Rachel Caine

“Yeah, I get it; you're a vampire," she said. "Creepy. And okay, a little hot, I admit." "You don't mean that." "Come on. I still like you, you know, even if you... crave plasma." Michael blinked and looked at her as if he had never seen her before."You what?""Like. You." Eve enunciated slowly, as if Michael might not know the words. "Idiot. I always have. What, you didn't know?" Eve sounded cool and grown-up about it, but Claire saw the hectic color in her cheeks, under the makeup. "How clueless are you? Does it come with the fangs?" "I guess I... I just thought... Hell. I just didn't think... You're kind of intimidating, you know." "I'm intimidating? Me? I run like a rabbit from trouble, mostly," Eve said."It's all show and makeup. You're the one who's intimidating. I mean, come on. All that talent, and you look... Well, you know how you look." " How do I look?" He sounded fascinated now, and he'd actually moved a little closer to Eve on the couch. She laughed. "Oh come on. You're a total model-babe." "You're kidding.""You don't think you are?"He shook his head. "Then you're kind of an idiot, Glass. Smart, but and idiot." Eve crossed her arms.“So? What exactly do you think about me, except that I’m intimidating?”“I think you’re…you’re…ah, interesting?” Michael was amazingly bad at this, Claire thought, but then he saved it by looking away and continuing. “I think you’re beautiful. And really, really strange.”Eve smiled and looked down, and that looked like a real blush, under the rice powder. “Thanks for that, “ she said, “I never thought you knew I existed, or if you did, that you thought I was anything but Shane’s bratty freak friend.”“Well, to be fair, you are Shane’s bratty freak friend.”“Hey!”“You can be bratty and beautiful,” Michael said. “I think it’s interesting.”

“I would never build a lawn trimmer," Myrnin said. "What did the lawn ever do to me?”

“He lives in a hole in the ground, dresses funny, and occasionally eats his assistants," Eve said. "Define crazy.”

“It's a sad day when Myrnin is the safe choice, she thought. Apparently, he thought so, too, because he gave her a long, troubled look before pressing his thumb to a glass plate inside the room and opening the door.”

“From Shane's Point of View:Jester talking to Shane:"What's the matter? You afraid you'd bite your skinny little girlfriend?" Jester laughed. "She's already someone else's, you know. I can smell the bite on her. He's marked her."Myrnin."Shut up," I said, and kicked him in the face.”

“Myrnin, drive carefully. Understand?""Of course."He didn't.”

“Hello again, I said to death. I was resigned, if not ready.”

“MIchael went to her and put his arms around her.,and we can heard eve let out a little, sad sob as she melted against him. Michael- "Shhh..." he whispered. "It's okay baby”

“my boyfriend is a rock god baby(and not kiss-of-death(sorry))”

“Cliare: "You know what? I need you right now."Shane:"Now?"Claire: "Right now."Shane: "Oh, that's so exactly what I was going to say." *dropping C. to the bed.*Claire: "Jinxies”

“She smacked him so hard his momma felt it.”

“Bouncing in hoppy little circles like a demented Goth bunny.”

“You were right,” she said. “You were always right, about everything. And I will always love you, Sam. Forever.”

“Oliver . . . well. Who knew if Oliver’s problem was the disease or just a bad attitude?”

“It's only a hunting spider, it won't hurt you." -Myrnin"So not the point!" -Claire"Oh, pish. It's just another living creature. Nothing to be frightened of, if handled properly. I think I'll call him Bob. Bob the spider." -Myrnin"You're insane." -Claire”

“Damn, girl. You space so hard, you ought to look into a career at NASA.”

“I’m avampire. I havesecret powers ,” he said with a full-on fake Transylvanian accent, which he dropped to say, “Actually, your mom let me in.”

“You never heard ofplugging her in ? My God, Myrnin, you made a vampire computer?”

“Mind the dead man, my dear.”

“Amelie had on black pants, a black zip-up hoodie, andrunning shoes.So wrong.”

“Where are you going?” “To get a Coke!” “Would you—” “No!”

“His eyes ignited into a color found only in the heart of the sun. ‘‘Yes?’’‘‘Yes, already. I’ll marry you. Yes. Hell, yes. What am I, stupid?”

“He (Michael) was gone in a whisper of air, hardly making any sound at all, and Claire shivered and leaned against Shane’s solid, very human warmth. His arms went around her, and he touchedhis lips lightly to the back of her neck. “How can you smell this good after the kind of crappy day we’ve had?”“I sweat perfume. Like all girls.”

“You okay?""Fine.""Your heart's beating really fast.""Gee, thanks. That's very comforting that you can hear it."He smiled, and it was the old Michael, the one she'd first met before all the vamp stuff."Yeah, I know it is. Sorry. Just stay behind me if there's trouble.""You sound like Shane.""Well, he did say he'd kill me if I got you hurt. I'm just looking after my own neck.""Liar.”

“You’re not going to suck.’’‘‘Not at the guitar, anyway,’’ Shane said, deadpan. Claire punched him in the arm. ‘‘Ow.”

“I just—we were talking, and we fell asleep. I swear, we didn’t, um—’’‘‘Yeah, you’d better not have ummed.”

“You have not been sticking your dirty fingers in my sauce,’’ Eve said, and pointed her wooden spoonat him.He quickly took the finger out of his mouth. ‘‘First off, they’re not dirty. I licked them first.”

“She can go with us to the lab and keep Myrnin pinned down while we pull the plug, if he's not... you know, better.""Define BETTER with that guy.""Not all fangs and raaaaar.”

“You couldn't be romantic if your life depended on it." "You know what's lucky? Most bad guys don't ask you to be romantic on command, so that probably won't matter.”

“Trav, if you cross us -- ""I know. You'll get me. I'll try not to pee all over myself in terror.”

“Claire was just coming down the stairs, humming and thinking about how nice it was to have things getting back to normal, and how she'd tell Shane about the January thing tonight, when Myrnin sent a message through the portal.Well, more of a rock with a note tied to it, which rolled across the floor and scared Eve into a scream before the portal snapped shut. Eve kicked the rock resentfully with her thick black boots and glared at it, then at the wall. Claire gave her a "What the hell?" kind of look."Your boss," Eve said, and reached down to grab the rock, "needs to figure out texting. Seriously. Who does this? Is he actually from the Stone Age?”

“Eve took me to teach me how to fence," Claire said."Not so much how to fence as how to hold a sword and not drop it," Eve said. "And then I fought Oliver to a draw."Shane fluttered his hands. "Oh, and then we were all elected as ice princesses and asked to go to Disneyland!""Laugh all you want. I'm going to look way better in full skirts than you," Eve said.”

“Eve cupped her ear at Claire. "I'm sorry, was that an apology? Because it didn't sound like one.""Don't push it.""I'm not, but you're acting like a drama princess.""Drama queen.""Hello, no. You need a lot more practice at door slamming, flouncing, and pouting before you can even pretend to deserve my throne, bitch. But you're coming along." Eve paused and fixed her with a long, serious look. "That wasn't a compliment, by the way. In case you were wondering.”

“He's not doing anything he shouldn't be doing, right?" "Like what?""Like hitting on you.""Ew. No, of course not. He doesn't 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, that's all. Maybe you're right. Maybe he just wants you for your blood.""Again, Ew! What's with you this morning?""Not enough coffee.”

“How'd you get to be so good at this?""I had a good teacher.""Better not have been Myrnin or I'll have to kick his predatory ass.""I mean you, dummy.""Oh.”

“She came awake, stomach rumbling, and opened her eyes to see a plate being held right under her nose. When she reached for it, Shane snatched it back. 'Nuh-uh. Mine.''Share!' she demanded.'Man, you are one grabby girlfriend.'She grinned. It always made her feel so fiercly warm inside to hear him say that- the girlfriend part, not the grabby part. 'If you love me, you'll give me a taco.''Seriously? That's all you got? What about you'll do sexy, illegal things to me for a taco?''Not for a taco,' she said. 'I'm not cheap.''They're brisket tacos.''Now you're talking.”

“Oh, he is cute!” Shane said in a fake girly voice. “Gee, maybe we can ask him out!”“Shut up, you weasel. Claire, hit him!”

“He started to touch the mechanism under the keyboard, then pulled his hand back with a snap."Ah," he said. "Must deactivate the security....Turn around, please.""What?""Turn around, Claire. It's a secure password!""You have GOT to be kidding.""Why ever would I joke about that? Please turn.”

“Yes," he said. "I am sure. I double-checked everything after you went home yesterday. I even made a few improvements, just in case." The first part of that reassured her. The second part... not so much. "What kind of improvements?" "Oh, nothing, really. Mostly just streamlining. You really did very well; I certainly don't want you to think that I am one of those people who has to be in control all the- Oh, well, I suppose that's actually true- I do have to be in control all the time. But only because I am in charge, of course.”

“Myrnin turned away to pick up his Ben Franklin spectacles, balanced them on his nose, and looked over them to say, "Don't do drugs. I feel I ought to say that.”

“Well, now I'm all jealous. I wish I had little voices in my head. Guess I'll just have to settle for people really being out to get me." "Bitch," she said cordially. "Bimbo.”

“Goooodmorning, my little jumping bean.I got your salsa right here, bimbo," she said.”

“(Djinn are essentially vapor.) "I blew him away.”

“Nobody's cut out for this town," Shane said. "Nobody sane anyway.""Says the kid who came back.""Yeah, kind of proves my point.”

“You're much shorter than my mom.""Brat," she said, surprised into a giggle."That's no way to talk to a vampire.""Bloodsucking brat.""Better" he said.”

“Maybe you're not his type." Michael said"Oh, now you're just being insulting.”

“Fate" Eve said with a sigh"I'm not sure fate had to burn up your car to get the point across," Shane said, buckling his own seatbelt."No, not that. The hearse. I'm going to name it Fate."Shane stared at Eve for a long, long few seconds, then slowly shook his head. "Have you considered medication, or-"She flipped him off."Ah. Back to normal. Excellent.”

“Myrnin, who hadn't said much, suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened, shocked, and for a panicked second wondered whether he'd suddenly decided to snack on her neck... but it was just a hug. His body felt cold against hers, and way too close, but then he let go and stepped back. "You've done very well. I'm extremely proud of you," he said. There was a touch of color high in his pale cheeks. "Do go home now. And shower. You reek like the dead."Which, coming from a vampire, was pretty rich.”

“Oliver laughed - actually laughed."I like this new Claire," he said. "You should work her this hard all the time, Myrnin. She's interesting when she's forthright."Claire, possessed by the spirit of Eve, shot him the finger. Which made him laugh again, shake his head, and walk up the steps.”

“Here," Myrnin said, his voice still gentle and low. "Amelie said you had to work. No one said you had to work alone." He picked up the next part and slotted it in, took the screwdriver from Claire's numbed fingers, and fastened it with a couple of deft, fast movements. "I'll be your hands."She wanted to cry, because it was so sweet, but it wouldn't do any good.”