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

life with.” Charles stated this with ease, as Erica tried to peek around him in order to glimpse the other vampire’s face.
    “She is not one of us, and they are not married. She does not belong here,” Felippe vehemently protested. “Besides,” he continued. “This meeting is for board members only. Or are you giving up your seat?” Felippe continued in his wrath.
    At that moment, Mr. Atkins came up to Erica’s side and gave her a hug. “Erica, girl, it is good to see you again.” He smiled over to her as he gave her a conspicuous wink. “Felippe, remove the corn cob from your rear. Is this any way of treating a guest?”
    Erica felt her eyes get round as saucers at this comment, and took a quick second to steal a look around the room at the other vampires. She was somewhat relieved to find that this Felippe character seemed to be the only one who had a problem with her being there. If the rest did, they were doing a great job of covering it.
    “Now, Felippe, calm yourself. You know me better than to think I would bring any harm to this group,” Charles stated, very calmly and patiently. Erica wondered what possible harm she, a lowly, weak human girl, could bring to a room full of vampire men, and then wondered how Charles was holding his temper in check. “Erica has come with me at my request. She has a wonderful idea for our elderly vamps that I think everyone needs to hear about,” he continued.
    Mr. Atkins jumped in at this point and stated, “This beautiful lady and I had a wonderful visit last week. Charles, you are a lucky man to have this intelligent child living under your roof. I had about given up hope on Kevin finding his mate.”
    Erica noticed that Felippe stole a quick look around the room, and could only assume that he felt betrayed. All the other councilmen were taking their seats, and it seemed like they were completely ignoring the confrontation. Charles continued standing in front of her, with Mr. Atkins on her right side.
    Felippe ultimately backed down, walked away, and went to his seat. Erica followed Charles over to the large table, and he quickly pulled out a chair for her to sit in. She tried her best to look inconspicuous, all the while willing her nerves to calm back down. The hissing vampire Charles had referred to as Felippe had rattled her self-confidence. Mr. Atkins took a seat on her left side, Charles already occupied the chair at her right. Mr. Atkins could evidently see that she was nervous. He placed his hand on top of hers and lightly patted it. “You are fine, my dear,” he softly whispered with a wink. One of the councilmen stood up and started the meeting. When he asked if anyone had any new business to discuss, Charles spoke up.
    “I have something to present.”
    “Charles, you have the floor.” The councilman who had been leading the meeting cocked his head over to Charles and smiled briefly.
    Charles stood up and started. “First of all, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of my family.” He turned to look at Erica as he continued, and she could feel the heat immediately begin to rise on her face. “This is Erica. She has had the opportunity of visiting with some of our elderly, and has come away with some interesting observations. Erica, the floor is yours.”
    Erica stood up and could feel all eyes on her. She was glad she had chosen to dress up for this meeting. She had decided to wear a sweater skirt and shirt ensemble. It was one of her favorite outfits, and right now she needed all the courage that could be mustered up.
    “Thank you, Charles,” she started with a smile on her face, hoping no one would notice her heart beating erratically. “I have had the opportunity of meeting with some of your elderly. They are very lonely, and I suspect some are even dealing with depression. Since they can’t come out of their homes because of the sunlight and the damage it tends to cause, Charles and I have put together an idea of a retirement village.” She looked over to Charles at that moment, and he nodded in encouragement. “What we are proposing is to develop an underground village where the elderly can live close by one another. It would include a large recreational facility, to give them a place to get together for activities and socialization.”
    Charles had a copy of his report for every member of the council, and he glided over to the slide presentation and put the diagram for the village up on the wall for everyone to