My parents are in there!
Amelies not going to let anything happen to them, Shane said. Get your breath. This isnt our fight, and you know it.
Now Shane was talking sense? Wow. Was it opposite day? But
Your parents are okay, but I dont want you rushing in. Got it?
She nodded shakily. But
Michael. Help me out here. Tell her.
Michael was doing the vampire equivalent of gasping for air, but he nodded, eyes unfocused and vague. Yeah, he said weakly. Theyre okay. Thats why Fran?ois came after me, because I got between him and your mom.
He went after my mom? Claire flung herself toward the door of the kitchen, and this time Shane barely managed to hold on.
Dude, that was not the kind of help I was looking for, Shane said to Michael, and wrapped both arms around Claire to hold her in place. Easy. Easy, Amelies in there, and you know shell keep things under control Claire did. After a seconds thought, it made her struggle harder, because Amelie was perfectly capable of seeing Claires parents as expendable if it served her needs. She saw Claire as expendable, off and on. But Shane didnt let go until she jabbed an elbow back and felt him stagger and release his grip. She didnt realize what shed done . . . Until she saw a thin line of red on his T-shirt, and Shane thumped himself down hard in the nearest available chair.
Shed hit him where hed been stabbed.
Dammit! Eve hissed, and yanked Shanes shirt up to expose his chest and stomachstill bruisedand the white bandages, which were staining fresh with blood. Claire could even smell it . . .
. . . And as if she were in a dream, or a nightmare, she turned to look at Michael.
His eyes werent vague and unfocused anymore. No, they were wide and intent and very, very scary. His face was still and white, and he wasnt breathing at all.
Get the bleeding stopped, he whispered. Hurry.
Michael was right. Shane was bait in a shark tank, and Michael was one of the sharks.