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

to where Erica sat and knelt down in front of her. Taking one of her hands into his, he looked directly into her eyes as he gently inquired, “How are you feeling?”
    “Okay” she replied, trying to force a smile on her lips. Her ribs were screaming in agony, and she felt a migraine coming on, but could see no use in complaining. Kevin had been kind and attentive to her all afternoon. Why repay his acts of kindness with complaint?
    “Okay,” Kevin repeated in a drawl as his eyebrows knitted together and a frown formed on his lips. The woman had two cracked ribs on the right side, and one on the left, for crying out loud. Not to mention all the other contusions and discolorations she was sporting. And she had the nerve to state she is feeling “okay”? He would hate to see what kind of shape she would be in before she admitted she was hurt!
    He gave her an exasperated sigh before stating, “Let’s get you out of here. You do have some cracked ribs, and I’ll have Jennifer or Rosetta help get you taped up. That should help with the pain.” He held out his hand to assist her in standing up.
    When they returned to the house, Kevin quickly rounded up Jennifer.
    “I need for you to tape up Erica’s ribs.” He stated in a matter-of-fact way, as if this was something Jennifer did daily. “She has two on the right side and one on the left that are cracked.”
    Jennifer gave her brother a quick nod and disappeared into Erica’s bedroom. Kevin knew his sister would take care of Erica. Everyone in his house had some form of medical knowledge. Considering the length of a vampire’s lifespan, it was a wise decision to look for something to do or learn. It helped to keep their minds occupied, which helped fill in the voids of life. If they didn’t, they would often fall into depression. Kevin wondered if Jennifer would notice all the other bruises and scars as well. He hoped that if she did she was smart enough to keep her temper in check. The one thing he didn’t need was for Erica to see Jennifer’s fangs drop down.
    One look at his sister’s face when she walked out of Erica’s room ten minutes later, told Kevin she had seen everything. A look of black fury was across her otherwise beautiful face.
    “Is Erica okay?” Kevin cautiously inquired. Jennifer walked out of the bedroom and headed straight for the kitchen. As she passed by Kevin, she pointed her index finger, instructing Kevin to follow her.
    Jennifer waited until they were in the kitchen and out of earshot to reply. “Yes, she decided to lie down for a little while. I am going to speak with Rosetta and see if I can find her a painkiller.” It was easy to see she was fighting the fury that was threatening to boil over. Kevin watched her mouth, waiting for her fangs to drop down at any given second.
    “I’m going to kill the pain for her.” Kevin grumbled as he watched his sister leave. “I’m going to kill that thing that gave her the pain to begin with!”
    Jennifer returned to Kevin’s suite moments later and went straight to Erica’s room. When she exited five minutes later, it was Kevin’s turn to point to the kitchen for her to follow him.
    “Would you mind staying here in my suite for a little while? I thought I would run down to the local grocery store and pick up some human food, since obviously my cabinets are empty. I also need to stash my blood supply in your refrigerator,” Kevin explained in a hushed voice.
    “She doesn’t know about us?” Jennifer inquired with astonishment.
    Kevin cocked his eyebrow up at his sister. “I am sure you can see why I am a little reluctant for that tidbit to come to light right now. I know eventually I am going to need to come clean. However, for the time being…”
    Jennifer nodded her head, a small frown showing on her lips. “I understand, Kevin. Did Shawn do all of that damage himself, or is there more than one of our kind involved? And are you aware she has fang puncture marks running up and down both of her arms?” she inquired, a little wide-eyed. Jennifer wasn’t involved in the VCTF, so as far as Kevin knew, this was her first time witnessing just how much damage a vampire was capable of inflicting on a human.
    “Yes,” he replied, shaking his head sadly. “It is easy to forget that there are those out there who can be so destructive and dangerous.” He looked over to her and stated quietly, “Please don’t mention anything about the scars to her. I doubt she would