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

of laughter bubbling up inside of him as he watched his son. It was obvious that Kevin was warring within himself over these emotions. Ah, welcome to love, son.
    Sitting back in his chair, he clasped his hands together behind his head. “Does the timing of these strong emotions line up with Erica coming into your life?”
    “Yes, that’s probably when they started, but like I stated, they seem to be getting stronger. Some of the emotions I understand, such as my love for her, and I am very thankful that I am able to feel this intense feeling. But there are others that I simply don’t understand. I’ve had an overwhelming desire to protect her ever since I met her, and while it is my job to protect innocents every day, this is so much stronger. It’s almost overwhelming.” Kevin seemed to stare off in space for a few seconds before continuing. “The night I proposed to her, I thought my chest would split in two waiting for her response.” He rubbed his hand over his chest. “I have never felt anything like that since being changed, and I’ve always held the idea that vampires were incapable of experiencing such intense emotions.”
    Charles looked over at his son and grinned widely. “Welcome to being in love, son. You are right. We tend not to be very emotional beings by nature. However, I really don’t think your animal blood has anything to do with what you are going through. I’ve watched strong emotions come out in our kind on several occasions, one of those times being on myself. When a vampire falls in love with their true mate, then emotions can overpower almost anything, including vampirism. We all have emotions, they are just not at the forefront like humans’ are. However, love does some strange things, son.”
    “So, I’m okay?” Kevin inquired skeptically.
    Charles’s bark of laughter rang out sharply. “I would never call a man head over heels in love like you are okay. But, you’ll survive.”
    Kevin chucked at his father’s response. “Thanks for the advice.”
    “That’s what I am here for, son,” Charles replied, as Kevin slipped out the door.
    Charles calling out his name before the door shut stopped Kevin in his tracks. He turned around in the doorway to face him.
    “Have you talked to Erica about a new identity?” Charles inquired.
    “No, why do you ask? Has something come up about her past?”
    “Not yet, but I am still searching. You need to talk to her, or send her to me. I have all the paperwork ready to go,” Charles assured him.
    Kevin gave a quick nod, then turned and walked out. He wasn’t confident that Erica would fully understand and embrace what he knew needed to be done. Since Erica was human but would be living with vampires, it was necessary to re-invent her so no one from her past could ever track her down and inadvertently discover their existence. The fact that she had no family and had been raised in foster care made it all the more easier. Vampires had survived living next to humans for thousands of years, simply because they were extremely cautious.
    On his way back to his suite, his cell phone vibrated at his hip.
    Marshall wasted little time in letting his friend know the nature of the call. “Hey buddy, the team would like to thank Erica for her help on the Brazil case. Can you find a reason to bring her to the office when most everyone is on duty?”
    “Would tomorrow afternoon work? I believe she has a committee meeting for the senior center. I’ll make sure I am available to escort her, and swing by the office on our way there.” Kevin was happy to hear the team hadn’t forgotten Erica’s help in their recent case in Brazil. He knew Erica wasn’t looking for any type of recognition, but the guys telling her thank you would mean a lot.
     
    * * * *
     
    Erica found herself nervous the closer the time came to attending her first committee meeting. She rushed through getting dressed, wanting to arrive early in order to give herself a few moments to put her thoughts together. As far as she knew, she would be the only human on the committee. That alone made her a little nervous. She had no idea who else would be on this committee. After Mr. Atkins suggested she be head of the committee in charge of overseeing the elderly village project, the board had decided to ask for volunteers to fill the remainder seats.
    With her thoughts on the upcoming meeting, she ran straight into a brick wall as she headed for the door. She looked up into the