Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 69

Amelie had told him, I found out on the way to Michael's new car. I'd needed to, apparently; I hadn't trusted any vampire but Sam with the information and access to Myrnin, but Michael had an investment in my wellbeing, and Sam was going to be out of action for a couple of days at least. "But he's okay?" I asked.

Michael opened the door to the parking garage for me, an automatic gesture that he'd probably learned from his grandfather, once upon a time. He had some of Sam's mannerisms, and they had the same walk. Funny how I was just starting to notice that.

"Yeah," Michael said. "He nearly died, though. People -- vampires -- are pretty wired right now. They want the one who staked him, and they don't really care how it happens. I made Justin promise to keep his ass inside, and not to go out alone."

"You really think he'll keep his word?"

Michael shrugged and opened the door of a standard-issue dark vampire-tinted sedan, exactly the same as the one Sam had driven. A Ford, as it happened. Nice to know the vamps were buying American. "I tried," he said. "Justin doesn't listen to much anything I have to say anymore."

I got into the car and buckled in. As Michael climbed in the driver's side, I said, "It's not your fault. He's just not dealing with it very well. I don't know what we can do about that."

"Nothing," Michael said, and started the car. "We can't do anything about it at all."

It was a short drive, of course, and as far as I could tell from the dimly seen streets outside Michael took the same route Sam had to the alley, and Myrnin's cave. Michael parked the car at the curb. When I got out, though, I realized something, and bent to look into the dim interior of the car, and ducked back inside.

"Crap," I said. "You can't come inside, can you? You can't go out in the sun!"

Michael shook his head. "I'm supposed to wait out here for you until the sun goes down, then I'll come in. Amelie said she'd make sure you were safe until then."

"But -- " I bit my lip. It wasn't Michael's fault. There were about three hours of sun left, so I was just going to have to watch my own back for a while. "Okay. See you after dark."

I closed the car door. When I straightened up I saw that Gramma Katherine Day was on the porch of her big Founder's house, rocking and sipping what looked like iced tea. I waved. Gramma Day nodded.

"You bein' careful?" she called.

"Yes ma'am!"

"I told the Queen, I don't like her putting you down there with that thing. I told her," Gramma Day said, with a fierce stab of her finger for emphasis. "You come on up here and have some iced tea with me, girl. That thing down there, he'll wait. He don't know where he is half the time, anyway."

I smiled and shook my head. "I can't, ma'am, I'm supposed to be there on time. Thank you, though." I turned toward the alley, then had a thought. "Oh -- who's the Queen?"

Gramma made an impatient fly-waving gesture. "Her, of course. The White Queen. You're just like Alice, you know. Down the rabbit hole with the Mad Hatter."

I didn't dare think about that too much, because the phrase off with her head! loomed way too close. I gave Gramma Day another polite smile and wave, hitched my backpack higher on my shoulder, and went to Night School.

Amelie had made sure I was safe, all right. She'd done it by locking Myrnin up.

I dropped my backpack at the bottom of the stairs -- I always put it where it was easy to grab in mid-run -- and spotted a new addition to the lab: a cage. And Myrnin was inside of it.