Page 48 of Crimson Storm

“Look out,” Shane yelled.

Launching himself at me, he covered my body with his, blocking the sunlight that had hit me full blast and singed my skin and eyes. The plywood loft door creaked back and forth on its hinges in the wind.

A gust had blown it wide open, leaving a wide shaft of daylight stretching across the loft floor.

Shane’s face above me contracted in concern. “Your forehead and nose are burned.”

“All of me would have been burned if you hadn’t moved so fast. Thank you.”

He was still on top of me, breathing hard from adrenaline. Shane was a thin guy, but he was solidly built, and his body was heavier than I would have thought.

I let out a nervous giggle. “Vampires don’t have to breathe much, but we do needsomeoxygen.” At his quirked expression of confusion, I added, “You’re crushing me.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry about that.” He lifted a little, propping his upper body on his elbows, which were planted on either side of my shoulders.

Not moving off me, he glanced back over his shoulder. “I’m not sure about what to do here. If I move to go shut the door, the sun will hit you.”

“If it’s just for a second, I’ll be okay. My skin will heal. I can take the pain.”

He shook off my assurance. “I never want anything to hurt you—even for a second.”

In spite of my awkward discomfort, there was a strange sensation in my chest, a sort of thawing and softening that left it feeling tender.

At a loss for words, I simply said, “Thank you,” again.

Shane lifted his head and scanned the loft area. “I was hoping there’d be an old blanket up here or something, but there’s nothing. You think if we yell for Heather and Kelly one of them could help us?”

I crinkled my face in doubt. “Maybe. Once vampires fall asleep, we’re pretty hard to wake. You remember that day in the truck on the way to San Francisco.”

Making sure to stay in Shane’s shadow, I twisted my neck to the side. “Heather. Kelly,” I called out. “Wake up. I need help.”

Nothing. My friends were not Bloodbound soldiers. They were just two regular girls who’d had a very long, stressful day and were exhausted.

When both mine and Shane’s calls went unanswered, we looked at each other and laughed a little.

“I think we’re on our own here,” he said.

“Yep, and my legs are starting to fall asleep.”

“Really?” He shifted his weight, taking more of it onto his knees, which bracketed mine.

“No, not really. But we can’t stay like this all day long.”

Shane gave me a rascally grin. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m pretty comfortable myself. I could at least stay here until the sun changes position.”

“Or...” I said, “you could put your arm under me and drag me as you crawl forward until we’re out of the light.”

His delighted expression fell. “I’m more a fan of the stay-here-all-day plan, but you’re right. That could work, too.”

Bracing himself on one elbow and sliding the other arm beneath my waist, Shane began moving us both. We made progress by slow inches.

Each time he lifted me to pull me forward with him, the front of my body pressed against the front of his. One time, we knocked foreheads and both laughed.

But by the time we reached the safety of a shaded area, Shane was no longer laughing. His face appeared strained, and when he moved his arm from beneath me, he didn’t roll off of me. Instead, he stared down into my eyes.

“I do want to find my parents,” he whispered. “But even if I wasn’t looking for them, I would still have wanted to help you.”

I nodded. “I believe you. Can you... move?”

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