Morganville Vampires 3
Rachel Caine
Claire’s mom calls the house to check in. Michael is able to calm her down and Claire quickly ends the conversations. Shane and Eve join them in the kitchen, but the topic quickly changes to Shane’s anger at Michael for being a vampire. He storms off and Clair goes to talk to him. Someone rings the doorbell and Claire answers the door to find Monica and her friends. She is surprised when Monica wants to hang out and asks about her motivations. monica tells her that things have changed because Claire signed the contract to be Amelie’s property. Claire declines the offer politely and closes the door. Shane only overhears the “thank you,” and storms up to his room, slamming the door.
Eve expresses her worry about Claire becoming friends with Monica. As she walks to class in the rain, Monica sends one of her friends, Jerome, to hold his umbrella over Claire. She tries to get away from him when she realizes what is going on, but she is no match for the athlete. She sees that he has a bracelet when he finally walks away. The next morning, Claire talks to Michael about his new job at the music store and vampire issued car. He explains that he turned down the job they offered him, which would eventually lead to him being a protector. Claire goes to Shane’s room to calm him down. He explains that he needs time to get used to Michael being a vampire. They kiss a few times and then Claire goes to find Eve to get a ride to school.
Monica invites Claire to an exclusive party. Claire decides to extend the invitation to some geeky gamers to show Monica she has no interest in being friends with her. Claire is pulled out of class and sent to the administration building. She ends up in a room with Amelie, who requires extra studies from her. Amelie takes her to Myrnin, who quickly quizzes her. He is disappointed when she doesn’t know Alchemic symbols and says he doesn’t want another student. Amelie doesn’t give either of them a choice. He gives her assignments before quickly shuffling her out after Amelie. Claire asks about the risks and Amelie explains that Myrnin’s work must continue. Claire realizes he is sick and might be dying On the ride home, Claire asks Eve about what happens when someone breaks a contract. Not really ever having heard of anything, Eve assumes they are imprisoned or killed. When they get home, a package is waiting for Claire. It contains her protection bracelet from Amelie. Shane tells her to meet him in his room to talk in private. He wants to leave Morganville, knowing his dad will come back and make him kill Michael. Claire says she can’t go with him.
After an awkward dinner with the roommates where they decide to crash Monica’s party, Claire goes to her room. Amelie is there and puts the bracelet on her, letting her know it can’t be removed. The next day, Detectives Hess and Lowe find Claire to ask her if she knows anything about Eve’s co-worker, Amy, that they found dead in a Glass House trash can. She is surprised by the news. They explain it looks like Jason, Eve’s brother, might have killed her. They go to talk to Eve and Sam arrives to take Claire to Myrnin. Sam’s car windows are so heavily tinted that it takes her a minute to realize where he took her. Myrnin is the trap-door spider Grandma Day warned her about. She follows Sam in as he tells her Myrnin only takes unprotected.
Myrnin is enthusiastic about quizzing Claire on her assignments. Afterwards, he has her start copying a book by hand, and she complains about not using a computer. Myrnin offers her a bet; his abacus versus her computer, but the stakes are too high for her (freedom or her life). When CLaire realizes it is late and starts to leave, Myrnin comes after her. He is about to bite her when she tells him to stop because she is his friend. Myrnin doesn’t want to hurt Claire. He explains that his mind is going because all of the vampires are sick and dying. Sam rushes Claire out.
Claire comes home to Shane’s things all packed up. Everyone starts shouting and Michael offers to let Shane stake him. The boys make up and then focus their attention on Claire coming home after dark. Shane starts searching her for bite marks and she pulls away before he gets to the arm with the bracelet. Michael offers to check and finds the gold bracelet. He assures everyone she is okay and sends them off. Michael pulls her aside and tells her she has to tell the others the truth. She starts with Shane and then Eve. Claire and Shane fall asleep on the couch together and are woken up by the house in the early morning. The police are outside inspecting Sam’s body. Richard Morrell realizes Sam is still alive and takes him to Amelie. Shane and Eve are put in the back of the human’s police car and Claire is sent off with Gretchen and Hans, vampire detectives.
The vampires take Claire to Founders square and to where Amelie is trying to help Sam. Her patron asks for her assistance in puling the wooden stake from Sam’s Chest. After that is done, Michael shows up. Sam is able to tell them that whoever attacked him called him Michael. Amelie talks to Claire in private to tell her she has new classes added to her school schedule. She sends Claire away in a hurry. Clair goes home to find her new classes listed on a piece of paper (she tested out of her previous classes) and waits for Shane and Eve. When they finally come home, Shane is a little roughed up, but sends the girls about their day. Claire goes to the University coffee shop where Eve works after a day of enjoying her new classes. As she waits for her escort to Myrnin’s place, Jason, Eve’s brother, comes to talk to her. She tries to get away, but he mentions another girl in a trash can at their house. She sits and listens to him. He has a secret he wants to use to blackmail the vampires for Eve’s life and his freedom from Morganville. He finally leaves and Eve is stricken. Michael comes over to take her to Myrnin’s and they fill each other in on the way. Claire realizes that she will be alone with the crazed vampire for hours until Michael can join them at sundown.
Claire goes inside to find Myrnin in a cage. They work for a while and eventually, he asks her to find a key to open a door that is hidden behind a bookshelf. She starts looking for the key and finds it just as Myrnin starts to ask her to let him out of the cage. When she doesn’t, he breaks free. Claire, looking for escape, opens the secret door to see Shane playing video games in the living room of the Glass House. he calls his name and he hears her. Myrnin closes the door. Claire tells him that they are friends. He seems to forget who she is and why she is there. He gives her some red crystals to ingest and he takes a few himself. She is now able to learn and understand things at a much quicker rate. He starts explaining to her how the entire city works on Alchemy. Michael comes in later and is surprised that Myrnin is out of his cage. He tells Claire they have to go, and Myrnin agrees. She hugs the old vampire, takes the jar of red crystals, and leaves with Michael.
Michael is not happy about Claire working for Myrnin. he plans to talk to Amelie about the situation. Shane takes Claire up to his room to spend some time together. She starts to undress and he stops her, not wanting to break the promises he made. In the middle of the night, Claire wakes up because she hears something outside. She looks out the window to see a figure. She calls the police and Lowe sends someone. She tells him what happened with Jason and he tells her to go wake up Shane and Michael. When she opens the door, Oliver is there for her. He drags her into the secret room and asks her why Amelie needs her. Claire doesn’t answer and he explains that the vampires are also trapped in Morganville. She doesn’t give anything away. Oliver leaves while threatening her friends. THe house becomes a crime scene. When Claire joins her friends, Monica is with them. She tells them that she saw Shane carry a body out of the house. She says she will forget about it if Claire goes with her to Common Grounds. Monica explains that Oliver wanted her to find out about Amelie, but she wants to try to get a contract with her before Oliver can trade her to a lowly vampire. Claire admits nothing and says she doesn’t have access to Amelie. After they sit a while, letting Oliver know she tried, Monica leaves.
Amelie gives Claire a break from Myrnin, and Claire uses the time to focus on her school work. At the end of the week, Eve dresses them all up for Monica’s party. When they arrive it is a disaster. Claire sees Jason and points out where he was to Shane, who sends Michael after him. After a while, their vampire friend doesn’t return so they go looking for him upstairs in the bedrooms. Claire finds a girl that is about to be raped and sends Shane after her. She finds Michael over a dead girl. Eve runs off and Shane tells Claire to follow her. When Shane mets them outside, he tells them they are walking home. They take the girl to campus and flag down the University Police, who take her to the clinic. Shane starts leading the girls home quickly, but Eve notices they are being followed. A frat boy attacks Shane with a baseball bat. Jason appears to confront Eve. Shane, Having disabled the frat boy, goes after Jason, when he tells them he left the dead girl in the basement to impress the vampires. Jason stabs him and then leaves. Oliver comes out to tell them an ambulance is on the way. Claire and Eve ride with him when it arrives.
Shane is taken into surgery and Richard shows up to ask questions. He points out that Shane swung the bat at Jason after he put the knife away. Eve and Claire leave him, disgusted, and go check on Shane. Michael finds them in the hallway and explains that he lost Jason at the party, but found other vampires hunting. He stopped them and came after his friends. They believe him and they all go to the waiting room. When Claire wakes up, Eve tells her Shane will be okay and will be released in a few days with a temporary bracelet. They start leaving, but Claire has an uneasy feeling about a nurse who called Eve a fang-banger. Eve tells her she married the first cop who arrived to help Sam after he was staked. After cleaning herself up, Claire goes back to the hospital and is able to visit Shane. When she is leaving, one of Monica’s friends, Jennifer, asks her for help with her economics class (as she has to maintain a “C” average to keep her Patron). Claire agrees for a fee and they make a date for the next day. She calls Lowe for a ride home and he is upset when he comes to get her. He makes a stop and is gone for over 20 minutes before returning with bloody knuckles. When she asks him about it, he tells Claire to mind his own business. Back at home, a letter from Amelie is delivered saying that she isn’t convinced Claire is learning fast enough and will be tested in two days. She calls the towns only cab driver and offers him double to take her to the Day House. He agrees.
Claire goes down to see Myrnin. He points out that Amelie sent her to him without protection so he could kill her. She asks about his previous apprentices and he explains that they bought him some extra time (the smarter the person, the longer the effects). he doesn’t want to become paralyzed and starve to death, but isn’t willing to kill Claire to buy a little time. He tells her to leave, but she wants to help find a cure. they take the red crystals and get to work. Claire finds mistakes in formulas Myrnin’s previous assistant had made. They make new crystals and then Claire leaves. Myrnin tries to draw her back in, but she realizes it just in time and runs out of the alley. Officer Fenton finds her and starts giving her a ride home. He mentions Michael being the original target of Sam’s attack. Claire realizes that he shouldn’t know that and points it out. When she asks about him being at the scene before the sirens went off, he speeds up his driving. Claire is taken to the lair of a vampire-killing, secret society lead by an editorial writer named Mr. Obvious. Officer Fenton’s wife, the nurse from the hospital, is also there with Jason. Jason calls Michael to tell him to come alone to save Claire. They want to kill him because he is the youngest and used to be one of their group. Officer Fenton is blamed for the situation by his peers for staking Sam instead of Michael. They all agree that Jason isn’t killing the girls. Michael rushes in covered by a blanket and is tasered. Claire is able to get a hand freed from the constraints tying her to a chair and swings the furniture at Officer Fenton. Lowe (who is only there because they have Hess) comes to her aide, but it isn’t enough. Oliver comes busting in and kills Mr. Obvious first. He takes the bracelets from the Fentons and then drains them both. Jason escapes. Lowe takes Claire and Michael home.
After dealing with the hangover from the crystals, Claire goes to tutor Jennifer. Monica is there and demands crystals from Claire when she catches her taking some in the bathroom. Monica collapses, convulsing. Claire goes to the hospital with her and the doctors ask what they took. After talking to Shane, she realizes that Myrnin’s notes can help and goes to get them. Myrnin attacks and Claire goes through the open portal door to a prison. Myrnin follows and becomes lucid enough to remember her. He locks himself in a cage and tells her how to work the doors. She makes it back to his lab where Amelie is waiting to send her to the hospital through the same door. Oliver and Jason show up just as she steps through, but Amelie closes the door on her. The doctors are able to help Monica. Claire’s parents show up to tell her they have moved into a founder house across town. They come in to visit and introduce Mr. Bishop, who they picked up from the side of the road. When Mr. and Mrs. Danvers are out of earshot, Mr. Bishop demands to see his daughter, Amelie, or he will kill all the humans in the house.