Hands clapped sharply, catching the tip of my nose. “Earth to Evie! What is going on in that pretty little head of yours?”
“I’m … wallowing,” I admitted. Heat crept up my neck. I wasn’t a wallower. That wasn’t me. From my mother’s death, to my solitary teenaged years, to learning of the curse, I had never spent more than a minute dwelling on the negatives. Now, I was bathing in L’Eau de Wallow.
“Bad idea, Evangeline. You need a good distraction.” Her hand rested on my shoulder. “So let’s find one, okay?”
“Okay … What do you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure … I usually hunt bears and jump off cliffs when I need a distraction.”
I snorted as my gaze roamed the four walls of the kitchen, imagining the long halls outside, the stairs, the rooms … Nothing there was distracting enough. Well, except Caden. But then that’d just bring me back to my inevitable worry. I needed to get away. Far away, just for a little while.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered, already anticipating Amelie’s negative answer.
An impish curve touched her lips. “We could,” she mouthed. She looked over to ensure the cooks weren’t listening.
My heart started pounding against my ribs. “Seriously? Do you think Sofie’ll be mad?”
Her mouth twisted. “If she found out … yeah, probably. But I’ve been out once or twice. Caden’s been out a couple of times … Viggo’s out twice a day. Nothing has happened! There are no signs of any Sentinels watching. We should go!” Bright white teeth glistened as she struggled to contain her excited smile. “We could do it, Evie! We could …” Her words trailed off as the eagerness deflated like a popped balloon, crushing my already weak spirit.
“Those wolves. They’d tell Sofie right away. We can’t get past their stupid mutt noses.”
I smiled. Finally, an advantage.
***
Rounding the corner into the foyer, I almost smacked into Viggo striding through the front door. He cringed and jumped backward a foot to avoid my hand grazing his leg. He was afraid of me and my Tribal magic. I smirked with satisfaction. I was a natural Viggo repellant. A silver lining.
“What are you two up to, so giggly and … annoying?”
“Girl stuff!” Amelie spat back haughtily, hooking her arm through mine.
With an exaggerated eye roll, Viggo sidestepped around us—giving me an extra wide berth—and continued on, not in the least bit interested in a couple of tittering young women. Not unless they were tittering over him. I released the lungs’ worth of air I didn’t realize I was holding. I may repel him but he still terrified me.
“Okay. Stay right here,” Amelie ordered, pointing to the tile where I stood, as if I were a dog who might wander away. She vanished, only to reappear ten seconds later with coats and boots for both of us. “Come on!”
I had one boot on and was tugging the second on when Amelie grabbed my arm and began dragging me out the door, my coat hanging off one arm. “Quick!” She pointed to a navy jeep sat parked outside. Opening the passenger door, she bowed. “After you, mademoiselle!”
I took a deep breath. This was crazy. We were crazy! Before I could chicken out, I hopped in. “Sofie’s going to kill me,” I muttered to myself. Amelie was in the driver’s side an instant.
“And you’re sure you want to do this?” she asked slowly.
I sighed. “Amelie? We’ve got both our hands in the cookie jar and now you’re the voice of reason?”
“Well, I don’t know … you’re always the good one.”
“Yeah, and where has that gotten me …” I peered over my shoulder at the chateau, where too many problems lay hidden within the walls. Turning back, gazing down on the city of Paris, I saw only freedom beyond the ten-foot stone wall. An escape, if only brief. I nodded firmly. “We need to get out or I’m going to go bat-shit crazy. Besides, you’re with me and we’re in Paris. No one knows we’re here … we’ll be fine,” I smiled, adding, “Just don’t forget … Sofie can’t fix me if I get broken.”
Amelie grimaced. She grabbed my hands, her voice suddenly urgent. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ve already lost one best friend. I won’t lose another. I promise. If I suspect anything, we’ll come right back. Swear!”
I held out my pinky finger. “Swear.” She giggled, hooking onto my pinky, and then followed it with a ferocious hug. Like a cloud lifted, she was back to Amelie, her pretty little face full of determination. She began pawing the visors, the side pockets, the console, the glove compartment.