Page 26 of Even Vampires Bleed (Even Ever After #2)

Cassiopé

I t turns out, Pierre wouldn’t have been my worst nightmare.

This is my worst nightmare.

Because Christina didn’t let me roast her so much with my questions. She got rid of me fast after explaining we would rob the archangels, right from their special collection.

She told me to talk with Elis to get more explanations on what we would be stealing and left.

Yes, she left her own office because she didn’t want to talk to me anymore.

I should feel flattered that she feels that it’s needed, but somehow, I’m just uneasy about the mission.

I know absolutely nothing about what we’re about to steal, and Elis isn’t helping.

If I had made any progress with him, they’re all dead now, because he withdrew in his own personal bubble and has barely been acknowledging me with anything other than grunts.

It’s been two days, and we’re waiting at the entrance of the Sacré Coeur to meet with whoever Elhyor sent.

I’ve stayed here for the most part of my time so I didn’t even think to ask him who he would send and I’m still praying to myself, “ Please don’t be Pierre, please don’t be Pierre.”

Except I should have been more specific.

Because instead of my worst nightmare, it’s my wettest dream that comes forth, and I’m not ready.

Léandre. Elhyor sent Léandre.

And I don’t know how it’s even possible, but it looks like he filled out his clothes since I left him in his room almost three weeks ago.

His hazel eyes shine like they’ve found the mysteries of life, and his smile is radiant.

It hurts to see how good he looks and how unaffected he is, and I don’t realize my face can show it all until Elis bumps my arm with his.

“Your face lit up like a Christmas tree just to be gloomier than my mum at my aunt’s funeral,” Elis tells me. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this man is the one who stole your loved one—not the archangels.”

Amazing. The bastard says nothing for two weeks, and now he reveals that he actually heard what I said to Christina.

Awesome.

“In a way, he did,” I whisper just for the two of us and don’t explain.

“So, we hate him?” Elis asks and just like that, it occurs to me that maybe Elis and I really are friends.

“It’s a long story, that we don’t have time for now, but no, you don’t need to hate him,” I say.

“Okay.”

This is Elis’s only answer before Léandre joins us in front of the church.

“Hi,” Léandre says with a sunny smile.

How do I love that smile?

How do I hate it even more?

“I know you,” he says almost right away when his eyes fall on me, and my dumb heart starts accelerating like he recognizes me after all. “You’re the crying girl from the day my mind was wiped. Are you feeling better?”

And just with a sentence, all my dreams are crushed right next to the pile of pieces that used to be my heart.

This week is going to be hell.

Oh, yeah, because did I say there’s a week of preparation for this mission?

A whole full week.

And I get to spend it with grumpy—Elis—and sunshine—Léandre.

Yeah, me.

“Yes,” I answer Léandre’s question, even if I don’t believe the single word I just spit.

I almost want to ask him why he would care, anyway, but instead I stay silent.

This is going to be a long week.

“My name is Léandre, and you are?” Léandre says as he turns in Elis’s direction.

“Annoyed,” Elis answers, and I almost want to laugh at the gruff tone he just used.

He did tell me he didn’t see why Christina was making one of Elhyor’s men join us on that mission.

That’s basically all he has been saying these past two days.

Because yeah, I still don’t know what we’re stealing.

“His name is Elis,” I tell Léandre before hurrying him behind us so we can get back inside the Sacré Coeur.

He follows, but then his next question stops me in my tracks.

“And you are?”

I try to hide that my steps falter, but Elis looks at me like he saw everything and knows I’m hiding something.

Anyone would have looked at me this way, I would have thought I was about to be grilled with questions until they got to the bottom of it. But it’s Elis I’m talking about, and I’m pretty sure he thinks the less he asks about me, the less I’ll ask about him, too.

So, he stays quiet, and I know it’ll stay like this.

“Cassiopé,” I say when my voice accepts to work normally again.

“That’s a lovely name,” I hear Léandre say behind me, and I quicken my pace.

The quicker we do our first meeting, the quicker I can be away.

That doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t know if I’ll survive for long with him acting so casually.

I want to hug and kiss him. I want to show him how good we were together, but I hate even more that I still want that.

It’s all over.

This man isn’t my Léandre.

This man works out; it’s obvious now that I can cast side glances while we walk to take a better look.

My Léandre didn’t like working out. He liked books, and he would have never been sent on a mission to steal something.

I believe he only followed when we went to Blois because I was going, no matter what anyone told me.

Going was for me.

So, this man, the one who chose to come to the Sacré Coeur— and came prepared — isn’t mine anymore.

We enter the church and then get down to the catacombs.

We pass Christina’s office and then enter the room that was given to us to prepare for this.

The room is bare except for a very big table, showing blueprints of the aisle that used to house the former Michael, from what I understood. It’s not in Versailles’s castle, though. It’s under it. This is where we’re supposed to go.

No one has said a word during the walk here.

With Elis and I, it’s to be expected. With Léandre, it’s more because if he ever visited the catacombs—he probably doesn’t remember, and he’s now soaking in the feels.

His eyes are glittering in the light of the electric candles that are installed on the walls.

“Where do we start?” he asks when we’re all inside the room, “Is it just the three of us?”

“We need to be discreet,” Elis says. “Do you think ten people would be?”

I want to tell him to shut up because Léandre can’t really know, and that anyway, it’s going to be difficult to be totally discreet with a bear in tow.

“Alright, then. How do we get in? How do we carry everything?” he asks, and I’m glad he did because that’s at least something I know how to answer.

“I’m our way in, he’s the one who carries everything,” I tell him, and I’m amazed at how I managed to keep it short and also—more importantly—stay where I am.

“But how?” he asks again, and I realize my answer wasn’t foolproof.

Oh well, I’m getting better at being curt, but I’m still not completely on point.

“She does her shit and I’m a bear,” Elis says.

When he puts it like that…

I can see on Léandre’s face that he’s not convinced, though.

Doesn’t he know the strength of bears?

He’s looking at the pair of us as if he’s trying to analyze how we could really do that. Me opening anything and Elis—who isn’t really massive, to be honest—carrying everything we need.

“What are we carrying, anyway?” I finally ask to make Léandre stop staring at me.

“No one told you?” Léandre seems to be taken aback.

You and me both.

“We’re breaking into Michael’s—well, the former one—curiosity cabinets.”

Léandre seems so proud of himself that I don’t want to kill his joy, but I have no idea what could be there.

He seems to realize he didn’t say enough because he speaks again .

“That’s what he called his living collection. They’re a sort of prisoners or just prizes that he wanted to keep alive just to prove he could,” he says as a shudder shakes him.

He pauses and then finally says something that makes sense why he’s the one Elhyor sent.

“I don’t know what you guys are getting from there, but I’m getting my father’s wings.”