which at this point they were labeling an act of terrorism against the museum. One journalist theorized that an animal rights group opposed to the Academy’s collection of reptiles and amphibians had set off the car bombs in protest. A special team had been brought in from the FBI. But so far, no human remains had been found, leading investigators to believe the bombs were detonated as a warning, a threat of further violence.
Did Aidan know what was coming, I wondered? Did he see the threat lurking? We’d never know. Hastily, I folded the newspaper against my chest and sat for a moment, my head down, contemplating the weight of what had transpired.
“Don’t, Olivia,” Gabriel said, as he sat down beside me. “This is my responsibility, you understand? Aidan was not an amateur. He didn’t put himself in harm’s way because of you.”
I nodded, trying hard to swallow his logic. I opened the paper back up and pointed to a story. “I lost a lot of blood at the scene,” I said. “Did you go back and bewitch the site?”
Gabriel nodded. “Bien sûr. Indeed, there was a lot of blood, and much of it was not human,” he said. “I cast a spell to hide the evidence. The police will look and look, but never find a trace of DNA.”
“How did you manage to get back there without being caught?”
“Magic, of course.” He said. “The fog came in thick that night, but you know how this works, why are you asking?”
“I guess I needed to hear you say it,” I said. “Since the moment we met, I’ve felt as if I’ve entered a world that seems to defy logic, or perhaps bend it a bit. I’m still absorbing it all. I should have died in the explosion. Instead I’m on a plane to Paris, my leg almost healed. The force of the car bombs collapsed the front of a major American museum, but the police will never know why it happened. We, the Council, are a heavy, but invisible, set of hands.”
Gabriel regarded me for a moment after I finished speaking. He seemed poised to say something, but then merely put his hand on my knee, gave it a gentle squeeze and then got up and walked away. I watched him make his way to the other end of the plane, take a seat and close his eyes. Exactly, I thought. Cheating death, misleading a police investigation, the disappearance of Elsa and Lily. It was difficult to imagine more dramatic circumstances. It was enough to leave anyone speechless.
Hours later, the plane landed at a private terminal at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Madeline was the first to depart, promising to quickly open the bureau and settle the staff. She wasn’t seriously injured in the blast, but her wounds were painful all the same. The rest of us walked off the plane a few minutes later in somber silence. As we descended the stairway, I picked up on the group’s feelings that we were missing part of our team. No Elsa, no Aidan, and no Lily. Their absence was palpable, but we had no choice but move forward.
I could think of little but justice, of catching Aidan’s murderer. I had intended to pressure Gabriel to develop a plan, but still feeling shell-shocked and grieving, I couldn’t find the courage to press him while we were in the air. Later, after a day or so had passed, I would ask what he intended to do to punish Nikola. All of my instincts told me he was the person responsible for this calamity.
Revenge fantasies occupied my thoughts during the drive into Paris. After making our way through the usual maze of landmarks, we arrived at the 10th arrondissement and the Rue du Faubourg Saint Martin, where William’s apartment is located. The driver removed our bags from the car, and we bade Gabriel á bientôt, promising to see him later that evening, perhaps for drinks.
While I marveled at the stark elegance of the nineteenth century buildings, Josef stepped under the building’s awning to punch in the security code. William and Josef’s apartment was just steps away from the Canal Saint Martin and the Quai de Valmy, an up-and-coming neighborhood where many of the city’s fashionable boutiques set up shop.
“Remind me again.” I asked. “What year did your father buy this apartment?”
“Nineteen thirty,” William said. “A broker, another vampire, found it for us. This neighborhood was not always so chic. We needed a place out