it would be. The main hall was wide and tall, but it was jam packed with people talking, dancing, kissing, groping — it was like the hottest dance club with all the lights up full. Claire brushed up against a couple who were — what were they doing? She looked away before she could be sure, but the guy's hand was in places that she couldn't imagine a porn actress allowing in public.
Michael and Eve pushed through the crowd into the next room, and Claire and Shane followed, staying close. There were a few people in the big living area who were dressed fancy, but most had on standard-issue college wear, and somehow, Claire had the distinct impression the casual-dress crowd had not come invited.
Monica was standing at the top of the stairs, arms folded, looking right at them.
'Oooh, that is a Kodak moment,' Eve said, and held up her cell phone to snap a photo of Monica's scowl. 'Yep. We're good.'
She high-fived Shane, who seemed to be expecting it. Monica cleared the annoyance out of her expression with an effort, and started down the steps. She was dressed in a pink, clinging sheath dress with huge lime-outlined flowers climbing the fabric, and her shoes were prissy-perfect in matching pink. Very fancy.
'Claire, you brought strays,' Monica said. 'How nice.' And then she looked strangely sorry. 'Michael, I didn't mean you. You're always welcome.'
He raised his pale eyebrows. 'I am?'
'Of course.'
Claire elbowed him. 'Because you're a VIP. Vampire Important Person.'
Two more of the gamers Claire had gifted with the invitation stumbled by; one grabbed Claire's arm and planted a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek. 'We passed out copies,' he said, and giggled. 'Hope that was okay. Great party!'
Shane sighed and moved him off with one hand on his shoulder. 'Yeah, yeah, whatever. Naked Vulcan chick in the next room. Better hurry.'
The gamers sobered up fast, and moved on. Monica's glossy, perfect lips were open, her eyes wide.
'You?' she said. 'You did this? These idiots made flyers! They put them all over campus! This was supposed to be the best people!'
'Don't worry,' Eve said sweetly. 'We're here.' She smiled, which in that lipstick was Wicked-Witch-of-the- West evil. 'Air kiss!' She mwahed the air somewhere near Monica's cheek. 'Lovely party. Shame about the furniture. Ta!' She sashayed on, Michael on her arm, as if she was the Queen of Everything, never mind Morganville. Claire got out her camera and got a picture of the murderous fury on Monica's face as she watched her go.
'You treacherous little bitch!' Monica snarled.
Claire lowered the phone and met her eyes for a long second. She wasn't scared, not anymore. 'You got your friends to roofie me and told them I wanted it rough. All I did was recycle your invitation. Let's call it even.'
'Let's call it not!'
Shane leaned forward, dropped his voice so that Monica had to work to hear it, and said, 'Calm down. You get blotchy when you're angry. And if you call my girlfriend a bitch one more time, I won't be so nice about it.'
Monica's eyes were fierce and fiery, but she didn't move, and after a second she turned and ran up the steps to the second floor, where her formal-dressed friends were huddled together like the cast of Survivor: Abercrombie Island.
'Score one for the little guys,' Shane said. He stared at a bunch of guys wearing football shirts rumbled past, carrying a bed. Claire blinked. Yes, that was a bed. 'Okay, I don't really think I want to know. So. Drinks?'
In the kitchen, a group was making punch in a trash can. Claire hoped it was a new trash can, but as blitzed as the guys were who were pouring stuff in, she really couldn't be sure of that.
'I'd avoid that,' Shane said, mouth close to her ear. 'See anybody you know?'
She wasn't sure. There was barely room to move in here, with people crowding up to the counters, and streaming in and out with red plastic cups in their hands ...
A shock zipped down her spine. 'Yeah,' she said. 'I see somebody.'
How the hell had Eve's brother gotten into the party? He was standing in a corner, slouching and sneering. Lank hair dripped toward his shoulders, and he wore the same filthy dangerous-boy clothes that he'd had on when he'd threatened Claire at the U.C. He had a drink, but he wasn't drunk; there was too much hot contempt in his eyes as he surveyed the crowd. Crazy eyes. Oh God, that's how they look, those guys who shoot up rooms full of people.
His eyes locked with Claire's, and he gave her a bent smile. Claire anxiously looked at Eve, but her back was to her brother and she was talking to Michael, she clearly hadn't seen the potential trouble at all.
'What?' Shane asked.
Claire turned back and pointed.
Jason was gone.
Shane shook his head when she told him, and moved away to talk to Michael. Michael nodded, then handed Eve off to Shane. Claire saw his lips move. Watch her.
And then Michael angled off through the crowd.
So much for staying together.
Shane draped his arms over both of their shoulders and said, 'Now this is the life. Want to get a room, girls?'
Eve rolled her thickly mascaraed eyes. 'Like you'd know what to do with one of us, never mind two. Where's he going?'
'Bathroom,' Shane said blandly. 'Even vamps gotta pee.'
Which, for all Claire knew, might be true, but she was sure that wasn't why Michael had cut out on them. Shane steered them up to the counter and snagged a sealed bottled water for Claire and two sealed beers, which he opened himself. Not taking any chances, Claire thought, and cracked the top on the bottle to take several gulps of the cool, sweet water. She hadn't realized how hot it was until then, but she could feel sweat sticking her flocked mesh shirt to her exposed skin.
Somebody grabbed her ass. Claire yelped and jumped, turned and saw a drunk-off-his-butt frat boy leaning in next to her. 'Oh baby, me like!' he yelled in her ear. 'You, me, outside, okay?' He did a drunken pantomime of what he was thinking of doing outside, and she felt a hot roll of embarrassed shame.
'Get lost,' she said, and shoved him off. His buddies tossed him back toward her, and this time, he crashed into her off balance and pushed her up against the bar. He took advantage of it, too, hands all over her, hips grinding her right into the counter.
Shane grabbed him by the collar of his TPU golf shirt, spun him around, and punched him right in the face.
Great, Claire thought in shaken disgust. That's always the answer around here. Punch somebody. Then again, she didn't think reasoned discourse was going to be big tonight.
And of course, the guy's friends piled on. Eve grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her out of the way; a tight circle formed around the combat, with people whooping and clapping. 'We have to stop him!' Claire yelled. Eve patted her on the shoulder.
'This is Shane's idea of a good time,' she said. 'Trust me. You do not want to try to stop him right now. Let him do his thing. He'll be fine.'
Claire hated it. She hated seeing Shane get hit, and she didn't much like the way his eyes lit up when he was knee-deep in conflict, either. Stupid to be upset by it, she guessed, considering this was part of why she was so attracted to Shane in the first place — the way he would unhesitatingly throw himself into things, especially when it came to protecting others.
Eve was practically reading her mind. 'Let him be who he is,' she said. 'I know it's hard, because in general, guys are clueless and you just want to fix it, but just — let him be. You don't want him trying to change you, right?'
Right. She didn't, although he was changing her, whether he knew it or not. Not in bad ways, she thought. Just ... change. A year ago she'd have been paralyzed with terror at the idea of coming to a party like this, and even more terrified to imagine being groped by a stranger like that.
Now, she was mostly just annoyed, and felt like she needed a shower.
Eve whirled. 'Hey! I know my ass is fine, but look, don't touch!' An eruption of drunken laughter. She took Claire's hand. 'We need a wall behind us. Less chance of getting the stealth feel-up.'
