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

a smile, thankful she didn’t have to fib.
    Kevin kept watching her, but didn’t say any more. After about a minute of this, Erica started to feel nervous. Did she have something on her face? Or, did she have food stuck between her front teeth from her lunch earlier? Geez, did he really need to sit there and stare at her like some kind of a freak show? She glanced over to the television and tried to focus on CNN Headlines as she grew more nervous with each passing second. She could feel herself ticking the seconds by, and knew his eyes were still on her. After what seemed like two eternities passed by, even though it was only a minute, he spoke, causing Erica to jump in alarm.
    “So, I have some other family members that would like to meet you when you are feeling up to it.” This was stated cautiously and slowly as he reached over to place his hand on top of hers. Butterflies hit Erica’s stomach immediately. A few seconds later, Kevin gave a short chuckle, and she glanced his way to see him shake his head as he let another chuckle escape.
    “Erica, I’m not placing you in front of a firing squad. I just want you to meet the rest of my family. And by the way, you have nothing on your face or in your teeth,” he stated nonchalantly, but with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye. Maybe he didn’t think he was placing her in front of a firing squad, but Erica felt sure he indeed was! Wait a minute, how did he know what she had been thinking? She hadn’t voiced her feelings of being placed in front of a firing squad, nor had she voiced her concerns over him starring at her for so long.
    She jumped back and pulled her hand out from under his. As she did, she noticed the warm, cozy feeling she had been enjoying was suddenly gone, and a cold emptiness took its place. Why was that? “Oh my God, are you….are you able to read my mind?” Okay, yesterday she had been in too bad of shape to figure out how she could hear him whisper in her head. She had truly feared she might be having a nervous breakdown. But today she felt much better, and these warm, fuzzy feelings she kept experiencing just didn’t make any sense. It was like he had some kind of special power over her? Was that even possible? She shook her head at herself. No, there had to be a reasonable explanation.
    Kevin frowned as he realized his slip-up. “Easy, sweetie, you have nothing to fear from me.” He held out his hand toward her.
    “Can you read my mind? How did you know what I was thinking?” She repeated as she glared down at his extended hand as if it were the devil.
    “The look on your face gives you away, love. You can almost read exactly what you are thinking just from watching your face,” he responded. When she seemed to accept his answer, he mentally congratulated himself. He didn’t deny that he couldn’t read her mind, he just hadn’t confirmed it either. No sense in giving her more than she can handle, he thought to himself. Although, he was a little surprised she didn’t already realize he could read her mind. She had been married to a vampire for the last four years, after all.
    Erica’s mind went back to the original conversation of meeting his family. She knew she was going to have to meet them soon. She was living in their house, the least she could do was greet them and thank them for their hospitality. She wondered if Kevin had filled them in on her situation. Did they know everything? Well of course they didn’t know everything, Kevin himself didn’t know everything! But, she still worried about how much they did know. Would they hold that against her? Would they judge her for leaving her husband? She quickly realized she wanted to make a good impression on these people. And then she thought about meeting Jennifer yesterday afternoon. Jennifer hadn’t asked a single question regarding Erica’s past, she just accepted her as-is, as if the two of them could easily become the best of friends. Jennifer seemed to be an open, honest, and caring young woman, and Erica seemed to take a liking to her instantly. Could it be possible for the rest of Kevin’s family to be the same?
    “Stop fretting, they are going to love you,” Kevin stated, and then continued. “My parents will probably drop in some time over the next couple of hours, or if you are feeling up to it, we could go meet them. They are in my father’s office.”
    “Where is your father’s office?” Erica inquired, hoping Kevin wouldn’t be offended by her