Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 114

I wasn't sure if get ready meant put on my game face, brush my teeth, or pack up a lot of weapons, but I followed Justin to say goodbye to Michael first.

Michael was standing in the middle of a bunch of hardlooking types--some were vampires, and many I'd never seen before. They didn't look happy about playing defense, and they had that smellingsomethingrotten expression that meant they didn't like hanging out with the human help, either.

The nonvamps with Michael were older, postcollege--tough guys with lots of muscles. Even so, the humans mostly looked nervous.

Justin seemed almost small in comparison--not that he let it slow him down as he rushed the defensive line. He pushed a vampire out of his way as he headed for Michael; the vampire flashed fang at him, but Justin didn't even notice.

Michael did. He stepped in the way of the offended vamp as it made a move for Justin's back, and the two of them froze that way, predators facing off. Michael wasn't the one to look down first. Michael had a strange intensity about him now--something that had always been there, but being a vampire had ramped it up to about eleven, I thought. He still looked angelic, but there were moments when his angel was more fallen than flying. But the smile was real, and completely the Michael I knew and loved when he turned it on us.

He held out his hand for a manly kind of shake. Justin batted it aside and hugged him. There were manly backslaps, and if there was a brief flash of red in Michael's eyes, Justin didn't see it.

"You be careful, man," Justin said. "Those college chicks, they're wild. Don't let them drag you into any JellO shot parties. Stay strong."

"You too," Michael said. "Be careful."

"Driving around in a big, black, obvious lunch wagon in a town full of starving vampires? Yeah. I'll try to keep it low profile." Justin swallowed. "Seriously--"

"I know. Same here."

They nodded at each other.

Me and Eve watched them for a moment. The two of us shrugged. "What?" Michael asked.

"That's it? That's your big goodbye?" Eve asked.

"What was wrong with it?"

I looked at Eve, mystified. "I think I need guy CliffsNotes."

"Guys aren't deep enough to need CliffsNotes."

"What were you waiting for, flowery poetry?" Justin snorted. "I hugged. I'm done."

Michael's grin didn't last. He looked at Justin, then me, and last--and longest--at Eve. "Don't let anything happen to you," he said. "I love you guys."

"Ditto," Justin said, which was, for Justin, positively gushing.

We might have had time to say more, but one of the vampires standing around, looking pissed off and impatient, tapped Michael on the shoulder. His pale lips moved near Michael's ear.

"Time to go," Michael said. He hugged Eve hard, and had to peel her off at the end. "Don't trust Oliver."

"Yeah, like you had to tell me that," Eve said. Her voice was shaking again. "Michael--"

"I love you," he said, and kissed her, fast and hard. "I'll see you soon."

He left in a blur, taking most of the vampires with him. The mayor's son, Richard Morrell--still in his police uniform, although he was looking wrinkled and smoke stained now--led the humans at a more normal pace to follow.

Eve stood there with her kisssmudged lips parted, looking stunned and astonished. When she regained the power of speech, she said, "Did he just say--?"