Morganville Vampires 03: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

Author:Rachel Caine [Caine, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2010-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

9

Michael wasn’t talking to her, and that was bad. He wasn’t sullen, like Shane got from time to time; he was just thoughtful. That made the drive uneasily quiet. It was fully dark out, not that she could see through the window tinting, anyway.

The world didn’t seem real to her anymore, and her head ached.

‘‘This is the deal you made with Amelie,’’ Michael said. ‘‘To work for him.’’

‘‘No. I made the deal with Amelie; then she told me to work for him. Or learn from him.’’

‘‘Is there a difference?’’

Claire smiled. ‘‘Yeah. I don’t get paid.’’

‘‘Brilliant plan, genius. Is anybody paying you?’’

Actually, she had no idea. The thought hadn’t occurred to her, to ask Amelie for money. Was that normal, to get paid for a thing like this? She supposed it was, if she was supposed to risk her life with Myrnin on a regular basis. ‘‘I’ll ask,’’ she offered.

‘‘No,’’ Michael said grimly. ‘‘I’ll ask. I want to talk to Amelie about this whole thing, anyway.’’

‘‘Don’t get all older-brother on me, Michael. It’s not safe. You may be one of them now, but you’re not—’’

‘‘One of them? Yeah, I know that. But you’re way too young for this, Claire, and you don’t know what you’re doing. You didn’t grow up in this town; you don’t understand the risks.’’

‘‘What, death? I understand that one pretty well already.’’ She was feeling tired and achy, but also strangely annoyed with Michael’s protectiveness. ‘‘Look, I’m fine, okay? Besides, I learned a lot today. She’ll be happy, trust me.’’

‘‘Amelie’s mood isn’t what bothers me,’’ Michael said. ‘‘It’s you. You’re changing, Claire.’’

She looked straight at him. ‘‘Like you haven’t?’’

‘‘Cheap shot. Look, I’m sick of having to tiptoe around Shane. Don’t make me do it with you, too.’’ Ah, now Michael was annoyed, too. Great.

‘‘Tell you what? I’ll stop nagging you about your life if you’ll stay out of mine. You’re not my brother, you’re not my dad—’’

‘‘No,’’ he interrupted. ‘‘I’m the guy who says if you get to stay in the house.’’

He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t. ‘‘Michael—’’

‘‘You made a deal with Amelie without talking to anyone, and then you covered it up. Look, the only reason you even came clean was because I saw the bracelet. If I hadn’t, you’d still be lying to us. That doesn’t exactly make you the ideal housemate.’’ Michael paused for a second. ‘‘And then there’s Shane.’’

‘‘How am I to blame for Shane?’’

‘‘You’re not. But I can’t deal with both of you, not now. So just straighten up, Claire. No more lying, and no more risk-taking, all right? I’ll convince Amelie to let you out of these sessions with Myrnin. You’re too young to be doing this; she ought to know that.’’

No more lying. No more risk-taking. Claire shifted and felt the bottle in her pocket, and had a flash of that perfect clarity again. She wondered what Michael would have to say about her letting Myrnin give her the crystals. Probably nothing. He was talking about throwing her out of the house, right? So he probably didn’t care at all.

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