by Rachel Caine
“Civic duty,” Shane mocked. “Right. Whatever, man. Tell you what, you delivered your message. Go bust some crime or something. Maybe arrest your sister—she probably deserves it today, if it’s a day that ends in y.”
“Shane,” Claire said, with just a little pleading in her voice. “Where’s Eve?”
“At the hospital,” Shane said. “I left her there with Michael. It’s pretty rough on her, but she’s coping. I came back to make sure you were okay.”
“I am,” she said. Not that either of them was listening to her anymore. Richard and Shane had locked stares again, and it was a guy thing. A contest of wills.
“So you’re refusing to accompany me to the DonationCenter,” Richard said. “Is that right?”
“ ’Bout the size of it, Dick.”
Richard reached behind his back, unhooked the shiny silver handcuffs from the snap on his belt, and held them at his side. Shane still didn’t move.
“Up,” Richard said. “Come on, man, you know how this is going to go. Either you end up in the jailhouse or you spend five minutes with a needle in your arm.”
“I’m not letting any vamp eat me, not even by remote control.”
“Not even Michael?” Richard asked. “Because when supplies run low, the younger the vampire, the lower he is in the priority list. Michael’s the last one in Morganville to get blood. So you’re doing nothing but hurting your own, man.”
Shane’s fists clenched, trembled, relaxed. He glanced at Claire, and she saw the mixture of rage and shame in his eyes. He hated this, she knew. Hated the vampires, and wanted to hate Michael but couldn’t.
“Please,” she whispered. “Shane, just do it. I’ll go, too.”
“You don’t have to,” Richard said. “College students are exempt.”
“But I can volunteer, right?”
He shrugged. “No idea.”
Claire turned to Shane. “Then we’ll both go.”
“The hell we will.” Shane folded his arms. “Go on, handcuff me. I’ll bet you’re dying to use that shiny new Taser.”
Claire dropped her backpack, crossed to him, and got in his face. “Stop,” she hissed. “We don’t have time for this, and I don’t need you in jail right now, okay?”
He stared right into her eyes, for so long that she was afraid he was going to tell her to mind her own business—but then he sighed and nodded. She stepped away as he stood and held out his wrists to Richard Morrell.
“Guess you’ve got me, Officer,” he said. “Be gentle.”
“Shut up, Shane. Don’t make this harder than it is.”
Claire trailed along behind, uncertain what she ought to be doing; Richard didn’t seem interested in her at all. He used the radio clipped to his shoulder to make some kind of police call on the way down the hall, in code. She wasn’t sure she liked that. Morganville wasn’t big enough to need codes, unless it was something really nasty.
As she stopped to lock the front door behind them, a big, shiny black RV rounded the corner—so sleek it looked almost predatory. It had a red cross painted on the nose, and on the side, below its blind, dark-tinted windows, red letters spelled out MORGANVILLE BLOODMOBILE. In cursive script below that, it said, No appointment necessary.
Shane stopped moving. “No,” he said. “I’m not doing that.”
Richard used leverage to get him going again at a stumble down the steps. “It’s this or the DonationCenter. Those are your choices, you know that. I was trying to make it easier.”
Claire swallowed hard and hurried down the steps. She got in front of Shane, blocking his path, and met his eyes. He was furious, and scared, and something else, something she couldn’t really understand.
“What’s wrong?”
“People get in that damn thing and don’t come out,” he said flatly. “I’m not doing it. They strap you down, Claire. They strap you down and nobody can see inside.”
She felt a little ill herself at the mental image. Richard Morrell’s face was carefully blank. “Sir?”
He didn’t much care for her asking him; she could tell. “I can’t give you an opinion, but one way or another, he has to do this.”
“What if you drive us both to the DonationCenter instead?”
Richard thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. He unhooked the radio from his shoulder again, muttered some quiet words, and the engine on the Bloodmobile started up with a smooth hum.
It glided away like a shark, looking for prey. All of them watched it go.
“Crap, I hate that thing,” Shane said. His voice trembled a little.
“Me, too,” said Richard, to Claire’s surprise. “Now get in the car.”
Chapter 6
The DonationCenter was still open, even though it was getting dark. As Richard pulled his police cruiser to the curb, two people Claire vaguely recognized came out, waved to each other, and set off in separate directions. “Does everybody come here?” she asked.
“Everybody who doesn’t use the Bloodmobile,” Richard answered. “Every human who’s Protected has to donate a certain number of pints per year. Donations go to their Patron first. The rest goes to whoever needs it. Vampires who don’t have anyone to donate for them.”
“Like Michael,” Claire said.
“Yeah, he’s our most recent charity project.” Richard got out and opened the back door for her and Shane. She slid out. Shane, after a hesitation long enough to make her worry, followed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared up at the glowing red cross sign above the door. The DonationCenter didn’t look exactly inviting, but it was far less terrifying than the Bloodmobile. For one thing, there were bright windows that offered a clear view of a clean, big room. Framed posters on the wall—the same kind you could find in any town, Claire thought—listed the virtues of giving blood.
“Does any of it get to other humans?” she asked as Richard held the door open for Shane. He shrugged.
“Ask your boyfriend,” he said. “They used quite a few units on him after his stabbing, as I remember. Of course it gets used for humans. It’s our town, too.”
“You’re dreaming if you really think that,” Shane said, and stepped inside. As Claire followed, she felt a definite change of atmosphere—not just the air, which was cool and dry, but something else. A feeling, barely contained, of desperation. It reminded her of the way hospital waiting areas felt—industrial, impersonal, soaked with large and small fears. But it was still clean, well lit, and full of comfortable chairs.
Nothing at all scary about the place. Not even the motherly-looking older lady sitting behind the wooden desk at the front, who gave them all the same bright, welcoming smile.
“Well, Officer Morrell, it’s nice to see you!”
He nodded to the lady. “Rose. Got a truant for you here.”
“So I see. Shane Collins, isn’t it? Oh, dear, I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. Tragedy has come to your door too often.” She was still smiling, but it was muted. Respectful. “Can I put you down for two pints today? To make up some of what you’re behind?”
Shane nodded. His jaw was clenched, his eyes brilliant and narrowed. He was fighting for control, Claire thought. She slipped her fingers in his where they were handcuffed behind his back.
“You remember me, don’t you?” Rose continued. “I knew your mother. We used to play bridge together.”
“I remember,” Shane choked out. Nothing else. Richard raised his eyebrows, got a mirrored look from Rose, and tugged on Shane’s elbow to lead him away to one of the empty chairs. They were all empty, Claire noticed. She’d seen a couple of people leaving the building, but nobody coming inside.
One thing about the DonationCenter, they were better than most medical places about keeping their magazines up-to-date. Claire found a brand-new edition of Seventeen and began reading. Shane sat stiffly, in silence, and watched the single wooden door at the end of the room. Richard Morrell chatted with Rose at the desk, looking relaxed and friendly. Claire wondered
if he came here to donate his blood, or if he used the Bloodmobile. She supposed that whatever he chose, the vampires wouldn’t be crazy enough to hurt him—son of the mayor, respected police officer. No, Richard Morrell was probably safer than just about anybody in Morganville, Protected or not.
Easy for him to be relaxed.
The door at the end of the room opened, and a nurse stepped through it. She was dressed in bright floral surgical scrubs, complete to the cap over her hair, and like Rose, she had a nice, unthreatening smile. “Shane Collins?”
Shane took in a deep breath and struggled up out of his chair. Richard turned him around and unfastened the handcuffs. “Good behavior, Shane,” he said. “Trust me, you don’t want to start trouble here.”
Shane nodded stiffly. He glanced at Claire, then fixed his attention on the nurse who was waiting. He walked toward her with slow, deliberate calm.
“Can I go with him?” Claire asked, and Richard looked at her in surprise.
“Claire, they’re not going to hurt him. It’s just like blood donation anywhere else. They stick a needle in your arm and give you a squeezy ball. Orange juice and cookies at the end.”
“So I can donate?”
He looked to Rose for help.
“How old are you, child?”
“I’m not a child. I’m almost seventeen.”
“There’s no legal requirement for anyone under the age of eighteen to donate blood,” Rose said.
“But is there a law against it?”
She blinked, started to answer, and stopped herself. She pulled open a drawer and retrieved a small book that was titled Morganville Blood Donations: Regulations and Requirements. After flipping a few pages, she shrugged and looked at Richard. “I don’t think there is,” she said. “I’ve just never had anyone donate voluntarily at the DonationCenter. Oh, we take the Bloodmobile to the university from time to time, but—”
“Great,” Claire interrupted. “I’d like to donate a pint, please.”
Rose immediately became all business.
“Forms,” she said, and thumped down a clipboard and pen.
To say that Shane was surprised to see her was an understatement.
To say he was pleased would have been a lie.
As she took the couch next to his, Shane hissed, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy?”
“I’m donating blood,” she said. “I don’t have to, but I don’t mind.” At least, she didn’t think she minded. She’d never actually done it before, and the sight of the red tube snaking out of Shane’s arm and down to the collection bag was a little bit terrifying. “It doesn’t hurt, right?”
“Dude, they’re sticking a big-ass needle in your vein—of course it hurts.” He looked pale, and she didn’t think it was all from the fact that he was on his second pint. “You can still say no. Just get up and tell them you changed your mind.”
The same friendly-looking nurse who’d called Shane to the back rolled up a wheeled stool and a cart. “He’s right,” she said. “If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. I saw your paperwork. You’re a little young.” The nurse’s bright brown eyes focused beyond her, to Shane, and then back again. “Doing it for moral support?”
“Kind of,” Claire admitted. Her fingers felt ice-cold, and she shivered as the nurse took her hand. “I’ve never done this before.”
“You’re in luck. I have. Now, I’m going to stick your finger and run a quick test, and then we’ll get started. Okay?”
Claire nodded. Lying on the couch seemed to have effectively sapped away her will to move. The finger stick came as a sharp, bright flash, there and gone, and Claire lifted her head from the pillow to see the nurse using a tiny glass pipette to gather blood from her fingertip. It was about five seconds, and then the stick was bandaged up. The nurse did some things with items on her cart, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled at Claire. "O negative,” she said. “Excellent.”
Claire gave her a weak thumbs-up. The nurse took her arm and fastened the rubber tourniquet above the elbow. “Talk to your boyfriend,” she advised. “Don’t watch.”
Claire turned her head. Shane was staring at her with dark, intense eyes. He smiled slightly, just enough, and she returned it.
“So,” she asked, “come here often?”
He laughed quietly. She felt something hot slip into her arm, a jolt that faded to discomfort, and then tape being applied. A ball was pressed into her hand, and the tight pressure of the tourniquet snapped loose. “Squeeze,” the nurse said. “You’re good to go.”
Surprised, Claire glanced down. She had a thing in her arm, and a tube, and there was red running through it. . . .
Her head fell back against the pillow, and she couldn’t hear for the dark buzzing inside her skull. She thought someone was calling her name, but for the moment that didn’t seem very important. She tried to breathe, slowly and steadily, and after what seemed like hours, the buzzing faded, and the world took on edges and bright colors again. There was a poster on the ceiling overhead, one of a kitten sitting in a tea-cup, looking adorable. She fixed on it and tried not to think about the blood that was draining out of her. This is what it’s like, she couldn’t help but realize. This must be what Michael felt when Oliver was draining his blood. This is what all those people feel when the vampires kill them.
It was only a little piece of death, hardly enough to matter.
The nurse slipped a warm blanket over her, smiled down, and said, “It’s okay. You’re not the first to pass out. That’s why the seats recline, honey.”
Claire hadn’t passed out, not really, but she wasn’t feeling her best, either. The nurse rolled her cart and stool around to Shane.
“Done,” she announced, and Claire tried to turn her head that way, but she didn’t want to see the needle coming out any more than she’d wanted to see it go in. Squeamish. She was squeamish about needles, and she’d never realized that before. Funny.
A warm hand covered hers, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that Shane was standing next to her, pale and hollow-eyed but upright.
“Shane,” the nurse said. “Go get some juice.”
“When she’s done,” he said.
The nurse must have realized there was no arguing about it, because she kicked her wheeled stool over to him. “Then at least sit down. I really don’t want to be picking you up off the floor.”
It probably took less time than it felt, but Claire was desperately glad when the nurse came back to remove the needle and apply bandages. She didn’t look at the blood bag. The nurse said something nice, and Claire tried to respond in kind but wasn’t absolutely sure what came out of her mouth. Shane led her to the next room, which was a sitting area with a plasma television tuned to a news channel, juice and sodas and water, and trays of crackers and cookies and fruit. Claire took an orange and a bottle of water. Shane went straight for the sugar shock—Coke and cookies.
Claire rubbed her fingers over the purple stretch bandage around her elbow. “Is it always like that?”
“Like what?” Shane mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate chips. “Scary? Guess so. They try to make it nice, but I never forget whose mouth that blood ends up in.”
She felt a surge of nausea, and stopped peeling her orange. Suddenly, the thick pulpy smell was overwhelming. She chugged some water instead, which went down cool and heavy as mercury.
“They use it for the hospitals, though,” she said. “For accident victims and things like that.”
“Sure. Reusing the leftovers.” Shane crammed another cookie into his mouth. “I hate this shit. I swore I’d never do it, but here I am anyway. Tell me again why I stay in this town?”
“They’ll hunt you down if you leave?”
“Good reason.” He dusted crumbs from his fingers. She peeled the rest of her orange, broke loose a slice, and ate it with methodical determination—not hungry, no sir, but well aware she was still shaky. She ate three more slices, then passed Shane the res
t.
“Wait,” she said. He paused in the act of biting into the orange. “You’ve never done this before, have you? I mean, you left town before you were eighteen, so you didn’t have to. And then you’ve ducked it since coming back. Right?”
“Damn straight.” He finished the orange and chugged the rest of his Coke.
“So you’ve never been inside the Bloodmobile.”
“I didn’t say that.” Shane got that grim look again. “I went with my mother once—didn’t have to donate, but she wanted me to get used to the idea. I was fifteen. They dragged in this guy—he was crazy, out of his head. Strapped him down and started draining him. They hustled the rest of us out of there, but when we left, he was still there. I watched. They drove away with him. Nobody ever saw him again.”
Claire swallowed more water. She felt weak, but she wanted out of here. The comfortable room felt like a trap, a windowless, airless box. She tossed the rest of her water and the orange peel in the trash. Shane three-pointed his Coke can and took her hand.
“Is Eve going to stay at the hospital?” she asked.
“Not all night. It’s pretty uncomfortable; her dad’s sobered up, and he’s doing the amends thing.” Shane’s mouth twisted. He clearly didn’t think much of that. “Her mom just sits there and cries. She always was practically a bag of wet tissues.”
“You don’t like them much.”
“You wouldn’t, either.”
“Any sign of Jason?”
Shane shook his head. “If he’s showing up to do his family duty, he’s sneaking around in the dead of night. Which, come to think of it, would probably work for him. Anyway, Michael said he’d bring Eve home. They’re probably already there.”
“I hope so. Did Michael say where he was, you know, before?”
“When he was missing? Something about this damn ball,” Shane said.
I should ask him about the invitation. She almost did—she opened her mouth to do it—but then she remembered how Shane had looked last night, how deeply Ysandre had shaken him.
She didn’t want to see him look like that again.
