Black Sun [New Horizon Trilogy]

03 ~ Shane Collins' Big Breakthrough

Chapter Three

Shane Collins' Big Breakthrough

"This bites," Shane sighed, and he threw the tennis ball again. The rubber ball struck against the wall with a ringing boing, and headed back in his direction. As if he had been practising since day one, he caught the small ball swiftly in his right hand, and glared down at the green sphere. Through gritted teeth, he growled, "why does she insist on doing so much for those --"

"Don't tell me that you were going to say flea bags, or bloodsuckers. Or any other offensive name that you could think of,'" Eve warned, and after receiving a grunt from Shane, settled herself further into the warmth of her bed. Shane heard the sound of springs squealing, and then an obnoxious yawn, and Shane cursed as a foot hit him in the back of the head.

"Do you mind?" Shane exclaimed, and he scrambled to his feet. Eve had a dopey smile on her pale lips, and she grinned up at him as if she were the funniest person in the world. Shane glowered. "I'm trying to rant, and you're supposed to be listening!"

"C'mon, Shane," she whined, and she wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. Eve smeared black make-up onto her cheeks and around her eyes, but Shane wouldn't tell her. She deserved to look like the lead from a horror film. "It's early. I just woke up."

Shane shot her a look of pure exasperation. "It's past three."

"In the morning?"

"Afternoon."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Check the clock again."

"Eve."

"Dammit, Collins." She sat up, punching and wrestling with pillows and sheets until she was crawling out of the bed. Eve was dressed in shorts patterned with tiny skulls, and she had pulled over a simple black camisole. The outfit only helped bring out the unnatural paleness in the girl's skin, and Shane couldn't help the prickle at the nape of his neck. He didn't want to feel this way around Eve; alert; distrustful; disgusted. Shane was still having a hard time getting over Michael's transformation, and that had occurred years ago. "Stop peeping. I am a married woman."

"Married," Shane repeated, and his eyebrows furrowed as he finally looked at Eve. This time he wasn't looking at the shine of her teeth, or the unusual glow in her eyes as they swept across Shane's throat, but he was looking at Eve Rosser, not Glass. Eve Rosser; Shane's friend. "Married. That's it, right? That's got to be it."

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Claire," Shane said, and a smile spread over his lips as he tugged on a strand of Eve's hair, and then skipped out of the way when she lunged for him. "She wants to get married."

Eve's eyebrows lowered in confusion, and she was eyeing Shane as if he needed to see a doctor. And then abruptly, with supernatural speed, Eve was pulling his eyelids away from each other to examine his eyes. Shane squirmed, but was unable to find his way out of his friend's hold. "Have you taken something? Like, are you actually okay dude?"

"Get off," Shane protested, and when Eve didn't move, continued by saying louder, "Eve! Get off me!" She backed away, like a wounded pet after its owner would scold it, and blinked a thin blanket of crimson from her eyes. Eve grinned, trying to cover up the sudden occurrence, but Shane had seen it and had already taken a large step away from her. He felt like an ass for doing it, but the way he felt for vampires was uncontrollable; built into his bones. "Look, I just don't know why she keeps doing this."