The Last True Vampire(120)

Right now she missed the calm and laser focus she’d had as a human. It was the one trait she’d been the most proud of. Well, that and her ability to pick the pockets of even the skinniest of jeans. Right now wasn’t the time to lament those losses or ponder what she’d gained, however. There were so many unanswered questions. So many details she needed filled in from the days that she’d lost. And if any harm had come to Vanessa those Sortiari bastards were going to pay for it.

Claire gripped the knob of the door gingerly, turning it with just the tips of her fingers. The bolt released with ease and the wooden panel didn’t even made a squeak as it whispered open. Score! Likewise, she kept her footfalls light, as though walking on thistledown, as she padded down the hallway to the staircase. Her feet whispered over the hardwood without a sound to betray her passage. Very cool. Step by step, she used her trek to the ground floor as a study in mastering her new gifts. Even her mind began to calm. No longer racing through thought after endless thought as she learned to ignore the Collective and filter through everything around her, taking it all in at once rather than trying to pick through and separate it all.

Really, it wasn’t as tough as she thought it would be. Her fingers slipped through the strands of her hair, combing it out into some sort of order as she hit the last step. With any luck, she’d get this whole vampire thing down yet.

The upbeat sounds of the TV filtered from the living room into the foyer. Definitely not something Mikhail or Ronan would watch. Claire treaded softly, creeping into the other room as a predator approached potential prey. Her guard was up, but she didn’t know why. Danger prickled along her skin like icy rain.

“Claire!”

Vanessa sat on the carpet, her legs crossed in front of her. She shot up with a wide smile on her face and sprinted the length of the living room, nearly taking Claire out in a huge tackle hug.

“Mikhail said you didn’t feel good. Did those guys hurt you? Have you ever seen a house this big in your entire life? He has every channel on TV. Even the Disney Channel! Holy crap, Claire! Your eyes are all shiny and gold. You sort of look like Mikhail and Ronan and Jenner now. Oh, and this other lady who came over earlier, too. Do you have superpowers? Does it hurt? Mikhail says it hurts to become a vampire and that humans can’t do it. But you did. Why do you think you can do it and no one else?”

If Vanessa didn’t stop to take a breath soon she was going to pass out.

The gravity of the situation hit Claire like a five-ton mountain collapsing on top of her. Right now Vanessa was riding the high of the excitement; her little ten-year-old brain hadn’t wrapped itself around everything that had happened yet. How could it? The human psyche could only take so much. Claire remembered feeling like she’d lost her own grip on reality from the moment she’d met Mikhail.

“Are you all right, kiddo?” Claire guided Vanessa back toward the TV and eased herself down on the floor. She patted the carpet beside her. “How are you holding up?”

Vanessa plopped down and fixed Claire with her wide brown eyes. “I’m okay. Sad. But I’m not scared, Claire. Not anymore.”

Truth. Vanessa’s scent was sweet, almost like too-ripe watermelon. There wasn’t a trace of distress to sour it. A worry and a relief. “You’re tough, kiddo.” Claire pulled her in for a hug, so, so careful not to squeeze too hard.

“Mom’s still in a coma.” Vanessa sniffed and looked away. “Mikhail talked to the doctors about it, but they don’t know when she’ll wake up. She has a head injury.”

Claire listened to Vanessa regurgitate words that she’d no doubt been told several times over the past days. It could be months—or longer—before Carlene recovered, if at all. What would happen to Vanessa in the meantime? Where would she go? Claire pulled Vanessa in for a hug, careful to handle her as though she were made of cobwebs. “I’m so sorry, kiddo. She’ll be okay. We just have to think positive thoughts.”#p#分页标题#e#

“I like Mikhail.” Vanessa’s voice was muffled by Claire’s shirt. “He reminds me a little of my principal at school, but he’s nice.”

Claire couldn’t help but laugh. Mikhail would probably love to hear that he gave off an elementary school principal vibe. “How’s he like your principal?”

“Sort of scary. Like, you know he’s a nice guy, but if you get in trouble he’s definitely not a nice guy.”

Huh. Strangely accurate.

“Claire, are those guys who took us going to come get me?”