Page 13 (1/2)

Chapter One

It was all going wrong, and Morganville was burning--parts of it, anyway

Claire stood at the s of the Glass House and watched the flae She could always see the stars out here in the Middle of Nowhere, Texas--but not tonight Tonight, there was--

"You're thinking it's the end of the world," a cool, quiet voice said behind her

Claire blinked out of her trance and turned to look Amelie--the Founder, and the baddest vaile and pale, even for a vaed out of the costume she'd worn to Bishop's masked ball--not a bad idea, since it had a stakesized hole in the chest, and she'd bled all over it If Claire had needed proof that A an assassination atteave you points

The varay sweater, and pants Claire had to stare, because Amelie just didn't do pants Ever It was beneath her, or so

Coray, either

Talk about the end of the world

"I reo burned," Amelie said "And London And Ro, the survivors start to build again It's the way of things The human way"

Claire didn't particularly want a pep talk She wanted to curl up in her warm bed upstairs, pull pillows over her head, and feel Shane's ar to happen Her bed was currently occupied by Miranda, a freakedout teenage psychic with dependency issues, and as for Shane

Shane was about to leave

"Why?" she blurted "Why are you sending him out there? You knohat could happen--"

"I know a great deal about Shane Collins that you don't," Amelie interrupted "He's not a child, and he has survivedlife He'll survive this And he wishes to make a difference"

She was sending Shane into the predawn darkness with a few chosen fighters, both vampire and human, to take possession of the Bloodanville

And it was the last thing Shane wanted to do It was the last thing Claire wanted for him

"Bishop isn't going to want the Bloodanville's full of walking blood banks, as far as he's concerned But it'll hurt you if you lose it, so he'll coht?"

The severe, thin line of Auessed It definitely couldn't be called a s as Shane has the book, Bishop will not dare destroy the vehicle for fear of destroying his great treasure along with it"