Morganville Vampires 11

Shane said, "I was like my dad, only on steroids, and it felt right. I'm not sure that's ever going away, Mike. That's my problem. If deep down I'm an abusive, violent ass like my old man, how exactly do I pretend I don't know that?"

"You're not him." Michael kept playing, a slow and soothing tune, and his voice was quiet and deep. "Never were, never will be. You just hang on to that." He paused a second, and Claire almost heard a smile in his voice. "You still want to kill me?"

"Sometimes." Shane, on the other hand, sounded completely serious. "I love you, man, but -- it takes time."

"I know."

"If you break Eve's heart, I will kill you."

Michael stopped playing. "It's complicated."

"No, it's not. Stop screwing around and commit."

"Oh, so now you're giving me relationship advice? You can't commit to a cell phone contract, let alone -- "

"I'm committed," Shane interrupted. "You know I am."

"Yeah," Michael said. "Yeah, I know that. And you know if you screw it up with Claire, I'll rip your throat out and drink you like a juice box."