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

you have.” He moved around the side of her, so he could see her face. Exhaustion was fast taking over, and she was in too much pain to fight him, even if she wanted to.
    Erica glanced over to him, a little surprised to see the sincerity on his face. It seemed important to him that he earned her trust. “Damn, you are a hard one to stay mad at,” she whispered.
    “Does that mean I’m forgiven?” he dared ask with a wayward grin.
    “I wouldn’t go that far yet,” she replied, and attempted a scowl, but his grin was making it difficult.
    “That’s it, baby, keep making me toe the line,” he chuckled as he bent his head slightly and kissed the tip of her nose.
    “You weren’t serious about watching me sleep, were you?” Erica questioned with a worried glance.
    “Of course I was,” Kevin replied, as if it was something he did on a regular basis. Well, actually, he had, but she wasn’t aware of that.
    “You don’t have to do that, Kevin.”
    “Oh, yes I do. First of all, I want you to feel safe, and the only way I see that happening is if I am here to protect you. Second,” he continued, as his lips brushed over her forehead, “How else am I going to prove to you that you can truly trust me?”
    Erica’s heart did a strange little pitter-patter. As she considered his answer, it occurred to her that he had watched her sleep the night before and no harm had come to her. Now was the time for her to back up her words of trusting him with action. Taking a deep breath, she tried to give him a reassuring smile. It came across more as a grimace due to the headache, but she hoped he appreciated the effort.
    Kevin stood up to leave, promising her he would return with something for her headache. He in turn made her promise to relax and rest while he was gone. He walked over to the window and closed and locked it, and then reiterated on his way out the door that he would explain everything once he knew she was up to it. By this point, Erica’s headache was quickly turning into a migraine. She knew she would be down for the remainder of the day. She just didn’t have the heart to tell Kevin this.
    Kevin headed straight for Rosetta’s room. Chances were good she would have something to help with Erica’s headache. Although medication in a vampire household was laughable since they never got sick, Rosetta had always kept a well-stocked medicine cabinet. Kevin had never understood why, but right now, he was very thankful.
    When he walked out of Erica’s room, she looked calm enough, although, sometimes trying to judge her when he wasn’t poking around her brain proved to be difficult. He had left the bedroom door cracked open, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind while he was gone and make him break down the door upon rearrival.
    Erica was in too much pain to do anything other than change into an oversized tee shirt and slip into bed before Kevin returned.
    Kevin found Rosetta easily enough, and quickly explained the situation to her. She handed him a pill and advised him to tell Erica it was an aspirin. He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain.
    “She needs a good rest, especially after this afternoon. This is a fairly strong painkiller, but the last thing you need her to worry about is that we are trying to drug her!”
    He smiled and hugged Rosetta. She did make a valid point. “She is my mate, Rosetta, and I love her more than words can say. I am coming clean and telling her everything. Can you let Charles know we will be paying him a visit tomorrow morning?” Charles was the history buff in the family, if Kevin wanted all skeletons out of the closet, he might as well start at the top.
    Rosetta kissed him lightly on the cheek before stating, “Kevin, I am very happy for you. I had a feeling she was your mate. I am glad you have acknowledged it.” Placing a gentle hand on his arm, Rosetta continued, “Just remember you will need to go slow. She still has a lot of emotional scars that will need to heal. You have always had a compassionate side, and I know you have the patience to help her overcome her past.”
    After thanking Rosetta and kissing her on the cheek, Kevin walked back to his suite, relieved to find Erica’s bedroom door ajar. He walked into the bedroom, and found she was already in bed. She was using her arm over her eyes to block out any light.
    He walked over to her window, frowning that he hadn’t thought to draw the blinds and close the curtains completely before