Chapter 8

" I take back my earlier statement," I said a few hours later, wrinkling my nose at the stone caskets we walked past in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

They were filled with bodies of French kings and queens, but none were intact. Apparently, during the French Revolution, the civilians tossed the bones onto the street and desecrated them. Since there was no way to tell which bones belonged to which monarch, they simply scooped them up and tossed them back into miscellaneous graves. Even the bodies of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded.

"Which one?" Addie asked as she leaned up on her toes to admire the only original stained glass in the building from the twelfth century—a couple of small circles.

"The one about this city being full of attractive men," I said. "This city is full of dead people."

Addie choked on air, spluttering and coughing. Holland placed his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head as she caught her breath. "Sorry," she rasped. "Forgot how to breathe."

"So did all these dead people." I grimaced at yet another tomb.

"This place is a work of art, though. Don't you think?" Addie fell into step beside me, looking around at the stone walls and ceiling.

I followed her gaze around the church. "Yeah, it's beautiful. There are worse places to spend eternity."

Addie frowned, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Do you believe in an afterlife?"

I paused and shrugged. "No, I don't. I think that, when you die, that's it. You're worm food." Instinctively, I placed my hand on my stomach, trying not to think about the baby that never was. Next to me, Addie's frown deepened and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You okay?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've been acting weird all day," I told her. "Spill. What's up with you?"

Addie stopped walking and rocked back on her heels. "Will you come to dinner tonight? I have something to tell you."

"Tell me now," I said. "I'm literally spending the whole day with you."

She shook her head. "It's not public talk. It's sister talk."

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you engaged? Pregnant?" As the last word left my mouth, my stomach churned and I selfishly wished she wasn't.

Addie laughed weakly. "God, no, neither of those. I promise I'll tell you tonight."

I didn't like having to wait, but pressuring her was the wrong thing to do when she obviously had something important to say. "I thought I saw a little café across the street. How about we get some lunch and a glass of wine?" I offered.

Addie's shoulders slumped in relief and she let out a breath. "Wine at noon sounds great."

I grinned. "I love this city."

After lunch, I begged Addie to take me somewhere without any dead people, and we ended up in the Tuileries gardens outside the Louvre. Holland returned to his apartment, leaving me with my sister for the afternoon. While we walked, she told me about her life—her friends, Holland, her freelance jobs, and her weekend trips to other countries. Addie had never been one to travel before, or even step out of her comfort zone, so hearing she'd been to seven countries in the last year was shocking.

When we were growing up, Addie was always the quiet one, the sad one, the one who hung out with dogs at family parties instead of socializing with our relatives. She left Arizona in a flurry of heartbreak, more closed off than I'd ever seen her.

It was strange how much of a difference a year made. Now, she was bright and joyous. She talked non-stop about a life and a love anyone would be envious of. I was.

I was grateful she avoided the topic of my miscarriage and job loss. I wasn't sure I was ready to talk about it yet, especially in the place I'd come to escape from it all.

We sat on a bench across from a huge fountain. I watched the water peacefully, taking a deep breath. At some point, I needed to think about what I would do when I went home next week. I had to find a job and decide whether to move back in with my parents.

But all I wanted to do was watch the water.

"Okay, I can't wait anymore," Addie said suddenly. She shook out her hands, her breath trembling.

I almost placed my hand on her knee, then thought better of it. If she was overwhelmed, touching her was the last thing she needed. "Addie, what's going on?"

"You're going to think I've lost my mind," she said to herself. "Holland said not to tell you yet, but you're my sister. I can't keep anything from you, especially this." She met my gaze. "Please don't laugh."

I blinked, unease settling in my gut. "Why would I laugh?"

She sighed. "Do you think there are things we don't understand in this world? Impossible things?"

I shrugged, unsure what she was referring to. "Sure. Scientists and doctors discover new things every day, and I stand by my belief that there's no way Earth is the only habitable planet in the universe, especially when there's so much of it we haven't explored."

Addie made a noise that was partially a whimper but mostly a groan. "Not science, Indy."

"So, what? Like magic?"

"Maybe," she whispered. Her eyes darted around the park. "What about the supernatural?"

"I don't believe in ghosts." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Come on, Addie, spit it out."

"It's not something I can just spit out ," Addie snapped. The harshness of her voice was shocking. I sat up straighter. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I get overwhelmed much easier these days."

"Please just tell me what's going on," I begged.

"A few months ago—March, actually—there was an accident," she started. "I guess you could say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time…and I died."

I snorted. "But you're sitting right in front of me."

Addie met my gaze. "Exactly. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm dead."

Laughter bubbled in my chest before I could stop it, controlled by the waves of discomfort and disbelief barrelling through me. I smacked a hand over my mouth to stifle the cackle I released. Pain flashed across Addie's face, but I didn't understand why. She was talking in riddles, and none of it made any sense. How was I supposed to believe she was dead when she was sitting in front of me?

"So, what, you died and they resuscitated you at the hospital, right?" I rasped, clinging to some semblance of reality. "Why didn't you call Mom and Dad? Scratch that. Why didn't you call me? I would have been on the next plane here."

Addie sucked in a breath. "Fuck, this is hard."

I stayed quiet, unsure what to say.

"Okay," she continued. "I'm going to show you."

"Show me?"

Addie stared at me, her eyes full of melancholia I didn't understand. Then, something changed. Her brown eyes darkened impossibly and literally. The veins under her eyes turned black, stretching across her face like jagged lightning bolts. I glanced around for the clouds that must have caused the sudden shadow. My sister blinked, and a blood red rim of color appeared around her irises.

"Addie, what the-"

I didn't finish. Her mouth opened to reveal what could only be described as fangs.

I scrambled out of my seat, barely managing to stay on my feet. "What kind of sick joke are you playing?"

"I'm dead, Indy. I died ." Addie reached for my hand. I flinched, clutching it to my chest and stepping back.

"You're sitting right in front of me," I snapped.

"I'm a vampire."