER, SORCERER (Book #5)
HERO, TRAITOR, DAUGHTER (Book #6)
RULER, RIVAL, EXILE (Book #7)
VICTOR, VANQUISHED, SON (Book #8)
KINGS AND SORCERERS
RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Book #1)
RISE OF THE VALIANT (Book #2)
THE WEIGHT OF HONOR (Book #3)
A FORGE OF VALOR (Book #4)
A REALM OF SHADOWS (Book #5)
NIGHT OF THE BOLD (Book #6)
THE SORCERER’S RING
A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)
A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)
A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3)
A CRY OF HONOR (Book #4)
A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)
A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)
A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)
A GRANT OF ARMS (Book #8)
A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)
A SEA OF SHIELDS (Book #10)
A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)
A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)
A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)
AN OATH OF BROTHERS (Book #14)
A DREAM OF MORTALS (Book #15)
A JOUST OF KNIGHTS (Book #16)
THE GIFT OF BATTLE (Book #17)
THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY
ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)
ARENA TWO (Book #2)
ARENA THREE (Book #3)
VAMPIRE, FALLEN
BEFORE DAWN (Book #1)
THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS
TURNED (Book #1)
LOVED (Book #2)
BETRAYED (Book #3)
DESTINED (Book #4)
DESIRED (Book #5)
BETROTHED (Book #6)
VOWED (Book #7)
FOUND (Book #8)
RESURRECTED (Book #9)
CRAVED (Book #10)
FATED (Book #11)
OBSESSED (Book #12)
About Morgan Rice
Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising eight books; of the epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books; of the new science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES, comprising four books; of the fantasy series OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS, comprising four books; of the fantasy series THE WAY OF STEEL, comprising four books; of the fantasy series AGE OF THE SORCERERS, comprising eight books; and of the new fantasy series SHADOWSEER, comprising three books (and counting). Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.
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