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

the little breakfast nook, Kevin sitting across from her, waiting patiently for her to finish. He had picked up the morning paper, and looked to be intently reading it when he casually stated, “Charles would like to see you in his office when you are available.”
    “Why do I have the sudden feeling I’m getting called down to the principal’s office? Did I do something wrong?” she asked, unsure as to why the butterflies had hit her stomach so fast.
    He looked up from the morning paper and chuckled. “No, it’s nothing like that. Charles just wants to get your side of what happened yesterday. The more sides to a situation he has, the more data to help find a solution to a problem. Besides, I’ll be right there with you, and you know you have no reason to fear him.”
    “Okay, but I need to get something from my room first. I’ll be right back,” she quickly stated, running from the kitchen to her bedroom.
    She returned just seconds later and allowed Kevin to gently enclose her hand in his as he escorted her down to Charles’s office. It was obvious from the smile on Charles’s face that he was expecting them.
    “Good morning, Erica.” Charles greeted warmly.
    “Good morning, Charles. Did you need to see me?” Erica asked gently.
    “Yes, I’ve already heard Kevin’s side of the story, as well as Jennifer’s. I’d like for you to tell me what happened yesterday, in your own words, please.”
    Erica started recounting the events of the day before to Charles, starting when they first walked into her old house. By the time she reached the part where Shawn had showed up, the terror of yesterday’s situation hit her full force, bringing with it a panic attack. Kevin quickly wrapped her in his arms, while whispering gentle, soothing words in her ear reminding her she was safe. It took several moments of concentrating on her breathing before she felt well enough to continue.
    “He was standing right in front of an open window. He stated only two words, ‘you’re dead,’ before he jumped back out the window.” A chill ran down her spine as she continued. “The guys were all hurling themselves into the house about two seconds later. The entire scene only lasted about ten or fifteen seconds,” Erica finished.
    Kevin slightly tightened his hold around Erica’s waist, and sat back in the chair that was behind him, dragging Erica along to sit in his lap. Once he had her where he wanted her, he wrapped both arms securely around her. She gratefully snuggled into him, her body yearning for the strength and protection only he could provide.
    Charles studied Erica for a long moment. “Erica, I know Shawn is an alcoholic. Can you give me an approximate amount that he consumed each day?”
    “I’ve seen him go through at least five to six bottles a day. Believe me, he went through more alcohol than he did blood. I would probably not be standing here alive, otherwise,” she answered him truthfully.
    “Hmm.” Charles was deep in thought at this point. “I wonder, with that much alcohol in his system, it is bound to have some effects. I know when humans drink in excess on a constant basis, they develop a type of odor, a kind of sickening sweet scent, that comes off of them. When those same humans do without alcohol for a while, that scent changes, and they produce a totally different scent while their bodies are trying to adjust. Neither scent smells anything like the normal human scent.”
    “Yes, but Shawn isn’t a human. Where are you going with this, dad?” Kevin asked.
    “Well, I am wondering if the excessive amount of alcohol Shawn has consumed is to blame for the masking of the scent.” Charles was still pondering this, as he answered Kevin.
    “I’ve just never known another vampire who didn’t have a strong vampire scent to them,” continued Charles. “Except you of course, Kevin, and we know that is because of your animal abilities.”
    “Well, it would make sense, I guess. We have run across plenty of our kind that have been drunk, but have never run into this problem. Come to think about it, I don’t think I have ever run into another of our kind that has had such an excessive drinking problem,” Kevin stated, and then continued. “Still doesn’t help us catch him. It just tells us we can’t rely on our sense of smell.”
    “Exactly, Kevin,” Charles stated simply. “Which means you will need to depend on your other senses more acutely, for example, hearing.”
    “Well,