Page 19 of Crimson Storm

I worked to calm my tone and my predator’s instincts. “I won’t hurt you. There’s no need for this. Just give my necklace back and let us go.”

“You think I’m stupid? You’ll report me and Terry to the police. We’ll be arrested. I’ll lose my job.”

“I won’t,” I told him honestly.

All I wanted was to get my pendant back and get my friends out of here safely. “I promise—just give me back the necklace, move your truck out of the way, and we’ll drive out of here in Terry’s SUV. You’ll never see us or hear from us again.”

“Yeah right. Now you’re trying to play your mind tricks on me. Well it’s not going to work. All you vamps are liars and hypnotists, but I’m too smart for you.”

Keeping the pendant’s sharp tip pointed at me, he fished in his pocket with the other hand, managing to extract his phone.

“I’ll call the policemyself.I’ll tell them you three took me hostage at the Safety Center and forced me to bring you here. Who do you think they’ll believe, huh? Me or you?”

There was motion in my peripheral vision, and then Glenn was falling. With no chance to brace himself, his head impacted the garage floor with a loud thud. A dark pool of liquid seeped out from beneath it.

“No,” I screamed, knowing what would come next. Kelly and Heather had used their linked arms to knock him off his feet.

Now both fell to their knees and began drinking the spilled blood. It took only moments for them to move to Glenn himself.

“No,” I repeated, charging forward and pulling them away from the fallen man.

It wasn’t easy. Blood lust had set in. Because we’d been deprived for several days, it was even more severe than usual.

Picture trying to take a food bowl away from a starving dog while he’s eating—then multiply it by about a thousand.

Still handcuffed together, my friends growled and swiped at me with their free hands, struggling to get back to the source of that life-saving, energizing blood.

I wasn’t angry with them—I understood completely. The scent of the fresh blood was nearly driving me mad as well.

But this was bad. Very bad. Glenn was a Safety Center guard, and he was dying if not dead already.

When he was discovered, the police really would think we’d kidnapped him and killed him.

And now neither Kelly nor Heather could drive—not only would they have zero interest in leaving the feast, but they’d be intoxicated for hours.

Dashing a desperate glance over at Shane, I barked an order. “Get his keys. You’re going to drive us.”

11

Danger Ahead

Shane looked like he might be in shock. Remaining motionless, he stared at his uncle bleeding out on the floor.

“Shane,” I yelled, and finally he looked at me. “You have to drive, and I need to get their handcuffs off. Get his keys. Now.”

He still didn’t move. His gaze shifted from his uncle’s body to me. His eyes were wide with terror, which made sense, but I had no time for reassurances or kid gloves.

The garage door was wide open. A neighbor could have seen what just happened and called the police to report a band of “savage” vampires roaming their peaceful neighborhood and murdering their “upstanding” neighbor.

We might have mere minutes before a Vampire Suppression Unit showed up armed with the latest in anti-vamp ultraviolet and platinum weapons.

I went to Shane, touching his shoulder and speaking in a low, serious voice. “We have to go—now. Your Uncle Terry could wake up any minute and come out here.”

Swallowing hard, I added, “I’d hate to have to hurt him. Or you.”

In all honesty I had no interest in harming the sickly man, and the thought of attacking Shane turned my stomach. But we were out of time. I had to say something to snap him out of his stunned inertia.

“The keys...” he finally said.

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