Page 43 of Even Vampires Bleed
She turns to look at him, and I can see a bit of annoyance, but not as much as I would have expected.
“Yes?” she asks, making a movement with her hand in the two men’s direction so they wait for her.
“Someone broke in upstairs and wants to see you,” he tells her. “She knows your name.”
“What do you mean, broke in? I thought we had reinforced all the locks?” she asks, “and why would they want to meet me so early?”
The man doesn’t answer and just gives a side glance to the other two men on the couch. He doesn’t need words to make it be a valid answer.
“Should I tell her it’s going to be awhile?” he asks.
“Yes, tell her that,” Christina answers and starts turning in the other direction.
I think I’ve waited enough.
“I think I’m not going to wait,” I say once I appear human again, even if naked.
All three people sitting on the couches jump in their seats, and the man I just appeared next to looks at me with surprise.
“Who are you? What are you?” One of the men from the couch asks—probably forgetting he’s not supposed to be the one asking questions here.
“Do you want the long or the short answer?” I ask as I fold my arms under my breasts and start to look at my nails.
It’s all a façade to make me look confident—a confidence that I’m not really feeling right in this instant, being naked in front of so many people whoare looking at my body.
I’m used to being naked around shifters. We don’t care. We don’t pay attention to other’s nakedness. But those two men from the couch… they’re looking at me as if they would love nothing else than to eat me, and it truly gives me the ick.
“Short,” Christina answers.
Well, I’m going to try. I’m not known for my short answers.
“I need revenge and word on the street is you’re the one who can give me that.”
Here, short, efficient.
“It doesn’t answer any of my questions,” Christina tells me as she looks at me with pinched lips and a twinkle in her eyes. It makes her look both amused and annoyed at the same time.
I have no idea how she manages that.
And of course, the short answer didn’t work for me. I almost want to slap my face but stop myself. I’m still naked and don’t need to look stupid as well.
“Cassiopé, bat-shifter or vampire or whatever you want to call my kind. Also, an expert at opening doors that everyone would want to stay closed and staying unnoticed,” I answer after remembering her initial questions.
Yep, we’ll have to come back for short answers. I suck at those.
“What makes you think I could help you get revenge?” Christina asks.
“You’re still doing raids against the angels?” I don’t wait for her answer. “I want in.”
“I thought shape-shifters didn’t care for human politics,” the man who inadvertently brought me here says. I can’t help but turn to look at his face to witness the sneer I could hear in his voice.
“I just want the new Michaël and Gabrielle dead. Do whatever you want with your politics,” I say with a shrug.
“This isn’t how it works here, miss… Cassiopé?” Christina pauses but doesn’t wait for me to confirm my name. “What do you think is going to happen if you kill them? Who do you think is going to take their place? We can’t have them disappear just for them to be replaced. Because you never know, their replacement could be worse.”
I’m a firm believer of “better the devil you know…”
This is the only case where I don’t agree with that motto, though.
