Bite Club Page 0,53

and I hadn't kept on going, I hadn't saved her. I'd let them drag me out of the house, and she'd been lost in there.

I couldn't ever forget what it cost to fail. Dad hadn't let me forget, either.

Pain was good. Pain kept you sharp and kept you motivated. Pain made me feel alive.

Especially when I was facing a vamp who wanted to teach me a lesson.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. I ended up on the mat a lot, and it was tough to get up and keep going. People gathered--humans, vamps--all watching as Jester and I toughed it out. He was faster than me and stronger, but I didn't give up.

Finally, Vassily made me stop. He clapped Jester on the shoulder and said something in his ear, and Jester smirked and ducked under the ropes and was gone, and all the motivation just...bled out of me. I dropped to my knees, gagging for breath. There was blood in my mouth and a weird buzzing in my ears, and I'd never felt quite that bad in my life, not even when I'd been in the hospital and circling the drain.

It was like I'd cannibalized parts of myself to stay on my feet, and now the pain and the emptiness flooded into me and swamped me, and I just wanted to lie down and die.

Vassily passed me another sports bottle. I didn't want it, but I couldn't help myself. I drank. I felt better, or at least not as prone to dying. He checked my eyes and nodded. "You'll be all right," he said, all business. "Dehydration and exhaustion. Four more of the drinks will put you right, but stay off your feet for two hours before you head home. There are bunks in the next room. Rest now."

"Thanks," I mumbled. I didn't feel grateful. I didn't feel much of anything except filthy and guilty inside. What the hell was I doing?Whywas I doing it? I didn't even know, except that when I was fighting, it seemed like I was fighting every bad thing in my life that had ever happened. I was fighting for my sister and my mother and even my dad. For Claire, trapped in this damned town. For Michael, turned vamp against his will. For Eve.

For me, for once.

I sacked out for the next two hours, sipping those drinks, and with every slow mouthful I felt better. More stable. Whatever was in them was great stuff, because the pain faded to twinges, and the guilt faded along with it. I was okay. No, I was better than okay.

I was strong and getting stronger, and that was what I'd always needed to survive here. I had people to protect. This was going to make all the difference.

I was emptying the last bottle when Vassily came in with Gloriana. Glory looked fantastic, and I felt sweaty and dirty and bruised, and I had to sit up. No lying down in her presence.

"Shane," she said, and gave me that smile. "I just met your little friend Claire. You should be proud; she's not afraid of much, you know. But so fragile. And I'm quite concerned about her relationship with Myrnin. He's so unstable, don't you think?"

I did think that, and had all along; she was just saying what was obvious to me and everybody else except Claire. "I don't like it," I said. "But she does what she wants."

"Yes, she does." Glory studied me for a few seconds, then glanced over at Vassily. "I think he's ready, don't you?"

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"Ready to hear the rest," Vassily said. "You showed tremendous courage today, Shane. And great talent. We have an opportunity for you, one that I believe would take advantage of your best qualities. You see, we can offer you the chance for two things you have always wanted."

"Money," Glory said. "Real money, enough to take care of yourself and Claire for the rest of your life."

Well, who didn't want money? I'd been scratching away at it, doing it the hard way like I was supposed to, but that sounded good. Really good. "What's the second thing?" I asked.

Vassily's turn. "A way out of Morganville," he said. "Before it's too late. Because this town is going to be destroyed, one way or the other, and if you're smart, you'll take the money and the chance to earn your free passage out while you still can."

Cash and a free pass? I blinked, because it sounded like