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7:30 p.m.

Angela sat on an exam table with an adjustable backrest while a nurse affixed a bandage to her cheek with strips of medical tape. He had drawn a curtain across the door for privacy. “Those abrasions weren’t too bad,” the nurse told Angela, securing the last strip of tape. “Some bruising may occur, but you can take this bandage off tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you.” Angela avoided eye contact, her attention focused on the events of that evening. She had to tell her uncle what she’d witnessed.

Someone strode into the room, their resolute footfalls announcing their arrival before their shadow fell upon the privacy curtain. A stocky older gentleman in a three-piece suit pushed the curtain aside, holding a familiar black cane with an obsidian handle shaped like a serpent’s head. “Angéline.”

The man’s arrival filled Angela with relief. “Uncle Corin!”

Corin Lacroix closed the distance between them, and Angela stood to embrace him. They held each other for a good long moment, Angela empathically channeling Corin’s tender emotions. Her empathy didn’t require touch, but physical contact strengthened it. Angela usually avoided touching people for this reason, but Corin’s affection was a feeling she was happy to take in. She hugged Corin tighter, his love far more potent than the deathly chill of his body.

“Everything is going to be all right,” Corin whispered. He released Angela to address the nurse. “How serious are her injuries?”

The nurse cleared his throat. “Well, sir, she received a head injury and reportedly lost consciousness, but the doctor who examined her found no signs of a concussion. She has a couple of scrapes and bruises, but I’m sure she’ll be right as rain in no time.”

“Good. I wish to take her home now.”

“Of course you do, but I think the police might want to ask her a few more questions.”

“Then they can arrange an appointment with me,” Corin asserted, his tone broking no argument. “She’s been through enough tonight.”

Angela almost spoke up to reassure Corin that she was fine to speak with the police, but the words failed to come, and she admitted to herself that she was just done. After what she’d been through, she just wanted Corin to take her home.

The nurse sighed. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re requesting a discharge.” He walked past Corin and slid the curtain back in place to give them some privacy.

Angela hugged Corin again once the nurse was gone. “Uncle Corin, the man who died … the one who attacked me … I saw … I …”

“It’s all right, Angela,” Corin soothed, easing Angela back on the exam table. He squeezed her hands, and Angela took comfort in the soft touch of his taupe kidskin gloves. “Take a deep breath. Now, what did you see?”

“The man who attacked me … I told the police that I didn’t see who killed him, but I did. Uncle Corin, it was the man I dreamt of the other night. He’s a vampire … like you.”

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