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

you wash mine.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Saturday morning found Erica feeling very anxious. The closer the time came to leave, the more nervous she became. At one point she had locked herself in the bathroom for a bit, sure she was going to be sick.
    Jennifer had volunteered to go along and help with the packing. Kevin had lined up his second-in-command, Marshall, and also Joshua from his team to go along for backup. Kevin had confided in Erica last night that he was certain Joshua liked Jennifer, but had been slow on acting on his feelings. When Kevin mentioned to him that Jennifer would be accompanying them, he volunteered at once, not wanting to miss being able to see her.
    Jennifer and Erica both rode with Kevin in the rental truck, arriving at an eerie, all-too-quiet house. Kevin had made arrangements for Joshua and Marshall to meet them on-site. As the rental truck pulled into the driveway, both men were sitting on their motorcycles in the driveway. Marshall had dark hair like Kevin, was just a little shorter than Kevin, and well built. Joshua, at first glance, reminded Erica of a beach bum. His hair was dirty blond, a bit disheveled, and he was every bit as tall and built as Kevin was. Kevin informed the two men that he would be staying outside at the truck to keep an eye out, and packing the truck. Both men were instructed on their main duty as bodyguards while the girls were inside. They were also responsible for helping Kevin in getting everything outside to be loaded.
    As Erica led the way into the house, an uneasy feeling washed over her. She chalked it up to all the horrible memories this house held. Walking in the front door, it was deadly silent. A chill ran down Erica’s spine, and she now questioned her own sanity in wanting to come back to this house of horrors to retrieve a few personal possessions. The house had an extreme coldness to it, and Erica recognized the difference immediately. She had quickly become accustomed to the O’Rourke household. Even though everyone in that household was a vampire, the love and warmth could be felt throughout.
    Jennifer, sensing Erica’s nervousness, kept her own guard up until the house had been checked and confirmed to be empty. Erica began pointing to a few pieces of furniture that she planned on taking, and then scooted out of the way for the men to start moving it out to the truck. The two girls moved into the master bedroom to start packing clothing and personal items. They had been packing items for about five minutes when Jennifer stated, “Make sure you are thorough in getting whatever you want out of here. This is a one-time trip only, you know.”
    Erica started to answer when Jennifer suddenly dumped or dropped the drawer full of makeup that had been in her hands into the waiting empty box sitting on the floor. When it hit, the crash was loud, with the unmistakable sound of breaking glass. Erica’s back had been turned, and the loud crash had her spinning around to find out what happened. She spun around just in time to see Jennifer drop into a crouched position with her eyes going white. She seemed to be snarling, and after a quick second look, Erica could see her fangs glistening. She felt her heart constrict in absolute terror, as she realized in that split second that the house was silent. All the men were outside. She and Jennifer were alone in the house.
    Erica forced her still-stunned gaze behind her, where Jennifer’s attention seemed to be focused. There, as if appearing from nowhere, stood Shawn. He spoke only two words, “You’re dead.” He then immediately turned on his heel and flew out the window before another second could pass. Although only two words had been spoken, they were powerful. A chill ran down Erica’s spine, as her body stood rigid and still, unable to move a muscle.
    It all happened so quickly. Erica knew her heart hadn’t had the chance to beat out two full beats. She quickly blinked. Had she just imagined the whole scene? No, Jennifer was still in front of her in a crouched position, the box of what used to be her makeup, now probably a box full of shattered glass sitting at her side.
    The next second brought a loud thud at the front door as all three men came bursting in at once. Their eyes were the same white as Jennifer’s, with fangs bared. If Erica hadn’t still been in shock over what just took place in front of her less than five seconds ago, she would have found the scene of the three vampire men barging