than once. . . . No. I'm glad he saved you. But that doesn't even start to make us even. I don't want anything to do with him."
There didn't seem to be anything she could possibly say. He was really upset--she could see it; she could feel it. "Are you okay?" What a stupid question, she thought, as soon as she said it. Of course he wasn't okay. He wouldn't be slouched like a boneless sack on the couch, staring at a dead TV with even deader eyes, if he was okay.
"If he comes here . . ." Shane swallowed. "If he comes here, you have to promise me you'll stop me from doing something stupid. Because I will, Claire."
"No, you won't," Claire said, and finally took his hand. "Shane, you won't. You're not like that. I know it's all complicated and crazy and it hurts, but you can't let him do that to you. I'll make sure Michael and Eve know that if he shows up, we just tell him to leave. He'll never get in the door."
She felt cold again--icy, in fact--and felt a hum all along her nerves. What was that? Not a draft. Definitely not a draft. It felt like . . . anger. Cold, hard anger, like the kind that was inside Shane right now--but she was feeling it from the outside.
The house.
She'd gotten used to its not doing this kind of thing anymore; the Glass House had always seemed to have a kind of presence to them, something that reflected their feelings, their fears . . . but it had died with the portal system. So she thought.
You fixed the portal system, remember? Apparently, that put the house itself back on the grid, too, which was why it was reacting to Shane's mood. She was never sure what the house understood, but she was absolutely sure it was on their side. Maybe that even meant it would make sure Frank Collins never came here again.
She reached for a blanket and pulled it over her shoulders, still shivering. If the house was showing her any reflection of Shane's anger, he was deeply upset, even though he was struggling not to show it.
Shane finally pressed the power button on the TV and dropped his left arm over her shoulders. She felt the chill ease a little. "Thanks," he said. "If you hadn't been here when she said all that, I probably would have done something pretty dumb. Or said something even dumber."
"No, you wouldn't. You're a survivor."
He kissed her on the forehead. "Takes one to know one."
"So, no drive-in?"
"It's a zombie movie."
"Well, there are good points about zombie movies. There're usually smart girls in them, for some reason. And the smart girls hardly ever get killed." Claire kissed him back, on the cheek. "Besides, I know how much you like zombie movies. Especially with chain saws and everything."
Shane flipped channels for a few seconds, then shut the TV off, got up, and held out his hand. "Chain saws," he repeated. "You're right. It's probably just what I need." He didn't let go of her hand after he'd helped her to her feet; instead, he put it on his chest, over his heart. She felt the strong, steady beat beneath. "You look great. You probably already know that."
She kissed him, and they stood together, rocking slightly from side to side, until Shane broke the kiss and smiled down at her. "Save it for the drive-in," he said, and touched her lips with one finger. "I'll drive fast."
"You'd better."
Chapter Four
FOUR
Shane drove the hearse--Eve's, a huge, black, vaguely old-fashioned monster, with the fringed funeral curtains still in the back--down Morganville's poorly lit streets, winding through backstreets Claire had never visited even in daylight. She saw glints of eyes in the darkness, and if there were any street-lights in this part of town, they were broken or turned off. She felt relieved when he made a turn that took them onto a broader avenue . . . until she took a good look. Lots of people walking around in the shadows.
Not normal for Morganville. But normal for vampires in Morganville.
"Yeah, it's Vamp Central Station," Shane said. "Not like Founder's Square--that's where the upper-class bloodsuckers hang out. This is where the rest of them come. There's another blood bank down here, and nothing around gets much human business after dark. Don't worry; we're not stopping."
And they didn't, not even for a light that was shifting from yellow to red; Shane