‘Look at them. Look! You’re sure that it doesn’t have lasting effects?’ I asked her. ‘You’re sure that Michael’s going to get up and laugh it off? Yeah, and even if it is temporary, I’m sure Oliver’s going to take it totally well when he quits crying like a little girl. You just made damn sure they all kill us really, really dead, you understand that? If you wanted to go to war with Amelie, you’ve done it. She’s never going to let this stand.’

‘Amelie will never know,’ Dr Anderson said. ‘Oliver was in exile. She sent Michael to chase down her wayward missing pet madman. If all of them disappear along the way, well. Accidents happen, even to vampires. And no one can possibly swear they were ever even here.’

‘Except Liz, and Pete, and Claire, and Eve and me,’ I said. ‘So I guess we’ll have to take a fertiliser nap in your rose garden, right? Oh, wait, you’re the good guy. Sorry, I was confused for a second.’

‘I can assure you that the four vampires won’t be killed. They’re invaluable lab specimens, so long as we can keep them docile, which this weapon does very well,’ Dr Anderson said. ‘And I think I can persuade the rest of you that it’s in your best interests to keep silent. Liz is a young, impressionable girl. You, Shane – well, if you won’t be convinced, I’m sure I can talk Liz into blaming her abduction on you. You’ll spend half your life in prison.’

‘You don’t have to do that,’ Claire said. ‘He won’t say anything. Shane – listen to me. If we all stick together, if we tell the same story, we can be safe. For the first time in our lives, safe. Amelie won’t come here, it’s too much of a risk. We can stay here, live our lives not afraid of them for a change. We can be happy.’

‘And, of course, if you decide your principles are more important, I’m sure we can still fall back on Option One,’ Dr Anderson said. ‘I admit, it’s not my first choice. I dislike hurting humans. My goal is to make a world where vampires can be contained, constructively managed for their own safety and for ours. If you agree with that, I think we can all get along just fine.’

‘You going to make Eve agree with that, too? With letting Michael be some kind of – of lab rat?’ I demanded. ‘Shit, Claire, you know it’s never going to happen. Maybe you can convince me about the rest of them, but not Michael. He’s our friend. He’s my brother.’