draug had slowly claimed as their stronghold. “Why would he be staying in there? Why not get out?”
“It’s possible they have him,” Naomi said, but then shook her head to correct herself. “No, I would feel that, through this link. He is alive, and in hiding. But it won’t be easy to get to him, even now.”
“Less talking,” Claire said. “More walking. I mean it, we’re not out here after dark, no matter what happens.”
Naomi’s eyebrows climbed higher. “Even if one of us must be left behind?”
“If one of us is,” Shane said, hefting the flamethrower higher on his shoulders like a heavy backpack, “it’s going to be you. No offense.”
Naomi smiled, very prettily. “Oh, but it is very much taken.”Claire wasn’t actually sure, looking at her, whether she meant it or not, but it was better to be safe with a vampire than really, really sorry. She nudged Shane sharply in ribs that weren’t protected by the flamethrower straps.
“Sorry,” Shane muttered. “I mean, we’ll all come back or none of us. Of course. I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing.”
“Assuredly.” That same sweet, impartial smile, and again, there was just no figuring out if she meant it or not. But it didn’t matter, because they were in it now, together, and they needed to move.
Fast.
Leaving Founder’s Square, with its safe little circle of lights still burning and its cordon of police and vampire guards … That was difficult. Not just because, deep down, Claire didn’t want to go, but also because the guards wouldn’t
let
them go. As in the Elders’ Council building, everyone had been given strict orders, and Claire imagined they’d been along the lines of
Whatever you do, don’t let those bastards in here, or let anybody else go out.
Naomi, though, wasn’t taking no for an answer, and there were few human cops who were willing to stand up to a vampire with an attitude, and a gun.
“Nice,” Shane said under his breath as she led them out into the street. The wreckage of cars and dropped weapons had been mostly cleared from that area—residue of the not-so-successful riot that humans had staged the night before against the vamps; it hadn’t been effective, but it had definitely been enthusiastic. “Any idea of how far we have to go?”
“No,” Naomi said, and furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Just thinking that it might be better to go in a vehicle than on foot. For safety.”
“You,” Naomi said, “have a flamethrower, which is not of much use in the enclosed space of an automobile. Perhaps you might have considered that in your choice of weapons.”
“Not a car. A pickup,” he said without hesitation. “I get the back. Ladies in the front. Maximum speed, minimum exposure, plus a good firing platform for me and Claire, with the shotgun. Or you. Whichever.”
Naomi cocked her head and looked at him in silence for a few seconds, then nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Obtain one, if you please.”
“I always knew hot-wiring skills would come in handy, other than getting me more frequent-flier jail points,” Shane said. “Stay here.” He jogged away, light and lithe even under the weight of the heavy equipment he was carrying, and Claire watched him go with a hungry little stab of anxiety. For all his easy comebacks, Shane was as vulnerable as any of them. Even Naomi, who was
also
watching her boyfriend with a thoughtful frown grooved between her brows.
“I was told Shane Collins was unreliable,” she said, “but I see little sign of it now. I was also told he loathed my kind and would see us dead if he could. Yet he came with you to rescue us. Odd.”
“People change,” Claire said.
Naomi shrugged, and made it look like some exotic foreign gesture. “Assuredly,” she said. “But mostly I find they change for the worse, not the better. In fact, some who once liked me have changed so much that they tried to burn me as a monster.”
“Well, then you’re even,”
“It’s possible they have him,” Naomi said, but then shook her head to correct herself. “No, I would feel that, through this link. He is alive, and in hiding. But it won’t be easy to get to him, even now.”
“Less talking,” Claire said. “More walking. I mean it, we’re not out here after dark, no matter what happens.”
Naomi’s eyebrows climbed higher. “Even if one of us must be left behind?”
“If one of us is,” Shane said, hefting the flamethrower higher on his shoulders like a heavy backpack, “it’s going to be you. No offense.”
Naomi smiled, very prettily. “Oh, but it is very much taken.”Claire wasn’t actually sure, looking at her, whether she meant it or not, but it was better to be safe with a vampire than really, really sorry. She nudged Shane sharply in ribs that weren’t protected by the flamethrower straps.
“Sorry,” Shane muttered. “I mean, we’ll all come back or none of us. Of course. I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing.”
“Assuredly.” That same sweet, impartial smile, and again, there was just no figuring out if she meant it or not. But it didn’t matter, because they were in it now, together, and they needed to move.
Fast.
Leaving Founder’s Square, with its safe little circle of lights still burning and its cordon of police and vampire guards … That was difficult. Not just because, deep down, Claire didn’t want to go, but also because the guards wouldn’t
let
them go. As in the Elders’ Council building, everyone had been given strict orders, and Claire imagined they’d been along the lines of
Whatever you do, don’t let those bastards in here, or let anybody else go out.
Naomi, though, wasn’t taking no for an answer, and there were few human cops who were willing to stand up to a vampire with an attitude, and a gun.
“Nice,” Shane said under his breath as she led them out into the street. The wreckage of cars and dropped weapons had been mostly cleared from that area—residue of the not-so-successful riot that humans had staged the night before against the vamps; it hadn’t been effective, but it had definitely been enthusiastic. “Any idea of how far we have to go?”
“No,” Naomi said, and furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Just thinking that it might be better to go in a vehicle than on foot. For safety.”
“You,” Naomi said, “have a flamethrower, which is not of much use in the enclosed space of an automobile. Perhaps you might have considered that in your choice of weapons.”
“Not a car. A pickup,” he said without hesitation. “I get the back. Ladies in the front. Maximum speed, minimum exposure, plus a good firing platform for me and Claire, with the shotgun. Or you. Whichever.”
Naomi cocked her head and looked at him in silence for a few seconds, then nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Obtain one, if you please.”
“I always knew hot-wiring skills would come in handy, other than getting me more frequent-flier jail points,” Shane said. “Stay here.” He jogged away, light and lithe even under the weight of the heavy equipment he was carrying, and Claire watched him go with a hungry little stab of anxiety. For all his easy comebacks, Shane was as vulnerable as any of them. Even Naomi, who was
also
watching her boyfriend with a thoughtful frown grooved between her brows.
“I was told Shane Collins was unreliable,” she said, “but I see little sign of it now. I was also told he loathed my kind and would see us dead if he could. Yet he came with you to rescue us. Odd.”
“People change,” Claire said.
Naomi shrugged, and made it look like some exotic foreign gesture. “Assuredly,” she said. “But mostly I find they change for the worse, not the better. In fact, some who once liked me have changed so much that they tried to burn me as a monster.”
“Well, then you’re even,”
Similar Books
