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

he comes home,” Jennifer lightly stated.
    “It’s getting pretty late for me. I am going to go to bed, if you are sure you won’t mind?” Erica asked of Jennifer.
    “You are the one supposed to be taking it easy.”
    Erica told her good night and went to bed.
     
    * * * *
     
    Kevin arrived back home in the wee early hours of Friday morning. Jennifer quietly asked him if the team had been successful, and he informed her no, not this time. Shawn seemed to be keeping one step in front of the team. By now, Kevin was sure that Shawn knew someone was after him, and probably had an idea as to whom. He wondered if Shawn was still trying to hunt down his missing wife. Kevin had caught up with the team on the way out to the bar, so the team arrived at the bar together. According to the manager, Shawn had been there less than a half hour ago. The bartender pointed to a corner booth and stated that Shawn and another vamp had hung out, finished off a couple of pitchers of beer, then both left. From there it was anyone’s guess as to where he had gone.
    Kevin thanked Jennifer for staying with Erica, and then sent her back to her suite. He was in his own bedroom changing when he heard Erica gasping for air. Afraid that Shawn had somehow managed to sneak past him, he flew into her bedroom. The frightened, wild look on her face sent a pain through his chest. He was sure she’d had a nightmare, so he sat down on the side of the bed trying to comfort her.
    Erica had been sleeping peacefully when the nightmare invaded her slumber. She dreamt that Shawn had found her, and although there was blood everywhere, he was refusing to let her die. He seemed to be taking great pleasure in hurting and torturing her. She woke up gasping for air, and immediately heard Kevin’s voice.
    “Erica, it’s me, you are safe. Shhh, you are okay. Did you have a bad dream?” he whispered anxiously, while gently brushing her hair back away from her face.
    “Yes, it was horrible. Oh God, Kevin, please don’t let him get me! He will kill me!” Erica rasped out with a deep, bone-jarring shudder running through her as her mind automatically recalled several scenes from the nightmare.
    He hugged her tightly. “He is not going to get to you, baby. You are safe. Trust me,” he whispered as he concentrated on throwing a calming atmosphere around her.
    “I want to go back to sleep, I’m tired.” Erica peeked up at him through her wet eyelashes and sighed deeply. “I just don’t want to see him again.”
    The fear in her voice alone had the effect of a hot knife slicing through Kevin’s chest. “Erica, I need for you to trust me on this. Think of something else, baby, something pleasant. Put yourself in whatever you are thinking of, your favorite beach, favorite holiday, or your favorite memory. Keep yourself there as you drift back to sleep, and I promise you he won’t invade your sleep again tonight.
    In an effort to get her mind off of her dream, he inquired, “Did you and Jennifer have a good time watching movies?” He kept his voice pitched soft, all the while maintaining a calming atmosphere around her.
    “Yes, yes we did,” Erica replied softly, and Kevin caught a slight smile play on her lips as her memories shifted to the evening’s events.
    “Tell me about your evening with Jennifer. What did you watch?” he continued.
    “She brought some popcorn to go with the movie,” Erica stated, and then yawned. “We started with Twister, and then watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding .”
    “Ah, I’ve seen both of those movies, and I bet Twister was good on the Blu-ray.” He replied smoothly. Unbeknownst to her, he was still in her head, pulling the memories of the nightmare and burying them way back in her subconscious.
    “Yes, it was,” Erica mumbled in reply, and then frowned upon realizing her words sounded completely garbled to her own self. Whether Kevin could understand her, she would never know. She was too tired to worry about it. She felt herself falling under a deep sleep, and didn’t have the energy to fight to stay awake.
    She heard Kevin chuckle lightly, as she felt his warm, soft lips brush lightly across her forehead, before succumbing to a deep sleep.
    Friday morning arrived, and for the first time, Kevin actually saw Erica’s true smile. It was a happy smile, a true smile. Not the one she had been putting on for him lately, clearly trying to cover up the pain and agony she was in. This morning, she looked well