Bite Club Page 0,90

with Claire, not too gently. "The Team Vampire mascot."

"I actually am going to punch you," Claire said.

"Yeah, I am absolutely terrified, Danvers. Without Shane around to fight your battles, do you think you

can take me?"

Claire turned and stared Kim full in the face. "Yes," she said. "I'm pretty sure I can."

She meant every word of it, and Kim must have decided to back off--or Mr. Martin's presence decided it for her. They lapsed into a heavy silence as the limousine drove and drove and drove...and, finally, to Claire's simultaneous relief and terror, began to slow down.

Claire took out her phone. Amelie gave her a sharp look. "I'm only calling Eve. I want her to know I didn't just disappear. Like Michael and Shane. You know how she is."

Amelie looked bemused and nodded. "Do not tell her where we are."

"I don't actuallyknow where we are." Claire dialed. Eve picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" Her voice was tense and madly uncontrolled. "Michael?"

"No, it's Claire--"

The yell blasted out of the cell phone loud enough to echo around the inside of the car. Claire yanked it away from her ear, and she could still hear very clearly what Eve was shouting. "What the hell are you doing? Where are you? You can't just run off and leave me and not even leave anote . My God, you're as bad as the boys. How do I know the vamps haven't dragged you off and snacked on your--?"

"Eve," Claire said, yelling into the phone. "Eve!Shut up! I'm with Amelie!"

Silence, and then much lower in volume, "Oh. Sorry."

Claire put the phone back to her ear. Next to her, Kim was smirking again. Claire sincerely wanted to put her shoe through that smile, but again didn't. She took a deep breath. "We may have found out where the fights are being held. I'll call you if Michael's here, okay?"

"Okay," Eve said. "Uh, you're being careful, right?"

"Sure." She glanced around at the heavily fanged contingent. "Safe as houses."

"I've been in some pretty shaky houses."

"I'll be fine. Call you later."

The car had come to a complete stop now. Amelie looked out through the heavily tinted windows. "There's very little cover out there," she said. "Move quickly. When we stop, get out and go directly to the shade. We may not have time for protective clothing. I assume all of you can handle the sun for a limited period."

Her guards murmured affirmations; then sunlight lanced in, bright and harsh, as the vampire guard threw open the door. He was out and moving fast, followed by the second guard. Mr. Martin practically yanked Kim's arm out of its socket dragging her from the car, and somehow, although she started moving as quickly as she could, Claire was the last one out of the limousine. Amelie was just ahead of her, though.

It was a good thing they were toward the back.

Claire was never sure exactly how it happened until much later. Right then, it was impressions: a big, empty desert area. A flapping, rusting tin barn, apparently abandoned, with a thick area of shade under a leaning awning that probably was used to park cars or something. The vampire guards in their black suits heading for it at top speed, with Mr. Martin slowed down by a foot-dragging Kim, and Amelie holding back, probably to stay closer to Claire.

And then the explosion.

It hit her as a hard, hot shove, and then she was down and rolling across the sand, and then the massive roar rattled in her ears and she saw the plume of fire and smoke, and finally,finally she realized that the building they'd been headed toward, the one Kim had led them to, had justblown up.

Claire sat up, staring. The tin building was collapsing in on itself, burning, sagging--a wreck. The awning, the one where the guards had been headed, was utterly gone, destroyed. Flames and smoke hissed straight up in a black-and-red column, and the wind caught it and blew it out in a plume that drifted west. There were pieces of wrecked metal and junk everywhere, still falling like flaming rain, and Claire covered her head as a thick piece of sharp-edged siding slammed down into the ground a few feet away.

Amelie lay on her side about ten feet closer to the explosion site. Claire got to her feet, weaved around a little, and shook off the lingering dizziness.

Amelie moved before she reached her--a twitch at first, and then she rose to a standing position in one unnaturally