Rachel Caine - Kiss of Death

To the wonderful people in Des Moines, Carroll, Fort Dodge, Rockwell City, and Clive for making me welcome in the great state of Iowa! To my wonderful friends at Legacy Books (Dallas), the Mystery Bookstore (LA), Murder by the Book (Houston), and Borders Express (Exton, PA) for all your support and enthusiasm. See you soon, I hope!

Far too many awesome people have made it possible for this book to be in your hands today, but I must send extraspecial thanks to my Sunday Night pals (Pat, Jackie, Bill, Heidi, J.T., and Joanne), who make even the worst weeks bearable. Also, Joe Bonamassa, Lucienne Diver, Anne Sowards, Jim Suhler, Felicia Day, Jim Conrad, and M. Conradall of whom make my days a little brighter. Bless.

WELCOME TO MORGANVILLE. YOULL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE.

So, youre new to Morganville. Welcome, new resident! There are only a few important rules you need to know to feel comfortable in our quiet little town:

Obey the speed limits.

Dont litter.

Whatever you do, dont get on the bad side of the vampires.

Yeah, we said vampires. Deal with it.

As a human newcomer, youll need to find yourself a vampire Protectorsomeone willing to sign a contract to keep you and yours safe from harm (especially from the other vampires). In return, youll pay taxes ... just like in any other town. Of course, in most other towns those taxes dont get collected by the Bloodmobile.

Oh, and if you decide not to get a Protector, you can do that, too ... but youd better learn how to run fast, stay out of the shadows, and build a network of friends who can help you. Try contacting the residents of the Glass HouseMichael, Eve, Shane, and Claire. They know their way around, even if they always end up in the middle of the trouble somehow.

Welcome to Morganville. Youll never want to leave.

And even if you do ... well, you cant.

Sorry about that.

The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be donecooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry. Technically, they were all on every housemates list. In practice, though, what happened was this: the boys (Michael and Shane) bribed the girls (Eve and Claire) to do the laundry, and the girls bribed the boys to fix things.

Claire glared at her new iPodwhich was actually really niceand put it on shuffle as she looked at the mess shed made of her latest laundry effort. And there was the problem: she loved the hot pink iPod, which had been a heck of a good bribe, and she really didnt deserve it, because the laundry was ... also pinkwhich would have been almost fine if it had been a load full of girls underwear or something.

But not so much with guy clothes; she could not even imagine what kind of screaming that was going to bring.

Yeah. She sighed, staring at the very definitely pink piles of shirts, socks, and underwear. Not going to be a good afternoon. It was amazing what oneonestupid red sock could do. Shed already tried running it all through the washer again, hoping the problem would just go away. No such luck.

The basement of the Glass House was big, dark, and creepy, which wasnt really such a surprise. Most basements were, and this was Morganville. Morganville went in for dark and creepy the way Las Vegas went in for neon. Apart from the area Claire was in, with a battered washer and dryer, a table that had once been painted some kind of industrial green, and some shelves filled with unidentifiable junk, the rest of the basement was dim and quiet. Hence the iPod, which pumped cheery music through the headphones and made the creepy retreat a little less creepy.

Creepy, she could fight.

Pink underwear ... apparently not.

She had the music cranked up so high that she failed to hear steps coming down the stairs. In fact, she had no clue she wasnt completely alone until she felt a hand touch her shoulder and hot breath against her neck.

She reacted as any sensible person living in a town full of vampires would. She screamed. The shriek echoed off the brick and concrete, and Claire whirled, clapped her hands over her mouth, and backed away from Eve, who was collapsing in laughter. The Goth look usually didnt go well with hysterical giggles, unless they were evil giggles, but somehow Eve managed to pull it off.

Claire ripped the headphones out of her ears and gasped. Youyou

Oh, spit it out already, Eve managed to say. Bitch. I am. I know. That was evil. But, oh my God, funny.

Bitch, Claire said, late and not at all meaning it. You scared me.

Kind of the point, Eve said, and got herself under control. Her mascara was a little smeared, but Claire supposed that was all part of the Goth thing, anyway. So, whats up, pup?

Trouble, Claire replied with a sigh. Her heart was still pounding from the scare, but she was determined not to let it show. She pointed at the laundry on the table.

Eves eyes went wide, and her black-painted lips parted in horrified fascination. Thats not trouble; thats fail. Tell me that isnt all the whites. Like, Michaels and Shanes, too.

All the whites, Claire said, and held up the guilty red sock. Yours?

Oh, damn. Eve snatched it out of Claires fingers and shook the sock like a floppy rattle. Bad sock! Bad! You are never going anywhere fun ever again!

Im serious. Theyre going to kill me.

Theyll never get the chance. Im going to kill you. Do I look to you like someone who rocks pastel?

Well, that was a definite point. Sorry, Claire said. Seriously. I tried washing them again, without the sock, but

Eve shook her head, reached down to the lowest level of the shelf, and pulled out a bottle of bleach, which she thumped down on the table next to the laundry. You bleach; Ill supervise, because Im not taking the chance of getting a drop on this outfit, k? Its new.

The outfit in question was hot pinkit matched Claires new iPod, actuallywith (of course) black horizontally striped tights, a black pleated miniskirt, and a blazing magenta top with a skull all blinged out in crystal on it. Eve had done up her dyed black hair in a messy pile on top of her head, with stray bits sticking up in all directions.

She looked creepy/adorable.

As Claire reloaded the laundry, with a shot of bleach, Eve climbed up on the dryer and kicked her feet idly. So, you heard the news, right?

What news? Claire asked. Do I do hot? Is hot good?

Hot is good, Eve confirmed. Michael got another call from that music producer guy. You know, the one from Dallas? The important one, with the daughter at school here. He wants to set Michael up with some club dates in Dallas and a couple of days at a recording studio. I think hes serious.

Eve was trying to sound excited about it, but Claire could follow the road signs. Sign one (shaped like an Exit sign): Michael Glass was Eves serious, longtime crush/boyfriend. Sign two (DANGER, CURVES): Michael Glass was hot, talented, and sweet. Sign three (yellow, CAUTION): Michael Glass was a vampire, which made everything a million times more complicated. Sign four (flashing red): Michael had begun acting more like a vampire than the boy Eve loved, and theyd already had some pretty spectacular fights about itso bad, in fact, that Claire was not sure Eve wasnt thinking about breaking up with him.

All of which led to sign five (STOP).

You think hell go? Claire asked, and concentrated on setting the right temperature on the washer. The smell of the detergent and bleach was kind of pleasant, like really sharp flowers, the kind that would cut you if you tried to pick them. To Dallas, I mean?