Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Alice Brown

  Kevin found himself staring at his houseguest when he realized she seemed frozen in the doorway. He watched her intently for a moment while she took everything in. In an effort to get her to move forward in order to shut the door, Kevin reached over and placed his hand on the small of her back to gently usher her forward. “Come, I’ll show you to your room.” He led her through the living room and on to one of the closed doors that uncovered a bedroom. The room held a dresser along one wall, with a double bed and nightstand along another. The room itself was sparsely furnished compared to everything else she had seen, but at that given moment Erica felt she was walking into heaven. A small smile escaped her lips. This small room was hers, at least for the moment. She spotted one window, and made a quick mental note to check it later for a lock. Kevin watched her as she looked over the room and felt a smile come over his face as he watched the look of euphoria over her face.

  “This is my spare bedroom, and it is yours as long as you need it,” he stated, as he carefully placed his hands on her shoulders and allowed them to lightly drift down her arms.

  Erica was so happy at the moment that she felt tears of joy fast approaching. She blinked them away, as she glanced up into his gorgeous face. This man had just offered her a slice of heaven, and she didn’t want to repay him by sobbing all over his shirt. “Kevin, I don’t even know where to begin to thank you. I feel guilty coming to you.”

  “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” he quickly countered.

  Placing her hand on his chest, she quickly countered back, trying to make him see that her situation was far from over with. “Yes, I do. I am nowhere near out of danger yet. Shawn will come looking for me, I know he will, and he won’t give up until he sees to it I’m dead. Unfortunately, as soon as he discovers I am with you, you’ll be placed at the top of his hit list, second to my name.” Erica had enough time to think through what she had done this afternoon, and the possible repercussions. She was beginning to second-guess herself, wondering if she had made the right decision in involving this family in the nightmare of her life.

  Kevin seemed to take what she said as calmly as ever, as if the death threat currently hanging over her head was no big deal. “Sit your bag down on the bed, and let’s talk in the living room.” Erica caught him watching her as she cautiously attempted to sit on the couch. She tried not to show the pain shooting through her rib cage, but quickly realized it was a useless move. She cast a quick glance over to see him knit his eyebrows together in concern.

  Kevin knew he needed to reassure her she was safe. The problem, of course, was how to go about doing this without giving her all the facts. He waited until she was settled on the couch to start. “Okay, let me clear up a few things for you. The only reason I am currently taking classes at the college is because I am involved in an undercover drug sting. I am part of an organization called the VCTF. It stands for Victims Crime Task Force. Our unit gets called in routinely when the local authorities need help or backup on a case. So, if you will only trust me, and allow me the opportunity of taking care of you, I feel confident that I can keep the two of us out of harm’s way. You have to be willing to trust me. Will you do this?” he asked gently.

  Erica’s mind was whirling after Kevin dropped his bombshell. Okay, admittedly, she had no idea he was in law enforcement. But, did that matter? Even an armed cop was no match for a vampire! She felt the beginning of a panic attack trying to overtake her, as her mind whirled with all of this information, and she forced herself to take several long deep breaths in an attempt to avoid it. How could she go about explaining things to make Kevin understand what he and now his family had suddenly found themselves involved in? She’d had very little communication with the outside world over the past four years. Could she trust him? Could she trust his family? What would happen if they found out what Shawn really was? Would they throw her back to him, in order to escape his wrath? Yet, as all of this whirled through her head, she knew Kevin had thrown her a lifeline, and he was quite possibly the only one who might be able to keep her alive. Considering all the trouble she was running from, he was her only choice.

  “Kevin, I understand what you are saying, and granted, I didn’t know you were a cop. However, I think you are underestimating just how dangerous Shawn is. He is stronger than anybody else I have ever known, and I’m not just saying this because I am a woman.” She shuddered as memories came flooding into her head. She desperately wanted to tell him the absolute truth, so he knew what he was up against, but stopped just short of it. She just couldn’t.

  Yea, Kevin could just bet that Shawn was the strongest man she had ever met. Obviously, she had never met another vampire before. “Do you trust me?” he asked, all the while staring into her eyes.

  He reached over and gently placed his hand on top of Erica’s, and a sudden calmness washed over her. She was so very tempted to give into the warmth and sense of safety the calmness provided, but she quickly blinked, and forced herself to remember reality. No, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down for one second. Her life depended upon it.

  “I’m not saying I don’t trust you, Kevin, I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt because of my actions. I have nowhere else to go, no one else to trust. I hate putting you in danger right beside me. However, I am smart enough to realize I am in over my head, and I need help!” Erica hung her head and threw her hands up to cover her face. There was no hiding her tears this time. Unfortunately, all of her hard crying was making her ribs hurt worse. Her body started trembling uncontrollably as a wave of nausea hit her without warning. Oh, this is just great, she thought to herself. He brings me home only to find out I am a total basket case as I puke all over his leather furniture!

  Kevin studied her as she slipped her hand out from under his and wrapped her arms around her middle, as if trying to hold herself together. He reached up with the intention of touching her warm, soft cheek, but she jerked her head back as soon as she spotted his hand coming toward her. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not going to hurt you, sweets.”

  To say she had some major trust issues was an understatement. He allowed his hand to drop and land on her knee, as he yet again tried to dispel her anxieties and force a sense of calmness on her. He had watched in amazement as she had shaken off his imposed calmness a couple of minutes ago. Very few humans had a strong enough mind to do so. It’s a good thing I am a patient man, he thought to himself, as he focused all of his efforts on imposing calmness on her again. His gut was telling him that gaining this woman’s trust was going to be a huge challenge.

  “Listen to me, baby. Someone will be with you at all times. You’ll see. Everything is going to work out fine.” Erica glanced up to him with a confused look. She seemed to be hearing his words inside her head. How in the world was that possible? She could hear his words coming from his mouth as they reached her ears, but then it was as if they were being repeated inside her head, only in a whisper. Had she truly lost it? Had the stress been so great that her mind just snapped?

  “Would you do me a favor?” Kevin asked her cautiously.

  “That depends on what it is,” she replied hesitantly. She wasn’t about to agree to anything until she knew exactly what she was getting into.

  Kevin found himself grinning over her response. She was so timid, so cautious. Hopefully, the day would come when she would be completely comfortable with him, and trust him implicitly. Until then, he had his work cut out. “I’m a little concerned about your ribs. We have an X-ray machine available. I would like for you to get an X-ray and make certain no bones are broken.”

  “You have an X-ray machine at your house?” Erica asked incredulously, her eyes getting big. Just how much money did this family have? Who in the world kept an X-ray machine in their house, and more importantly, why?

  Kevin grinned over to her, finding her bug-eye look a bit comical. “It’s not here at the house exactly. It’s located at my office. Will you come with me to get X-raye
d?” he asked cautiously.

  She sat back a little on the couch, obviously trying to ease her pain. “I really don’t feel up to driving anywhere right now, Kevin. Could we maybe look at doing it later?”

  “You won’t be driving, silly, I will. I just need for you to trust me to take care of you. Please?” he requested.

  “Okay, if you insist,” she replied, a bit grumpily. What she really wanted to do was take a nap, but knew she was too keyed up and worried to ever sleep. Still, she was emotionally drained.

  Kevin helped her up off the couch, and quickly escorted her downstairs and through the kitchen to the back door. He grabbed the set of car keys hanging on a hook next to the door and steered Erica towards the garage. The keys he had picked up belonged to Jennifer’s red Mustang. His own pickup truck was still at the office. When Erica’s call came in earlier today, he found himself in a hurry to arrive home as quickly as possible. The need for speed screamed, “Take the Harley!” when he walked out of the office. And so, the motorcycle that was usually used for work was now sitting in the garage in place of his truck.

  As Kevin escorted Erica out to the car, he noticed she constantly looked over her shoulder, as if she expected Shawn to show up out of the blue. Kevin almost wished he would. He was still seething over the damage Erica had sustained from last night’s attack. Kevin knew it was just a matter of time, Shawn would show his butt sooner or later. And Kevin vowed to himself that he would be there when Shawn was caught. Only then could he guarantee that Shawn would never lay another hand on Erica.

  * * * *

  Rosetta attempted to redirect her thoughts back to the letter that was half finished sitting in front of her. She found herself staring blankly at it, unable to focus on what she had been writing prior to her son coming in.

  She glanced up and caught her husband watching her intently, wearing a frown on his face. “Don’t give me that look, Charles,” she stated with a sigh.

  “Come, love.” He gently coaxed her over to his waiting arms, bringing her down to perch on his lap. “Let’s wait and give this a chance, Rosetta,” Charles soothed, as he brought her close against him for a hug. “There is no sense in speculating and getting worked up for nothing. Besides, I really would like to meet this girl who has finally turned our Kevin’s head.” He gently kissed his wife, as she placed her head on his shoulder.

  “I know you are right, love, but I still worry. She has a tremendous amount of baggage, and that will take some time to overcome.” Rosetta stopped for just a moment in thought. “Every time I think of her, I get the strongest feeling she is his mate. Maybe it is just my wishful thinking,” she paused and smiled up at her husband. “Every mother wants their son to find their one true love.”

  “I know, sweetheart. We do need to remember that he is a grown adult, perfectly capable of making his own decisions. Besides, I find myself very intrigued about this young woman. I think your instincts of her being his mate are correct, I am just not sure if Kevin is ready to admit to it yet. Only time will tell. For now, we need to sit back and let them both know they have our support,” Charles gently replied. “She has been through a tremendous amount of abuse, and that alone will take a lot of TLC to see her through.”

  “Charles, I agree with you completely! I just worry about each of them. She must be very scared and vulnerable at this point, and I think our son has already lost his heart to her. It will break my heart if either one ends up getting hurt.”

  “Rosetta, have faith in our son and in the power of nature. If she is truly his mate, then she won’t be able to not fall in love with him.” If Rosetta was planning on discussing this situation with her husband any further, she was to be disappointed. Charles leaned down and caught her lips with his in a kiss that soon left her breathless. “I love it when you become passionate about a subject,” he quietly stated against her lips with a wicked smile. Passion was exactly what he had in mind at the given moment, and he would hear no arguments on that subject from his wife, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and met his kiss with her own.

  * * * *

  Kevin pulled up in front of the VCTF office and parked the car. He was over at Erica’s door, gently helping her out in a flash. As they entered the office, two heads popped up and gave the couple an inquisitive look. Kevin placed his hand at the small of Erica’s back and quickly steered her toward the rear of the building and down a hallway. As they passed, Kevin called out a, “Hey, Marshall,” to the guy sitting on the right. They continued down the hallway, all the way to the medical room set up in the back of the office complex.

  The medical room was empty, and that was to be expected. Rarely was the room ever needed. However, there had been a few occasions in the past that had made it necessary to have a medical room set up.

  He continued steering Erica to the very back of the room, where the X-ray machine stood. He finally stopped as they reached a chair, and she glanced over at him for a moment with an odd expression on her face.

  Looking around and realizing they were alone, Erica asked in a trembling voice, “Who is going to take the X-rays?”

  Kevin gave her a slight smile that he hoped calmed her. “I will.”

  “I thought you were an undercover cop? Now you are telling me you are an X-ray technician also?”

  “We only occasionally have use for this equipment. It is easier and far less expensive for our team to have medical training than to try to have a technician available every time we need one. I am a certified technician, Erica. You are safe, I promise. I will take good care of you.”

  Knowing she was getting more nervous by the minute, he quickly turned and walked over to a stack of gowns and handed her the top one. Deciding a professional, unattached approach would be the best way to calm her, he stated, “You’ll need to remove your bra. The metal tends to cause problems with the pictures.” She blushed slightly, and he quickly headed out the door to give her privacy.

  Kevin returned to the room moments later. She had removed both shirt and pants, and the gown she was now wearing just barely covered her lovely ass. His dick stood at attention just thinking about sinking his hard cock into her little rosette. He wondered if she’d ever had anyone take her back hole before. Realizing he was standing in front of her staring at her, probably with drool running down his chin, and a raging hard on, he gave a quick sweep of her body with his eyes before starting the X-rays. An unwelcome growl tore from deep within his throat as his attention was caught on the huge black and blue marks going down both inside thighs. They looked to be several days old, and he wondered just what exactly she had endured to get those. When he had read her memories earlier, he only skimmed the top, limiting his access to events of the night before. Now, in hindsight, he wished he had dug deeper. He clamped his jaw shut, and quickly turned on his heel and pretended to check the calibration on the machine while he attempted to control his fury.

  Dear God, what had this poor woman endured? Kevin screamed mentally, shutting his eyes briefly willing himself back together. Anger rose to the surface as his mind automatically sifted through the stored memories from her earlier today. Kevin couldn’t even begin to understand why any man would want to treat a woman like Shawn had.

  If Erica’s memory was correct, the entire incident had been over her getting home a little late from the grocery store! His own father had taught him to respect and care for women. Back when Kevin was a young boy, women had little choice but to depend on men. Times had certainly changed over the past seventy-two years, but Kevin’s views on how to treat a woman remained steadfast. Charles had also been a major influence in Kevin’s life on how to treat a woman also. He had watched his adopted father shower Rosetta with love and adoration for years, and their love continued to grow because of it.

  However, Kevin had also seen plenty of the opposite also. He knew there were those of his kind who mistreated humans simply because they could, and it seemed like the victims were almost always female. Kevin and his team did everything i
n their power to try and stop it. He knew the elderly of their kind tried to teach the younger generation how to care and love, but sometimes it just wasn’t enough. When a vampire became bored with life, or wasn’t kept busy enough and fell into depression, alcohol and drugs often became their choice. And although it took a tremendous high dosage of either to affect them, it still didn’t seem to deter them from it.

  Kevin walked over to position Erica for the X-ray while attempting to keep his facial expressions calm. It would do him no good for her to see him angry. It would only serve to upset her more. As he started shooting the films, he noticed a gauze bandage on her right arm, and quickly remembered the smell of fresh blood hitting him when she arrived for class, early that morning.

  He easily spotted numerous scars running up and down both of her arms. Oh hell no, he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was, was he? In sifting through her memories, Kevin hadn’t come across Shawn using her for his dinner, but it certainly appeared that had been the case on multiple occasions. Or had this young woman run into another of their kind?