“Well, there’s a strong possibility that the snake you attacked last night was captured by the police as I was taking you back to the house. The radio reported that a wounded man was seen staggering from the woods after a rifle shot, and he was taken into custody. I need to learn if he’s Sazi, because our law enforcement will need to get involved if he is.”
“What will your law enforcement do to him? Will the police give him up to you?”
Antoine laughed. “Hardly! Our law enforcement is closer to MI-5 or the CIA. If he’s Sazi, and committed a felony, he’ll never make it to trial. If he’s innocent, then it’s likely that Wolven will do basically what I did for you—either get him out by subterfuge, or find an attorney to negotiate for his release.”
“Who decides if he’s innocent? Do you have a trial?”
“No. The Wolven agents are granted the power to make that determination in the field. They’re the best of our kind, each with a specialized skill. They’re highly trained to learn the truth. But the agents are held accountable to the council for those decisions—with their lives, so they don’t judge people lightly.”
“But couldn’t an agent use that stuff you did so nobody could tell if they were lying about screwing up?”
Antoine chuckled lightly and felt one corner of his mouth turn up as he eased into the police station parking lot “Now that you know about it, how would you react to another shifter who didn’t have any scent? The cologne doesn’t pick and choose. It makes the person a blank slate.”
She blinked several times and unbuckled her seat belt when they pulled into an open space. “Oh. I suppose I’d consider them pretty much guilty of something. Even if it wasn’t a lie, there would be something the person didn’t want me to know.”
“Precisely. Now, I just need to determine where he’s being held and get a whiff of him. You should stay here for now.”
He saw her back straighten and her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Why? I’ll know better than you if it’s the guy in the woods. You didn’t fight him. I want to know if it’s the same man, because he probably knows where Rabi is.”
Antoine shook his head. “It’s not a matter of whether it’s the right shifter. The question is whether he’s a shifter, and I can learn that easily. Then I call Wolven and they’ll handle it.”
When she crossed her arms over her chest angrily and glared, his sigh sounded tired. “Tahira, what are you going to do if an officer stops you and you’re questioned? Even innocent questions like your name or noticing that you’re an American could start a chain reaction that we might not be able to fix. You don’t have a passport or any other identification with you. What if your parents filed a missing person report and someone recognizes you from a description? Do you understand?”
He heard her heart speed up and her eyes widen as a pair of uniformed officers walked out the door and got in their vehicle. One of them was the man who had kicked her and stopped them on the road. His eyebrows raised when he saw Antoine. He tapped his partner on the arm and said something, but then they both looked down at the radio. Antoine could just make out a request for backup on the other side of town. The driver responded into the radio, and they drove away in a rush.
“Uhm, yeah. I sort of see what you mean. But what about you? Should you even be here?”
Antoine unbuckled his seat belt and shrugged. “It would make sense for me to be curious about the radio report. Even though my cat was returned—or so they believe—logically, I would want some assurance that my tiger was now safe. They might not tell me anything, but I only need to get a whiff, and I can at least learn where the prisoners are kept so I can tell the agent who arrives.”
Tahira started suddenly, and the blasting scent of fear nearly made him sneeze. “Uh-oh,” she said. “I think I just screwed up your timing with too much blabbing. The officer who was with you when you found me is right behind you and coming this way.”
“Merde! Just what we didn’t need!” He took a deep breath and fought down his annoyance and surprise. With the first exhale, he had calmed. After two, he found his center—the one that made him a skilled negotiator and diplomat. He turned his head and nodded to Reiner amiably as he approached, opening the window as the Kommissar neared the vehicle.
“Herr Monier,” Reiner said with a nod and then, noticing Tahira in the other seat, nodded to her as well.
“I’m actually pleased to see you. You’ve saved me the trouble of finding the paperwork to learn your phone number.”
“Kommissar Reiner,” Antoine replied, filling his voice with a light accent. “I heard a report on the radio that you caught the poachers. Our phones are still down at the house, so I thought I would drop by to talk to you on our way to the Christmas Market to shop for gifts.”
“Indeed? You will be staying through Christmas?” He blinked in surprise and then his eyes settled back into professional distance. “Our shops are quite famous for their handcrafted gifts. I’m sure you will find what you’re looking for. As for the prisoner, I don’t know with any certainty that he might have been one of the poachers. I can say that another man in his company, who was dead at the scene, matched with fingerprints collected at the slaughterhouse we found.”
Antoine lowered his brows at Reiner’s phrasing. Perhaps it was just faulty English, but—“Excuse me, Kommissar. Did you say your prisoner might have been one of the poachers? Has he been released?”
Reiner averted his eyes with a frustrated sound that matched the hot metal scent. He mumbled a few swear words under his breath. “I shouldn’t answer, Heir Monier, but it will be on the news soon enough, I suppose. The prisoner was found dead in his cell a few moments ago.”
CHAPTER Thirteen
Antoine’s dropped jaw made the Kommissar continue. “The cause is unknown. The coroner is on the way over to collect him for an autopsy.”
He ignored Tahira’s hissing breath beside him and kept his cool. He showed a face filled with curiosity.
“Were his injuries that severe? I’d heard you discovered him wounded.”
Reiner shook his head. “As I say, the cause is unknown. But his wounds had been treated and he was conscious earlier this morning.” He glanced up. “Ah. There is the coroner now.” He put a finger to his cap and nodded. “You will excuse me, please?”
“Of course, Kommissar. Thank you for your time.” He rolled up the window, and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in frustration.
He watched the van back up to the curb, where the attendants opened the rear doors. An idea occurred to him as the sheet-covered gurney was rolled down the sidewalk past Reiner. “Stay here,” he said sharply to Tahira and quickly slid out of the car.
I just need to get close enough for a moment before the doors shut.
He walked as fast as he dared, and reached Reiner as the body was being loaded in the van. The man was indeed a Sazi, the very snake he’d smelled in the woods by the unique scent of acacia fruit blended with the musty, bitter smell of a viper. However, he was surprised to smell a second were-snake, or at least its venom, which he didn’t recognize. He had no doubt that an autopsy would reveal a bite had killed the man. But… which snake?
Kommissar Reiner’s stern voice made him jump a bit. “There is something else you require, Herr Monier?”
Antoine blinked for a moment and then lied through his teeth. “Yes, there is, Kommissar. I wondered if perhaps I left a pair of sunglasses in your office when I was last here? They’re quite expensive, and I can’t seem to locate them.”
“A pair of… sunglasses.” Reiner’s scent was both suspicious and disdainful. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, but Antoine didn’t react. “No, I do not believe so, Herr Monier. As you can see, I have other duties to attend to. You will excuse me,” he said with finality and took the place of one of the van attendants in securing the rear doors.
Antoine walked slowly back to where Tahira sat patiently, watching for any sign that he’d succeeded. He nodded absently and she breathed a sigh of relief.
He opened the door and got in behind the wheel once more. “It was him. But I also learned that another snake killed him. Perhaps Wolven already sent someone. Yet we only have one snake on the payroll and he’s a python. I need to contact Fiona.” Then he shook his head. “No, that won’t help. She’s still on leave. I know I can’t reach the temporary chief, but—” A smile slowly spread his lips, “I do know who I can call.”
“Can we maybe shop while you call? It’s already after noon and I don’t know when the shops close here. Is there a mall or something nearby?”
Antoine nodded. It was a good idea, and he still wanted to see what Tahira had noticed in the photos. But the police station wasn’t the place for that. He backed out of the space, and in a few minutes, they were driving to their next stop. “Actually, we’re going to the Königstrasse, which is the pedestrian district where all of the shops are. We’ll park in the lot next to the Hall of the Main Station, the local railroad office. There are any number of pavement cafés, so we can get a late lunch while I talk to someone at Wolven. I thought you might like to try Breuninger, which has good women’s clothing, as well as a café. It’s the largest department store in the city. It’s where Grand-mère shops while here. Although,” he amended, “Margo prefers H&M or Zara because the clothes are trendier. They’re wellknown European chains, like the Gap. You’ll have to decide which you like.”
She snorted lightly. “What I like and what the kabile will like are two different things. But if I’m going to get killed anyway, I might as well like how I look when my head goes onto the chopping block.”
Antoine dipped his head and glanced at the seat. Good. The cell phone was still in the center console and fully charged. “It is your decision, mon chat du feu. Do you have any particular favorite food?” He felt a small fluttering in his stomach that was new and a bit disturbing. “I believe I owe you a lunch. Or would you like to try something local?”
She shrugged, but he could smell a touch of citrus, combined with the lighter scent of hope. “Surprise me. I can’t eat Mexican, though. I’m allergic to peppers.”
“Then we’ll avoid paprika as well. Fortunately, Germans aren’t terribly fond of spicy food. Although it’s a shame that you won’t be able to try the excellent Fleisch Laberln I found at one restaurant. But it’s quite spicy. We should also drop by Merz and Benzing while we’re here. It’s a decorating store, and they put up a very beautiful display at this time of year. I see no reason why we can’t combine business with pleasure.”
“So you’ve been here before?”
Antoine laughed lightly. “Many times. My family’s estate is just over the French border in Strasbourg, where the European Union parliament holds sessions. It’s been interesting to watch Stuttgart grow from a quiet city to the thriving metropolis it now is. But they try very hard to keep their traditions despite the growth, such as the Christmas Market, and conducting political business in the New Palace.”
Moments later, they were parked in a space at the massive complex of the Main Station. Tahira unbuckled her seat belt and was about to open the door when Antoine stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder. “If you would be so kind, could you show me what you noticed in the photos first?”
“Oh! That’s right. I’m sorry.” She opened the envelope on the floor next to her and extracted the photos, handing him the stack. “Now, tell me what you notice about those.”
He sighed. “I’ve looked at them until I can’t stand to anymore, Tahira. Please just tell me what you see.”
“They’re taken in daylight, Antoine. You can see the sun at the edge of the photos, and the shadows are too strong for it to be moonlight.”
Flipping through them still didn’t give him a clue about what she meant. “Yes, I’m well aware that they’re daylight photos. That doesn’t help.”
She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, it sure as hell should help! Margo told me when we were drinking wine in your bedroom that you’re like Rabi—the first sahip lion or cougar born in a long time. True?”
“Yes, that’s true. But I don’t—” A startling realization came when she said the word “sahip.” He was alphic, and so were both Giselle and Ahmad. Suddenly, it all made sense. His voice failed him for a moment, and then was hushed with an equal blending of shock and admiration. “I had to rescue you from the police station—”
She nodded. “Because it was daylight! Unless there’s some lion pride out there that is full of sahip level cats, ones that can stay out until… jeez, the sun looks like it’s almost noon, then these aren’t werelions.”
A joyous sound bubbled up out of him like spring water bursting from the earth. He laughed long and hard, feeling relieved and grateful and so many other things. A couple walking nearby looked at him as though he was a crazy man, but he didn’t care.
Antoine nearly pulled Tahira out of her seat into a fierce hug that she returned with equal enthusiasm. He held her for a long moment, resting his cheek on her hair, just feeling relaxed and at ease for the first time in—how long had it been? A year, or even more?
“I don’t know how to thank you,” he whispered against the smoky sweet smell of her hair. “Someone has been filling Giselle’s head with lies, and we’ve grown so accustomed to our abilities as alphas that neither of us could see through them.”
He felt her face move a bit from her smile, and she gave him an extra squeeze. The rolling alto of her voice vibrated his chest. “Well, at least I feel I’ve contributed something in exchange for the clothes.”
Antoine pulled back just a bit so he could look into her wide, lovely eyes. “Oh, you’ve done much more than that, mon amour—” He brought one hand up under her chin and leaned forward into a slow, heartfelt kiss. The combination of scent and taste and emotion made his heart race and his head spin in a seduction he didn’t want to end. He leaned into her. The feel of the bite marks on her neck and the bitter taste of Ahmad’s venom made him instinctively deepen the kiss. He tangled his tongue with hers until both of their chests were heaving with passion.
How I wish we were anywhere but sitting in a public parking lot. But we are…
Ending the kiss slowly, deliciously, he whispered into her mouth. “Merci, mon chat du feu, merci beaucoup. Je t’adore!”