Chapters (24)
“Nothing’s changed,” Shane’s dad said, and turned to face them, hands on hips. “We came to kick us some ass and kill us some vampires, just like we planned all along. Time to get some payback for Alyssa and your mother. Nothing’s going to change that.”
“Dad, things are different now, we can’t—”
Shane’s father grabbed him by the hair, quick as a snake. There were tattoos on his hand, ugly dark blue smudges, and he forced Shane’s head back. “Can’t? Can’t? We’re going to burn this town down, boy, just like we agreed. And you’re not changing your mind.”
“Hey!” Michael said sharply, and reached out for Shane’s dad. When he touched him, something happened, something like an electric shock that flared blue white in the room and raised the hair on Claire’s arms. Michael flew back and hit the wall, too stunned to do anything.
“No!” Shane yelled, and tried to pull free. He couldn’t. “Dad, no!”
Shane’s dad nodded to one of his biker buddies. “Yep. He’s one of them,” he said. “Take care of it.”
The biker guy nodded back, pulled a knife from his belt, and advanced on Michael.
“No!” Shane screamed it this time. Claire took a hesitant step forward, and stopped when Michael’s wide blue eyes locked on hers. Eve was screaming, and so was Shane.
Miranda saw this, she thought. Michael was even standing on the rug Miranda had pointed to when she’d said, And he died…right…there. It hadn’t been his first death.
It was his second.
“Guys, stay out of it!” Michael said sharply when Eve tried to lunge toward him and get between him and the biker. He was still backing away, and this time, he looked afraid. He hadn’t been afraid of the vampires and all their minions, but this time…
The biker moved faster than anybody Claire had ever seen, except vampires; she didn’t even see what happened, just heard the heavy thud as Michael hit the floor. The biker went down with him, holding him flat with one huge hand while the other one raised the knife.
“No, Dad, God, I’ll do whatever you want!”
“Shut up,” Shane’s dad said, and threw Shane toward the sofa. He sprawled there, and Claire ran over to him and put her arms around him. “You bet you will. You three are going to tell me which vamps to strike first. Because it’s us against them now, and don’t you forget it.”
“Three?” Eve said faintly. Her huge eyes were locked on Michael, and the biker, and the knife.
“Three,” said Shane’s dad, and nodded to the biker.
They all screamed as the knife came down.
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