Kiss of Death Page 0,85

and pacify them. Morning isn't far away, and in case you have failed to notice, you're down quite a few followers on your side." Morley shrugged. "Some stayed near the library. Some simply wanted to go, so I let them. The whole purpose of this exercise was to earn our freedom, Oliver. Even if you don't understand the concept of freedom in the slightest--"

"Freedom?" Oliver barked out a laugh. "Anarchy is what you want, Morley. It's what you always wanted. Don't dare to--"

"Hey!" Claire said, and stepped away from Shane, facing both vampires. "Politics later! Focus! What are we going to do, if they're coming? Can we hold them off?"

"This is the most defensible position in town, other than the library," Morley said, suddenly all business. "We can hold it with the men we have, even against the local talent."

"I'm sensing a but coming up soon," Shane said. "But," Morley said, "we failed to bring much in the way of supplies. In fact, most of ours ended up stuck between the teeth of our friends across the way. And those who are recovering will need to feed, quickly." There was a short, deadly silence. Oliver said nothing, but he looked drawn and weary. "Wait," Eve said slowly. "What are you saying?" More silence. Claire felt cold trickle down her spine. "You're saying we just volunteered to be blood donors."

"You are not serious," Shane said. "You are not snacking on us."

"Not all of you, obviously," Morley said. "The girl's exempt; she's Amelie's toy, and I wouldn't harm her for the world. Michael, of course, isn't the appropriate meat for our table. But you and our lovely living dead girl--"

"No," Claire said. "Never going to happen. Back off."

"My dear, do you think I'm actually offering you a choice? It's an explanation. An apology, of sorts. Oliver didn't send you the message. I held him down, took his telephonic device, and used it myself. Why do you think he's so badly mussed?" It was weird, Claire thought, to feel so clear at this moment. So calm. "You're telling me you're going to take Eve and Shane and drain them."

"I could make them vampires when we're done, if you just can't face losing them. I'm terribly progressive that way. Then you would be the only breather in your little pack, Claire. How long do you imagine you'd last, especially if your boyfriend there declared his undying love?" Morley fluttered his eyelashes like a cartoon character and put both hands over his heart. "If I were you, I'd volunteer to join them. Being human is not precisely a clever plan."

"Yeah? How's this?" Claire, in one smooth, fast motion, pulled an arrow from the bag on her shoulder, slotted it home on the string, and pulled the compound bow back to full extension. She was aiming the arrow straight at Morley's crossed hands, over his heart. He laughed. "You aren't serious--" She fired. The arrow went through both of Morley's hands, pinning them to his chest with the fletching at the end. He stared down in shock at the wood piercing his chest, stumbled, and went down to his knees. Then just down, face forward. The arrow stuck up out of his back, like an exclamation point. "I will," Claire said softly, and let the bow rock forward as she reached one-handed for another arrow and notched it home. "I'm not a really good shot, but this is a really small room, so let me make this very clear: the first vampire who tries to lay a hand on either of my friends gets a new piercing, just like Morley. Now, if you need food, I will figure it out. But you don't get to use my friends like vending machines. Are we clear?" Around the room, vampires nodded, casting disbelieving looks at Morley. Even Oliver was staring at her as if he'd never really seen her before. She didn't know why; he'd known she could do it--hadn't he? Or was she different, somehow? "Shane?" Claire asked. He stepped up to her side. "Use Eve's phone. Call Mrs. Grant at the library. We need to organize something."

"What?"

"A blood drive," she said. "Hang on--"

"Shane." Claire tilted her head up to look at him, and didn't smile. "They'll do it. These are their friends and family. They'll do it to save them. I'd do it to save you." He touched her cheek gently. "I think you would," he said. "Crazy girl."

"Ask Morley how crazy I am," she said.