skipped out of the store.
The clerk had recommended a shoe boutique down the street, and Josie couldn’t wait to trade her boy’s high-top tennis shoes for something a little more chic. She hurried around couples strolling down the street, totally absorbed in shopping in Paris. The smell of baking cr êpes from a local street vendor filled the air.
***
“No.” Valerii moaned in his sleep, reaching for Josephine with his telepathy. Shopping? He blinked, trying to overcome the leaden feeling of his lids. She’d arrived in Paris and was thinking of going shopping? He shook his head and chuckled. He would never understand the female mind. At least, she hadn’t broken their telepathic link completely.
He sat up, laid his head back, and continued to rest. His mind lightly touched Josie’s thoughts as he listened to the sound of the train roaring down the tracks. He hadn’t slept for thirty hours, and this little nap wouldn’t make up the time missed.
When he arrived in Paris, he should go and investigate this man, Fortescue. But the need to feel Josephine in his arms was overwhelming. He wanted to chase her down and cement the bond into place at once. He could still feel the softness of her skin as he held her in their shared dream.
Still, he needed to understand what kind of danger Fortescue presented to his mate and to the lycan race as a whole. He hated having to choose.
“ Pardon, monsieur . I see you are heartmated. Where is your mate?” an elderly woman asked as she walked up the aisle.
Valerii’s eyes snapped open, and he looked in disbelief at the silver-haired woman. She could see his heartmate bond? He studied her and noticed light refracting off her eyes. She was a lycan? Focusing his eyes, he peered at her chest and saw that she, too, was heartmated.
“You are from the pack in Paris?” Valerii asked, waving at the seat across from him.
“ Oui ,” the old woman answered, smiling. She took the seat next to his, her light floral scent flowing over him.
“Who is the Alpha, and where might I find him?” Valerii asked.
“Durant Landry took that position last year when his parents passed on unexpectedly. But our pack is ruled by the Alpha female, a hereditary position, and the heir has not been seen for the last five years. We know she is alive, but not much else. Her mate will be our Alpha, when she chooses one. So, in truth, we have no Alpha. Some think she will mate with Durant. I don’t think they are destined to heartmate. Our Alpha female cared for him, but he isn’t the man for her.”
“What happened to her, your Alpha heiress?”
“She was taken from us, kidnapped, along with her parents. The whole pack sensed the moment our Alpha male died and the moment his mate followed him. The Beta, Durant’s father, weak and unsure what to do, sent the pack out to search. None of us knew who masterminded the kidnapping, or if they did, they didn’t say.”
“You believe someone in the pack knew where she was, your heiress?”
“It is strange. Is it not?” she asked, her eyes troubled. “That a whole pack of lycans could not track down one of their own? Some of us were blood-bonded to her and to her parents. Why could none of us find her?”
“It does seem strange. Did no one hear a cry for assistance? Not even from the Alpha male?”
“Again, if they did, it wasn’t reported. We get yearly letters from our Alpha’s heir. The letters are always postmarked from London. We search for her to no avail. Durant himself goes once a year, hoping to find her and persuade her to return. Other single males also go, looking for a mate.”
“Do I need to report to your acting Alpha?”
“I’m sure he would appreciate the gesture, though I don’t think any of our pack members has reported to the English Alpha when they go into London. I hear a new Alpha is in place in England?” she asked, smiling again.
“Yes, his name is Grigori Solovyov. He asked me to contact your pack and send
The clerk had recommended a shoe boutique down the street, and Josie couldn’t wait to trade her boy’s high-top tennis shoes for something a little more chic. She hurried around couples strolling down the street, totally absorbed in shopping in Paris. The smell of baking cr êpes from a local street vendor filled the air.
***
“No.” Valerii moaned in his sleep, reaching for Josephine with his telepathy. Shopping? He blinked, trying to overcome the leaden feeling of his lids. She’d arrived in Paris and was thinking of going shopping? He shook his head and chuckled. He would never understand the female mind. At least, she hadn’t broken their telepathic link completely.
He sat up, laid his head back, and continued to rest. His mind lightly touched Josie’s thoughts as he listened to the sound of the train roaring down the tracks. He hadn’t slept for thirty hours, and this little nap wouldn’t make up the time missed.
When he arrived in Paris, he should go and investigate this man, Fortescue. But the need to feel Josephine in his arms was overwhelming. He wanted to chase her down and cement the bond into place at once. He could still feel the softness of her skin as he held her in their shared dream.
Still, he needed to understand what kind of danger Fortescue presented to his mate and to the lycan race as a whole. He hated having to choose.
“ Pardon, monsieur . I see you are heartmated. Where is your mate?” an elderly woman asked as she walked up the aisle.
Valerii’s eyes snapped open, and he looked in disbelief at the silver-haired woman. She could see his heartmate bond? He studied her and noticed light refracting off her eyes. She was a lycan? Focusing his eyes, he peered at her chest and saw that she, too, was heartmated.
“You are from the pack in Paris?” Valerii asked, waving at the seat across from him.
“ Oui ,” the old woman answered, smiling. She took the seat next to his, her light floral scent flowing over him.
“Who is the Alpha, and where might I find him?” Valerii asked.
“Durant Landry took that position last year when his parents passed on unexpectedly. But our pack is ruled by the Alpha female, a hereditary position, and the heir has not been seen for the last five years. We know she is alive, but not much else. Her mate will be our Alpha, when she chooses one. So, in truth, we have no Alpha. Some think she will mate with Durant. I don’t think they are destined to heartmate. Our Alpha female cared for him, but he isn’t the man for her.”
“What happened to her, your Alpha heiress?”
“She was taken from us, kidnapped, along with her parents. The whole pack sensed the moment our Alpha male died and the moment his mate followed him. The Beta, Durant’s father, weak and unsure what to do, sent the pack out to search. None of us knew who masterminded the kidnapping, or if they did, they didn’t say.”
“You believe someone in the pack knew where she was, your heiress?”
“It is strange. Is it not?” she asked, her eyes troubled. “That a whole pack of lycans could not track down one of their own? Some of us were blood-bonded to her and to her parents. Why could none of us find her?”
“It does seem strange. Did no one hear a cry for assistance? Not even from the Alpha male?”
“Again, if they did, it wasn’t reported. We get yearly letters from our Alpha’s heir. The letters are always postmarked from London. We search for her to no avail. Durant himself goes once a year, hoping to find her and persuade her to return. Other single males also go, looking for a mate.”
“Do I need to report to your acting Alpha?”
“I’m sure he would appreciate the gesture, though I don’t think any of our pack members has reported to the English Alpha when they go into London. I hear a new Alpha is in place in England?” she asked, smiling again.
“Yes, his name is Grigori Solovyov. He asked me to contact your pack and send
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