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

and watched her sleep. With the upcoming wedding and the retirement village, her schedule was getting ready to go into overdrive. He made a silent promise to provide as much help and assistance to her as possible, and to get Jennifer to take over as many wedding details as she could. That should take some of the load off of her.
    After her short nap, she found herself full of energy and starving. Kevin quickly fixed her something to eat, and then they went down to speak with Charles.
    “Hey, Charles, did you want to speak to me about today’s meeting?” Erica inquired, once she and Kevin had been seated.
    “Well yes, I take it that the meeting included talk of adding some shopping facilities, since I’ve already received three calls from interested potential store owners.” He had placed his hands behind his head and sat back in his chair. “So, what’s this all about?”
    Erica instantly became worried. She had thought she would have a chance to present her idea to Charles first, not have him hear about it secondhand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think the word would get out so quick. The idea was discussed, and I’m having George put together a complete packet to be presented to the board at your next meeting,” Erica hurried to explain. “We found a potential spot on the map, but I made no promises. I stated very clearly that this entire idea would have to be presented to the council for consideration, and without their approval, the idea would be dead.”
    Charles grinned at his newest adopted daughter. “I must admit, Erica, when you take on a project, you certainly don’t do anything halfway! I think it is a wonderful idea, and I look forward to reading the report. You’ll have my support on it. I have been trying to tell everyone for years that we need our underground society more developed.” He paused for a moment as he sat upright in his chair. “Why in the world should we continue giving our money to outside businesses that are run by humans, not that I have anything against that, mind you, when we could set our own businesses up and help support our local society?”
    Erica smiled at him. It was nice to know she’d have at least one council member’s vote on this. “I thought it would be a great way of helping our own economy.”
    Charles now glanced over to Kevin. “You know she is going to keep you in line from now on, right?” It was easy to see the twinkling, teasing glint in his eye.
    Kevin grinned as he answered, “I’m very much counting on that!”
    “By the way,” Charles stated, changing the subject and turning to Erica, “I have come across some interesting information regarding your past.”
    Erica was suddenly sitting up straight in her chair. “What did you find?” she breathed. She had waited a long time to put the pieces of a puzzle together that made up her life. At times, over the years it had seemed hopeless. Maybe now she would have some answers, and be able to obtain peace.
    Kevin seemed to sense her mood, and reached out to pull her over into his lap.
    “Your biological father is a vampire.” Charles stopped for a moment, allowing Erica time to digest this. She was already shaking her head in denial.
    “How can that be, when I’m not a half-vamp myself?” She now asked, a bit perplexed.
    “I’m getting to that. It seems your father got your mother pregnant, and as you have probably already guessed, they were unwed. That is where the story takes an interesting turn.” He paused briefly.
    “I have spoken to your father. He tells me that he himself was turned after your mother was already carrying you. He went back home, and of course you have to understand that oftentimes a newly turned vampire feels like they are losing their minds. They don’t understand what is happening to them, and it is not uncommon for them to lash out. That is one of the many reasons why it is against our law to leave a newly turned vampire alone. It is mandatory that the vampire that does the turning stick around and help the newly turned vamp through the transition. Unfortunately, this is one of the hardest laws to enforce. Most newly turned vamps don’t know or remember who changed them, so it becomes next to impossible to enforce the law. I don’t know how much Kevin has told you about our family, but Rosetta and I found each one of our children newly turned, and left to defend for themselves. We took them in, showed them our ways of life, and they each chose to join