Page 18 of Crimson Storm

Without planning it or even thinking, I leaned forward and placed a swift kiss on his cheek. He smelled good, like woodsmoke and spice. And fresh blood.

Drawing back sharply, I swallowed hard and pressed my fingernails into my palms to suppress a sudden craving.

“Don’t worry about us. And thank you again. We’ll call the authorities and report an abandoned car wherever we leave it, so your uncle is sure to get it back.”

Then I stepped into the garage and stopped—in shock.

Glenn was there with a hand on each of my friends’ necks.

10

Blood Lust

He’d used a pair of platinum handcuffs to lock them together. Further weakened by the rare metal, Heather looked like she might drop to the garage floor and drag Kelly down with her.

Worse, Glenn’s truck was parked in the driveway outside the open garage door, directly behind the SUV. Even if I could somehow grab my friends and get them into the SUV, our path to escape was blocked.

When he saw Shane, Glenn let out a mocking laugh. “Youlet the vamps out? She’s used her powers on you, boy—mesmerized you. Itoldyou to stay away from that basement.”

“Glenn... what are you doing here? I thought you were working today,” Shane said.

“I’ll bet you did,” the guard said with a sneer. “I took off a half day so I could check on Terry, and it’s a good thing I did. Oh well, no matter. Now I don’t have to bother dragging your scrawny corpses up from the basement. I can just walk you right out the front into the sunlight—unless you’ve changed your minds about turning my brother.”

Dragging my two friends along with him, he took several steps toward the open garage door. The sun was still up and strong enough to do plenty of damage if not kill them outright.

“Last chance...” He jerked them toward the light in a joking-not-joking false start and actuallylaughed.

We’d all endured insults and small aggressions during our time at the Safety Center—even before that. It was part of the vampire life.

It could be tolerated with enough practice and patience. But I’d never had someone I loved threatened with daylighting.

What happened next felt like a blur of sight, sound, and sensation. I was on him before even realizing I was planning to attack.

Actually, there was no plan, only instinct. I simply couldnotlet this man hurt my friends—I had to stop him.

I grabbed the front of his uniform, pulling him away from Kelly and Heather. Clearly shocked by my speed and sudden nearness, he flailed and stumbled backward, grabbing onto the pendant necklace I always wore and breaking the chain.

He looked down at his palm. “What is this? Some kind of vampire weapon?”

Thrusting the pendant’s pointed tip out toward me, he waved it in my face as if wielding a dagger.

“You stay back, or I’ll cut you with it.”

“Give that back,” I growled, feeling my fangs protrude.

Glenn was dead wrong about the artifact he was holding. It wasn’t a weapon, and it certainly couldn’t kill me, but I wasn’t going to explain its significance.

Someone like him could never understand.

He snickered. “Oh, I don’t think so. Shoe’s on the other foot now, isn’t it, leech?”

Advancing toward me, he made a few weak jabs in my direction. His hand shook so hard he almost dropped the necklace. In fact, it slipped from his grip.

Only the chain wrapped around his wrist saved the glass orb in its hilt from smashing on the hard garage floor.

If he breaks it, I’ll kill him.

No.All life is precious—even his.

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