The Stars Lie {Myrnin, Morganville Vampires}

Let The Games Begin

Chapter 49 –Claire's POV– Let The Games Begin

How had this happened?! Was fate really so cruel as to make her love the same – but different – man, and then force her to choose between them? As she stared into Myrnin's penetrating gaze, she knew beyond a doubt the answer – yes. Waves of pain began to lap at her skin, from the inside. She couldn't bear the sick inevitability of being the instrument that crushed one of them.

Myrnin's features changed to alarm as he felt the shivers of horror wash through her. He gripped her hands tighter, "What is it?"

"I can't," she whispered.

A new understanding and a new pain lit his eyes. He dropped her hands.

"No..." she struggled to force syllables into words, which would make sense out of the Shakespearean tragedy, in which she was currently playing center stage. The irony took her breath away. It wasn't losing him that would finally kill her – it was having two of them, which would bring her to her knees. She knew her limits. Destroying one of them would only destroy her in the process – she would become a thousand shattered pieces of collateral damage of her own making. No, Shakespeare had nothing on her.

"I am...beyond...overwhelmed," she began. "I can't think right now. I just know I can't leave him in there."

Myrnin's features turned hard again. "So you are perfectly okay with his plan to kill me?"

"What? Of course not!"

"That is exactly what he will attempt to do, if he gets out."

"No. He won't." Claire hands fisted in frustration.

Myrnin's eyebrows shot up. "Did I miss the crystal ball?! Because the last thing he tried to do, before Amelie graciously interceded, was slink his way over to end me."

"He was angry...and upset. You don't know him like I do."

She had finally shocked him into silence. Claire watched as he gripped to a tiny shred of self-control. "I...don't know...him, like you do?!" he asked through gritted teeth incredulously.

Before he could bring his tirade to fruition, Claire cut in, "No...you don't! You think he is you...your past. But he isn't! Yes, of course there are similarities, but your histories – your choices – are completely different."

"Not completely different," he looked at her pointedly.

"Okay, I will admit...loving me is the same. But that is really where it ends."

Anger still permeated from his words, "And you are willing to risk my life on your fantasy of who you think he is – versus the reality of who he just presented himself to be?!"

"Yes....I mean, no, of course not. But that is just it...I am not risking your life because I know he would sooner die than hurt me."

The murderous expression that seeped into Myrnin's eyes had Claire backtracking, "What I mean is – if I ask him not to; if he really understands what it would do to me – there is no way he would go through with it now."

Myrnin glowered and shook his head. "It doesn't matter because you are not going."

"Excuse me?" Claire narrowed her eyes dangerously at him, fury radiating through her at his presumption that he could control her behavior.

"It isn't safe. Have you forgotten Anwyn is still out there? It is too dangerous," he said critically.

"Yes, dangerous because you fucked her and called out my name. I get why she might be a little mad," Claire spat.