Chapter 42: Francis

“But that’s impossible,” Timi said as we walked down the streets of Paris.

Morning traffic had started to fill the roads, and the sidewalks were beginning to crowd with people heading to work. To them, we were just another group of tourists wandering through the city.

“Why do you say that?” Ayara asked, glancing at Timi.

Timi shoved his hands into his pockets as we walked.

“Because he’s not a pureblood,” he said. “He’s French.”

I frowned.

“So?”

Timi looked at me like it was obvious.

“Pureblood vampires guard their bloodlines carefully,” he said. “Most of them are centuries old. They rarely turn humans, and when they do, it’s never random.”

“But what if a pureblood turned him?” I said.

Timi shook his head.

“We’re very selective about who we turn,” he replied. “If someone recklessly turns the wrong person, it can lead to serious punishment.”

His words made me glance at Juliet.

She was walking beside me, quiet.

If that was true… then turning me must have been a huge risk.

For a moment our eyes met, but she quickly looked ahead again like she didn’t want to talk about it.

Eventually we reached a small diner on the corner of the street. The smell of coffee and fried food drifted through the open door.

Timi pushed it open and we all stepped inside.

We slid into a booth near the window.

The diner was small but cozy. A few round tables were scattered across the tiled floor, and a long counter ran along one side of the room. The smell of coffee and toasted bread filled the air while sunlight streamed through the front windows.

Ayara frowned as she looked around.

“Why are we here? We don’t need to eat this kind of food anymore.”

“Because we have to fit in,” Timi and I said at the same time.

We both paused and glanced at each other before shrugging.

A moment later a waitress walked up to our table.

She was beautiful—couldn’t have been more than twenty. She had soft features, long dark hair tied back, and bright eyes that studied us with curiosity. She wore a white shirt with a brown apron tied around her waist, and a small name tag pinned to it.

Cami.

She looked between us and smiled slightly.

“Tourists?”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Bon jour. What would you like to order?”

She handed me the menu. I opened it, stared at the page for a second, then slowly handed it to Timi.

Everything was written in French.

Timi skimmed through it like it was nothing, then spoke to her in fluent French, placing our order.

She nodded and walked toward the kitchen.

I kept my eyes on her through the glass panel separating the kitchen from the diner. She handed the order to one of the cooks, then untied her apron and hung it on a hook.

A moment later she walked out of the kitchen and disappeared into a small room down the hall.

“Her shift must be over,” I muttered.

“Daniel!!!”

Ayara’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked and realized they were still talking about the mysterious man from the coffin shop.

“Where are you?” Ayara asked, frowning.

“I’m sorry… I’ll be right back.”

I stood up from the table and walked toward the hallway where the waitress had disappeared. The door to the changing room was slightly open. I pushed it and stepped inside.

She was standing in front of a mirror, tying her hair into a ponytail. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened in shock.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Before she could say anything else, I moved quickly and grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her slightly toward me.

“Hey—!”

I leaned closer, forcing her to look directly into my eyes.

“Relax,” I said softly.

My voice slowed, becoming calm and deliberate.

“You’re not afraid… you’re safe… just look at me.”

Her breathing started to slow. The panic in her eyes faded as my gaze held hers. Vampiric compulsion wrapped around her thoughts like a gentle fog.

“You’re not going to scream,” I whispered.

Her tense body relaxed almost instantly.

“I’m… not going to scream,” she repeated faintly.

“Good.”

I tilted her head slightly to the side, exposing her neck. My fangs slid out without effort.

Then I bit her.

Her body stiffened for a moment as my teeth pierced her skin, but the compulsion held her silent. Warm blood flooded into my mouth immediately.

It was thick, hot, and alive.

The taste spread across my tongue—rich, metallic, intoxicating. Every swallow sent waves of energy through my body. My senses sharpened, my muscles relaxed, and the dull heaviness from the hangover faded.

I drank slowly, savoring it.

When I finally had enough, I pulled my fangs from her neck.

A thin line of blood ran down her skin.

I leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.

As I pulled back, the bite marks on her neck slowly faded, the skin smoothing over like nothing had ever happened.

Her eyes were still hazy, distant.

“You’re going to forget what just happened,” I told her calmly.

She nodded faintly.

“I’ll forget.”

“Good.”

I turned and walked out of the changing room, closing the door behind me.

When I returned to the table, all three of them were staring at me.

Ayara, Juliet, and Timi.

“What?” I asked.

Timi slowly raised a finger and pointed at my shirt.

I looked down.

There was a small stain of blood on the collar of my T-shirt.

I shrugged.

Honestly… I didn’t care.

“Daniel, don’t be reckless. Being reckless will get you killed,” Juliet said firmly.

“I have everything under control,” I replied.

Just then the girl from the changing room walked out of the hallway. She approached our table with a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.

“My shift just ended,” she said. “Another waitress will bring your meal.”

Then she waved politely and walked out of the diner.

I turned to Juliet and smirked.

“See? I told you I have everything under control.”

Juliet rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

After a while our order arrived. Plates were placed in front of each of us.

Roasted duck.

The smell alone made my stomach twist. We all stared at the food with visible disgust.

“Seriously?” Ayara muttered.

Timi shrugged. “We have to blend in.”

So we forced ourselves to eat it.

Every bite felt wrong. The meat tasted dry and lifeless in my mouth, nothing like blood. But we swallowed it anyway, trying our best to look normal.

By the time we finished, exhaustion was hitting all of us hard.

We hadn’t slept in days.

So we paid the bill and went back home to wait for the coffins.

The moment we got inside, everyone scattered around the living room. No one even bothered going to the bedrooms.

Juliet stretched across one couch.

Ayara collapsed onto another.

Timi leaned back in a chair.

I ended up lying on the floor.

We all looked like corpses already.

Minutes passed.

Then more minutes.

No coffins.

The longer we waited, the more irritated we became. Our bodies needed rest, and the sunlight outside made it impossible for us to sleep properly.

Finally I spoke.

“Does anyone know when our guests from last night left?”

Ayara chuckled.

“They left very early in the morning,” she said. “And they were all laughing at you.”

I frowned. “What?”

“You were fast asleep on the floor,” she continued, grinning. “Snoring like a dying engine.”

Timi burst out laughing.

Juliet joined him.

Soon all of them were laughing at me.

I sat up, frowning.

“That’s not funny.”

Before anyone could reply—

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang.

I jumped to my feet instantly.

“The coffins,” I said.

I rushed to the door and pulled it open.

But it wasn’t the delivery men.

It was Maria.

She stood there smiling.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” I replied cautiously.

“I just wanted to check up on you guys… after what went down last night.”

I forced a polite smile.

“Thanks. But now’s not really a good time.”

Before she could say anything else, I gently closed the door.

Then I turned back toward the living room.

Ayara looked at me after I shut the door.

“Did you have to be that rude?” she asked.

I sighed and rubbed my face.

“Don’t blame me,” I said tiredly. “I haven’t slept for days and it’s starting to get to me.”

No one argued with that.

I walked back into the living room and dropped onto the bare floor again. The cold tiles felt strangely comforting against my back.

For a while none of us spoke.

We just laid there… waiting.

Then, after a few minutes—

A loud engine rumbled outside.

A truck.

All four of us immediately sat up.

“They’re here,” Timi said.

We quickly got up and went outside.

A delivery truck was parked in front of the house, and four hefty men were already opening the back. One by one they lifted the coffins out and carried them toward the house.

Each coffin was heavy and polished, the wood gleaming under the daylight.

They carried them inside and placed them carefully in the living room.

Just as they were bringing in the last one, a car pulled into the driveway next door.

It was the uncle.

Victor stepped out of his vehicle and paused when he saw us… and the coffins being carried into the house.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

For a moment no one said anything.

Then Timi casually waved at him.

I did the same.

Victor hesitated… then slowly walked into his house without a word.

When the delivery men finished placing the coffins down, one of them walked up to me and handed me an envelope.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Our boss told us to give it to you,” the man said.

Then the four of them walked out and climbed back into their truck. Moments later the engine started and they drove away.

The house went quiet again.

All four of us gathered together in the living room, staring at the envelope in my hand.

“Well?” Juliet said.

I opened it.

Inside was a folded piece of paper.

I unfolded it.

It contained written words.I unfolded the paper and read the message aloud.

The handwriting was elegant. Precise. Old-fashioned.

It read:

\---

Bonjour.

Allow me to properly welcome you to Paris.

It was a pleasure crossing paths with you earlier today. Encounters such as that are… rare.

You are new to this city, and Paris is not a place where young vampires should wander without guidance.

For that reason, I would like to extend an invitation.

Join me tonight at my residence so that we may become better acquainted. In a city like this, it is always wise to have allies… and perhaps even friends.

Formal attire will be appropriate.

You will find my home at:

23 Rue des Abbesses

75018 Paris

Arrive at eleven o'clock in the evening.

I look forward to seeing you again.

— Your gracious host,

Francis

\---

Silence filled the room after I finished reading.

Then I folded the paper slowly.

“Well,” I said, “it seems there’s another vampire in Paris… and not a lesser one.”

Timi and Juliet both went quiet immediately.

They were thinking.

Hard.

I could see it in their faces.

Trying to figure out who this Francis could be.

A vampire confident enough to reveal his address… and invite strangers into his mansion was not someone ordinary.

Ayara, however, had completely different priorities.

“So,” she said casually, “when are we going shopping?”

Timi groaned.

Juliet rolled her eyes.

I sighed.

“After a long sleep,” I replied.

That was all I wanted right now.

Sleep.

Real sleep.

I walked over to the coffin the mysterious Francis had recommended for me earlier in the shop. The teak wood looked dark and polished, far sturdier than the cedar coffin I had originally chosen.

I lifted the lid.

The inside was lined with soft crimson velvet.

Perfect.

Without another word, I climbed inside and lowered the lid shut above me.

Darkness swallowed everything.

As sleep slowly dragged me under, one thought lingered in my mind.

Francis.

Whoever he was… he clearly knew exactly what we were.

And somehow, that made Paris feel far more dangerous than it had the night before.