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

household?” He didn’t want to scare her more, but she needed to realize that if it wasn’t for the fact that he and his family were vampires, chances were everyone would have ended up dead. Rogues rarely gave a second thought about human life, and Shawn had definitely gone rogue.
    It was obvious from the look on her face that the possible ramifications of that afternoon’s altercation were just now being considered. “Oh my God, Kevin, is Charles okay? Was anyone else involved?” Her face heating up with shame for not asking this sooner, she realized she had left before the fighting finished, and she hadn’t seen two of Kevin’s sisters at all that afternoon.
    “He’s fine,” Kevin assured her.
    “Kevin, is your father, what I mean, are Charles and Rosetta really your parents?” Erica asked cautiously.
    “No, but Charles is the man who has taught me practically everything I know. Yes, everyone in this household is a vampire and no, we are technically of no blood relation, but that doesn’t stop us from being a family.” He took a deep breath and sat back against the headboard of the bed. “Look, baby, I have a lot to explain to you, and I will, I promise. I just want to make sure you are up to it all.
    “The first thing you need to realize is that not all of us are monsters like Shawn. As a matter of fact, most of us are not. You have been here several days and had no idea about any of us until today. Don’t you think if I was up to no good you would have known it by now?”
    “Well, perhaps,” she grumbled with a small shrug. His logic made sense. When she really thought about it, he’d had more than enough time and opportunity to hurt her if he was going to. However, he hadn’t. He had been a complete gentleman, kind and considerate ever since she first arrived. The whole situation wasn’t making any sense to her. Was there actually such a thing as good vampires and bad vampires? And why was this family being so nice to her? She was just your ordinary human. They hadn’t even tried to drink her blood! Speaking of which, what did this family do when it became hungry? The more she thought about everything, the more her head hurt.
    Turning her head up to face Kevin, she softly stated, “I find I have so many questions, and I am confused as to what I should be doing. On top of that I’ve got a bad headache coming on.” She reached up as she finished and massaged her temples, trying to alleviate the pressure.
    Kevin noticed she was looking very pale, and wasn’t totally convinced she wouldn’t faint on him again. Her anger seemed to have drained away, and in its place was just a confused, scared, hurting young woman. He moved around so he could gently massage the back of her neck. The minute he made skin contact, he quickly jumped into her head, only to wince himself as the pain she was experiencing hit him full force.
    “Do you trust me?” he asked softly, still slowly massaging her neck, while trying to swirl calmness in the air around her.
    She closed her eyes, remaining quiet for a long moment, as if contemplating his question. “Yeah, I’m probably crazy, but I think I do.”
    He chuckled at her response as he continued massaging the base of her neck for a moment, and then moved downward to include her shoulders. After a minute or two had gone by, he felt her leaning into him and starting to relax. He gently took her hair in one swath and moved it over to one side, then placed a soft kiss on the exposed side of her neck. He continued swirling the calmness and peacefulness, and knew the moment she surrendered to it. Her body went limp, and a small moan escaped out of her mouth as he continued massaging and dropping soft kisses to the side of her neck.
    Once he knew she had given in, he whispered in her ear, “Love, you are very pale, and you just fainted on me a short time ago. I am a little concerned about your health. Would you please consider taking something for your headache and rest, just for a short time? I promise you, I’m not going anywhere. And I also promise you that if it takes me until the end of my time, I will gain your trust, if you will only give me the chance.” He stopped for a moment and lightly nipped her earlobe, and then dropped another kiss on her neck. “For right now, I plan to sit right here, and watch over you while you sleep. And when you have had the chance to recuperate, you have my word that I will explain everything, and answer all questions