Page 30 of Crimson Storm

“Oh. Right.”

Unescorted vampires weren’t allowed to cross state lines without written work orders. We’d had no issues getting out to California from Virginia because we were coming to work for Sadie, and she’d pulled strings to make sure our papers were expedited.

But now... now we had a problem. Then it hit me...

We also have a human.

16

Friends Don’t Cuff Friends

Hopefulness zinged through my insides, giving me fresh energy in spite of my persistent thirst.

“I’ll... work something out. Could you possibly bring the truck here?”

Curtis agreed, and I ended the call and filled my friends in on the plan.

“He’ll be here in half an hour. It should be dark by then. I’m going to get changed. Take a look around for anything that might be useful on a road trip. We’ll have to sort of rough-it camping in the truck during the daylight hours.”

The only thing of Larkin’s that fit me was a stretchy black tube skirt and a short top that exposed my whole stomach.

It was preferable to a prison uniform. Still, I winced at my reflection in the mirror. Since turning, I’d gradually given up the modest, extremely plain clothing I’d grown up wearing, but I was still miles away from an exhibitionist. This outfit was definitely not me. I was much more comfortable when peopleweren’tnoticing me.

After applying more makeup than I’d ever worn in my life, I chose a pair of blue contacts to cover my lilac irises.

My friends gave me a thumbs up when I joined them in the living room. “You look hot,” Kelly teased, eyeing my out-of-character ensemble. “And human. Almost.”

“And thirsty,” Heather added before tossing me a full blood bag.

I caught it and stared down at the feast in my hands, my saliva spiking and my fangs jutting out instantly. I was starving. “Where did you get this?”

“From Larkin’s freezer. That was the only one in there. I quick-thawed it in some hot water for you. It’s gonna taste like garbage, but at least you won’t die of thirst. You haven’t had anything for days, except for that tiny little sip in the basement.”

“You sure you don’t want some?” My trembling fingers clenched greedily around the warm bag, contradicting my generous tone.

“No. You should have it. We already... had some,” Kelly said in a chagrined way, obviously feeling guilty over drinking from Glenn.

“Okay, thanks.” I drained the bag in mere minutes, grossed out at the less-than-fresh flavor but still hungry for more when it was gone.

Instantaneously I felt better, which was a good thing. We had a long drive ahead of us. It was better to be safe than sorry—especially when we would have human company for the trip.

Twisting the bathroom doorknob, I broke it off and pushed the door open. Shane jumped to his feet. He’d been sitting on the ledge of the garden tub.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe. “Wow. You... you came back.”

“We never left. We ran into... complications—anddon’tsay anything about the outfit.”

“Your friend Sadie? Is she...”

“I don’t know. I can’t reach her. We’re not going to Los Angeles anymore.” I gritted my teeth then spat it out. “We’re leaving the state... and you’re coming with us.”

Now he did a double-take for a different reason. “Me? Why?”

“A friend has an 18-wheeler we can borrow. It has a sheltered sleeping cab. But we can’t travel over state lines without a human escort.”

“Oh right. But I can’t leave my uncle. He’s sick.”

“You’ll have to. We need you. And he’s a kidnapper. He was planning to starve us. He lied to you to get you to go along to the Safety Center and help with the breakout.”

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