Part 13 (2/2)

”How did you get in here?” Michael asked, and from the shock on his face, he clearly hadn't seen Myrnin make his appearance, either. Myrnin, when Claire turned to look at him, was smirking. He'd had a bath; his hair, face, and hands were clean, although his clothes still held on to their well-lived-in filth.

”You'd hardly understand it if I told you. But to answer your question, Chief Moses has complete cooperation from me in bypa.s.sing the safeguards around the town. We need to get specific groups of people out of Morganville, and among those people are your parents, Claire.”

She wet her lips. ”Any special reason we're moving so fast now?”

”Yes,” he said, and Hannah sent him a sharp look that would have stopped anybody sane. Didn't work on him, of course. ”We are ready. Once Bishop starts killing, he will start with the ones we love first. That includes your parents, Claire, who will have no way to defend themselves.”

He knew something. She could see it, and it scared her to death. ”When?”

He spread his hands. ”Unknown. But I can tell you that it's coming. Michael knows this as well.”

Michael didn't say anything, but he studied the table very hard. Claire resisted an urge to fling some orange juice his way. ”When can we get them out of town?”

”I'll handle getting them packed and ready to go,” Hannah said. ”I'm filling two buses with the most likely targets, and those are getting a mandatory evac out of Morganville in the next two hours.” Claire saw a movement at the door, and noticed that Eve had slipped inside the kitchen, but was standing silently against the wall. As she watched, Shane came in, too, fresh from a shower, hair sparkling with drops. His gaze locked with hers, but he didn't come to her; he took up wall s.p.a.ce next to Eve.

Hannah noticed them, too. ”You two,” she said. ”You're on the bus today. Grab a bag. Pack for a couple of days. If you need more, we'll get it for you.”

Eve and Shane both talked at once, an out-of-tune duet of angry denials. Eve slapped Shane on the shoulder and shut him up so she could go first. ”No way. I'm not going anywhere, Hannah. End of story.”

Shane added, ”I'm not going anywhere if Claire stays here.”

”Then she goes, too,” Hannah said. ”I was going to do that anyway.”

But both Michael and Myrnin were shaking their heads. ”She can't,” Michael said. ”Faded or not, that tattoo links her directly to Bishop. He'd still be able to track her down-and all the others who went with her.” ”Not necessarily,” Myrnin said. ”There are vampires who could block his perception of her, if they traveled with her. But they are not available at present.”

”Patience Goldman,” Claire said. ”Right?”

”If Theo had only waited one more day, this could have been avoided. I had planned to use her for that very purpose. But I suppose the fault is ours; if we'd kept him closer in our plans, he would not have acted so stupidly.” Myrnin shrugged.

”I still wouldn't have gone,” Claire said. ”I'm not leaving Michael all by himself, pretending to be Bishop's best friend.”

”Oh, thanks for that. Glad I inspire such confidence.”

”Well, you don't. You're not a spy, Michael. You're a musician.”

”The two,” Myrnin said dryly, ”are not mutually exclusive. But Michael is right. Our little Claire cannot leave the boundaries of Morganville, as matters stand just now. Besides, I need her at my side.”

”Well, if she's not going,” Shane said, ”count me out of the running away party.”

”Ditto,” from Eve.

Hannah gave them both looks that should have made suitcases magically appear in their hands, but then she gave up and shook her head. ”I can't promise you I'll be able to keep you safe. Understand?”

Eve rolled her eyes. ”Have we ever asked for that? Like, ever? You know us, Hannah. We all went to the same high school- well, except for Claire. We Morganville kids have dodged vamps our whole lives. Not like it's new territory.”

”Not true,” Myrnin said, very soberly. ”You might have played games with Morganville's tamed vampires, restrained by rules and laws. You've never really faced someone like Bishop, who has no conscience and no restraint.”

”Don't care,” Eve shot back. ”That just means it's more important that we all stick together.”

”Always some crazy fool who stays with a hurricane coming. Can't save everybody.” Hannah drained her orange juice down to a pale froth on the bottom of the gla.s.s. ”All right. I'm moving on. We're pulling people from the Founder Houses first, then anybody who has ties to Amelie, then people who were in the old Morrell administration. And yeah, the Morrells, too.”

”Isn't Richard missing?”

”No,” Hannah said. ”Richard's just been working with us to get people lined up for evacuation. I told his d.a.m.n sister to cool it, but she's still ringing every alarm bell she can find. Wish I could find a special bus just for her. A stinky, slow one. Preferably with a backed-up toilet.”

Claire smiled at that, then remembered someone else. ”The Goldmans,” she said. ”They need help, too. Can you get them?”

”No idea where they are,” Hannah said.

”I know.” Myrnin looked thoughtful.”I'm not sure, but I can try,” he said. ”They have no blood ties to Amelie or to Bishop, so they would be safe enough if we could get them on their way. But it's a risk including vampires in your evacuation.”

”Then again, it means that we have some vampires fighting on our side if things go wrong outside of town,” Hannah pointed out.

”Not a bad thing.”

”Provided the Goldmans will alight.” He seemed about to say something else, but then he shook his head and made his hands into fists. ”No, that isn't what I meant. Will fight. No. Provided that . . . provided . . . ”

He was losing it. Claire got up and opened her backpack. She took out a small box of red crystals and handed it over; for most vampires, it would have been a ma.s.sive dose. For a human, it was certain, gruesome death.

For Myrnin, it was like taking a handful of candy. He choked, swallowed, and nodded as he tossed the empty box back to her.

Then he turned away, face to the corner, and braced himself with outspread arms, head down. His whole body shook.

That's not supposed to happen.

Then he spasmed so badly she thought he was going to fall. ”Myrnin!” Claire touched his shoulder; she'd never seen this happen before-not this bad, anyway. ”What's wrong?”

He whispered, ”Get away. Get them all away from me, now.”

”But-”

”Everything smells like blood. Get them away.”

Claire let go and backed up, gesturing for Hannah and even Michael to follow. n.o.body said a word. Shane held open the kitchen door, and they all left.

All except Claire, who stayed at the exit, watching Myrnin fight for his life and sanity, one slow second at a time.

She saw his shoulders relax, and felt her tide of worry begin to recede-until he turned toward her.

His eyes weren't red. They were white. Just . . . white, with the faint shadow of an iris and pupil showing through. The eyes of a corpse.

”Claire,” he said, and took a step toward her.

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