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"Well," Claire said, "I suppose we should find Magnus first. Where ever he is, the vampires will be." If he hasn't all ready killed them. She added silently.

"Who's Magnus?" Eve asked.

"Oh. Right. He's. . . ah. . .he's the one that killed me." Eve's fists tightened on the wheel. "He took Oliver, too, and he probably took those other missing vampires."

Eve frowned. "Oliver was vamp-napped?" She asked. "When did that happen? No, how did that happen? He's. . .like- one of the most bad ass blood suckers in town!"

Claire shuddered at the memory conjured up. "It was at the grocery store, when I fainted. Remember that? I saw him through the window with Oliver. I think he was under some kind of hypnosis, because he followed Magnus willingly. And then. . . ." Claire trailed off into silence.

"What?" Shane asked, catching her eye in the mirror.

"They went into the drains." She said quietly. "Oliver jumped down, but Magnus. . . .he, sort of. . . melted into the sewer." A moment went by and Eve and Shane shared a glance. "What?" Claire asked. "What is it?"

"Did he. . . ." Eve began. "Did he look sort of, shadowy? Like he was a weird thingy that was just trying to hide behind a human facade?"

Claire grimaced. "You've met him?"

"Ya." Eve said. "Some of them attacked us while we were getting stuff for Myrnin."

Her eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean? There's more than one of. . .whatever Magnus is?"

"No." Eve said. "It's more like there's multiple copies of whatever-the-hell-he-is running around. They're all exactly the same. We got a few of them with stakes, and silver works the same on them as it does on vampires."

Claire's eyebrows flew up. "Hmm. I wonder if they have similar genetic roots." She stared out the window for a few minuets, entertaining possibilities. Sunlight doesn't effect them. The first time I saw Magnus it was daytime. I wonder if their immune to it or if their old enough to be unaffected, like the older vampires? She grimaced. If so, he must be ancient. Even Bishop avoided taking midday strolls, unlike the Magnus she had seen, and he was older and more bad-ass than anyone else in Morganville.

Suddenly, Claire's head snapped up, and before she knew what she was doing, she unbuckled her seat belt and crawled between the two front seats in one smooth motion, peering out the window shield with dark eyes. "Pull over." She heard herself say. She felt Shane flinch at her sudden appearance. She heard Eve saying something to her. Asking a question. She didn't hear the meaning. She couldn't wait. Couldn't explain. She swung her feet into the front of the car with her, crowding into Shane's personal space.

She saw herself reach for the door handle.

She felt the wind grab her hair.

She didn't look down.

Shane made a grab at her, but he was too slow. Too humanly slow. She placed one delicate foot on the flying pavement and, defying the laws of velocity, simply stepped out onto the street. She'd gone three steps before Eve slammed on the brakes and through the hearse into reverse, spraying gravel across the road. "Claire!" Shane shouted.

She had her head cocked to the side, listing, but Shane's cry fell on def ears. Claire kept walking. Kept listing. She forgot about her friends. She forgot about Michele. That is, until Shane grabbed her shoulder and shouted something at her. She shrugged him off with vampire strength and continued on, eyes trained on the distance. Shane grabbed at her again, this time around the waist, and she ducked him and through his arm off with more force. Shane went spinning off, and Claire kept walking.

She herd Eve run up to Shane, shout something. She herd Shane shout back. She herd them run after her. She herd, but she didn't listen. Eve reached her first. She didn't grab at her, like Shane did. She went for the kill, metaphorically speaking. Little blue earplugs were shoved in her ears, somehow making it into her holes, and Claire spun around and swiped at Eve, fingernails first. She growled and her fangs snapped down, but Eve stumbled back and her nails connected with nothing but air.

She turned back to the south and continued on, ignoring Shane and Eve. She heard Shane run back to the car, desperately fast, sprinting for all his worth. But again, she didn't listen.

That was her mistake.

Eve ran at her, grabbed the front of her shirt, shouted something panicked sounding. Claire shoved her aside. She vaguely noticed her friend sprawled on the ground, looking at something behind her, towards the hearse. Eve's face was a mask of horror. Claire stepped past her, walking, head tipped to the side, listing. She heard shouts. Footsteps. A big hand folded over her shoulder, holding her in place. Before she could move, a pain exploded across her torso, and that snapped her out of it.

She blinked.

Looked down.

The tip of a stake.

Right where her heart would be.

She felt herself falling. Felt Shane catch her from behind. Saw his lips form words. "Sorry."

And still, she tyred to drowned herself in the unearthly singing calling to her from the mouths of the draug.

Eat your heart out. X)

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