Something occurred to her. "You said - the vampire, did he...drink your blood?"
Michael nodded. He didn't meet her eyes.
"And - you died?"
Another silent nod.
"What happened to your - you know - body?"
"I'm still kind of using it." He gestured at himself. Claire, unable to stop herself, reached out and touched him. He felt real and warm and alive. "I don't know how it works, Claire, I really don't. Except I do think it's the house, not me."
She took a deep breath. "Do you drink blood?"
He looked up this time, surprised, lips parted. "No. Of course I don't. I told you, he couldn't - make me what he was."
"You're sure."
"I eat Shane's garlic chili. Does that sound like a vampire to you?"
She shrugged thoughtfully. "Until today, I thought I knew what a vampire was, all capes and fake Romanian accents and stuff. What about crosses? Do crosses work?"
"Sometimes. Don't rely on them, though. The older ones aren't stopped by things like that."
"How about Brandon?" Since he was her main concern right now.
Michael's lip curled. "Brandon's a punk. You could melt him with a Super Soaker full of tap water, so long as you told him it was blessed. He's dangerous, but so far as vampires go, he's at the bottom of the food chain. It's the ones who don't go around flashing fangs and trying to grab you off the street you need to worry about. And yeah, wear a cross - but keep it under your clothes. You'll have to make one if you don't already have one - they don't sell them anywhere in town. And if you can find things like holy water and Eucharist, keep them on hand, but the vampires in this town closed down most of the churches fifty years ago. There's still a few operating underground. Be careful, though. Don't believe everything you hear, and never, ever go by yourself."
That was the longest speech she'd ever heard from Michael. It tumbled out in a flood, driven with intensity and frustration. He can't do anything. He can't do anything to help us when we go outside the door.
"Why did you let us move in?" she asked. "After - what happened to you?"
He smiled. It didn't look quite right somehow. "I got lonely," he said. "And since I can't leave the house, there's too much I can't do. I needed somebody to help with groceries and stuff. And...being a ghost doesn't exactly pay the bills. Shane - Shane was looking for a place to stay, and he said he'd pitch in for rent. It was perfect. Then Eve...we were friends back in high school. I couldn't just let her wander around out there after her parents threw her out."
Claire tried to remember what Eve had said. Nothing, really. "Why did they do that?"
"She wouldn't take Protection from their Patron when she turned eighteen. Plus, she started dressing Goth when she was about your age. Said she was never going to kiss any vampire ass, no matter what."
Michael made a helpless gesture with his hands. "At eighteen, they threw her out. Had to, or it would have cost the whole family their Protection. So she's on her own. She's done okay - she's safe here, and she's safe at the coffee shop. It's only the rest of the time she has to be careful."
Claire couldn't think of anything to say. She looked away from Michael, around the room. His bed was made. Oh my God, that's his bed. She tried to imagine Michael sleeping there, and couldn't. Although she could imagine some other things, and shouldn't have because it made her feel hot and embarrassed.
"Claire," he said quietly. She looked back at him. "Brandon's too young to be out before dark, so you're safe in the daytime, but don't stay out after dark. Got it?"
She nodded.
"About the other thing..."
"I won't tell," she said. "I won't, Michael. Not if you don't want me to."
He let out his breath in a long, slow sigh. "Thanks. I know it sounds stupid, but...I just don't want them to know yet. I need to figure out how to tell them."
"It's your business," Claire said. "And Michael? If you start, you know, getting this craving for red stuff...?"
"You'll be the first to know," he said. His eyes were steady and cool. "And I expect you to do whatever you have to do to stop me."
She shivered and said yes, okay, she'd stake him if she had to, but she didn't mean it.
She hoped she didn't, anyway.
Chapter Eight
Shane's turn for cooking dinner, and he came up with chili dogs - more chili, but at least he did a good job with it. Claire had two, watching in amazement as Michael and Shane downed four each, and Eve nibbled one. She smiled at Shane, and shot back barbs whenever he sent one sailing her way, but Claire noticed something else.
Eve couldn't keep her eyes off of Michael. At first, Claire thought, She knows something, but then she saw the flush in Eve's cheeks showing through the pale makeup, and the glitter in her eyes.
Oh. Well, she guessed Michael had looked pretty hot, grabbing her out of danger like that and dragging her out of harm's way. And now that she thought about it, Eve had been making little glances his direction every time they'd been together.
Eve finally shoved her plate away and claimed dibs on the bathroom for a long, hot, soaking bubble bath.
Which Claire wished she'd thought of first. She and Michael did the dishes while Shane practiced his zombie-fighting skills on Xbox.
"Eve likes you, you know," she said casually as she was rinsing off the last plate. He nearly dropped the one he was drying.
"What?"
"She does."
"Did she tell you that?"
"No."
"I don't think you understand Eve, then."
"Don't you like her?"
"Of course I like her!"
"Enough to...?"
"I am not talking about this." He put the plate into the drainer. "Jesus, Claire!"
"Oh, come on. You like her, don't you?"
"Even if I did - " He stopped short, glancing toward the doorway and lowering his voice. "Even if I did, there are a few problems, don't you think?"
"Everybody's got problems," she said. "Especially in this town. I've only been here six weeks, and I already know that."
Whatever he thought about that, he dried his hands and walked out. She heard him talking to Shane, and when she went out the two of them were deep into the video game, elbowing each other and fighting for every point.
Boys. Sheesh.
She was on her way to her room, passing the bathroom, when she heard Eve crying. She knocked quietly, and looked in when Eve muffled her sobs. The door wasn't locked.