Free Blue Moon Rising (The Patroness) by Natalie Herzer

phone.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Well, what does it look like to you, Kylian?”
    He growled low in his throat.
    I rolled my eyes. “I have an idea. Trust me.”
    Mathieu answered after a couple of rings, “Salut, ça va?
    “Oui, ecoute-moi, I need your help with a case.”
    He chuckled. “Let me guess, more acid?”
    “No, not this time. Listen, it’s important. I need you to keep your eyes and ears open. Find out if there’s a group or organization or whatever that is somehow against the magical community or even the supernatural in general. They might even hint at taking actions about it. You know what I mean? Could you do that for me?”
    “Sure, no big deal.”
    “But if you find something, you stay put, you hear me. Call me, no Rambo-ing on your own, ‘kay?”
    “Yes, mum.” He hung up. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
    “Who was that?” Kylian wanted to know.
    “A friend of mine,” I replied absentminded. I didn’t want anything to happen to Mathieu. But he wasn’t alone, I tried to calm myself, and he wasn’t a child anymore. And even if something might happen, Philippe would let me know immediately. Besides, they probably wouldn’t find anything at all, so there was no need to worry like an old mother hen.
    “Hello, Maiwenn? Are you listening?” Kylian’s voice, sharper than usual and laced with a little anger, brought me back to reality. I had let my mind wonder about.
    “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
    He seemed tense and I was sure I’d heard teeth grinding. “Was that your boyfriend?”
    “Ugh, no. He’s like a little brother to me.”
    “Ah.” Then, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
    Now it was my turn to tense. “I might be mistaken but I think that’s none of your damn business.” If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’d been jealous there for a sec or two. The thought made me smile. Put the brakes on, Maiwenn, you’re going crazy.
    “You’re mistaken. We’ll be working together for the next couple of days or so, so I want to know if there’s someone who might take it the wrong way.”
    “No.”
    He sat strai ght up and looked at me. “By the way, I would appreciate you talking to me about your plans before jumping the gun on them.”
     

Chapter 6
     
    We stayed in my office till it was time to close up. Like every Monday it had been rather quiet. Michel had called a few minutes earlier and given me the addresses of three clubs that were in full vogue within the shapeshifter community at the moment. They’ve also been advertised for outside shapeshifters and could have attracted trespassers and loners, among which we assumed our rogue.
    Kylian unfolded his map of Paris, studying it. “Where are those clubs again?”
    “Rue de la Roquette, not far from here, another in the Quartier Latin and one at the foot of Montmartre.”
    “You said the rogue was heading north as he fled yesterday, so maybe we should take a look at the last one. What do you think?”
    I blinked at him, shocked. “Wow, I can’t believe it. Are we actually starting to work togeth er?” I pulled one of my daggers. “Who are you and what did you do to the caveman?”
    “Funny,” he replied dryly. “That toothpick supposed to impress me?”
    “Depends on who’s wielding the weapon”. I checked the daggers operativeness by hitting the concealed button and the two additional blades snapped out, flawless. Then I tucked it away, and locked the door of the office behind me.
    We walked side by side along the streets, heading for Montmartre. The sun was low in the sky, and it was one of my favorite moments of a summer day as the setting rays of sunlight hit the sandstone buildings just so that they radiated in a soft yellow or even pink hue .
    “Have you ever been to Paris before?” I asked Kylian.
    “No, though from what I’ve seen, I’m sure it’s worth a trip. And even with what little I saw I think it’s quite fitting for you to be the Patroness of Paris. You’re like