What? Who could believe Michael would be snacking on an underage girl in the root cellar?
Still, Claire eased open the pantry door and checked to be sure the coast was clear before she dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Michael was sitting on the couch, Eve curled next to him with her head on his chest. They were watching something on TV, and Eve's gaze followed Claire as she hurried past them, mumbling an apology.
She stopped on the stairs and looked back at them. Two people she cared about, wrapped in a moment of warmth and happiness.
Michael was a vampire, and that meant that Michael was dying. Like Myrnin. He was going to suffer and lose his mind and hurt people.
He could even hurt Eve.
Tears pricked at her eyes, and she felt suddenly short of breath. When it had been just an abstract problem, just Morganville minus vampires equals safety, then that had been one thing, but it wasn't abstract. It was people she knew, liked, even loved. She wouldn't shed any tears over Oliver, but how could she not care about Michael? Or Sam? Or even Amelie?
Claire picked up her book bag and went upstairs.
Shane's door was shut. She knocked. He didn't answer for a long moment, and then said, "If I ignore you, will you go away?"
"No, " she said.
"Might as well come in, then. "
He was flopped on the bed, staring at the ceiling, hands under his head, and he didn't look at her as she entered and closed the door behind her.
"So is this how it's going to go?" she asked. "I do something dumb like stay out late, you get mad and run away, I come and apologize and make everything better?"
Shane, surprised, looked at her, then said, "Well, that kinda works for me, yeah. "
Claire thought about Michael, about the suddenly grown-up way he'd treated her. She sat down on the bed next to Shane, staring down at the floor for a few seconds to gather her courage, and then she pulled back her sleeve to expose the bracelet.
Shane didn't make a sound. He slowly sat up, staring at the shiny gold band with its Founder's symbol.