hadn't been serious about it--at least, Claire didn'tthink she'd been serious--and Eve had gotten him back fast, but she'd felt Glory's influence now, and the worst thing about it was that it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Frank had even warned her, and she still hadn't believed that there was anything wrong with what she was feeling or doing.
That was what had happened to Shane.
"Sure, she can draw men to like her," Michael said. "It's not that hard. But changing them, the way Shane's changed? That's a whole different kind of thing. I don't think even Glory can do that."
"Well, who'd know?" Claire asked. "Amelie?"
"Maybe. Or Oliver; he seems to know her better."
Claire remembered Oliver sitting with Gloriana at Common Grounds. Yeah, they had seemed cozy. Which made her stomach twist a little, because the last thing she wanted to think about was Oliver having any kind of love life, ever, with anyone. That was just disgusting. "Frank said something about--" She shut her mouth, suddenly flooded with alarm and adrenaline, with a snap, because she hadnot meant to mention Frank. Ever. "I mean, before he, you know--"
"Died?" Eve supplied. "Went to that big motorcycle rally in the sky? Took a dirt nap?" She sent Michael a warning glare as he winced. "What?Yes, I'm being insensitive, but Shane's not here, and besides, I am pissed off right now. Frank Collins was never Mr. Congeniality when he was alive, you know. I don't know why I have to give him any extra postlife respect."
That nicely distracted everybody from Claire's mistake, and she took the precious time to work out what she'd meant to say, leaving out Frank completely. "We need to find out what she's doing here," Claire said. "Something's turning the humans at that gym into a mob, and we all know that's what Amelie is most afraid of. Human mobs can take down vampires individually. She'll do anything to prevent that from starting. If it's Gloriana, then we need to prove it."
"What if it's Bishop?" Michael asked. Eve made a choked sound. "It's just the kind of thing Bishop would want--humans turning against vampires, creating chaos and death. He doesn't care who gets hurt."
"Nasty," Eve agreed. "If he's got Gloriana working for him..."
"Then this could be a whole lot bigger than anybody expected," Michael finished. He paused for a moment, and said, "I can find out."
"How?" Eve's voice had an edge, and Claire glanced over at her. She seemed tense, hands clenched where they rested on her thighs.
"By talking to Glory," he said. "Look, she likes me. She'll tell me things."
"Yeah, that in no way makes me want to barf acid," Eve said. "You getting cozy withher ."
"Eve--"
"We agreed. You stay away from her."
"This is different. This isn't just--Look, it could be Shane's life we're talking about. And a lot of other people's. Innocent people. I can handle Glory."
"Can you?" Eve asked. "Because I notice you never call her Gloriana. JustGlory. "
He shut up.Which is probably about the only smart thing he can do, Claire thought. Eve had a genuine point. There was something alarming about how fast Michael had jumped on the whole "let me talk to her" thing.
It was an uneasy silence all the way back home. As Michael parked the car and killed the engine, Claire said, "Do you think he'll come home?"
"You mean tonight? No," Michael said. "If you mean ever, I don't know. That wasn't Shane back there. I think you know that."
She did. It hurt like a huge ball of spikes inside her stomach, and she couldn't keep her eyes from clouding with tears every time she thought about him. It hurt--oh, God, it hurt. "Then I have to get him back," she said. "We just do. Whatever it takes."
Her cell phone rang, and she looked down at the screen, hoping wildly that it was Shane--but no. It had no picture and no number showing. Just blankness. She flipped it open and said, "Hello?"
"I didn't know your boyfriend was sohot ," a girl's voice said. "So much hotter than you, you know. You're dating so far outside your league, you're making us all embarrassed." Giggles, and the voice took on a nasty edge. "He's a rock star now, and he doesn't need some flat-chested kid anymore. He's going to dump you faster than last week's Chinese food and date a real girl. A porn star."
"What--Who are you?"
"The future Mrs. Shane Collins." More giggles from other girls who must have