She looked down. The top of her cream-colored bra was showing, but only the top. It wasnt X-rated yet. It wasnt even PG, except that they were outside, and anybody could walk by and see them. Somehow it didnt feel like that, though. Here, with him, she felt like there was nothing else in the whole world except the two of them.
Um, Claire? Shane said. His finger had moved down to touch the skin right at the top of her bra. Maybe we should finish our tacos inside.
What about
Eve and Michael are at work. I go in at two.
Oh. That might be a good idea, then.
He stood up and helped her rise, and they gathered up the plate and Cokes and went inside.
Best. Lunch. Ever.
Claire spent the rest of the afternoon humming around, ridiculously happy; when Eve came home and saw her, she put down her coffin-shaped purse and said, You look mussed. If I wasnt a total lady, Id guess that you and Shane
Excuse me? Youre a lady?
I bought a title on the Internet. I own one square inch of Scotland, you know. And youre changing the subject. Eve gave her a sharp grin and grabbed her hand. Give, already. Deets.
Im not telling you details.
Sure you are. Were girls. Its what we do!
If we were guys, that would be gross.
Wait, checking . . . Eve held an invisible phone to her ear. Nope. Were still girls, and the referee says that makes it okay. So give it up, Danvers. You look starry-eyed. It must have been fantastic.
Claire might have actually told her, at least up to the parts that made her blush, but just then, Michael came in the front door toting his guitar, tossed his keys into the tray on the hall table, and yelled, Eves got dinner duty!
Hey! Eve yelled back, and stomped her foot. Your timing sucks, Michael!
Why, was there hot wild-girl action
Shut up, you perv.
Cant catch a break, he said, and flopped down in the chair. I was just speaking for Shane, since hes off heroically chopping barbecue for money. Hey, you guys notice anything weird happening the last couple of days?
Claire forgot all about the fun shed just been having, and focused in on him with laser intensity. Other than the vampire going nuts at the diner, you mean?
Yeah, I see your point, but I mean . . . more people acting weird. More than usual. Two of my guitar students didnt show up. When I called one of them, he said he didnt know what I was talking about, and he wasnt learning the guitar. Which is definitely strange, because hes already paid me for the whole month.
Michael had noticed it. It wasnt all in her head. Claire swallowed and glanced at Eve, who was frowning, too. I guess, Eve said slowly, and crossed her arms over her black and pink striped rugby shirt, with a skull where the logo should have been. When I got to the coffee bar on campus, there was this girl wandering around, asking everybody if theyd seen her roommate. Trouble is, she doesnt have a roommate. She hasnt for, like, years. But she was describing her like she actually existed.
Thats what Im talking about. Michael nodded. Weird shit. I met at least two other people today who thought it was a couple of years ago. What the hell, right?
Right, Claire said softly. Her good feelings, intense though theyd been, were officially gone now. Whatever was happening in Morganville, it wasnt in her head, and it was spreading.
She was going to have to go to Amelie if Myrnin didnt want to believe it. They had to take the system offline, run a full diagnostic. There was just nothing else to do.
Amelie wouldnt like it. Oliver really wouldnt like it.
Its probably nothing big, Eve said, and both Michael and Claire looked at her like theyd never seen her before. I mean, its Morganville. Not like anybody here is ever far from the borders of Psychoville. I mean, I want to go nuts about twelve times a day.
Michael stood up, facing Claire. You know something about whats going on, dont you? he asked, and she saw a flicker of vampire red in his blue eyesjust a spark, but enough to let her know he was serious. Is it what you and Myrnin were working on? Is that it?
I dont know, Claire admitted. But Im going to find out.
She just had no idea how to do that without Myrnins help.
When she got up, Claire checked the calendar and saw that there was another Elders Council meeting scheduled for noon. That was the best time, she thought; she could probably get in, and once she laid it all out, Richard would be on her side, and Hannah. Hannah probably had more info about the weirdness than anybody else. Amelie and Oliver would have to act.
Going to the Elders Council wasnt something Claire took lightly. She took a shower, fixed her hair carefully, dressed in her best black shirt and pants, and added the delicate cross necklace that Shane had given her, back when theyd first started all this. She had his mothers claddagh ring on, too. It made her feel stronger.
Downstairs, she turned on the TV while she ate her breakfasteggs wrapped in a flour tortilla, with salsa. She tuned to the local Morganville station. Usually it was full of town propaganda about how great everything was, but not today; today, somebody had decided to put on some actual breaking news.
FAMILY OF FOUR KILLED IN MURDER/SUICIDE
Claire choked on her breakfast burrito. She didnt know the names that flashed on the screen, but it was awful enough, anyway; the kids were fourteen and twelve. The dad had freaked out yesterday, gotten hospitalized in the crazy ward overnight, then been sent home.
That had been a mistake, and now there were dead people. Dead kids.
Claire called up the Morganville Police Department and asked to be put through to Chief Moses. Hannah wasnt in the office, but the switchboard put the call through to her in her patrol car. She sounded stressed. What is it, Claire? Its a busy day.
I understand, but I need to get into the Elders Council today. Can I go with you?
Why would you want to do that?
Because I need to tell them about what I think is causing these problems around town.
Hannah was quiet a moment, then said, All right. Ill come get you in half an hour. Stay there. Dont go outside.
Claire felt a stab of unease. Why?
Things are getting worse. We lost a whole family last night, and there are plenty of other problems. Just stay where you are, all right? This is important.
Ill be here. Claire hung up and stared down at her blank cell phone screen as if it might contain the secrets of the universe. Then she went to the window and looked out.
At first, she couldnt see anything odd at all, but then she saw flashing police lights three streets over. She could just make out struggling shapes.
One of them was on fire. Like a vampire whod decided to stroll around in the daylight.
Claire stepped back from the window and ran into Michael, who was standing behind her. She whirled, slammed her hand into his chest, and pushed him back. Hey! she said sharply. Creep much, Michael? Man, dont do that!
He stared at her as if hed never seen her before. What? she demanded. Her heart was still pounding from the shock. She was waiting for him to say boo or laugh or shove her back, like they normally would.
He said, What are you doing here?
Looking out the window?
I dont know what you think youre doing, but you cant just . . . He hesitated, and seemed to waver a little, as if hed gone dizzy. Cant just
Michael?
Cant just come in here and
Michael!
He put a hand to his head, as if he hurt, and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he took a deep breath, looked at her, and said, Oh, hey, youre up. Is there any coffee?
She just stared at him, trying to see any more signs that something was going wrong with him. She remembered the vampire at Marjos Dinerand how suddenly shed flipped out on that poor waitress. Could it happen to Michael? Could she end up fighting him off any second? Not that shed be able to fight him off. Michael was tall, strong, and very, very fast. Shed have a better chance of punching a speeding truck.
Ill take that as a no, he said. Okay, Ill make the coffee. Whats up with the window?
She wordlessly pointed out to the flashing police car lights. Theyd thrown a blanket over whoever was on fire. Michael looked, and then said, What do you think? International spy ring? Meth lab? People who pissed off Oliver this week?
He sounded so normal now. And he obviously didnt even remember having that little . . . glitch. Claire cleared her throat and said, Ill make coffee. It gave her an excuse to walk away from him, although he followed her into the kitchen. She got out the filters and the coffee and started loading the machine while Michael got down two mugs and put them on the table. Hannahs picking me up, she said. Ill ask her about your international-spy-ring theory.
Im betting on meth lab.
Claire poured the water in and started up the machine, which hissed and gurgled and immediately reminded her of the gutted, reworked mechanical zombie of Ada under the basement of the lab. Did you sleep okay?
Yeah, why? Didnt you?
She had, but now she wanted to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over her head. Did . . . ah, did you have any dreams?
Now he was really looking at her as if she was a mental case. Sure, I guess. Why do you want to talk about my dreams all of a sudden? What did you dream? Am I going to be embarrassed I asked?
Shed been hoping maybe hed casually say, Yeah, I had this weird dream where I didnt know you, but instead, shed made him think there was something wrong with her. Perfect. The coffee machine started filling the pot, to her relief. Michael was easily distracted with coffee. Sure enough, as soon as there was enough for a cup, he got up, took it off the burner, and poured half in his mug, half in hers. That was nice of him. Claire? he asked, as he slotted the glass carafe back in its spot. Anything you want to tell me?
Not . . . specifically.
Why is Hannah picking you up?
Oh, that. She was almost relieved. I need to go to the Elders Council today, thats all. Nothing dangerous, I promise.
Youre not trying to get that kid Kyle out of the cage, are you? Because that would be dangerous on a lot of fronts.
Well, she might try to talk Amelie out of it, but she didnt think Michael necessarily needed to know that. Im not going to do anything crazy, she said, which was safe, because crazy these days was definitely open to interpretation. I just want to talk to her about the machine. I dont think its working right, Michael. And now people are
Dying, he said softly. I saw the news. You think he killed his family because of whatevers going wrong with the machine?
Its like the vampire in the diner who went crazy. I think that man knew something was wrong, and he couldnt deal with it. Claire shuddered. It must seem like a nightmare, and you cant wake up. I tried to tell Myrnin, but he . . . he was weird about it. Weirder than usual, I mean.
That made Michael pause in sipping his coffee. Hes not doing anything he shouldnt be doing, right?
Like what?
Like hitting on you.
Ew. No, of course not. He doesnt see me that way. Michael shook his head and went back to his coffee. What? You think he does?
Sometimes he looks at you a little . . . oddly, thats all. Maybe youre right. Maybe he just wants you for your blood.
Again, ew! Whats with you this morning?
Not enough coffee. The pot was filled now, so he got up and refilled his mug. She didnt get a second free service, but, Claire reflected, maybe she didnt need more coffee this morning. She was plenty jittery.
They got off of the subject of Myrnin, which was a relief, and onto things Michael liked to talk about, like the new songs he was writing. His demo CD was going to be out in the next two months, and he was supposed to see the packaging for it soon, too. That was cool.
He was telling her all about it when the doorbell rang. Hannah. Claire dumped out the rest of her coffee, told Michael shed call if anything happened, and bounced.
Hannah was dressed in her cop uniform, looking serious and intimidating, even though she was lounging against a pillar on the porch with her arms folded. She turned her head as Claire came out and locked the door. Shed gathered up her braided hair, tied it, and put it up in a kind of bun; it looked cool, but then, Hannah always looked cool. It was something she just radiated, like body heat. Morning, Claire.
Hey. Claire nodded. Do you want some coffee? We just made a pot.
Ive got some in the car. Lets go. Hannah was already heading down the walk toward her cruiser, so Claire hurried after her, taking two steps for every one of Hannahs longer legs. Thanks for staying inside.
Claire got in on the passenger side of the police car and put on her seat belt. As Hannah started the car, she said, What was happening?
Where?
Over there. Claire pointed in the approximate direction where shed seen the other police cars. Something happened.
Nothing you need to worry about right now. That wasnt like Hannah Moses at all. She was usually relaxed, calm, confident, and she was hardly ever evasive. Now she sounded tense.
Claire tried for humor. Michael and I had a bet. He said meth lab. I say international spy ring.
Neither, Hannah said, and pulled the car away from the curb. What are you going to tell the council?
I . . . dont want to talk about it yet.
You should, Hannah said. My lover woke up this morning and didnt recognize me.
Claire blinked. Your . . . what?
Yes, get over it, Claire; women older than you have boy-friends. But he didnt know who I was. He said hed never met me. Hannah was crying. Not a lot, just a shimmer of tears in her eyes, but it was chilling. Claire didnt know what to say. It lasted a while, and then he was fine. Its been happening all over town, but only to some people. For some its worse than others, and it doesnt seem to go away. You heard about the murders? Claire nodded. Do you know something about whats causing it?
I Claire swallowed hard. Maybe. Yeah. I think so.
Hannah pressed harder on the gas. Then lets get you to the council, because I want this stopped. I never want to feel that again, and I never want to work another murder scene like the one I saw last night.
Claire shuddered, and changed the subject. Is . . . is he human? Your boyfriend, I mean.
Yeah, hes human. Why?
Its not just humans who get it, whatever it is. Vampires do, too. Claire hesitated, then plunged on. I think Michael forgot who I was this morning. Not for long, just for maybe a minute or two. But I dont think its the first time hes forgotten.
Hannah looked, if possible, even grimmer. Thats not good news. Not at all.
I know. Claire couldnt shake the memory of the vampire in the diner, who said the world was wrong, and then tried to kill the first person who came close. What if that happened to Michael? To Oliver? God, to Amelie? That vampire who went crazy, the one from Marjos Diner the other nighthow long did it take for her to come out of it?
Hannah gave her a sideways look as she made the last turn toward Founders Square, and slowed for the security station they had to pass. She didnt, she said. Best we can tell, she never will.
NINE
Kyle was still in the cage in the middle of the park, heavily guarded; Claire caught a glimpse of the barred square box and the heavy police presence as the car passed the borders of the square, and then took a ramp down to the underground parking beneath the buildings. Hannah had a reserved space, and as they walked toward the elevator it opened with a hiss. One of Amelies black-suited guardsthe womannodded to Hannah and looked at Claire with pointed intensity.
Shes with me, Hannah said. Ill take responsibility.
Good enough, the vampire agreed, and pressed the button for the meeting floor. Ill warn you, theyre not in a wonderful mood.
They never are.
The vampire chuckled, a very human sort of sound, but somehow at least twenty percent more sinister. Well, thats true. Good luck.
Once theyd stepped out of the elevator, the vampire was all business again, following Hannah and Claire as they walked down the long marble hall to a set of polished wooden doors that opened before they arrived, from inside. Claire supposed that was intended to look impressive, but it wasnt any big trick; the vampires could clearly hear them coming.
There was only one guard in the room this time, and their escort stopped outside and pulled the doors shut behind them. Amelie was seated in her place, and so was Richard; there were folders on the table, each one neatly labeled.
Oliver was pacing, hands behind his back.
Youre late, he snapped at Hannah. The guard was righthe was clearly not in a good mood. Hannah sat down beside Richard, leaving Claire standing in indecision. And youve brought a friend. How . . . nice.
Claire quickly sat down in the first available chair. Oliver was eyeing her like a piece of trash he was considering taking out.
Claire, Amelie said. This is unexpected. Unexpected, Claire thought, did not mean welcome. Amelie, like Hannah, looked un-characteristically tense.
I needed to talk to you, Claire said. Both of you.
Must we always be distracted by the yapping of your favorite pet? Oliver said, and crossed the room in a flash to slap both hands flat on the table, glaring at Amelie. Silence her until were done. She shouldnt be here.
That was . . . shocking. Claire had never seen him quite that aggressive toward the Founder before. It occurred to her, uneasily, that maybe she ought to have called Amelie first before showing up.
Amelie didnt flinch, blink, or react to Olivers anger in any way. Shes not my pet, she said evenly, and I dont take orders from you, Oliver. Truly, you must try to remember that from time to time.
He showed his teeth, but not his vampire teeth. Not quite. He pushed off from the table and paced again, moving like a lion who wanted a gazelle very, very badly.
Amelie turned her attention to Claire and said, Youll wait until our business is done. Hes quite right. You shouldnt be here.
Claire nodded. She didnt really want to waitshe wanted to blurt it all outbut there was a warning in Amelies cold gray eyes that made it clear blurting was not a good idea.
You are on edge, Oliver, Amelie said. Sit, please.
He threw her a filthy look and kept on pacing, back and forth. I had to put down one of my own last night, like a rabid dog. Do you imagine I should feel relaxed?
Claire bent her head close to Hannah and whispered, What happened? Hannah shook her head in warning. But I
Oliver rounded on her, eyes flaring red. Do you want to know what happened, Claire? he said. Which part of it? The part where one of my oldest associates lost her mind and began to attack humans in the street? The part where I couldnt reason with her? Or the part where I was forced to kill her, on Amelies orders?
That met with ringing silence. Amelie continued to watch him, face calm and smooth, body very still. After a moment, she said, very quietly, You are overwrought. Sit down, Oliver. Please.
I will not, he snapped, and turned his back.
After another moment of silence, Amelie went back to the open folder before her. Then let us move on to the business at hand. This request to expand the hunting permits is unacceptable. Theyre asking for four times the current limit, and they want to include the university grounds as well. This is highly risky to all of us. My proposal is that, rather than expanding hunting licenses, we discontinue the program altogether and seek another alternative. There are always a few humans who would willingly volunteer to be bitten.
Richard started to say something, but he was crushed by Oliver. This is an old, tired argument. Are we vampires or not? We hunt. Thats our nature. Restricting it, even outlawing it, doesnt curb our instincts. It only makes us criminals for having them.
Oh, but I fully expect you to control your instincts, as I do. Unless youre unable to master yourself. Are you, Oliver? Amelies tone was sharper than Claire expected, almost . . . angry. It occurred to her, finally, that Amelie was upset, too.
Very bad combination, having both of them on edge, in a confinedspace.
This time, Oliver did flash fangs at her. Youre on dangerous ground, woman. Dont push me. Amelies guard took a step away from the door. And dont presume to have your dogs threaten me, either. Ive supported your rule in this town. Ive even agreed to your experiments and social rules of behavior. But I will not allow you to make us into pale copies of humans. It is not who we are, or who we should be, and you know that better than anyone.
I take it you will not entertain any alternative plans, Amelie said after a moment. Then we will leave the program as it is, with a limited number of licenses, and the university remains protected ground.
Oliver laughed. Are you listening? They wont obey you for much longer. Theyll do as they choose, regardless of the law. Theyre angry, Amelie. Youve allowed humans to kill vampires and walk away. If you choose to punish vampires for following their natures, youre as stupid as you were when you thought you could manipulate your way onto a throne as a girl of twelve. You never did reach that goal, did you? Im sure dying a mere princess never sat well with you. That must be why you appointed yourself queen here.
Amelie stood up, and the room went very, very quiet. Claire no longer felt the urge to try to talk. She felt the urge to crawl under the table. It was as if she, Richard, and Hannah no longer existed, at least to Amelie and Oliver.
Are you telling me that you no longer want to serve as my second? Amelie asked him. Because that is what I hear.
Amelie . . . Olivers voice was full of angry frustration. He, at least, hadnt forgotten the presence of others, and glanced quickly aside at the humans. Send them out. We need to settle this. Its been a long time in coming.
Richard and Hannah are equal members of this council. I will not dismiss them like servants.
He laughed, and Claire saw the sharp glitter of his fangs. Equal? How long have you been deluding yourself like this? You think any of them are ever equal to us? You are ceding control of this town to fools and mortals, bit by bit, and we are all going to suffer for it. Die for it. It cannot go on!
Sit down, Amelie said. Now.
No. You are destroying us, Amelie, and I cantI wont permit it to continue.
They froze in place, staring at each other, and Claire hardly dared to breathe at all.
Oliver didnt blink. He finally said, Your human pets are turning on us. Theyre turning on you. The boy in the cage down there is proof enough of how much in contempt the humans hold your rules, and you. And theyre not wrong, because we are killers, and they are our natural victims. If we let them have control, they will destroy us. They have no choice.
Thats not true, Claire said. She hadnt exactly meant to say it, but now it was out, hanging in the air, and Olivers attention was on her like a freezing blanket of snow. It doesnt have to be that way.
He whirled to face her, and she wished shed kept her mouth shut. So what is your solution, little Claire? Keep us in zoos, the way you keep other predators who threaten you? Exterminate those you cant control? Thats what humans do. We know this. We used to be just as flawed, just as human. Oliver looked back at Amelie. Id have wiped all vampires off of the face of the land, in my breathing days. If I could have managed it.
She smiled thinly. I know very well what you would have done, she said. You did the same in your day with humans who worshipped differently from you and yours. But not all humans are as genocidally inclined as you.
He hit the table so hard it vibrated. I did what was right!
You did what was right for those who agreed with you, and that is all in the past. We are talking about our future. Oliver, we cannot live as we did. We cannot hide in the shadows and run when discovered, like rats. In this modern age, there is no hiding among the humans, not for long. And you know it. She hesitated, and then said softly, You must trust me, as you once did.
He laughed, a rusty, raw sound, and turned to go.
Amelie flashed around the table in a white blur and put her back to the door before he reached it. He paused just a step away from her. Seeing them that close together, Claire realized how tall he was, and how he towered over her. Amelie looked fragile, suddenly. Vulnerable.
Dont make me do this, Amelie said. I value you. Dont destroy the peace we have.
He reached out and fastened his hand on her arm. The guard moved toward them. Amelie shook her head, and the guard stopped, but stayed ready to jump. Out of my way, Oliver said. This is useless. Ive bowed to you for too long, and if I continue to do it, we will all suffer. You cant change us, Amelie. You cant change me. For the love of God, stop trying.
Sit. Down.
No. Ive been your trained dog long enough.
She broke free of his grip and slapped her hands on both sides of his face, freezing him in place. Her eyes . . . her eyes went white. Pure, cold, icy white. Claire looked away, because what howled through the room just then was a feeling of wild power nothing like shed ever felt from Amelie before. Hannah and Richard had moved out of their chairs and were pressed against the far wall. Even the guard was backing up.
Do not defy me, Amelie said fiercely. I dont want to destroy you, but I will rather than allow you to hunt and kill as you wish. Do you understand me?
It had to be impossible for Oliver to do anything but agree. Claire felt the pressure in the room increase, a kind of heavy psychic weight that made her gasp and want to curl into a balland it wasnt even aimed at her.
Amelie opened her mouth, and her fangs slid down, elegant and slow. She was no longer vulnerable. Not at all. She was . . . terrifying.
Oliver had to kneel to her. He had to. Claire could feel just the edges of what Amelie was doing, but the pressure on Oliver must have been like the weight of the ocean, driving him to submit.
He took a deep breath and brought his arms up sharply between hers, and knocked her hands away from his face. Amelies eyes widened in surprise, and then he reached out and put his hands on her face.
Amelies eyes faded back to gray, then turned very dark. No, she said. No.
Yes, Oliver said. I warned you before. I wont be ruled. Not even by you. I dont wish to do this, but youve left me no choice.
Amelie was shuddering now. Power was pouring out of Oliver, and unlike Amelies cold control, his felt hot, blood-hot, pounding like a pulse. Overwhelming. Claires head was splitting from the pressure, and she saw that Richard and Hannah were feeling the same pain.
Submit, Oliver said. Submit and Ill spare you the humiliation of kneeling.
No, she whispered, but it was weak. Only a thread of sound. Her eyes had turned black. You will never have me, Oliver. Never.
I already have you, he said.
No.
This has been coming for so many years. You knew it. Let go. Amelie, I dont want to hurt you.
It seemed to take everything Amelie had, but she struck his hands away from her face, just as hed done to her. Her eyes paled back to gray. She was breathing, visibly breathing, which for a vampire meant shed just done something extremely hard. I will never be your creature, Oliver, she said, voice trembling. I will accept you as an equal. Never as a conqueror. You should know that by now.
He stared down at her, and Claire felt the pressure in the room slowly bleed away. She should have felt relieved, but instead she just wanted to collapse and sleep. Hannah and Richard were holding hands, she noticed. That seemed odd. Maybe they were just as freaked-out as she was.
Equals, Oliver said. How could we ever be equals, do you imagine? We arent made for such things. We both need to rule. Its in our natures.