Never

Amelie could only watch as Claire left her office, smiling so brightly, arm and arm with Shane. Claire really loved that stupid boy. Amelie herself had always hated him for his anti-vamp nature and laziness. He didn't deserve Claire. What he deserved was a jail cell for all the things he'd done. She would've killed him by now, but Claire loved him. Most of the exceptions Amelie made were for Claire.

"Mam'm, you look...a bit annoyed," one of Amelie's bodyguards said, "Do you need anything?"

"No," Amelie answered curtly. It wasn't like the guard, or anyone for that matter, could help her with this. Claire would never be hers in the way she wanted. Sure, she'd been Claire's Protector, owning her body and soul, but it's not like Claire had wanted that. It's not like Claire would ever love her.

Love. It made no sense. Amelie had loved others before, but it had never been permanent. The many men and women over the years had become a blur of memories, since none had lasted long. They'd died, or left her, or she'd gotten bored of them. The latest had been Samuel, the youngest vampire besides his grandson Michael. But in the end, the terrible game of lives had taken samuel as a sacrifice to win. Amelie was determined not to let that happen to Claire. She was too kind and young to die this soon.

But Claire was reckless. She was strong, stronger than many gave her credit for. She'd fought in the hard battles Morganville threw at her and survived, but no one could live live forever in that lifestyle. So Amelie protected Claire, from afar and from the side. Claire had Shane, her Glass house friends, even Myrnin to protect her head-on. Claire had no idea how much Amelie secretly kept her safe, and with her luck, she'd never know.

Amelie walked out of her office, not giving a second glance to anyone around her. She kept up her stoic front, head held high, icy glare straight ahead. She walked straight into a quiet room, and signaled for her guards to leave. After closing the door, Amelie looked around the room. It was an average room, velvet curtains and white walls. Nice furniture, but she didn't stop to rest on any of the elegant chairs. Instead, she stared at one of the walls, willing a portal to appear. When one did, she entered it.

When she stepped out, she looked at the familiarity of Myrnin's lab. It was filthy and full of possibly harmful things, but it didn't matter to Amelie at that moment. She just needed to speak with someone.

Suddenly, someone emerged from a side room and waved to Amelie. It was, of course, Myrnin. He looked a little more sane today. He had on actually matching red silk shirt and dress pants. The look was a bit ruined by vampire bunny slippers, but Amelie had long given up on trying to tell him that.

"Why, hello Amelie," said Myrnin formally. He gave her a slightly crazy smile.

"Have you seen Claire recently?" Amelie asked, getting to the point. Small talk with Myrnin often turned into crazy rants.

"Well, of course! She was here but 3 hours ago," replied Myrnin, already wandering away to another part of the lab.

"Did she seem alright?" Amelie questioned, fully aware of how obvious her care for the girl was. Myrnin had no right to judge.

"Of course, Amelie! You ask me this question too much. She's perfectly bright and happy with Shame-I mean Shane. I personally agree with your opinion on the boy, but she's not the smartest when it comes to romance," he said, "Also, I'm fairly sure that our little Claire prefers men."

Myrnin was right, of course. Amelie had absolutely no chance with Claire even if Shane left her. Which he wouldn't, ever. Claire was too kind and human. Amelie had lost that long ago, trading it for immortality and power. Myrnin gave her a look of pity. Amelie glared back. She didn't want a madman's sympathy.

A few moments later, Amelie left through another portal, back into the room in the office. She didn't feel like facing her guards yet, so she took a seat on one of the sofas. Leaning her head on the velvety cushions, she collected herself.

Claire didn't love her. That was the truth, and Amelie had to accept it. There was no point in letting loose emotion. Claire didn't love her.

And she never would.