Black Dawn

since she founded Morganville,” she said, “save those she put in Founder Houses. Each had to be made for the person, and could not be used again. They were made with …” Her eyes widened. “With a drop of draug blood in the metal. And when the last of it was used up, she could make no more. Claire’s was the last.”

“But she doesn’t have it!” I protested. “Really! Claire hasn’t worn it for—for almost a year!”

“And yet she can see Magnus, separate him out from his reflections and shadows.” Naomi’s smile took on sharp edges. And teeth. “The bracelet infected her with just a tiny inoculation of draug blood, as it had all of those in the Founder Houses who wore them when the vampires first came here. They were Amelie’s eyes. Amelie’s early warning. And that is why Claire continues to see him, and why Magnus wants her dead, very badly.”

“Then why didn’t Amelie use her to find him?”

“Because she didn’t realize the charm still worked, of course. Not until it was too late. The girl no longer wore the bracelet; it was reasonable to assume that she no longer had the ability.”

Oh, I didn’t like this. I didn’t like it at all. “You’re not going to hurt Claire.”

“Of course not. Good work, Eve. Very satisfactory work indeed. Your brother’s agreement has been canceled. I won’t touch him again. I make you that solemn pledge.”

I didn’t believe that first part at all. I stood up in a rush, hands in fists. “What are you going to do to Claire?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all. She’s a good pet to keep, for the future. I’m sure we can make great use of her, Eve.” She gave me that sweet, charming smile again, the expression of a marble angel. “And of you, of course. All will be well. You must trust me. When I am queen, you will do very well indeed.”

“Queen of what?”

“Morganville. Of course.” Naomi seemed way too complacent now. “Now that you’ve found this volume, we can construct more of these bracelets, whether Myrnin cooperates or not. And draug blood will surely not be in short supply when Oliver is finished. He will win, of course. I have every confidence in him as a military leader. Just not as a ruler.”

I was in over my head. Way, way over, and I knew it. “Amelie’s the ruler of Morganville,” I said. “And I have the feeling she’ll never let you near that title.”

“My sister is dying,” Naomi said. For a moment there was a flash of sadness in her eyes—almost real. Almost. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

That earned me a look that was back to cool, calm remoteness. “I don’t answer your questions,” she said. “You haven’t yet earned those rights from me. Careful how you address your queen, Eve. You are not married to Michael just yet. Now come.”

I didn’t know where she was taking me, but I had the sinking feeling that it wasn’t anyplace I wanted to go.

I had made a mental map of this place by this time, and it was basically a maze—four central hubs, each with spoke hallways filled with doors. Nothing was labeled, and there were no signs, but if you stare at identical things long enough, you can start to pick out little differences. The hub where we made our first turn was the one I’d nicknamed Scratchy, because in all the moving of furniture someone had nicked the far wall in three places, at about knee level. The hallway we took had a slightly lighter strip of paint at one corner, where some old damage had been repaired and not precisely color-matched. At the next hub there was a particularly memorable portrait of some crusty old dude in a curly wig who’d been painted with his fangs showing. Charming.

There were more guards here. Amelie’s guards.

Naomi walked up to them and got blocked—bodies in the way, palms outstretched.

“I wish to see my sister,” she said. “Surely you will allow me to pass.” It was one step short of Don’t you know who I am?—but not quite over the line.

“Sorry, my lady. Orders from Lord Oliver,” he said. Oh, God, it was Lord Oliver now? Better and better. “I’ll pass the information on to him, if you wish ….” His voice trailed off. He was looking at someone behind us who was approaching, I guessed, and when I turned my head I saw Theo Goldman coming down the hallway into the hub. He had his black leather bag in one hand, and he smiled and nodded politely when he saw us.

For a vampire, he was one of the nicest I’d ever met. Or at least, he had the best manners. I never had the feeling he looked at humans any differently from vamps; we were all just potential patients to him. “Hello,” he said pleasantly, and then nodded again to the guards. “If you’ll excuse me.”

They stepped aside for him immediately.

Naomi quickly seized the opportunity. “Theo,” she said, “may I visit my sister? I only wish to give her my love before—” She looked so sweet and pretty and vulnerable it made my stomach turn. “Please?”

He shook his head. “I think it would not be wise,” he said. “She’s not … herself just now. It’s dangerous enough for me …. And you, my dear, with your history together—no. I’m afraid that would be very dangerous to you.”

He started to turn away, but Naomi put a hand on his shoulder, and Theo turned toward her. And something weirdly extraordinary happened. She leaned forward, put her lips close to his ear, standing on tiptoe to do it. I didn’t hear what she whispered, but I saw the expression smooth out on Theo’s face.

It turned … oddly blank.

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, perhaps you’re right. It would be good for her to see family.”

“Ah,” Naomi said. “And may I bring Eve?”

Theo should not have said yes to that, of course; no way. But he just nodded as if it was the Best Idea Ever. He turned to the guards and said, in a warm and perfectly self-assured voice, “Yes, I think they should both come with me. My responsibility, gentlemen.”

The guards looked doubtful, and they must have known something weird was up, but they didn’t stop us. I guess Naomi really did outrank most vampires. We walked with Theo down the hall.

He opened the locked door to a room there, and we went inside, and my hand instinctively flew to cover my nose and mouth, because this place smelled. It looked fine, but … it was a horrible, wet, nasty stench.

Theo didn’t seem at all surprised.

“She’s in the other room?” Naomi asked.

Theo turned to face her. “Naomi, perhaps now would be a good time to mention to you that I am quite immune to your powers of persuasion. You’d do well to not try that on someone less … forgiving. Oliver would have crushed you if you’d tried it.”

“Oh.” Naomi was, I thought, honestly taken aback. “But you—”

“Allowed you to come with me? Yes. Because I want to talk to you without prying ears. That’s why I didn’t crush you myself. I can, you know. One doesn’t survive as long as I have without knowing how to do these things, even if they don’t come naturally.” For a moment Theo actually looked dangerous. “What do you really intend here, Naomi?”

“I intend to save our lives,” she said. “As I expect you secretly want, Theo. My sister cannot be saved, can she?” At a slow shake of his head, she sighed. “Then there’s nothing for it. Oliver’s a fool if he lets the transformation become complete. I know my sister. I know her powers. If she transforms into a master draug, as Magnus intends, she will be able to force any of us to her will; it’s a power that only a few have, as you know, but my sister has it in full strength. Combined with the will and hunger of a draug … she would end us all.”

Theo, I realized, wasn’t surprised. Just wary. “And you propose?”

“You know what I propose. You’re no fool.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then he said, “No. I don’t accept defeat so easily, and you shouldn’t either. We are vampire, whether we ever wanted it or not, and vampires survive. It is the core of what we are. We fought for life when life wasn’t ours to keep. And she is still fighting. She has not lost the battle yet.”

“We can’t wait until she does!” Naomi hissed, and shoved herself away from him. She wrapped her arms