“I suppose that might be a fair assessment. Although rebellion didn’t start terribly early, and never with my mother. Mostly my father.”
“Of course it had to be your father,” Gabriel said. “Why is it that little girls are daddy’s girls and then they rebel?”
“Perhaps you forget little girls grow up,” Francesca ventured. “Just a thought.”
Gabriel circled her waist with one arm and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We have a daughter, Skyler, who had been my adorable daddy’s girl, until her heart was stolen from me by her lifemate.” He sounded grouchy. Like a bear.
Francesca laughed. “You love Dimitri.”
“I do not love Dimitri. I do, however, love my daughter, and Dimitri takes good care of her. Excellent care. He is a dangerous Carpathian, that one.” He sounded very satisfied.
Adalasia got the feeling that Gabriel did like Dimitri, or at least really respected him.
“You gave your consent to their union,” Francesca reminded.
“Smartest decision I ever made.” Gabriel looked around him. “She was his lifemate. They were going to get together no matter what. I asked them to wait until she was of age. Then, when he disappeared, she went on her own with her two friends to find him, nearly started a war and almost got herself killed. I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live, when I thought we’d lost her.”
Francesca leaned into him. “She is alive. Josef and Dimitri saved her life. She’s safe, Gabriel, and we are in our beloved Paris with our children and guests. All is well.” A soothing calm was in her voice, impossible not to respond to.
Gabriel nodded, one hand smoothing down the long flow of her hair. “Francesca loves this city, and I’ve grown to love it as well. It’s become our home. We protect it and the people in it as fiercely as possible. Even though we are supposed to move every so many years, we want to keep France our home.”
Francesca continued to lean into him. “That is our hope.” She turned her attention to the carousel. “There is so much to see and do. We brought the children here not long ago, and I thought it might be interesting to you after being in San Diego with Charlotte and Tariq.”
“I don’t know them,” Adalasia said and looked to Sandu.
Sandu slid his arm up her back to wrap around her shoulders. “I didn’t take Adalasia to meet Tariq and Charlotte.” He gave Adalasia the information she needed. “Charlotte restores old carousels, and Tariq has one of the largest collections in the world. I believe his family enjoyed carving them.”
Gabriel nodded. “They did. Tariq has a few of those original horses from when he and his father worked together on them.”
“That would be something to see,” Adalasia said, turning her gaze back to the unusual carousel. “This is amazing, though, all these interesting animals.”
Francesca nodded. “That was the point of the carousel. Its location right in the Jardin des Plantes is perfect. The National Museum of Natural History is close and a great way to continue educating the children on the extinction of species.” She looked up at Gabriel. “Our species was—and still is—very close to extinction. We have a special place in our hearts for the subject and try hard to pass that on to the children. We thought this was a fun way to teach them.”
“The Dodo Manege,” Sandu read. Manege literally meant “carousel,” so it was an apt name, especially since the dodo bird had been extinct for some time. “You want to take a ride, ewal emninumam, pick your animal to ride on?”
“The ride is closed,” she whispered, looking around.
Gabriel burst out laughing. “What happened to the little rebel? Do you think we’re going to get into trouble?”
“You look like bad boys to me. You’ll probably break it, and we’ll have to pay millions,” Adalasia said. “Not to mention, we’ll go to jail, and it will be in the news and draw unwanted attention to us.”
“There is that, Gabriel,” Francesca said, looking very serious. “The children would be mortified. What would their friends say? And those prison clothes, those colors wouldn’t suit you at all.”
“Vandalism of the Dodo Manege.” Adalasia shook her head, her blue eyes alive with laughter. “Such a scandal. What would your brother have to say?”
Sandu thought she was beautiful, standing with the moonlight pouring down over her, bathing her in silver while she tipped her head back, teasing the legendary ancients.
“He would tell me I was a lucky man to have two such beautiful women to ride a carousel with on an unexpected clear night in my beloved city.”
“I do so love a French accent,” Adalasia said sincerely.
Sandu groaned. “Don’t fall for Mr. Charming, Sivamet. He is every bit as ruthless as his twin. Choose your animal, and you can have your first ride on a carousel. It will be one of many firsts in beautiful, incomparable Paris.”