All The Queen's Horses {Myrnin, Morganville Vampires}

Maybe Just a Small Taste

"Wait!" Eve interjected. "I have his number." She darted down the hall to get her phone, returning quickly, already speaking with Oliver. She hung up as she came back into my room and affirmed, "He's on his way."

Myrnin walked toward the door with me still held tightly in his arms. I knew he had no intention of letting me go. And right in this moment, I didn't want to move an inch from where I was. I looked at the now-revealed face of the dead vampire, and shuddered violently. Myrnin brought his head down to mine and whispered, "It will be okay, Cariad. You are safe now." He carried me down the stairs to the couch in the living room and sat down with me still firmly planted in his lap.

As soon as we were settled, I peeked out from Myrnin's chest. I gulped when I saw Shane's expression of utter fury. I placed a hand on Myrnin's chest and looked up into his eyes. "I'm okay now. Really. Thank you," I whispered, my voice constricting with emotion, still overwhelmed by the thought of what would have happened to me if it hadn't been for him.

His expression softened and his hold on me relaxed. I crawled into Eve's waiting arms, sitting next to us on the couch. I found myself gasping for breath again, as Eve clutched me almost as tightly as Myrnin had. Her face was a mixture of fear and relief, as she took inventory of my rattled expression. She looked young and vulnerable in the absence of her normal Goth make-up. Even without her façade of black kick-your-ass clothing, hair and makeup, I smiled, remembering her bold willingness to run straight into danger, if it meant saving me.

Our attention was diverted by Amelie and Oliver, walking down the stairs, having come through the portal in the secret room on the third floor.

Even though it was the middle of the night, Amelie was flawlessly dressed and groomed. Her silver blue suit matched the exact color of her eyes. Her blonde hair was elegantly gathered on the top of her head, not a strand out of place. She settled into one of the arm chairs across from us, her posture perfect, as her perceptive eyes rested on each of us, not missing even the tiniest detail. "What happened?" she inquired politely.

Tears crept into my eyes again as I answered, "He came through my window-"I couldn't continue.

"What did he want?" Amelie prodded.

I took a deep breath, knowing I needed to remember any detail that might help them figure out why this happened. "I don't know. At first...he just seemed intent on getting me out with him. Until...he noticed what I was wearing..." I cringed at the memory, suddenly very aware that I was underdressed for a room full of company.

Myrnin hissed low next to me.

Shane clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms straining in anger.

Eve quickly wrapped the throw from the back of the couch around my shoulders and then hugged her arms tightly back around me. I gave her a grateful glance before continuing, "-then I stabbed him and ran to open the portal."

"Did you recognize him?" Oliver directed his question to Myrnin and me.

I shook my head mutely.

"No," Myrnin spoke menacingly, clearly remembering the details of the mess we left upstairs.

"Hmmm," Oliver murmured. The skillful calculation of Oliver's eyes belied his casual hippie styled clothes and long gray hair. Oliver was adept and thrived on the strategies of war, frequently relying on brute force attack to take what he wanted. If anyone could optimize resources to solve this mystery, it was him.

"I don't want her to stay here," Myrnin spoke darkly to Amelie. Wait. What? I turned to look at Myrnin in confusion.

"Where do you recommend she stay?" Amelie inquired.

"With me, of course," Myrnin replied as if the answer was obvious and he was frustrated that no one else was smart enough to see it.

"Fuck, no!" Shane hissed.

Myrnin continued, ignoring Shane's outburst, "You know I can protect her."

"Yeah, when you're not insane and trying to kill her instead," Shane fired back hotly.

Myrnin blurred from my vision. I screamed, knowing he was going after Shane. His attack was halted by Oliver jumping in between them and spinning Myrnin's body off to the side. "Get a handle on yourself, man! We do not have time for these childish games," Oliver hissed.

"What do you want?" Amelie looked at me.

I stared back at her in confusion. Was she actually giving me a choice in something? She never did that. Her silent contemplative look seemed to confirm she was indeed going to leave this up to me. I thought about it. "Whoever it was...he's dead now," my voice shook as I answered. "I think it will be safe for me to stay here," I murmured quietly.

Shane smirked and stared at Myrnin with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

Myrnin's face turned into a hard mask. I hated when he did that. I knew he was just being possessive of me; it was his vampiric nature kicking in; but it still pained me to see him upset.

An hour and a half later, all traces of the struggle in my bedroom were gone. Amelie had a team remove the body and scrub it clean. My nose wrinkled a bit at the strong bleach smell.

I sat alone with Shane on the couch. His arms were tight around my shoulders. I tried to relax against his chest, but kept struggling to force my wayward breathing back into a normal rhythm every ten minutes or so. Eve returned from the kitchen, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate. She set the mug in my hands carefully, her eyes still filled with worry and concern.

Michael had come home about an hour ago. He had gathered Eve into his arms, his back and jaw tight with stress, as he held her and whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't here." She ran her fingers through his golden blonde hair, trying to dismiss any concerns he had for her safety. His crystal-blue eyes were still troubled as he silently tracked Eve's movements now. I knew he was equally worried about his very human fiancé. None of us knew exactly what harm the intruder planned to inflict of if I was his only target.

Finally, Michael carried an exhausted Eve up the stairs to bed. My eyes were heavy and fluttered as I sat in the arms of Shane's embrace. I felt like I could sleep for days, but was afraid of closing my eyes for fear I would replay the horrible events in my sub consciousness.

Shane's voice jolted me, "Claire?" There was something not quite right about his tone. I tilted my head toward him and searched his face. His eyes flickered down, avoiding my gaze. My heart began to beat faster in my chest. He spoke, almost apologetically; "I'm glad you are okay, but..." he stopped, looking uncomfortable.

"What is it?" I whispered anxiously.

"Why didn't you...call for my help?" He looked down as he finished his sentence quietly.

My heart constricted, understanding what he meant. With a shock, I realized that the only path of defense, which had gone through my mind in that moment, was getting to Myrnin. He was my best friend and undeniably the most vicious fighter I knew. I replayed the events in my head. I could have screamed Shane's name and run out the door to him instead of creating the portal. Shane had a lengthy history fighting vampires and could hold his own surprisingly well against a lot of them.

"I was trying to protect you," I said the first excuse that came to my mind and hoped my eyes wouldn't betray me. I could have been doing that sub consciously, I told myself a bit defensively.

Shane's eyes softened as he murmured, "You know you don't have to do that." He arms wrapped tighter against me. I exhaled in relief at his improved mood and finally let my eyes close.

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Emie