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

Jennifer never used her car phone. His father had installed a phone in each family member’s car for emergency use only. The fact that Jennifer was using the phone instantly told Kevin she was in trouble.
    “I’ve got company following us home. Shawn picked us up as soon as we left the mall,” Jennifer stated. She purposely kept calmness in her voice, and tried keeping a calming atmosphere going in the car, but she knew after one quick glance at Erica that her efforts were in vain. Erica was sitting in the passenger seat with her arms wrapped around her middle, rocking gently back and forth, all the while moaning, “Oh God, we’re not going to make it!”
    “How far away are you?” Kevin inquired.
    “About seven minutes out. I can make it safely, just be ready for when I pull in,” Jennifer informed him.
    Kevin was relieved to hear Jennifer keeping a calm head while she was driving, and she seemed confident that she could get the two of them back home safely. It was Erica who wasn’t so calm. He could hear her mumbling about not making it through the speaker in the car, and he knew his sister would have already tried throwing a calming atmosphere around her. Erica was fighting the imposed atmosphere. She was scared, and rightfully so.
    As Jennifer continued talking with Kevin on the phone, Shawn came around to Erica’s side of the car, trying to force their car off the road once again. Erica could see the road narrowed up ahead, and terror caused her to freeze up. She shut her eyes tight and sent a quick urgent prayer above that they would live through this nightmare. Erica forced one eye open and looked Shawn directly in the eye. There was only one word to describe the look on his face, murderous hatred. As the next minute ticked by, it was blatantly obvious that Shawn was not going to stop until he had succeeded in killing both girls. He was irate over Jennifer outmaneuvering him, which was causing him to act irrationally. He continuously veered sharply over, trying to ram his car into Jennifer’s, only to become even more enraged that Jennifer was able to avoid him every time. Even Erica was amazed as she realized that he hadn’t been able to hit them once.
    As Shawn became more aggressive, his actions became more violent. Finally, feeling she couldn’t take another second of torture, Erica screamed at Jennifer. “Slow down so I can jump out, and then you can make a run for it. It’s me he wants. Let me out and he’ll let you live!”
    The next sound that was heard was Kevin roaring over the speaker, “ Hell no, don’t stop !”
    Kevin’s roar was deafening, and Erica barely heard Jennifer calmly tell Kevin that she had everything under control. The calmness Jennifer displayed while speaking to Kevin confused and bewildered her, but she had no time to ponder on it.
    As for Kevin, he lost all self-control when he overheard Erica tell Jennifer to stop the car so Shawn could have her, and then drive away. As if his sister would actually ever do such a thing! He knew as soon as he roared that it was a mistake, and quickly concentrated on controlling his temper and calming himself down. It was imperative that he communicate to Erica that they had the situation under control.
    Kevin could be heard taking a deep breath over the speaker, and then with deliberate calmness, pitched his voice to softness before speaking again. “Erica, Jennifer is bringing you back to the house. When the two of you arrive, she is going to pull up to the back door. I want you to jump out and run into the house as fast as you can. Charles and I are ready and waiting for Shawn. I need to know you are safe and sound in this house before anything happens. Trust me, sweetie, we have been waiting on him to show his face. I have this situation under control.”
    “Kevin, no, you don’t understand.” Erica wailed at the speaker. Again, she caught her middle with both arms wrapped tightly as her tears streaked down her cheeks. Oh God, how was she supposed to tell Kevin that he was getting ready to die, right along with his father, and probably Jennifer also, for just trying to help her? How was she supposed to tell him that he was getting ready to face the devil himself, literally?
    Kevin, knowing she was scared, tried to maintain a soothing voice. “It’s going to be okay, please trust me. We know what he is, and we are ready for him.” That was as close as he could come to telling her he knew Shawn was a vampire and he