‘Well, yes, clinically; they’re very far from human, you know, though they can certainly simulate it easily enough when they wish. Do you have any concept of what you’re involved in, either of you? How dangerous it is to trust these creatures? You can’t. They will kill you.’

‘You’re the ones with guns,’ Claire pointed out. ‘And you’re the one who killed Derrick.’

‘Derrick was none of your concern, and certainly wasn’t mine,’ Davis said. ‘I don’t suppose taking the two of you as hostages will gain me anything from the immortals. They don’t have any regard for humans.’

‘Sure they do,’ Shane said. ‘They regard us as walking meal deals. But don’t worry, they especially wouldn’t come running to rescue me. My dad was a genuine vampire killer.’

‘Really?’ That got Davis’s full attention. ‘I always suspected that there would be such a thing, with its own lore and skills … Stoker’s novel hinted as much. I assume the business was not passed down. You don’t seem terribly motivated.’

Shane gave him a humorless grin. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I have my days.’

‘You came after Liz to get to me,’ Claire said. ‘Didn’t you?’

‘I like redundancy in all that I do,’ he said, and rested a proprietary hand on VLAD. ‘You developed an object we badly needed in order to keep any captives we managed to secure in line. The immortals are very dangerous, as I’m sure you already know. So, I suppose the answer to your question is yes. Liz was a means to an end, the end being your acquisition for our project.’

‘By immortals, you mean vampires.’

‘It’s the common word for them, but the important thing about them from a biological standpoint is that their tissues simply don’t age. They are – petrified, in a sense. And yet also alive. There are a few other organisms capable of this kind of extraordinary behaviour but—’

‘Not really here for the biology lesson, professor,’ Shane said, interrupting what was sure to be a Myrnin-worthy gush of information. Claire was a little disappointed, actually. ‘We want Jesse released. Now. And that thing you’re holding doesn’t belong to you, so we’d like it back, too.’

Dr Davis and his two minions actually exchanged amused glances before he said, ‘You’re playing well out of your league, boy. Please don’t bluff. It’s just embarrassing.’

‘He’s not bluffing, professor,’ Claire said. ‘Really.’

Shane shook his head. ‘Ah, come on, don’t call him professor, he’s got no right to that. He’s a scumbag who gets college girls to bang him for grades. Right, Claire?’

‘Definitely. By the way, Liz cried all night. In case you were interested, professor.’

‘Here’s a tip,’ Shane said. ‘If you leave a girl crying, you’re probably not doing your Don Juan routine right, asshole.’