Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 125

"He's a guy!"

"Guys occasionally talk, believe it or not. Something more than pass the beer or where's the porn?" Eve turned the corner, and we cruised past a couple of slow blocks of houses, some people out walking, an elementary school with a TEMPORARILY CLOSED sign out front. "You didn't exactly ask for advice, but I'm going to give it: don't rush this. You may think you're good to go, but give it some time. It's not like you have a sellby date or anything."

Despite my annoyance, I had to laugh. "Feels like it right now."

"Well, duh. Hormones!"

"So how old were you when--"

"Too young. I speak from experience, grasshopper." Eve's expression went distant for a second. "I wish I'd waited for Michael."

That was, for some reason, kind of a shock, and I blinked. I remembered some things, and felt deeply uncomfortable. "Uh . . . did Brandon . . . ?" Because Brandon had been her family's Protector vampire, and he'd been a complete creep. I couldn't imagine much worse than having Brandon be your first.

"No. Not that he didn't want to, but no, it wasn't Brandon."

"Who?"

"Sorry. Offlimits."

I blinked. There wasn't much Eve considered offlimits. "Really?"

"Really." Eve pulled the car up to the curb. "Bottom line? If Justin says he loves you, he does, full stop. He wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it, all the way. He's not the kind of guy to tell you what you want to hear. That makes you really, really lucky. You should remember that."

I was trying, really, but from time to time that moment came back to me, that blinding, searing moment when he'd looked into my face and said those words, and I'd seen that amazing light in his eyes. I'd wanted to see it again, over and over. Instead, I'd seen him walk away.

It felt romantic. It also felt frustrating, on some level I didn't even remember feeling before. And now there was something new: doubt. Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I was supposed to do something I didn't do. Some signal I didn't give him.

Eve read my expression just fine. "You'll be okay," she said, and laughed just a little. "Give the guy a break. He's the second actual gentleman I've ever met. It doesn't mean he doesn't want to throw you on the bed and go. Just means he won't, right now. Which you have to admit: kinda hot."

Put in those terms, it kind of was.

As it got closer to nightfall, Richard called to say he was letting Michael go. For the second time, the three of us piled into the car and went racing to City Hall. The barricades had mostly come down. According to the radio and television, it had been a very quiet day, with no reports of violence. Store owners--the human ones, anyway--were planning on reopening in the morning. Schools would be in session.

Life was going on, and Mayor Morrell was expected to come out with some kind of a speech. Not that anybody would listen.

"Are they letting Sam out, too?" I asked, as Eve parked in the underground lot.

"Apparently. Richard doesn't think he can really keep anybody much longer. Some kind of town ordinance, which means law and order really is back in fashion. Plus, I think he's really afraid Sam's going to hurt himself if this goes on. And also, maybe he thinks he can follow Sam to find Amelie." Eve scanned the dark structure--there were a few darktinted cars in the lot, but then, there always were. The rest of the vehicles looked like they were human owned. "You guys see anything?"

"Like what? A big sign saying This Is a Trap?" Justin opened his door and got out, taking my hand to help me. He didn't drop it once I was standing beside him. "Not that I wouldn't put it past some of our finer citizens. But no, I don't see anything."

Michael was being let out of his cell when we arrived, and there were hugs and handshakes. The other vampires didn't have anyone to help them, and looked a little confused about what they were supposed to do.

Not Sam.

"Sam, wait!" Michael grabbed his arm on the way past, dragging his grandfather to a stop. Looking at them standing together, I was struck again by how alike they were. And always would be, I supposed, given that neither one of them was going to age any more. "You can't go charging off by yourself. You don't even know where she is. Running around town on your white horse will get you really, truly killed."

"Doing nothing will get her killed. I can't have that, Michael. None of this means anything to me if she dies." Sam shook Michael's hand away. "I'm not asking you to come with me. I'm just telling you not to get in my way."

"Grandpa--"

"Exactly. Do as you're told." Sam could move vampirequick when he wanted to, and he was gone almost before the words hit my ears--a blur, heading for the exit.

"So much for trying to figure out where she is from where he goes," Justin said. "Unless you've got light speed under the hood of that car, Eve."

Michael looked after him with a strange expression on his face--anger, regret, sorrow. Then he hugged Eve closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, I guess my family's no more screwed up than anybody else's," he said.

Eve nodded. "Let's recap. My dad was an abusive jerk--"

"Mine, too." Justin raised his hand.

"Thank you. My brother's a psycho backstabber--"

Justin said, "You don't even want to talk about my dad."

"Point. So, in short, Michael, your family is awesome by comparison. Bloodsucking, maybe. But kind of awesome."

Michael sighed. "Doesn't really feel like it at the moment."

"It will." Eve was suddenly very serious. "But Justin and I don't have that to look forward to, you know. You're our only real family now."

"I know," Michael said. "Let's go home."