The Key to Erebus (The French Vampire Legend. Book 1)

by Emma V. Leech

  Chapter 13

  Cyd grinned at me and winked. “Dutch courage!”

  I smiled back and took the glass with a hand that trembled slightly. “Well maybe just one.”

  I held the glass firmly in both hands, terrified I might spill it. Just as I bent to sit on the sofa opposite her she yelled at me and I nearly did just that.

  “Don’t you dare sit down, you’ll crease the dress!”

  “You mean I have to stand up all night?” I protested.

  “Bloody right you do!” She chuckled to herself, waggling her eyebrows. “Well unless you get lucky.” She winked at me. “But then you can take it off.”

  I spluttered over my drink. “Cyd!”

  “OK, OK, Miss Goody Two Shoes, sorry to have offended you.”

  I laughed at her expression as she didn’t look sorry at all as she settled herself down to carry on with her history.

  “So anyway, to cut a long story short, I got in with a real witch who took me around to certain events where I discovered the existence of other supes.

  It was the vampires that fascinated me though. They were so beautiful and powerful, I just wanted to be one of them more than anything. So I managed to get myself invited to join a gang of these vampire groupies, which isn’t as easy as you might think. They really vet anyone who comes near them.” She paused to take a sip of the whiskey.

  “So, I was at my first engagement, dressed to kill and in absolute awe of the place and the people, when I caught the eye of this gorgeous vampire. God he was beautiful. Anyway, after the party he asked me if I wanted to be like him. He said I would be a perfect companion for him and would I like to accompany him on a trip to Italy. So I did.”

  I must have looked shocked because she laughed at me.

  “It was the sixties, Jéhenne. Well anyway, to be honest it turned out he wasn’t such a nice guy.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her and she tutted holding her hands up.

  “I know, big surprise! The problem was that I was too scared to run away from him but every time I asked him about turning me, he would change the subject. So this went on for about six months until we came here.”

  “Corvus was his maker?”

  “Not directly, but he was in the family line. So anyway when I got here Lucas, he's Corvus' second, he took pity on me and told me that William - that was his name, would never be able to turn me as he didn’t have any power in vamp society and basically I’d been an idiot. So I decided I needed to have a little chat with Will, and confronted him.”

  She looked at me and sighed, “Will was someone who was full of his own importance, and when I told him what the Lucas had said he lost his temper and killed me.”

  I gasped, the shock of it somehow increasing from the negligent way she spoke about it. “Oh my God, Cyd!”

  She laughed cynically. “Don’t worry about it, he did me a favour. It’s been against vampire law to kill humans for almost a century, today especially what with forensic techniques being so sophisticated. We don’t want to be discovered. So Will had committed a terrible crime and Corvus sensed there had been a death in the house. When he came to investigate, he made Will tell him what had happened. It was impossible for Will to lie and so when Corvus realised I’d wanted to be turned, he did it himself. I was the first vampire he’d made himself for over five hundred years. I'm much more powerful than most vampires of my generation because I'm a direct sire of the Master.”

  I couldn’t miss the pride in her voice.

  “But I thought it was forbidden to make a vampire without the senate’s approval?”

  She nodded, “Yes that’s right unless one of the family has died or been killed. Under those circumstances the Master has the right to replace them.”

  “So, Will…?” I asked, with an unpleasant feeling of foreboding growing under my skin.

  “He murdered me,” she said, her eyes cold and glittering. “Do you think Corvus would have let him do that and walk away?”

  I shook my head, silent, but the reality of what it meant made me shiver. I stayed quiet for a while as the idea that Corvus had simply killed him sank in. I tried to imagine it and failed. Did that mean I was kidding myself about him? Only seeing what I wanted to see? I felt Cyd's eyes on me and tried to return to the conversation. I didn't want her to know I didn't feel as black and white about what had happened as she clearly did.

  “So all of the vampires here tonight will be of Corvus’ blood?”

  “Yes, though not all of them directly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Cyd got up and poured herself another drink, she gestured to give me a refill but I shook my head. The whiskey had started a warm glow in the pit of my stomach, but I’d hardly eaten anything and I didn’t want to overdo it.

  “Some of them were made by vampires he himself made and some of them were wraiths.” Cyd took in my puzzled expression and carried on.

  “Wraiths are Masterless vampires. Sometimes, if the Master is displeased or bored with one of the family, they will simply disown them. It’s a terrible situation for a vampire. To begin with there is the shame of being shunned by the family, it's a terrible slur in our world, but on top of that they are vulnerable to other, more powerful vampires. Your Master is there to protect you, so if he is powerful you are safe. Without a Master you’re easy prey to anyone who wants you and believe me, they’re not all like Corvus. If you get taken by a rogue they could make you do anything they wanted or they could drain you, just for the pleasure of it.”

  “Drain you?”

  “Sure, drinking another vampire's blood gives you their strength, at least temporarily. It wouldn’t kill them but they could take years to recover. Anyway, we’ll probably get some turn up tonight.”

  “Wraiths?” I asked, trying to keep everything straight.

  She nodded and downed her drink,

  “What will happen? I asked, swirling the last drop of whiskey in the glass around and wishing I could have another.

  “They’ll ask Corvus to make them part of the family.”

  I looked up at her, curious. “Will he?”

  “It’s up to him. He’ll decide whether or not they are worthy and he’ll want to know why they were abandoned. If he thinks they have been badly treated he’ll take them on, but it’s always a risk. If their old Master takes offence, it can cause trouble.”

  The cold feeling under my skin was growing and anxiety gnawed in my stomach. “And if he doesn’t take them?”

  “He can let them go or execute them, it’s his choice.”

  “Execute?” I shivered.

  Cyd regarded me, her expression placid. “If they were a danger to the human world, would you prefer he let them go?”

  “I… no, I guess not.” Though I wasn't sure what I felt. My eyes were being opened as to what Corvus really was and his words last night came back to me. Don't forget what lies beneath. How many people had he killed in his lifetime? I finished the whiskey to try and chase away the chill that had crept into my bones. The violence of their world was something I couldn’t imagine ever getting used to. I felt like I’d woken up on the real life set of The Godfather but instead of gangsters there were vampires and Corvus was playing Don Corleone. I’d lived most of my life in London and I wasn’t so naive to believe things like this didn’t happen, but the thought of Corvus … executing someone. I realised my hands were shaking and decided I’d risk another drink after all.

  Cyd stood up suddenly, with the fluid grace that all the vampires seemed to have.

  “Well, hun, I’ve got to go and get ready myself now. Just don’t sit down and don’t touch anything,” she said, gesturing at my make-up. She walked to the door and turned back as she opened it. “Oh, and Corvus said not to leave the apartment until he comes to get you.” And with that, she left me.

  “Great. I’ll just stay here and twiddle my thumbs then,” I muttered as the door closed.

  The nerves had really kicked in now. Bet
ween everything that Cyd had told me, the importance of not showing Corvus up and the worry over how much had been spent on my outfit, I was on the verge of a fit of hysteria. I swallowed some more of the whiskey and grimaced as the cold liquid started a slow burn from my mouth down to my stomach.

  I paced up and down the room for a while, listening to the music drifting up the stairs and the sound of people laughing. I went back into the bedroom and checked my reflection in the mirror for the twentieth time, just to be sure I hadn’t imagined it.

  After repairing the lip-gloss I wandered back into the living room and began pacing again. It wasn’t that I was exactly eager to walk into a room full of vampires, but if it had to be done I’d rather just get on with it than wait here worrying.

  Also, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted to see Corvus again. Despite everything I now knew of him. The thought of him sent tremors of excitement running through me. I hoped he liked the dress, though I was definitely going to have words with him about how much had been spent and make him understand it was just a loan. Just so I didn't embarrass him. I sighed and leaned back against the settee, the clock said it was ten thirty and I'd been waiting hours. Maybe he’s forgotten about me, I thought feeling dejected.

  In the end curiosity got the better of me and I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek over the bannisters. I pushed the door open and stepped tentatively into the corridor. Making my way towards the stairs, I’d just turned the corner when I came face to face with, I assumed, one of the guests.

  His black hair was cut short and he had blue-grey eyes, the colour of flint. He was shorter than Corvus, but with more body builder type muscle. The testosterone was practically dripping off him, and the charcoal coloured suit he was wearing failed to hide the huge bulges in his arms.

  I was frozen to the spot, not knowing what the social etiquette was with vampires. Should I talk to him? Before I could decide what to do he grinned, showing his teeth, and spoke to me.

  “Corvus does know how to treat his guests, doesn’t he? You look particularly special.”

  I faltered on my way to a smile, not liking the look in his eyes. As I was about to tell him I wasn't on the menu, he caught me around the waist and pulled me roughly towards him. A small scream found its way out of my mouth as I felt his hot breath on my neck and sharp teeth poised millimetres from my skin. But then, almost as quick as it had happened, it stopped, and I was released. I staggered back and almost lost my balance on the unfamiliar heels when someone caught me. Feeling sick with fear, I looked up and then actually cried out in relief. Corvus had his arms around me and was glaring over the top of my head at the other man, who had dropped his head in a kind of half-bow. I buried my head against Corvus' chest as his voice bore down on the vampire cowering away from him.

  “Guillaume, what is the meaning of this?” His tone was mild but Guillaume was trembling and staring at the floor.

  “I’m sorry, sire, I had no idea she was yours. I would never have presumed …”

  Guillaume stumbled over his words, still not daring to meet Corvus' eyes. I was frightened. Corvus hadn’t raised his voice but he was almost rigid with anger and Guillaume was quite obviously terrified. I lifted my head and gazed up at him.

  “I’m alright,” I said in a small voice.

  He didn’t look at me but continued to stare at Guillaume.

  “I’m so sorry,” Guillaume said to me, looking utterly miserable. “I am your servant, Mademoiselle, please forgive me.”

  Corvus looked down at me with a questioning look.

  “It’s fine.” I nodded, no harm, no foul. I shivered.

  “We will discuss this at another time,” said Corvus, dismissing him with a curt nod of his head.

  “Yes, sire.”

  The big man nodded, looking more wretched than ever, and left us alone.

  Corvus looked down at me again, his expression fierce. “Did Cyd not tell you to stay in the apartment?”

  “Well, yes she did, but…” I trailed of at the look on his face.

  Corvus massaged his forehead, he looked stressed. “Jéhenne, if I tell you to do something it’s for a reason. You can’t just ignore my instructions in these matters.”

  I felt my temper flare despite the fact he’d just rescued me. I’ve never been very good at doing as I’m told.

  “Well, I thought you’d forgotten about me. I was waiting for ages.” I bit my tongue as I realised that had sounded a bit whiny and I thought I saw his mouth twitch with amusement but when he spoke, he was deadly serious.

  “Guillaume wasn’t to know you were not available, but now I will have to punish him. That need not have happened if you’d done as I asked.”

  “Punish him? How?” I demanded. I felt a stab of guilt, despite the fact I’d nearly been served as a snack.

  “That is not your affair.”

  I frowned at his tone. He sighed and reached out, touching my hair gently and brushed his hand against my cheek. He was staring at me. I fidgeted under his scrutiny feeling awkward. “What?”

  “You look incredibly beautiful,” he said, his voice low, something in his eyes I couldn't read. I found that I didn’t know where to look. He wouldn’t take his eyes off me.

  “Come,” he said, pulling me back into the apartment. “I need to make sure there are no other such misunderstandings tonight.”

  He closed the door behind him and took my hand, raising it to his lips. I sucked in a breath as he kissed it gently, his eyes never leaving mine, and then moved to my wrist kissing that and gently running his tongue over my pulse. His lips moved slowly up my arm and at intervals his warm tongue painted delicate pictures against my rapidly heating skin. By the time he got to my neck I was breathless and my heart was jumping like a frightened rabbit. He stopped and gently took my other hand and started the process again.

  “What are you doing?” I squeaked, though frankly, I didn’t much care so long as he carried on.

  This time, when he got to my neck, he moved behind me. His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me against him as he kissed a trail up my neck before nipping playfully at my ear lobe.

  “I am marking what’s mine.”

  I frowned as that sank in. “W--what?”

  He was pulling my hair up and kissing the back of my neck, pulling me even tighter against him, his hard body pressed into mine. I made a small sound, somewhere between a sigh and a moan that made me flush even hotter with embarrassment but it couldn't be helped. He paused for a moment to explain and I tried to breath in the interim.

  “The other vampires will be able to smell my scent on you and they will know that you belong to me.”

  “Belong to you?” I tried to pull away from him but found I couldn’t move. “Who says?” I demanded, feeling like I'd agreed to something without even being asked.

  He chuckled and returned to kissing a path along my shoulder. “I do.”

  “Well, you can just bloody…” But the words died in my throat as he turned me around and pressed his mouth against mine. I couldn’t remember what it was I’d been about to say, I couldn’t think about anything in fact, except how good this felt. You might imagine that if someone has been practising something for nearly two thousand years, they’d probably be pretty good at it. Believe me, you’re not wrong. By the time he let me up for air I’d lost the ability to form a coherent sentence, let alone remember why I was supposed to be cross with him.

  He looked down at the stunned expression I knew was on my face with amusement and something that looked like affection.

  He sighed. “I’m sorry, Jéhenne, but we must go down now, they are waiting for us.” He brushed his lips against mine. “If we don’t go now I’m not sure we’ll make it at all,” he added.

  “Sounds good to me,” I whispered, close to his lips.

  “Me too,” he agreed brushing our mouths together once more. “But I have responsibilities, I cannot forget them … no matter how much I may want to.”

 
The expression on his face told me just how much he did want to, but he kissed my forehead and let me go.

  I sighed heavily, “Well, you’ll just have to wait while I go and repair the damage you’ve done.” I tried hard to sound cross and regain some of my lost composure as I scurried back to my bathroom. Standing for a moment against the cool tiles, my heart made an effort to return to its normal rhythm. I felt a little less like I might pass out now so I repaired the lip-gloss and rearranged my hair again.

  Composed once again, I went back into the living room and my breath caught as I noticed for the first time how good Corvus looked in the beautifully tailored suit he was wearing. What with the debacle with Guillaume I’d not had time to really look at him. He’d gone without a tie, just leaving the top buttons of his shirt undone. He looked sophisticated and powerful and so far out of my league it made my head hurt.

  “You look good in a suit.” I managed, when I found my voice again.

  He looked uneasy and frowned. “Cyd made me wear a tie, but ... unfortunately someone spilt red wine down it.” He grinned and I knew he was lying.

  “Oh yes? Of course they did.” I smiled to myself at the thought of anyone making Corvus do anything.

  “Are you ready then?” he asked.

  “No, not really,” I admitted

  He touched his fingers to my hair, coiling a piece around his fingers. “I want to introduce you to the family.”

  “You’re not going to leave me though, are you?” Panic settled in the pit of my stomach like a rock at the thought.

  “Not straight away but I’m afraid that I will have to. It is a busy evening for me.”

  “Oh.” I tried hard not to pout but wasn’t sure I succeeded.

  He reached out and caught me by the hand, tugging me forwards so I was right in front of him. My breath left me as he traced a finger lightly under my bottom lip and looked searchingly into my eyes.

  “You’re not really angry at me, are you?” he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

  I couldn’t help but smile - he was impossible.

  “You’ll just have to make it up to me later. Otherwise I’ll sulk for the whole evening,” I said, pretending to pout.

  Corvus grinned and kissed me briefly on the lips.

  “Don’t worry, I will,” he promised. “Come on or I’ll ruin your make-up again.”

  I could only hope.

  He took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “OK?”

  “No.”

  “I’d love to say they don’t bite, but…”

  “Shut up.”

  “Sorry.”

  He laughed sounding anything but sorry and led me down the corridor where I could hear the noises of a party already in full swing filtering from downstairs. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and then walked with me down the stairs. I swallowed as we came into the living room which had been transformed with hundreds of flickering candles. The scent of flowers hung in the air, and a cool breeze from the open doors floated in and made the flames dance lightly in their metal sconces.

  The Château was filled with people, all dressed exquisitely. The men wore tuxedos or sharply cut black suits, and the women long, glittering dresses and towering high heels. The humans were wandering in and out of the crowd, and occasionally I saw a vampire catch one by the wrist and they would disappear into a dark corner.

  I felt every head turn to stare inquisitively at me as we passed through the room, and Corvus gripped my hand tighter as we walked towards a small group.

  They bowed their heads in respect to Corvus and it all felt very formal until one of the women smiled at me. Her long, dark brown hair was coiled back in a complicated knot and she had a huge necklace of rubies clasped against her slender neck. A stunning dress of glittering black sequins flowed over the curves in her body and down to a pair of heels, staggeringly high, with a tell-tale flash of red soles just visible when she moved.

  “Corvus, who is this?” she asked, her voice heavily accented.

  “This is Jéhenne,” he said, gesturing at the woman to me. “Jéhenne, meet Chloe.”

  She extended a hand. Her nails were elegant and painted a bright scarlet, and a dozen glittering diamond bracelets clinked lightly against each other on her wrists.

  “And this is Ethan and Alexis.” Corvus had turned to a tall man in a tuxedo and a woman dressed in a silky gold dress and a long string of pearls, she nodded at me and smiled.

  “And then we have Mathieu, Xavier, and Rosette,”

  Cyd walked up to him just as he finished the introductions. She looked amazing in a tight black tuxedo with a white silk shirt underneath.

  “OK, where is it?” she said, in voice that was obviously resigned to the inevitable.

  “What?” Corvus looked back at her, his face the picture of innocence - or as close as a Master vampire was likely to get.

  “The tie,” she said with just a hint of impatience. “What have you done with it?”

  “Ah,” he said gravely. “I’m sorry to say that the tie met with a little … accident.”

  Cyd sighed and threw her hands in the air. “That was Armani! I give up, really I do. I’ve come to tell you they are all waiting for you in your office.”

  He nodded at her and turned to the group. “If you’ll excuse me.” He smiled at me and took my hand kissing the back gently and looking me in the eyes. “I will see you later, Jéhenne,” he promised and then left with Cyd.

  The two men grinned. The one called Mathieu had blonde hair gelled up in spikes, and wore a smart black suit and a bow tie. He bent forwards in a bow then reached for my hand and kissed it gently.

  “Enchanté, Mademoiselle.”

  “Mathieu, don't play with fire.” The woman called Rosette said and gave me a tight smile.

  He pretended to clutch at his heart and then grinned. “A man can always try, non? Besides, while the cat is away … and she’s such a pretty little mouse, it’s almost worth a slow and painful death.”

  I smiled uneasily and wondered if they knew what had happened with Guillaume or if he was even joking. They all chuckled and after a few moments of hesitation, I fell into conversation with them.

  Chloe and Rosette confided in me that they had been attacked by the same vampire, in Paris during the eighteen fiftie’s. They’d actually lived on the same street, in a small huddle of houses along the edge of the river Seine. The vampire had made them and then abandoned them when he got bored. They said if Corvus hadn’t taken them in, they wouldn’t have made it.

  Chloe was having a wonderful time laughing and flirting and she took it upon herself to introduce me to all of, as she said, “The most amusing people.” She kept topping up my glass when I wasn’t looking and as much as I tried not too it was desperately hot and all the talking made me thirsty. Chloe was irrepressible though and wouldn’t take no for an answer if I tried to refuse her. I was pretty sure the orange juice I requested when I knew I'd had enough had been spiked, but sadly not until I'd downed half the glass.

  I was enjoying watching her flirting outrageously with a Russian vamp called Nicolai when I heard a low wolf whistle. I turned to see Rodney smiling at me appreciatively. “Blimey o’ Riley you scrubbed up well!”

  “Well thank you, Rodney,” I said with a little curtsey. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”

  It was true. He’d dispensed with all the chains and earrings and the Mohican was gone, replaced with a neat jet black ponytail. He was wearing a beautiful black suit and tie and looked incredibly smart. It was a surprise to see what a nice face he had without all the earrings and mad hair to distract from it. Not exactly handsome, but open and friendly.

  “Do you really think so?” He sounded nervous.

  “Rodney, you look fantastic!” I said, giving him a thumbs up.

  “I’ve been looking for Amelia,” he admitted. “I’m trying to get up the nerve to ask her to dance.”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Good luck with that!”

>   He looked miserable. “I know, she’ll never dance with me in public.”

  I frowned at him, my temper rising at the idea. “Rodney, if she doesn’t she’s an idiot.” I huffed, furious on his behalf. “You go ask her if you want but if she says no, believe me, it’s her loss not yours!”

  “Ah, thanks Jéhenne.” He smiled. “Well, nuthin’ ventured, nuthin’ gained.”

  And he plunged back into the crowd.

  I wondered anxiously what Amelia would say. I didn’t know her at all, but the little I’d seen wasn’t good. I didn’t want Rodney to get hurt. I didn’t have long to worry about it though before I was swept up once more by Chloe.

  I kept wondering where Corvus was and if I’d get to see him again tonight, he had promised after all. I’d been scanning the crowded rooms all evening in the hope of getting a glimpse of him, but to no avail. I sighed and heard Chloe laugh beside me.

  “Don’t worry darling, he hasn’t forgotten you. He has business to attend to. He’ll come as soon as he can.”

  I opened my mouth to contradict her, embarrassed that I had been so obvious, but she carried on.

  “I can see why he’s so enamoured,” she said softly, stroking my cheek with her manicured hand. “Such a pretty, delicate thing.”

  She licked her lips and I smiled nervously and agreed with relief when Mathieu asked to take me off on another round of introductions.

  I was enjoying myself so much that I didn’t notice the slow lull in conversation as people began drifting out of the house. Mathieu explained that everyone had to get back to their accommodation before the sun came up and before I knew it, the place was empty.

  I wandered unsteadily out onto the balcony to get some fresh air. My head and my feet ached and I closed my eyes and leant against the balustrade, enjoying the peace of the early morning.

  I was startled by a strong pair of arms around my waist and warm lips kissing my shoulder.

  “Did you miss me?” Corvus asked.

  I twisted around in surprise, looking up into those gorgeous blue eyes and decided to show him just how much. The good thing about the heels was I didn’t have to reach up quite so far and took advantage of the situation by kissing him hard on the mouth. He seemed a little surprised and hesitated for a moment before his lips pressed back in response. His warm tongue tangled with mine as his hands slid down my back.

  The alcohol was making me daring and I pushed my hands under his jacket and undid the buttons on his shirt. They opened easily and I slid my hands over the smooth muscle of his chest. I heard him moan softly and he pulled me closer. I leaned into him, my hands disappearing into the soft tangle of his hair. When those warm lips left my mouth and began to kiss my neck I pushed my hands under the shirt again and up around his back, revelling in the sleek warmth of his skin. His breath was cool against my heated skin as his mouth drifted lower, kissing the swell of my breasts. I closed my eyes as his tongue swept under the edge of the dress, dipping beneath the bra. I sighed and leaned back against the wall behind me, my head tilting back. His mouth was at my neck again and felt my breathing catch, remembering what Rodney had told me. I allowed my hand to drift from his hair, over his powerful shoulder. I traced the outline his pecs as my hand descended, feeling the definite ridges of his abs as my hand found his belt buckle and kept going. He made a pleased sound of agreement as I stroked him under the material of his trousers and I giggled suddenly as a vision of my mother’s face seeing see me making out with a vampire, drifted into my mind. Corvus stopped and stepped back at little, frowning down at me.

  “Jéhenne?” he said, my name a question.

  I was floaty and buzzing and warm and abandoned, smiling at him with a happy sigh. “Wasamatter?”

  He sighed heavily. “How much have you had to drink?”

  “Don’t ‘member.” I shrugged and smiled hazily at him.

  He muttered something in a language I’d never heard before - it was definitely swearing, before picking me up and taking me inside.

  I leaned my head on his shoulder sleepily. “Are we going to bed?”

  “You are,” he grumbled mildly.

  We got to my bedroom and he laid me gently on the bed.

  “I’ve called, Cyd.”

  I opened my eyes wide. “Why? I’m not sharing you with Cyd!”

  He snorted and shook his head. “To help you get ready for bed.”

  He looked totally unruffled, but I got the feeling I might be trying his patience.

  “Oh,” I sat up and twined my arms around his neck, breathing in his scent. Somehow, he smelt like midnight. “I’d rather you did it,” I murmured, trying to kiss him again.

  He smiled and removed my arms gently from his neck before laying me back down.

  “So would I, my heart, but if we are going to be together I have two demands. The first is that you are sure about what you are doing.” He bent down and brushed my lips with his. “And the second is, that you don’t forget a moment of it.”

  He sat up and smiled fondly at me. “Sadly, you don’t currently meet either of those requirements.”

  There was a soft knocking at the door.

  “Cyd’s here,” he said. “Sleep well, Jéhenne, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He got up and left the room, letting Cyd in on the way. She came in, took one look at me on the bed and put her hands on her hips.

  “Idiot!”

  I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face. I couldn’t agree with her more.