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

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-rayed?” 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