Ghost Town Page 0,67

against the wood. She tried to speak, but his grip was cutting off her voice.

"We can't be equals," he said. "I'm sorry. I never wanted it to come to this."

And he bit her in the throat.

Claire screamed.

Oliver was drinking Amelie's blood. Amelie was fighting him, but he was too strong for her, and her guard . . . her guard wasn't moving.

"Do something!" Claire screamed at the guard, but he just stood there. She dashed to the other door and threw it open. The female vamp was on guard there, and turned when Claire screamed at her, too.

But she didn't do anything, either.

Oliver suddenly let go of Amelie and stepped back, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of one hand. She stood there, eyes closed, and put a trembling hand over the wound on her neck. There was blood spilled on her immaculate white jacket. She didn't speak.

Oliver turned to the guard and said, "See her to a chair. Gently."

The guard bowed his head briefly, then came toward her, but Amelie's eyes snapped open. "Don't touch me," she snapped, but he didn't obey her. Not at all. He took her arm and guided her back to a chair at the side of the table . . . not the head, where she'd been sitting before. Amelie shook free and sank down. She looked ill now, and angry, and humiliated.

Oliver stood where he was for a moment, then turned and addressed the other guard. "Go get Ysandre and John," he said. "I want them here."

The guard nodded and left. "Ysandre?" Claire said. "You're bringing her in here?" Ysandre was a stone-cold menace. Amelie had kept her in prison for a while, and Claire hadn't seen her much recently. She'd hoped that someone had accidentally thrown her under a bus.

Ysandre had tried to hit on Shane. And that alone was reason enough to hate her.

"Quiet," Oliver said. "Sit down, all of you. You have no reason to panic. The situation is under control." Under his control, which was in itself plenty of cause for panic, not to mention freakout. But Claire didn't dare not obey, not until she understood what had happened, and why.

Richard looked at Amelie and asked, "Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes and made her face into a smooth mask, showing nothing of whatever she was feeling now. "I'm well enough," she said. She took her hand away from her throat. The wound was already closed and healing. "Don't interfere. This is an internal matter."

"I know, but if you need me to help--"

"You can't help. I tried to keep my position. I failed." She lowered her gaze to the table. "Oliver leads the town now."

"No," Claire whispered. "No, that can't be true. That isn't right. You're the Founder; you're--"

"Defeated," Amelie said. "Enough, Claire. There is nothing to be done now. He spared me some of the more humiliating aspects that could have accompanied the transfer of power. I won't disrespect that favor by rebelling now."

Oliver didn't say anything. He took his seat at the head of the table, and a moment later the vamp guard came back, with two others--John, who owned the hospital and several clinics in town, including the blood bank. John had long blond curly hair and a proud, sharp face. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. And next to him . . . Ysandre.

Ysandre was just exactly as Claire remembered her from her days as Amelie's father Bishop's follower. She was beautiful, and smoky, and sexy in a sleazy kind of way--that was mostly her clothes, because she loved low-cut crop tops and even lower-cut jeans. She trailed fingers over the back of Richard Morrell's neck, and he slapped them away with a glare.

"Temper," Ysandre purred, and even in that one word Claire could hear the sickly sweet Southern accent. "I'm just trying to be friendly. We're all friends here now, right?"

"Oh, for God's sake, do shut up," John said wearily. He had an English accent that was a lot more charming than Ysandre's put-on drawl. "Founder? You had something to--" Awareness dawned in his face, and Claire thought he must have sensed what had happened. His expression looked a lot like horror, and he stared at Oliver. "No. No, that's not possible."

"I'm afraid it is," Oliver said. "You command loyalty from many of Amelie's closest friends and supporters. I need you to spread the word. I am now in charge. You may hear it from her own lips."

John definitely