I took a bite of the warm pastry and moaned as it practically melted in my mouth. I couldn’t remember the name of the delicacy—Kael had handed me a paper sack of them—but I would definitely be getting more.
I sat on the bench and continued to nibble while I turned a glare toward a flock of pigeons that wanted to partake in my breakfast, as well. In a flurry of gray and white feathers, the birds took off as the jaguar shifter strode through them.
Kael held up a pair of tickets. “Let’s do this thing.”
I stuffed the last pastry into my mouth and gave him a thumbs up before throwing the sack into a nearby trash can. I adjusted the slouchy, beanie-style hat on my head before hurrying to catch up to Kael.
We had opted for new clothing that would blend in more with the local tourists. Leggings weren’t really my thing, but I had to admit, the light gray fabric looked great with the cute, black boots I’d splurged on.
Kael, though he always did look casual, had stepped it up with simple jeans and a sweater. I’d tried to get him to buy one with the Eiffel tower stitched on the front, but he’d adamantly refused.
My lips twitched into a grin as we neared the massive metal and glass pyramid standing in front of the Louvre. Behind the pyramid, three huge wings made up the building which had once been a castle before being converted into the most famous museum in the world.
After waiting in line for what felt like ages, I was practically bouncing on the toes of my new boots as we showed the woman at the entrance our tickets. Visiting this place had been near the top of my bucket-list since the moment my father had shown pictures of him and my mother here years ago. I had always been so busy skipping around other places of the world on digs, I’d never gotten the chance.
Kael tugged on the collar of his mocha-colored sweater with a sour expression.
“I told you that one looked itchy,” I said.
He frowned. “You also told me it brings out the color of my eyes.”
“It does.” I grinned. “I’m glad to know you take my opinion so seriously. Who would have known you were the type to suffer for vanity?”
Kael growled under his breath and peered around. “I always thought this place was an art museum.”
“It is,” I said. “For the most part. It has works like the Mona Lisa and The Coronation of Napoleon. Many historians consider certain discovered artifacts to be art, like jewelry, engraved pottery—” I gave him a smile. “―and, of course, keys.”
“Right,” he said. “So where do we start?”
I jerked my head toward a kiosk with pamphlets, fliers, and maps. I found a map that had labels and directions in English, took two, and handed one to Kael.
The man behind the desk informed us the museum offered guided tours, if we wished, but I gave him a smile and explained getting lost was half the fun. He merely smiled and nodded, then he turned to a family with a pair of unenthusiastic teens in tow.
We moved to a corner out of the way, and Kael took a pen from his pocket. I caught his golden eyes glancing around the room. Then he began putting little dots on the map.
It was easy to figure out what he was marking…guard placements. I took my turn studying the map in my hands and tried to sort out the best place to search for the key. There were three main wings in the Louvre, and while the archeologist and historian in me wanted to peruse every inch of the place, we wouldn’t have time.
When we had left Alastor’s place, we’d given him a warning about the dark mage. We hadn’t heard any bad news, but that didn’t mean the mage hadn’t gotten to him. It could be only a matter of time before Vehrin learned the same information we had that led us here.
“Well,” Kael said. “Do you have any ideas on where to start?”
I pursed my lips as I studied the map. “This is the Denon wing,” I said, pointing to the wing behind us. “I think we can dismiss this one. It mostly houses Italian Renaissance paintings and other pieces from that point in history. I feel like the keys, so far, have been more ancient. We should focus mainly on the Sully wing, which houses the Egyptian relics and pieces from Middle-Eastern culture, and perhaps the Richelieu wing, home to artifacts from the middle-ages.”
Kael waved a hand forward. “All right, professor. Lead the way.”
“Professor?” I scoffed. “Hardly. My dad was, but being trapped behind a desk isn’t my thing.”
“Clearly. If it was, your life would be decidedly less exciting.”
“That’s the truth,” I muttered.
I soaked in the wonder around me as we strolled toward the Sully wing. Paintings and sculptures were everywhere, most of them hundreds of years old, and pieces I’d never dreamed of seeing with my own eyes.
The pair of us walked around for a while, and even though we were on a mission, I couldn’t help but stop to soak in some of the items on display. A few times, Kael had to tug on my arm and tell me we’d never get through this place if I stopped to gawk at every little thing.
The next room we entered was dedicated to Near-Eastern antiquities. Kael drifted off to one side of the room while I headed toward the right. Sculptures and other large items lined the walls, with glass cases placed here and there around the center of the room.
I had yet to see anything that seemed like it was dangerous or magical, but I suspected I wouldn’t be able to tell, anyway. After all, I hadn’t known the key I’d plucked from the Amazon was cursed until later. I could have walked right past some powerful artifact and never known. It was an exciting concept, and I told myself I would return one day when I wasn’t on the hunt to save a relic and stop a dark mage.
I ran my finger along the red rope stretched in front of a figure of an ancient Hittite god, the small statue burnished to a warm bronze, when a nearby glass case caught my eye. I sauntered over to it. Inside was a collection of beaded necklaces, bracelets decorated with small gems, and there, nestled on a white pillow, was a key.
It was dark in color, and I couldn’t guess without touching it what it could possibly be made of, but it matched the description Alastor had given us. My heart raced with excitement as I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture of the key.
The single guard in the room turned my way as I lowered my phone, but his eyes didn’t linger. Many of the visitors took photos on their tours through the Louvre, so it wasn’t as if I’d done anything unusual.
Kael was still meandering on the other side of the room. He glanced my way, and I smiled brightly. He raised an eyebrow in question, and I gave him a little nod, trying to tell him in the small gesture that I had found what we were looking for.
For some reason, I could sense the guard’s gaze on me again. I didn’t dare turn to peer at him to be sure, but I was certain he was watching me. Was he one of the supernatural beings set to guard the magical artifacts held in the Louvre?
I continued toward Kael and wondered if the man could sense the magic in me. Or maybe he could sense there was a shifter in his midst? Perhaps the guard was a shifter himself.
I reached Kael and twined my fingers through his. He gave me a strange look, but didn’t withdraw his hand.
“I’m hungry,” I said. “Maybe we can go out and get a bite to eat.” I squeezed his hand.
“Sure.” He tugged me out of the room. I half-expected the guard to follow, but thankfully, he remained at his post. Perhaps I had thrown off the suspicions I was certain were there.
We headed out to the Tuileries Gardens, an expansive garden that bordered the back side of the Louvre. I imagined it was usually splashed with more color, but at this time of year, only the evergreen shrubs were vibrant.
Kael chugged a bottle of water like it was his last, but I was too excited to do more than merely sip on mine. I pulled out my phone and showed Kael the photo.
“Here. This has to be it. It matches the description Alastor gave us.” I stared at the Louvre, and while I admired the architecture consisting of arched windows and the intricate figures carved along its face, I also thought it looked impossible to infiltrate. “How are we going to get in?”
“From what I have seen, the guards run on a steady schedule of rotation. I saw two such shift changes. The first time there was a twenty-second window of time when a guard wasn’t at his post, and the second was thirty.”
I set the bottle of water beside me on the bench. “That isn’t much time.”
“No, it isn’t, but it’s the best we have. We can make it work.”
“There was a guard in the room with the key. He was watching me closely.”
Kael nodded. “I noticed. It was likely out of curiosity. Shifters are perfectly free to live just as humans do, visiting museums and monuments, but we tend not to do so frequently. He smelled like some sort of cat shifter, a panther, maybe.” He frowned. “Still, we need to be cautious. Blend in the best we can. Shifters are suspicious by nature. Even if he was merely curious about us, I doubt he would forget our presence quickly if something seemed at all unusual.”
As if to prove his point, a guard strolled by on the path before us. Kael stretched his arms out, then settled one around me. I didn’t have to pretend too hard to lean into his side with a sigh.
The guard gave us a nod as he continued on his way. Kael didn’t remove his arm. Was it in an effort to blend in, or did he really just want to have his arm around me?
“So, back to the issue at hand,” I said. “How are we going to get in?”
“I think our best option would be to hide out here.” He waved lazily around the expansive garden.
I laughed. “What do you want us to do, squat in some shrubbery?”
Kael shrugged. “Do you have a better idea?”
“I suppose not. Still, just because we’ll be on the grounds doesn’t mean we would be able to get into the building.”
With a smirk, Kael pulled a guard’s ID badge out of his pocket. “This acts as a key card.”
My mouth popped open. “How did you get that?”
When had he gotten it?
“Jaguar shifters can easily go unnoticed.”
I knew jaguars were able to ghost unseen in the Amazon, but it amazed me, given Kael’s size, that he was capable of being just as stealthy in the real world as well.
“Perhaps I should keep a closer eye on my wallet,” I mumbled.
Kael chuckled, then stood and pulled me up off the bench.
“Let’s go back to the hotel, finalize our plans, and get some rest.”
Great. I was embarking on a mission of theft from what was likely one of the most protected places in the world. This was, of course, after being on the run after it had appeared we’d murdered the witch sisters in Scotland the last time we were pursuing the mage. I supposed next it would be grand theft auto in Italy.
I shifted my bag onto my shoulder as we headed toward the open gates. “So, planning, rest, and then…?”
“We come back later this evening before they close, hide, and hope we don’t get caught.”