Silver

Chapter 20

When we finally landed in Paris, everyone was beyond exhausted. Allison and Siena seemed like they were about to get in a fight (like an actual one, not an argument or whatever most girls do), and Suriel and Grey kept eyeing each other like they half expected the other to launch a surprise attack at any moment. Adding on to that, although it was nearly spring time in Paris, it was gloomy and cold, which made Siena, Allison, Suriel, and Grey very irritated. I don't really know why they expected sunny and nice weather, isn't Paris known for its overcast days?

Anyways, we had paired up- sort of- as far as where we stayed in Paris. Grey and I were staying in his flat, and Siena had a friend who lived in Paris, so she and Allison were staying with her. Suriel wanted to stay in Notre Dame itself- apparently the priest was rather excited about having an Angel stay at the cathedral and had offered accommodations. Although we were all staying in different places, we were all relatively close to Notre Dame. Hopefully this meant we were less likely to get ambushed because demons can't walk on sacred ground, and also that we would spend less time traveling to the crypts that we were investigating below the cathedral. 

We parted ways at the baggage claim, even though we had no bags aside from backpacks as carry ons. Before we parted, I made Allison and Siena swear to me they wouldn't murder each other. They had given the other a death glare, but eventually nodded and agreed. When everyone else had left, Grey hailed a taxi and murmured an address that I didn't quite hear to the driver. The driver, a short, stout man with an overgrown unibrow, had nodded quickly and ushered us to his car. 

It was a 45 minute drive into the heart of the bustling city, but it wasn't hard to stay awake. While all the buildings began to look similar, with their pale beige exteriors and artfully crafted pillars and molding, it was different from anything I'd ever seen. I had only been to Ireland and Switzerland before, and both had more gothic architecture as compared to this Parisian renaissance look. Not only was the city itself quite diverting, but the driving in Paris- good lord. I thought I was going to die. We almost hit like 40 different cars. I don't know how Grey remained calm, because every minute or so, I was having a heart attack when our driver slammed on his brakes. 

After a while, the driver slowed and pulled into a very tight alleyway and up alongside the narrow sidewalk. There was a large mahogany door next to the sidewalk, probably 20 feet high and at least 8 feet across. It had large iron door knockers placed at the center and intricate carvings into the indents on the doors surface. This couldn't be Grey's place, could it?

What was I talking about, of course it was. When have I ever known this man to be subtle?

We climbed out of the taxi and Grey paid the taxi driver, who thanked Grey several times and hurried back into his car, skirting away about as fast as he pulled in here. Grey turned to me, smirking. 

"Well?" He raised an eyebrow slightly. 

"Nice doors," I shrugged, looking up at the massive doors. He chuckled and outstretched his hand to his side for me to take. I tore my eyes away from the doors and took his hand as he led me towards them. He pulled out a large iron key and unlocked one of them, swinging the massive thing open and pressing his hand to the small of my back as I walked into the courtyard. It was small, but somehow green, even at this time of year. He must have a gardener or something. There were several shrubs and exotic trees lined up pristinely against the gravel walkway, with a few marble sculptures I didn't recognize throughout. 

"Is this whole thing yours?" I asked, motioning up to all of the doors on the second floor balcony overlooking the courtyard. 

"The building is, yes. The shops on the first floor I rent out, and I rent out the apartments on the second floor, and some on the third," he explained.