Read Vampires Among Us [Vampires Among Us 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) for Free Online Page A

she had no idea he was in law enforcement. But, did that matter? Even an armed cop was no match for a vampire! She felt the beginning of a panic attack trying to overtake her, as her mind whirled with all of this information, and she forced herself to take several long deep breaths in an attempt to avoid it. How could she go about explaining things to make Kevin understand what he and now his family had suddenly found themselves involved in? She’d had very little communication with the outside world over the past four years. Could she trust him? Could she trust his family? What would happen if they found out what Shawn really was? Would they throw her back to him, in order to escape his wrath? Yet, as all of this whirled through her head, she knew Kevin had thrown her a lifeline, and he was quite possibly the only one who might be able to keep her alive. Considering all the trouble she was running from, he was her only choice.
    “Kevin, I understand what you are saying, and granted, I didn’t know you were a cop. However, I think you are underestimating just how dangerous Shawn is. He is stronger than anybody else I have ever known, and I’m not just saying this because I am a woman.” She shuddered as memories came flooding into her head. She desperately wanted to tell him the absolute truth, so he knew what he was up against, but stopped just short of it. She just couldn’t.
    Yea, Kevin could just bet that Shawn was the strongest man she had ever met. Obviously, she had never met another vampire before. “Do you trust me?” he asked, all the while staring into her eyes.
    He reached over and gently placed his hand on top of Erica’s, and a sudden calmness washed over her. She was so very tempted to give into the warmth and sense of safety the calmness provided, but she quickly blinked, and forced herself to remember reality. No, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down for one second. Her life depended upon it.
    “I’m not saying I don’t trust you, Kevin, I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt because of my actions. I have nowhere else to go, no one else to trust. I hate putting you in danger right beside me. However, I am smart enough to realize I am in over my head, and I need help!” Erica hung her head and threw her hands up to cover her face. There was no hiding her tears this time. Unfortunately, all of her hard crying was making her ribs hurt worse. Her body started trembling uncontrollably as a wave of nausea hit her without warning. Oh, this is just great, she thought to herself. He brings me home only to find out I am a total basket case as I puke all over his leather furniture!
    Kevin studied her as she slipped her hand out from under his and wrapped her arms around her middle, as if trying to hold herself together. He reached up with the intention of touching her warm, soft cheek, but she jerked her head back as soon as she spotted his hand coming toward her. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m not going to hurt you, sweets.”
    To say she had some major trust issues was an understatement. He allowed his hand to drop and land on her knee, as he yet again tried to dispel her anxieties and force a sense of calmness on her. He had watched in amazement as she had shaken off his imposed calmness a couple of minutes ago. Very few humans had a strong enough mind to do so. It’s a good thing I am a patient man, he thought to himself, as he focused all of his efforts on imposing calmness on her again. His gut was telling him that gaining this woman’s trust was going to be a huge challenge.
    “Listen to me, baby. Someone will be with you at all times. You’ll see. Everything is going to work out fine.” Erica glanced up to him with a confused look. She seemed to be hearing his words inside her head. How in the world was that possible? She could hear his words coming from his mouth as they reached her ears, but then it was as if they were being repeated inside her head,