Rachel Caine - Bite Club

Amelie smiled. It happened slowly, almost imperceptibly, but it definitely happened. She nodded slightly and said, “And the question is, do you want to go to this MIT?”

“It’s what I’ve wanted my whole life,” Claire said. “It’s always been my dream.”

Amelie didn’t fail to notice the past tense in her verbs. “Wanted,” she repeated. “Been.”

“I should go. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And if I don’t go now, they won’t take me; they’ve got way too many people, good people, trying to get in.”

“So,” Amelie said. “What do you think you should do?”

“Ask you for permission to leave Morganville,” Claire said. “Permanently, maybe.”

Amelie considered that for a few seconds. “And do you believe that you, of all people, need my permission to leave? You know Morganville’s secrets. You can leave more easily than anyone, except possibly Myrnin. I’m quite sure you’ve identified many ways to slip away undetected.”

She had, of course, and Amelie knew it; Claire didn’t confirm or deny any of that. She just waited. Funny, she thought. A year ago, I would have been shaking. Now she didn’t feel afraid at all. Amelie could kill her if she wanted. She’d always had that power. There was no point in fearing it.

Claire suddenly remembered Miranda facing Gina, knowing she was going to get hit, but also knowing that sometimes a little pain and blood was better than the alternative.

“I won’t order you to do anything, Claire,” Amelie said then. “It would be a useless exercise. You will do as you wish, and I will do as I must. Let’s hope that our wishes don’t conflict too badly. Shall we?”

She walked away. She didn’t even ask the question.

What are you going to do?

But Claire already knew. She turned back to her friends, and Shane gravitated toward her without even consciously heading in her direction.

“Can we go home?” she asked.

“Seems like a decent plan,” Shane said. “I’m on community service four nights a week. But not tonight. I guess she wanted to give me a break.” He held up his right hand. “Already got one, though.”

Eve groaned and kicked him. “You are so lucky I’m too tired to murder you right now. I am not putting up with your humor.”

“I am,” Claire said. She smiled. It felt like something had actually been lifted right off her shoulders. She was going to go home and make a call that was going to change her life, maybe forever. But not for the worse.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked her.

“I’m not going to MIT,” she said, and kissed him. He was surprised, but he kissed her back sweetly, then warmly.

“Of course you are,” he told her. “As soon as Amelie lets you, you’re going. You promised me you would.”

She looked up at him and her euphoria faded a little. She had promised him that. But now the moment was here, and she didn’t want it.

Her cell phone rang, shattering the moment, and Claire gritted her teeth and looked at the caller ID. Of course it was Myrnin, at exactly the wrong time.

She hit the button and said, “Hello, Myrnin.” Shane took a step back and looked away. So that hadn’t gone away, either, that feeling of jealousy. Of betrayal, even though she hadn’t betrayed him at all. This was going to take time. Could she pick a worse time to run off to MIT? No. No, she couldn’t do it—that was final.

Myrnin sounded agitated. Not a real surprise. “They’ve forgotten my delivery again,” he said. “I’m completely out of O positive. Stop in and get my cooler, please.”

“Now? I’m on my way—”

“Now, or I won’t answer for my unpleasant behavior later.” Myrnin hung up on her without waiting for a reply. Not that there was anything she could say other than Yes, of course I’ll pick up your blood before you go eat someone .

“Side trip?” Shane asked.

“I can go on my own. You guys go home.”

“Nope. I’m going with you,” Shane said, and hesitated. “I ought to apologize to him, too. I mean, what I said—”

“You didn’t say it to him.”

“Kind of still need to tell him I’m sorry. He did save our lives.”

She wasn’t happy with that; Myrnin didn’t like Shane dropping in, and then there was the Frank problem. But Frank would have to be crazy to manifest himself with Shane there. Right?

So Shane walked with her to the blood bank, picked up the cooler, and carried it all the way back to the alley and down the steps, into Myrnin’s lab.

Same old crazy place. Myrnin was standing stiffly in one place, hands behind him, just behind one of the lab tables. He was wearing that white coat over his Hawaiian shirt, looking like the world’s least reliable scientist ever.

“Hey,” Claire said. “We brought it.” Myrnin didn’t move and didn’t speak. She frowned. “Are you feeling all right?”

He twitched slightly, blinked, and said, in a flat voice, “Hungry. Just leave it there.”

“Here?” Shane asked, and when Myrnin didn’t reply, shrugged and dropped it. “Okay. There’s your fast-food delivery. We’re going now.”

“I thought you wanted to apologize,” Claire whispered. Shane’s jaw looked tight and set, and he sent her a quick, unreadable look.

“I did,” he said. “But now I don’t. It’s just about maxed me out, not punching him. So let’s go, okay? I don’t want to feel like this. Not anymore.”

“Wait,” said a new voice. Female. Myrnin snapped his head around toward it, and Claire blinked as she saw Kim— Kim? —step out of the shadows and walk toward them. “I knew you’d come with her. Hi, Shane.”

Shane blinked, clearly as confused as Claire felt. “Uh, hi?” He looked at Claire. “Where did she come from?”

Oh. She hadn’t had a chance to explain—Kim, the escape, all that. She’d figured Kim would have run for the borders of town, not come here. Why would she?

“Myrnin, what’s she doing here?” Claire asked. She knew she sounded a little on edge, but it was very weird of him to have guests. Especially guests that Amelie wanted to arrest.

“She’s doing exactly as she pleases,” Myrnin said, and turned slightly so they could see the silver chains wrapped around his arms, from elbows down to wrists. Some of it was covered up by cloth, but not all. Where it touched his flesh, it was burning him. “I’d very much prefer it if you’d take these off.”

“How did she—?”

“She posed as my delivery person,” he said. “I was focused on signing for the blood. Really not my fault, Claire.”

Kim was still coming toward them—no, toward Shane. Her eyes were focused on him with weird fascination. “You don’t look so good,” she said. “I heard Bishop almost killed you.”

“One of us is still standing,” Shane said, and held out a hand to fend her off when she got too close. “Hang on. We are not hugging.”

“Oh, we will,” Kim said. “You and me, Shane. It’s always been the two of us. All we need to do is get rid of the interference.”

Shane’s eyes widened, and he looked from Kim to Claire. “No—”

An arrow hissed across the room, a blur of wood and metal, and Shane shoved Claire out of the way. The arrow plunged into his shoulder, and she felt the warm spatter of Shane’s blood across her face.

He spun away from her and fell.

Who was shooting ? Claire tried to get to shelter, but another shot came her way, ricocheting off the wall, and brought her to a quick, skidding halt.

Kim was smiling, and now it had turned bitter and cruel. “I don’t come without friends,” she said. “Boys?”