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

pillow when she heard a soft knock at the door. She knew who it was. She was in the middle of having a panic attack, and trying to figure out how to leave this place. And then once she did leave, where would she go? How in the world had she become so comfortable in this house of vampires in a matter of just a few days? Why in the world could she not live a normal life, for crying out loud?
    There was another knock at the door. “Erica, please open this door, so we can talk,” Kevin begged softly. What did he want to do? Finish off what Shawn started? As soon as that thought hit, Erica pushed it aside. Kevin and his family had been completely loving and kind since she first arrived. She needed to start trusting somewhere. Even so, she wasn’t quite ready to face Kevin or his family at the given moment. She didn’t think they would harm her, and wanted to give them the benefit of trust, but she needed a little time.
    Kevin continued in a calm voice, “I could easily kick down this door, but I mean you no harm, and I know that would only scare you more.”
    “And to think I was just starting to trust you. Perfect thing to say to a woman having a panic attack on the other side of the door!” she grumbled softly into her pillow.
    “I heard that,” he responded with a bit of a chuckle.
    “Go away, and leave me alone!” she cried out in frustration.
    “I’m sorry, sweetness, but I just can’t do that,” Kevin answered softly, with more than a tinge of sadness in his voice. Erica waited for what seemed like forever, holding her breath until she heard his footsteps leave the doorway, and then collapsed back down on her pillow as her tears and despair overtook her once again.
    Kevin should have known that she would refuse to open the door. He could hear her crying, and that caused his chest to tighten up painfully. This was entirely his fault, and he knew it. He was the cause of these tears. She was just beginning to trust him, and now it looked like he was back at the starting line. Kevin ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Had Shawn come at any normal human being, he would have killed them instantly and then gone after her. The fact that he had no idea Erica was hiding out in a house full of vampires had given Kevin and Charles the surprise advantage. Not that it mattered in the end. Shawn had still managed to escape them. And now that Erica knew that this entire family was all vampires, Kevin was sure she considered them every bit of the monster Shawn was. Evil, demented, killers.
    He went back to his room to think, cool off, and recuperate. If vampires were out in the sunlight very long, it drained them of their strength rather quickly. One could help the situation by wearing long sleeves, ball caps or hats, etc., to cover the skin, therefore slowing down the sun’s effects. But, facts were facts, and if vampires spent any time out in the sun, they needed to rejuvenate. This was usually done by a fresh blood supply, and cooling the body temperature down considerably. Kevin knew his dad was probably making himself comfortable down in the deep freezer right now, and Jennifer would have already called second place for being out in the sun taking Erica to the mall. He settled for turning on both air conditioner units in his room and collapsing across his bed. Besides, he didn’t want to be far from Erica right now. He could always catch a nap in the deep freezer later tonight.
    Now all he had to do was figure out how to convince the love of his life that he wasn’t a monster.

Chapter Five
     
    As Erica lay across her bed, attempting to stop the flow of tears, she tried reasoning with herself. Maybe Kevin and his family were not like Shawn. They had certainly seemed nice enough, but who knew? Was she up to finding out? “I wonder just how long he planned to keep me in the dark?” she mused to herself. And now that she knew, what was she supposed to do? The more she thought about her situation, the more her head was spinning in circles. Was there a place on earth that was safe for her? Why hadn’t Kevin told her in the first place? He evidently had known for some time that Shawn was a vampire. And he should have known his little secret was not something you could hide from someone for very long. Especially when you were living under the same roof, for crying out loud!
    Kevin listened to Erica sob her heart out in the next room for a good half hour. He needed to figure out a way to get to Erica without