Never had Remi slept so well. Not once did she wake up shivering as she'd done the past several nights. The black-faced wolf put off a lot of heat. It'd been the same the first night they'd met, he'd kept her warm then as well.

After letting the wolf out to do his business, Remi turned on her cell phone. There was a voicemail waiting for her from Ms. Martin. It'd been left nearly two hours ago. As she clicked on it, she couldn't help but wonder why La Vie d'Paris' number two had called. Last evening, she'd received her paycheck and was given a bonus as well. Maybe the tip had been a mistake? Or had Gideon not picked up all of her things from the other night?

"Hello, Miss Dixon. This is Josephine Martin from La Vie d'Paris. We were impressed with your last job and were wondering if you'd be available again next Friday and Saturday. Please let me know at your earliest convenience."

Dreaming of steady gigs at La Vie d'Paris, Remi's finger slightly shook as she hit the redial button. The call went directly to voicemail. After the prompt, she left a message saying she'd take the job. She tried sounding professional but was afraid she missed the mark due to her excitement.

After showering and getting ready for the day, Remi went into the kitchen to scrounge up some breakfast. With the payment for the New Year's Eve gig hitting her account last night, she could make groceries today. She'd be eating more than a buttered slice of bread and a questionable slice of lunch meat for her morning meal.

Scratching at the window disturbed Remi's breakfast. The black-faced wolf – Kevin – was back it would seem. After padding into the living room with her mostly-eaten sandwich balanced in her palm, she opened it for the wolf.

"I hope your breakfast was more filling than mine, Kevin," Remi remarked as she took the last bite. She didn't miss the wolf's baleful look at the name she'd given him. Unfortunately for him, she'd grown accustomed to it, and that's how she thought of him.

Kevin huffed in reply to her statement after he understood Remi wouldn't back down on his name. Whether it was a "yes," "no," or "meh," she couldn't say.

Brushing the crumbs from her hands, Remi went to her apartment's entryway. After sliding her feet into her old snow boots, she stomped them to settle the bunched padding. Reaching for her leather coat, she was stopped by a tug on her sweatshirt.

"I'm off to make groceries. I don't think you'll be all that welcome at the market," Remi noted. The wolf let go of her sleeve, sat, and gave her puppy-dog eyes. Those innocent, copper orbs begged to come along.

"Fine," Remi huffed. "But you'll have to wait outside."

Kevin's only response was to continue to watch Remi as she put on, then zipped up her coat. She wished she knew what this loa-approved protector was thinking. Added to that, she wanted to know precisely who sent him to her and why.

"Let's go, then." Remi wrapped her scarf around her neck, then opened the door. Hopefully, Kevin wouldn't lunge at people as he had in the bar yesterday. She'd be banned from all the stores for sure if he did.

"Behave," Remi warned the wolf when they entered the grocery shop, he wouldn't stay outside. Already, they'd received odd looks. The day was warmer than it'd been all week. Many people were out, enjoying the break from the bitter cold.

Unbelievably, Remi's mission of shopping with a giant wolf in tow was a success. Kevin didn't lunge at or bite anyone. There was one instance where his tail nearly knocked over a display of stacked oranges, but with fast action, she was able to save it and herself from embarrassment.

The rest of the day went as usual. Remi worked on remixing songs. Damballah snuggled with the wolf and went outside with him. What the unlikely pair got up to while she wasn't watching, she couldn't say. That night, they kept their secrets close as they slept in her bed.

By the next morning, they'd settled into a routine. The wolf was becoming a comfortable addition to Remi's life. It no longer felt odd to have Kevin tag along while she ran errands. He plodded along beside her as they strolled down icy walkways, happily listening to her ramble. She'd grown accustomed to their one-sided conversations.

They rounded a corner when, suddenly, a vision struck. Remi hadn't had one since New Year's Eve and hoped it'd been a fluke. Turned out, it wasn't.

As with before, Remi's head ached as her vision began to shadow. Then, she saw the black-faced wolf emerge from the dark recesses. Stumbling, she braced a hand on the rough, cold surface of a building. Within the next blink of an eye, Kevin became a man. One she recognized. It was Gideon who stared back at her from the dark clouds in her eyes.

Squeezing them shut, Remi was relieved when the vision disappeared, taking the headache with it. When she opened her eyes again, it was to find her concerned protector staring earnestly at her. "I'm fine, Kevin," she assured him as she took her hand from the rough façade of the building. "Just another vision," she explained in a half-whisper.

A cold, wet nose nudged the bracing hand when it dropped to Remi's side. "Yeah, they suck," she breathed. "But really, I'm fine."

Worried copper eyes remained trained on Remi as they continued on their way. She couldn't help but wonder what the vision meant. Perhaps that she should also consider Gideon a guardian sent by the loa?

They were nearing an alley when the wolf suddenly stopped in front of Remi. Kevin's massive body blocked her from continuing onward. The customarily relaxed ears on his enormous head stood at attention as he lifted his nose to test the air. After countless moments, he turned and nudged her, trying to get her to turn around.

Curiosity warred with caution. Remi wanted to know the identity of the danger the wolf sensed. However, she'd come to trust his instincts. It was probably safer, not knowing.

"I smell you, mutt," a loud, male voice called from the alley. "It's too late to turn tail and run."

Remi paused, her anger rising. With a white mother and a black father, she'd been called a lot of things. "Mutt" was a first, however. Added to that, the unknown speaker pretty much said she stank, and it was so strong, he could smell it around the corner.

Clenching her jaw and fists, Remi stepped around the wolf to confront the man. "I am not a coward." Each word was sharply enunciated. "I've been called worse by better men than a gutter rat like you," she finished as she got her first look at the name-caller.

The large, disheveled blond man threw back his head and laughed. When four others joined in, Remi's rage-filled brain caught up to her eyes. The bigot wasn't alone.

"How typical," the massive blond continued when he sobered a short time later. "Here you are, hiding behind another bitch's skirts."

The blond was all but ignoring Remi. Instead, he spoke directly to Kevin. To say this situation was odd would be an understatement. Perhaps the man in the alley was insane? He looked the part with his dirty, disheveled hair and equally filthy and torn clothes.

Remi's retort was cut short by a deep rumbling growl. Kevin stalked forward on silent pads, likely coming to the same conclusion. The blond vagabond wasn't addressing her with his insults. What was more, the wolf seemed to understand what was being said and reacting.

Brows pinching, Remi wondered what beef the homeless man could have with her protector?

Liam's smile turned sinister as Gideon came forward. The Snowdonia Pack alpha was insane. His madness was written there in his ice blue, crazed eyes for everyone to see. Those who continued to follow him were blindly loyal, as poisoned by their previous leader's fruitless crusade as the son.

Gideon wanted to ignore Liam's presence in Paris. Once Remi was safe, he'd planned to notify Henri of the other wolf's trespass. He'd let the Seine alpha deal with his mother's people. But now, it was impossible. His hand had been forced as soon as Remi sidestepped him on the sidewalk to confront Liam.

The urge to tell the little seer to run filled Gideon as he watched all mirth flee Liam's face. Of course, he couldn't. He was stuck in wolf form for another day at least. Were he human, he could use his magic to somewhat even the odds. Regardless, a five-to-one fight with shifters didn't favor him or his quest to shield Remi from his world.

"Finally, I will see my father and grandfather's dream to rid the world of you realized," Liam promised as the Snowdonia members began to encircle Gideon and Remi. Not waiting for them to close around him and the mystic, he lunged at their alpha.

Remi was still trying to figure out what she'd walked into when the black-faced wolf attacked the homeless man. That the colossal blond blamed her protector for something to do with his family was evident. What that was exactly was not.

The other enormous men divided their attention between Remi and the fight. Hands clenched, she wished she had a weapon of some sort. As it was, she was no threat, and the men realized that. It wasn't precisely empowering to feel helpless and not to be able to do anything to aid the loa-sent wolf.

A sickening sensation rose from Remi's stomach and lodged itself in the back of her throat. It suddenly occurred to her that they'd make her watch as Kevin died. She didn't want to bear witness to animal cruelty. Besides, with her protector dead, what might these disheveled, filthy men do to her?

Remi knew she was about to prove her previous claim of not being a coward false. Too late, she tried to run. The exit was blocked by one of the gigantic males. Her last-ditch effort toward self-preservation was cut depressingly short.

Iron-like hands clamped around Remi's biceps. Struggling in the man's hold, she soon stilled. As his fingers tightened painfully, she accepted there would be no escape. Whatever these men were going to do to Kevin, she'd have to watch.

The blond man kicked Remi's protector viciously in the ribs. It was so powerful a blow that it sent Kevin flying across the alley. He hit a wall with a yelp. As the wolf struggled to come to his feet, another large man nearby kicked him once more. The group of five laughed as Kevin lay on the cobbled street, breath coming out in painful gasps.

Their leader turned to Remi. His cold, pale blue eyes studied her as if she were some curious insect that'd crawled across his path. A shiver coursed through her as he continued to stare.

After a long minute, the blond man spoke. "Is she your mate, Gideon?"

A gasp escaped Remi at the disheveled man's question. Wrenching her head around to look behind her, she hoped to see salvation in the form of a tall, dark, and handsome man.

Throwing back his head, the blond laughed. "No worries. We'll take good care of her for you once you are dead."

Rising on shaky legs, Gideon gritted his teeth against the pain. Liam had cracked at least two of his ribs. The second kick broke another, making it hard to breathe. He had to fight for each labored breath.

While shifters were strongest in their beast form, Gideon wished he could transform. It would come as a shock to Remi, but she'd eventually forgive him for his deception. As a human, he could communicate with her, use his feeble magic to protect her.

Although Liam's words showed Remi how insane the Snowdonia alpha was, she had yet to connect the dots and figure out he'd been the wolf by her side. Of course, it was beyond human comprehension that Gideon's world existed; that he, they were "other."

Understanding of the madman's taunts and hatred would come later for the mystic. If the Fates were with him, then Gideon would be human by that time. He'd be able to help ease Remi into his world.

With a low, rumbling growl, Gideon advanced on his opponent. Usually, these battles were strictly fought between an alpha and whoever he was to put down. As evidenced by the second kick to his ribs, Gideon couldn't trust Liam or his men to abide by those rules.

Now that he and Remi were well and truly trapped in the alley, Gideon wouldn't stop until every shifter was dead. He'd use his last, dying breath to ensure his mother's pack was no more. Only then would the mystic be safe.

Crouching low and drawing power into his rear haunches, Gideon lunged. The Snowdonia alpha brought up his right forearm to shield his neck in the nick of time. As a result, Gideon's teeth found a new target. They penetrated the other man's coat sleeve and sank into his flesh. Giving a few quick jerks of his head, Gideon tried to break the arm and render it useless. When that didn't happen, he dislodged his hold and dropped to the ground. Backing away, he looked for another opening.

"Fucking mutt," Liam swore as he shook his injured arm. "Why can't you just accept defeat and die?"

Because, Gideon thought as his eyes flicked to Remi. I have too much to live for.

The human mystic's beautiful, amber, and moss eyes were huge. Her shallow, irregular breaths reached Gideon's ears over the sounds of the city. She was terrified but putting on a brave face. At that moment, he accepted what Liam had only guessed. Since they'd first met, he'd known Remi was his mate. And he'd give his life to protect hers.

Gaze flicking back to his opponent, Gideon silently vowed he'd do all within his power to see that neither he nor Remi died this day.

Reaching behind his coat, Liam pulled out a long knife from its hidden sheath. Its blade was the size of the alpha's forearm. About the only way to ensure a shifter was dead and wouldn't heal from his wounds was to decapitate him or cut out his heart. Without the use of his teeth or claws, Liam had to adapt in his human form. In the muted light of the wintry day, the blade took on a sinister gleam.

Pity I didn't break his arm, Gideon thought as he dodged a swipe. It'd been meant to sever his spine.

As Liam went back on the attack, it became apparent he favored his right hand. There was no switching the knife to the left. If Gideon could succeed and render the dominant hand useless, the blade would no longer be a threat.

It took a few slashes to his head and chest before Gideon found his opening. Allowing the blade to sink into his shoulder assured the knife was temporarily useless. Turning his head slightly, he bit down hard on Liam's bent elbow. Adding pressure to his mighty jaws, Gideon was soon rewarded by the sound of snapping bones. It'd broken in at least two places.

With a tormented roar, Liam freed himself. Gideon's paws hit the cold, stone ground just as the Snowdonia alpha kicked him in his side. Tender, healing ribs cracked anew from the blow. With a yelp, he stumbled, then dropped to his belly. It was difficult to draw his next breath.

"No!" Remi screamed. Through agony-glazed eyes, Gideon watched as a man standing beside her raised his meaty fist. A blow to her jaw soon followed. The small human's head snapped sharply back. It rebounded back to its original position. The petite mystic stood stunned and silent in the man gripping her biceps' hold.

"Quiet," the one who'd delivered the blow ordered coldly.

A trickle of blood trailed out of the corner of Remi's mouth. Wide, amber eyes stared at Gideon. He was thankful the powerful punch hadn't shattered her jaw or snapped her neck. Humans were so much more fragile than shifters. It was a fact he kept forgetting.

Noticing where Gideon's attention lay, Liam ordered, "Kill the bitch."

A growl pushed forth as Gideon stumbled to his feet. It was only when he was standing that he realized he was human once more. Ignoring the blade still stuck in his shoulder, Gideon flung out a hand. Using the element of air, he blew Liam's men away from a stunned Remi.

"Run!" Gideon yelled. Liam was on him a split-second later, and he couldn't watch to see if Remi did as he bade.

The crazed alpha grasped the hilt of the knife and twisted it before pulling it free. Since Liam had to use his inferior hand across his body, it was a clumsy move. Gideon's shoulder and neck were filled with pulses of agony.

"Get away from me!" Remi cried, drawing Gideon's attention. Her words sounded off, slightly garbled. Liam's men were recovering from being blown away and were encircling her.

"Let her go," Gideon panted, switching his gaze to the man before him. "She has nothing to do with this."

"She has to die!" Liam raged, waving the knife before Gideon's face. "I cannot risk her continuing your tainted line."

"I haven't touched her," Gideon spat. A quick glance showed him that Remi had been backed further into the alley. As they closed in on her, the Snowdonia men were making profane promises intended to terrify. Judging by the sound of her erratic breathing and pounding heart, they were succeeding.

A wordless shout erupted from Gideon's throat. Never had he felt so impotent. Blocking a swipe from Liam, he used his feeble magic to catch one of the men's coats on fire. If they hadn't separated him and Remi, then Gideon could've done more to keep her safe.

"Best to admit defeat," Liam taunted.

"Who gave you permission to fight on my soil?" Henri was suddenly there with his people.

Liam's wolves stopped encircling and taunting Remi. But they didn't back off and allow her to escape. Zoe peeled away from Brassard, leading a small group toward the other shifters to see if they couldn't be persuaded to do the right thing.

"I don't need anyone's permission to execute this mutt!" Liam, knife held high, came at Gideon once more.

Ducking low, Gideon brought his forearm up and knocked the blade from Liam's hand. With a roar, the alpha came at him with his bare, partially shifted hands.

Gideon knew Liam wouldn't stop until one of them was dead. Using the last of his magic stores, he blasted the man with fire. The alpha, too crazed to notice, continued his attack.

"Stop!" Henri commanded.

The Snowdonia alpha was too far gone to listen. Gideon deflected blows as best he could. When Liam landed a punishing punch to his much-abused ribs, he went down, falling hard on his knees. Clutching his side, he gasped for breath. A piece must have broken off and punctured the lung.

"Finally, I will kill the abomination," Liam sneered as he snaked an arm around Gideon's neck. Applying pressure, the Snowdonia alpha tried to squeeze his opponent's head from his shoulders.

Gideon tried to find a handhold to ease Liam's air-stealing grip. It was impossible to break, however. Out of his dimming peripheral, he noted Henri start toward them. The Seine alpha was far off and wouldn't make it before Gideon passed out, leaving him easy prey for Liam to finish.

Hands dropping to the ground, Gideon fumbled about for the knife. It'd fallen somewhere within his kneeling vicinity. After what seemed like hours, his questing fingertips felt cold metal. One was sliced open as he ran it up a sharp edge in search of the hilt. Ignoring the sting, and willing himself to remain conscious, he clutched the end in a weakened grip.

Using the last of his strength, Gideon brought the knife up with as much force as he could muster. It slipped beneath Liam's ribcage, through his diaphragm and punctured his heart.

The choking hold around Gideon's neck loosened, and he stumbled to his feet, breaking it completely. Sucking in deep breaths, he took a precious second to blink and clear his vision. Then, he twisted the blade. With a few quick jerks, he "cut out" Liam's heart from within his ribcage. By the time Henri reached them, Liam was well and truly dead.

"Couldn't be helped, I suppose," the Frenchman observed. Dispassionately, he toed the corpse to make sure all life had fled.

Gideon couldn't answer as he gasped and coughed, hands braced on his knees. The wet knife slipped from his fingers to land on the cold ground beside what was once Liam. Over the pounding in his ears, he heard another scuffle.

"It appears the dead alpha's wolves want your head," Henri mused from above.

The word caused immediate alarm to sound within Gideon. He wouldn't put it past them to take the person he loved in retaliation.

Forcing himself to straighten, Gideon searched for Remi. He found her standing aside with Zoe. Towering shifters surrounded the little human. She gazed dazedly at the white plastered wall in front of her. It was apparent she'd heard and seen too much in a short amount of time. Her mind was taking a break and would process it all later.

"Sadly," Henri began as Liam's wolves were restrained once again. The Seine alpha plodded along beside Gideon as he made his way toward Remi. "I cannot ignore that you broke the peace in my territory." Stopping with him, Brassard told Gideon what he already knew. "You must leave my city, my territory."

Extenuating circumstances didn't matter to Henri. The law was the law, simple as that. There were no grey areas.

"And the human?" Gideon asked, eyeing Remi. Gaze affixed to the building before her, she wouldn't acknowledge any of them. A bruise was forming on her jaw, marring her flawless coffee and cream complexion.

"She was part of it and saw what she should not have. Either she leaves with you and stays with you, or I have to kill her."

"Henri," Gideon growled.

The alpha gave a gallic shrug. "You know I'm extending you a branch by letting her go with you. You'll have to make sure she never talks. The law states that humans who find out about the races must die. So, I'm doing you this one favor out of the kindness of my heart."

"No one follows that archaic rule anymore," Gideon ground out between clenched teeth.

Brassard flashed Gideon a cold smile. "I do."

Cursing, Gideon gathered Remi to his side, opposite his broken ribs. She stood stiffly under his arm. "Will you give us time to pack?"

"Because we are such old, dear friends, I will keep these foreign wolves for two hours," Henri offered. "By then, you should have a large enough start; they'll find it hard to track you."

"Thank you," Gideon muttered. Plans raced through his mind as he looked down at Remi.

"Oh," Henri added, drawing Gideon's gaze. "I will be calling our king to fill him in once I'm home. You may wish to speak with him first." Warning issued, and with a wave of his hand, Brassard left the alley. His shifters and prisoners followed. Zoe shot Gideon a sympathetic look before she brought up the rear of the departing group.

"We need to pack," Gideon told Remi, urging her to move with a slight nudge. She was like an automaton beneath his arm. Eventually, she began to walk.

Cursing under his breath, Gideon winced as he fished out his phone. It was dead. He'd need to charge it while Remi packed. Then, make a difficult call to his king. Bollocks.

I hope you liked this chapter. If you want to point out mistakes or want to leave a comment, I'd appreciate that! Also, if you enjoyed reading this chapter, please consider voting for it. Thank you!