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

amazing man. She smiled over to him. At one time she would have been running scared at the thought of a vampire asking her for her blood, but not anymore. This family had taken her in and protected her during her worst.
    She walked over to stand in front of him. “Let’s go ahead and do it. I’m anxious to see what the results are.”
    Charles gave her a smile. “I know you think of me as a computer geek, but I’m actually a scientist first. My love of technology came along well after my love of science.”
    She nodded her head. She trusted him completely. “Does it matter which arm?”
    Kevin and Erica left shortly after Charles finished drawing the blood and headed back up to the suite. Erica found herself ready for bed early, leaving Kevin to read a book. She was barely out of bed the next morning. Kevin was in the living room reading the newspaper when a knock at the door sounded. Kevin was up immediately to answer it. Erica assumed it to be a family member, but wondered who would be calling this early in the morning. Kevin opened the door to find Charles, grinning from ear to ear.
    “I was right!” he said in a booming voice as he walked in the door and headed straight to Erica. “It was right there in your blood! You are part of us, after all!”
    Charles looked over at his son, with enthusiasm apparent across his face. “Your girl here has a trace of vampirism in her blood. I knew all along we had a special girl, here!”
    The two men quickly got into a lengthy discussion of blood types versus vampirism. It was all way out of Erica’s league, as she had never liked science at all. But, she was surprised at how smart Kevin seemed to be discussing things like genetics, blood cells, and vampirism with his dad. As she continued listening, she realized that Kevin was able to keep right along with his father in this conversation. This was a side of him she had never seen before, and quickly found out that her soon-to-be husband shared his father’s love for science.
    The men were still discussing genetics, vampirism, and the like when a thought hit Erica. She finally fit in somewhere! All of her life she had felt like she never quite fit in, anywhere. Certainly not in any of the foster homes. Not at school, where she was more often than not the only kid without either parent, which really stunk when school functions came around and parents or grandparents were invited. She didn’t even fit in once she reached high school, and everyone was in little groups or cliques that didn’t include her. Once she became of age and was out on her own, things were no better. She had hoped that once she was out in society, she would figure out where she fit in, but that never happened. Then she married Shawn, and Erica’s already boring life changed to a nightmare of a boring life. Even when she finally convinced him to let her attend college, she was still an outsider, not fully able to fit in. She had always felt like someone who skated through life, trying to stay invisible, never quite fitting in anywhere.
    But, as she watched the men discuss her, she quickly realized that for the first time in her life, she had a loving family. She was involved in the vampire society and making a real difference in people’s lives. Okay, vampire lives, but same outcome. She now had a place to call home, people who loved and cared for her, and a place in life where she truly fit in. And it felt wonderful. Who would have guessed that a human girl would have to go into a vampire society in order to fit in? The feelings of love, comfort, and protection that surrounded her were amazing. She walked over to Kevin and wrapped her arm around him, as he finished up with his dad.
    Once Charles left the apartment, Kevin turned to look at Erica. “So, you are my little vampire girl after all,” he whispered, as he gently kissed her lips. “I’ve known all along you were special.”
     
     
    THE END
     
    WWW.AUTHORALICEBROWN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
     
     
    I am a retired military wife and homeschool mom. My husband retired recently after serving twenty-one years in the military, and is now home full time. I graduated our daughter from high school last May.
    It was about three years ago that my daughter started urging me to write. “You have a great imagination for storytelling!” she insisted. I didn’t think so, but decided to give it a try. We spent many hours sitting at our local Wendy’s brainstorming the storyline for my books.