Page 87 of Even Vampires Bleed
Cassiopé
Iwake up in a room I don’t recognize. The bed linens smell like home, but they’re so at odds with the rustic wooden bed that it throws me off-balance.
Where am I?
It takes me a minute to remember my jump from the jet and the events that ensued. I’m okay, though. I can feel it—blood.
I remember the blood I lost and then the blood I took from Léandre.
I blush at the thought.
Drinking blood from someone is taboo amongst the bat-shifters. We like our meat raw or rare if cooking can’t be avoided, but we stir away from drinking people’s blood.
And we don’t usually explain why.
The first reason is appearances, obviously. Because it’s one thing for humans to call us vampires, but it’s another to behave like the ones in their stories.
But it’s also because drinking blood can drive us mad.
It starts a craving that is only satiated when the taker has taken everything. Blood, body and soul.
So, I better stay away from Léandre.
Because if I don’t, it’s going to start things both of us might not want.
Oh well, physically, I still want him. I can’t lie to myself about it.
The only reason I didn’t slip my fingers into my panties while I was drinking his blood is because I wasn’t completely myself. I was on the verge of passing out, and I couldn’t even see straight, so the strength to rub my clit when I could barely hold my head up? Not a chance.
But Léandre—this one at least—isn’t attracted to me, and if he was, I’ve probably driven him away by now.
So, he doesn’t want this. There is no way he wants me to claim him in a blood bond.
I look around myself.
It’s a small, but cozy room. The furniture is made from wood and there is an open shower on the right side next to the window—which has its blinds closed, but thanks to my bat sight, I can still see everything.
The house seems silent, and I wonder how long I’ve been asleep and where Léandre has gone in the meantime.
I get up and wobble on my own legs before finding my balance.
It still feels like I lost a lot of blood, even with everything I took from Léandre.
Slowly, I make my way out of the room and find myself inside a spacious living room that doubles as a kitchen.
Léandre isn’t here, but I can see that it’s late afternoon, and I believe we arrived right in the middle of the afternoon, so I’ve either only slept a couple of hours—which would explain why I’m still so tired—or a full day.
I walk to the door—which is fully open—and breathe the outside air.
It’s warm, and I like the way it smells.
I walk some more, and without meaning to, I find the pool of my blood.
It’s dry. Completely dry. And the dirt on the ground has started to absorb it.
Okay, so not just a couple of hours.
I slept for a while.
