"Here," he said, and crouched down next to her, all long arms and legs, awkward and graceful at the same time. He was still wearing his black velvet coat. Claire fixed her gaze on the bloodstained, ragged hole in his left sleeve. Under it, the skin still looked red and torn. "I'm all right now. Don't worry."
"I'm not," she lied. "Does it hurt?" she asked, because he was holding his arm at an odd angle.
"A little." He was lying, too - a lot. "Claire - "
"No, don't say you're sorry. I know, you had to do it."
"I was going to say thank you for stopping Ada. She always knew you would be the one to destroy her, you know."
"What?" Claire rubbed at the headache forming between her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"She had taken it into her head that you were going to kill her," Amelie said. "She believed it. So she tried to kill you first, and in doing so, she forced you to this. Unfortunately, it is a great deal of trouble for me; Ada was very valuable. Without her, we cannot maintain many of the less scientific measures of security and travel in the town."
"No more portals," Myrnin said, and sighed."No more barriers to keep people from leaving. And we won't be able to track those who leave, at least for now."
He turned away, looking at the computer, and for a moment - just a moment - Claire saw the agony clearly visible on his face. His hand was clenched, and as he opened it, she saw the locket she'd found in the box. Ada's portrait. "Oh my dear," he said, very softly. "What we did to each other . . . I am so very sorry."
Amelie watched him and said nothing. Myrnin closed his eyes for a moment, then slipped the locket into his vest pocket and turned toward her, clearly making an effort to make himself seem normal again. As normal as Myrnin ever got. "Right. I'll need a viable candidate to replace Ada. Do you have someone in mind?"
Amelie was still watching Claire. Claire swallowed.
"I do," Amelie said softly. "But I think not quite yet. Let's see where this takes us, Myrnin."
Myrnin said, "I believe it will take us straight into trouble, if experience is any guide at all. Ah, there they are. Claire, your friends - "
She hardly had time to turn before Shane had her and was smothering her in a hug, then devouring her in a kiss, and even though she wasn't exactly in the best possible shape, she felt a hot flush race through her veins to warm her whole body. "Hey," Shane said, then gently combed her hair back from her face. "You look - "
He saw the bite mark, and froze.
Michael and Eve were right behind him, and Claire heard Eve make a funny, strangled noise. Michael's head snapped toward Myrnin.
"I'm okay," Claire said. "A little juice, a steak - I'll be fine. It's just like the blood bank. Right?"
Amelie exchanged a glance with Myrnin, then turned away. He said, "Absolutely," and bounced to his feet to join Amelie at the hissing hulk of the computer. "Take a few days off. With pay."
Shane's face turned red. "You son of a - "
"Don't," Claire said, and put her hand on his cheek. "Shane. I need you. Don't do that."
"I need you, too," he said. "I love you. And it is not okay."
Myrnin didn't look at either of them again. After a moment, though, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and came up with a small, portable hard drive.
SHANE & CLAIRE, it read in silver Sharpie.
"I think this is yours," he said.
Claire felt a wave of weakness that had nothing to do with loss of blood. "Where did you get it?"
"Ada," Myrnin said. "She was planning to do something creative with it, I expect - put it on the Internet, or send it to your parents. Her idea of a prank. You can thank me later."
She stopped, staring at his back. "You didn't watch it, did you?"
He didn't turn around. "Of course not."
It even sounded as if he might be telling the truth.
"My car's outside," Michael said. "Come on. Let's get you home."
"In a moment," Amelie said, and turned to face them. In that moment, with her hands clasped at her waist, she looked very much like Ada, which gave Claire a severe attack of the terrors. "I've made a decision. About the three of you."
That didn't sound good. They all exchanged looks.
Claire felt something odd happen inside her, like a flash of heat, followed by one of cold . . . and then the bracelet on her wrist, a constant, heavy presence, clicked, and fell off to roll away on the stone floor.
Claire cried out and rubbed at her wrist. It was dead white where the bracelet had been, and indented with the shape of gold.
"I've decided to record you as Neutrals," Amelie said. "Friends of Morganville. You will be issued special pins, which you must wear at all times. Your names will be recorded in the archives. You are not to be menaced or hunted by any vampire from this point onward. In return, I will require services from you, as I do from other Neutrals, from time to time. You will be listed as employees of the town."
Even Myrnin seemed surprised, Claire thought. "Generous," he said.
"Pragmatic," Amelie said. "Less trouble for me. The four of them are stronger together, and less vulnerable. And I'm well aware that there are those within Morganville who would prefer to split them apart, for their own uses. I can hardly have people with such intimate knowledge of us running around without . . . restrictions."
Claire licked her lips. "About that - I kind of made a deal with Morley. That you'd let him and his people leave Morganville, or else Eve and Shane get hunted."