by Alice Brown
Charles was continuing, bringing her out of her musings. “These half-breeds make for some interesting children. For the children’s safety as well as keeping inconspicuous, we felt setting up our own schools would be for the best. We don’t demand the children go to these schools, but most choose to. Our teachers are much better trained in handling them, and let’s face it, since a vampire’s life span is considerably longer than human’s, we tend to know more about history. Also, when you are dealing with half-vamp children, it is somewhat of a guessing game as to what age they will be when their abilities emerge. Situations come up where a child’s abilities emerge without them realizing it, and suddenly they have an enormous amount of strength or speed. It can be quite confusing to the child, and a possible danger, if not handled correctly. All of our teachers are full vampires themselves, so they are able to handle these crises.”
“Where are your schools located?” Erica asked curiously, thinking she would love the opportunity to meet some of these children.
“Our school system is set up similar to a home school co-op. When we decided that our children needed to stay out of the public eye, I did an extensive research, comparing the public school system, private schools, and even home schooling. I stumbled upon a home school co-op program that seemed to fit our needs best. Because we don’t have a high number of children, school is taught in one of several different households of either our teachers or students. As a matter of fact,” he stated as he paused and looked over at his desk calendar. “I’m scheduled to host a field trip in about two weeks, right here in my office.”
Oh cool, Erica thought. Maybe if she were still there she would have the chance to meet some of these children. “Are you a part of the VCTF also?” Erica asked Charles as she glanced appreciatively around the massive office. Charles had more equipment and computer technology in his office than she would have guessed existed at IBM headquarters.
“Yes, I am the one who originally founded it, and then ran it until Kevin was able to take over running it. Once Kevin took over, I stepped back and went into intelligence gathering. When the team is on a mission, I’m able to stay in complete communication with them at all times, as well as assist with needed information.”
Erica looked over at Kevin with a hint of accusation in her voice. “You didn’t tell me you ran the VCTF. I thought you only worked there.”
Charles spoke up quickly, not giving Kevin a chance to reply. “Yes, and I must say he is quite good at what he does. I am very proud to call him my son.”
Between the glare Erica was throwing him and his father’s praise, Kevin felt his face grow uncomfortably warm. He was surprised he was actually blushing! Glancing down at this watch, he was relieved that he had an excuse to end this little chat. “Dad, Erica has had nothing to eat today. I need to get her lunch so she doesn’t faint on me again.”
Charles sat up in his chair quickly with a concerned expression clearly on his face, “Erica, when did you faint?”
“Yesterday evening, only because Kevin scared the life out of me. I’m fine now, however,” she answered, blushing deeply.
“Well, go and get something to eat. I suppose we’ve covered enough vampire history for one morning. Just promise me something before you leave,” he requested from Erica.
“Anything,” she immediately responded. She already owed this man. If there was a possibility of returning the favor, she would gladly do it.
“Promise me you will come and see me any time you have questions. We have nothing to hide from you. And I hope you realize by now that you can trust us.” He smiled, and waved his two guests out the door.
“Okay, I will. And thanks for your time this morning.” Erica replied, as she allowed Kevin to escort her out of the office.
She followed Kevin back to his suite, and then on into the kitchen. He had taken hold of her hand as they reached the office door, and kept it ensconced in his all the way back to his suite. He walked straight to the kitchen once they were inside his suite, dropping her off at the little breakfast nook, and immediately went to the refrigerator, pulling out the makings for a sandwich. Erica sat mesmerized as she observed him in action. It slowly began to hit her how very little she actually knew about this family’s personal lifestyle. They obviously had been keeping a good deal of their personal ways at bay since she arrived, and now the feeling of guilt was beginning to weigh heavily on her.
“Kevin, Charles stated you had blood delivered for your family and for the Meals on Wheels program. I’ve not noticed any since arriving. Are you hiding it from me?”
Kevin smiled over at Erica while continuing his work on her lunch. “I thought it would be better for you if you didn’t see it, so I moved my supply over to Jennifer’s suite shortly after you first arrived.”
“But that’s not fair for you,” Erica immediately countered. “This is your home, and you should be able to be comfortable in it. I’m truly not going to faint or anything if I open the refrigerator and find a pint or two of blood.”
Erica followed Kevin into the living room, where he sat down on the couch before handing her the sandwich. “How long has it been since you’ve had blood?” she asked innocently, although it came out a bit snappy, as she took the first bite of her sandwich.
His eyebrows shot up. “Yesterday. Whatever would make you ask that?”
“What else are you not doing in your normal daily activities due to my being here?” she demanded around a mouthful of food.
“Where are you going with this?” Kevin asked, confusion clearly written across his face.
“I’m just concerned as to how many problems I am causing for you and your family. Since I didn’t know anything about….well, you know, all of this until yesterday, I can only assume everyone has had to curb their normal daily activities, due to a human being in the house,” Erica replied, with a small shrug of her shoulders.
Kevin grinned. After being married to a vampire for four years, she still didn’t feel comfortable with the word. “Erica, I’m a vampire. My family members are all vampires. I thought we moved past the discomfort thing last night.”
Erica frowned at him. “I am comfortable around you, it’s just…well, it’s just hard to refer to you as something that I have always related to bloodsucking demons. Your family acts nothing like that.”
Kevin grimaced at her description of his kind. He picked up the hand nearest him and tucked it within his own. Starting a slow caress with his thumb, she slowly turned her hand, allowing him to seek out the scars on her wrists. As he came across them, he gently brushed over them with his finger. His touch was feather light, which had Erica feeling like putty in his hands immediately. Her stomach felt like butterflies were flying around, and she could hear her heartbeat throbbing against her chest.
Kevin grinned over at her, knowing full well the effect he was having on her. “Trust me, if you were causing problems, I would have heard about it from one of my sisters by now. You may have noticed we all pretty much have our own living space. We live our own lives. We just choose to reside under the same roof. My family has been doing exactly what they usually do since you arrived. Remember, you were in pretty bad shape when you first arrived here. You’ve been here in this suite quite a bit of the time.” He paused and then continued, “I don’t want me taking my blood supply out of here to bother you, because it hasn’t been a problem for me. If it will make you feel better, I’ll return it to its rightful refrigerator” he finished, his grin still going strong on his gorgeous face.
“Speaking of food,” Erica started as she reached down for her uneaten lunch, “I’m amazed there is even food in the refrigerator. And how did you get to be such a good cook when you can’t even eat anything?”
“I went to the grocery store the first night you were here, and had Jennifer sit with you while I was out. As to how I know how to cook, Rosetta had a cookbook downstairs in the library.” He flashed a sly grin her way before continuing, “I am a diversified, modern vampire. I
have many more talents hidden up my sleeves, you know,” he crowed.
She tried for a change in subject. “I would have thought it bothered you to be around and smell food since you can’t eat it.”
“No,” Kevin answered. “It doesn’t bother me. I may not need food to live on. However, are you aware that we can eat a very small amount of human food if needed? Most of the stuff you humans eat simply doesn’t have any taste. Since I don’t need it anyways, it’s kind of a waste. We only do it when we are around humans and need to blend in.” He thought for a moment, and then continued. “To me, eating human food is like eating cardboard. I do need blood, though, to keep up my strength.”
“I didn’t realize you could eat any human food,” Erica stated, and then had a sudden, sharp memory of her first date with Shawn. He had taken her to a really nice, expensive restaurant, and had eaten a few bites, but then simply stated he wasn’t hungry. The waiter had been falling all over himself trying to make things right, even offering to bring him another dish. That was one of the reasons she had been so shocked to discover Shawn was a vampire on their wedding night. He had done a great job of keeping everything from her during their short courtship.
“Very little,” Kevin replied. “And then you already know we can process alcohol.” She had an involuntary shudder go through her body, as old memories quickly came flooding to the surface.
Erica pushed the old memories into the back of her head. “It is hard to imagine not ever eating.”
Kevin smiled over to her. “For you, I guess it would be hard to imagine doing without food. I’ve watched humans eat for years, and I have yet to know anyone to enjoy their food like you do.” He lightly brushed her cheek with his finger again, happy when she didn’t pull away from him. “It’s quite sexy to watch you,” he finished with a grin on his gorgeous face, and knew he was treading on dangerous ground. He found himself curious to see how far he could go.
Erica quickly pulled her hand out of his in an attempt to put some space between them as she lightly rested it on his chest. “Kevin, you are sending me signals that clearly state you are interested in more than a friendship. Am I correct?” she inquired quietly.
He was unable to lie to her, but knew his next few words had to be chosen very carefully. “I find myself very intrigued with you, Erica, and the more time I spend with you, the more I want to know about you. And yes, I would love to pursue a relationship, but I would never push you into something you are not ready for. I know you need time to get over your past.”
Erica smiled a sad smile and shook her head. To say she had issues concerning men in general was the understatement of the day. She met his eyes and briefly placed her hand on top of his. “Look, Kevin, I like you. You are sweet, kind, and I would have to be blind not to notice your gorgeous looks. And bizarre enough, the idea of pursuing a relationship in the future doesn’t have me running for the hills.” Erica stopped there and shook her head, wondering exactly what on earth she was thinking trying to have a relationship with another vampire!
“I’m not sure if I can handle another relationship. You will need to take it slow with me, and be patient, regardless. How about we take this slow, one day at a time, okay?
Kevin was well aware of what those words had cost her. He very slowly turned his hand over so that he could enclose hers into his. “I understand, and I hope you know just how wonderful those words sound to me,” he softly replied. “I will never push you into anything you’re not ready for, and I will never hurt you. Just knowing that you are somewhat open to the idea of a relationship, when you are free,” he quickly added, “is enough for me.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Erica asked, a little shyly.
“Not at all, I suspect you have a few hundred floating around in that head of yours,” Kevin replied with a grin.
Erica rolled her eyes at him and then started her inquisition. “How long have you been a vampire?”
“This year will be my forty-fifth year.” He sat back against the couch, looking as if he was beginning an interview.
“How old were you when you were turned?”
“Twenty-seven,” Kevin replied with an impish smile, waiting to see her reaction to this news.
Erica’s jaw dropped open with a pop at his answer. “You’re seventy-two years old!” she exclaimed.
“Yes, does that bother you?” he asked, still grinning madly.
“No, of course not. I’ll admit however, that you’re the best looking seventy-two-year-old man I’ve ever seen!”
At this statement, Kevin’s grin turned into a full-blown smile. “Ah darling, flattery like that will get you everywhere.” His teeth were perfectly snow white and straight, giving him the most gorgeous smile Erica had ever seen on a man. Erica realized that his skin was not extremely pale like she would automatically assume from a vampire. Shawn’s skin was very pale, almost sickly pale at times when he drank too much. Kevin’s skin coloring was a bit tan, though. Looking at his straight black hair, pearly white teeth, and tanned complexion, she wondered if he didn’t have a bit of Native American blood in him.
Erica chose to ignore his comment. “You don’t look a day over twenty-seven. So, what is the changing into a bird all about? Are all of your family members just as gifted? Oh wait, is this something all vampires are able to do?” Although she had been married to Shawn, she would be the first to admit she knew very little about the lives of vampires. She wondered if she was bombarding him with all of her questions, but he just smiled patiently and continued answering.
“Charles found me while on an assignment with the VCTF. He was out in the woods, and well, you know vampires smell differently than humans. Most humans are unaware of the difference. However, our kind can easily distinguish between the two. Charles caught a faint whiff of vampire, although it was mixed with something else. Since he was out chasing down a rogue to begin with, he decided to investigate. What he came across shocked him. The last thing I remember was that I was deer hunting. Then, when I awoke, I was surrounded by a pack of wolves. I am of Native American descent, and I had heard stories from childhood told by the elders that some animals had magical abilities, being able to change from human to animal at will. I wasn’t sure at first if these wolves were trying to accept me as one of theirs, or not. A few kept circling me, growling, while a couple of others stood guard next to me, as if they wouldn’t allow anything to happen. Charles seems to think that I was bitten by the rogue vampire in the area, and then somehow stumbled upon a group of werewolves. Maybe they were already in the woods and heard me being attacked. We simply don’t know. The other thing that remains a mystery is how I came to having the ability to change into any given animal, not just one. Even the legends of my people state that these special magical beings can only change into one certain animal. Charles has never known another vampire that can do what I can. Sure, we have run across others occasionally that are what humans refer to as “shapeshifters” but the ones we have come across can only change into one certain type of animal. Somehow, I have the ability to concentrate on the animal I want to become, and my body shifts into that animal form.
Charles has a theory that since I was attacked by a vampire, and was in the middle of the change when I came into contact with the werewolves, that the two blood types were mixed into my system. His theory is that the vampire blood actually helped with the process of changing into multiple animals, giving me unique abilities.”
Kevin stopped for a moment, allowing Erica to absorb all the information he had thrown at her. After a moment of silence, he continued.
“Remember what Charles stated earlier about two vampires not being able to reproduce? Well, that’s what happened with him and Rosetta. Rosetta was already a vampire when they met, so she was unable to have children of her own. I became their first adopted son. Then, one by one, each of my sisters were found, all newly turned and just left to cope on their own, and Rosetta and Charles took each of us in. So, that’s how w
e became one big happy family.”
Erica found herself fascinated with his animal abilities and wanted to know more. “So, you have the ability to take on any animal form you want, just by concentrating on it?” she inquired. After all, she had been married to a vampire for the last four years, so processing the fact that Kevin and his family were vampires was not a big deal. But, a vampire that could change into an animal, now that was fascinating!
“Yes, I can easily take on the shape and values of any animal I want,” Kevin replied. “Some of the ones that I’ve used often now come easy for me, requiring very little concentration on my part.”
“What all does the VCTF do? How long have you been running it?” Erica continued.
“Charles placed me in command of it about thirty-five years ago. Once I had adjusted to the idea that I was a vampire, I wanted to do something good with it. Many humans conjure up imaginary fears when they hear the word “vampire.” The truth is most of us desire to live as normal of a life as possible. We were all humans at one point and time, and none of us can help what we have become. Charles put me on the right path that included a college education and then extensive training after that. I worked under him for a while until he decided I was truly ready to be handed the reins.” He paused for a second, and then continued, “As far as what we do, it would be a shorter list to tell you what we don’t do. Of course our top priority is to maintain peace throughout our society, which really isn’t much of a job. Only once in a while someone gets out of hand. Most of the time, it either involves a rogue vampire that is clueless to the rules, or one of our own, who gets intoxicated and starts problems. We do more work for the local, state, and federal government than anything else. We are called in when a situation is out of control, or top secrecy is needed. We have been called in on gang wars, drug runs, missing children, and high-profile murder investigations. We also do security work for dignitaries and high-ranking government officials.”
