Page 123 of Even Vampires Bleed
But first I have one stop to make before I go all in on this thing.
First, I have a date with a lovely redhead mechanic.
65
Florentine
It’s five thirty in the morning when Elodie wakes me up.
Why couldn’t she wake up Dad?
I have to be at work in two hours, and now, I won’t be able to fall asleep again. Or if I do, it’s going to be hell to find any motivation.
But, like most nights, Elodie had a nightmare.
It’s been like this since she was a baby.
It might have been because our mother bailed on us barely two months after she was born. It was twelve years ago, but the nightmares are still there.
She probably needs to see someone about it, but dad says we don’t have the money.
If he wasn’t gambling most of it away, we could probably afford it.
But here I am, taking care of my little sisters when it should be him.
There are five of us.
I’m the oldest. Then there’s Coralie, who is three years younger than I am. Then Amélie, who is two years younger than Coralie and Juliette,who is another two years younger. The youngest is Elodie, who is six years younger. She wasn’t planned, hence why our mother bailed.
My dad wanted her. My mother didn’t, and she decided she had enough.
Why am I telling you this?
Because this explains why I’m up at five thirty on a workday, and why I’m still awake when ten minutes later, there’s a knock on our door.
If it’s one of father’s debtors at the door again, I’m gonna rain hell on them.
I’m not a morning person—even less so when I have to deal with problems someone else created.
I might be nice and willing to deal with it in the end, but it won’t make me do it with a smile.
“What?” I bark, as I open the door forcefully.
“You’re an awfully difficult person to find,” a soft voice tells me.
I recognize that voice. I also recognize the person it belongs to.
She’s one of the vampires who live in Notre Dame. I think she’s named after a mythological queen.
“Cassiopé,” she introduces herself as she holds her hand for me to shake. “Can I come in?”
I open the door and let her in. If she’s here, she needs something Elhyor might not know about.
It means it’s probably going to be expensive.
For her—not for me. And I did say earlier that we needed money.
“What are you here for?” I ask her.
