by Alice Brown
Erica jerked her head up from Kevin’s shoulder. “Marshall, I thought you were still in Brazil? How did you get here? How did you know?” Erica’s mind was spinning as she attempted to figure out what had just transpired. Although nothing made sense, she was damn grateful that somehow Marshall had known they needed help. A shudder ran up her spine as she thought about what would have happened if Marshall hadn’t shown up when he did.
“If you two love birds would like to join me in the kitchen, I’ll explain,” Marshall replied with a grin, as he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Kevin stood up and quickly rewrapped the sheet around Erica, toga style. Marshall might be his best friend and second-in-command, but he wasn’t seeing Erica in that sexy nightgown she had on. Besides, Marshall wasn’t the only one in the house. He had seen several of his guys when they barged in through the window and door. After she was sufficiently covered, Kevin picked Erica up and walked out of the bedroom. He couldn’t wait to hear Marshall’s explanation himself. He had thought the team would be in Brazil another day or so.
Just as the couple started to enter the kitchen, the front door opened, and Mr. Atkins walked in. “Erica, are you okay?” he immediately asked as soon as he had spotted her. Erica squirmed a bit in Kevin’s arms, and he slowly lowered her down to stand in front of him. Once he was sure she was steady, he gave her a gentle nudge. Mr. Atkins opened his arms, and Erica ran to him. He encircled her in his arms as she finally let go and cried tears of relief. He knew she was probably still in shock over what had just transpired, and he held her gently as she cried silently on his chest. He glanced over to Kevin who gave him a small nod. There was no jealousy coming from Kevin. He was glad that Erica felt safe enough to go to his old friend.
After some time she was finally able to pull herself together. “Oh, I am so glad to see you, but what on earth are you doing here?” she inquired, as she took the handkerchief he offered her to wipe her remaining tears.
Marshall sauntered through the kitchen doorway with several bags of blood in his right hand, and wine glasses in the other. “Let’s sit in the living room, its more comfortable,” he stated, as he headed to the bar.
Kevin followed him, and soon the three men were sipping wine glasses full of blood, while Erica was nursing a rather strong drink Kevin had handed her. “It will help you calm back down, baby,” he had stated, as he pressed it into her hands. It was some kind of liquor, she noted, as she felt it burning her throat on the first sip.
Now, sitting on the couch with Erica curled up against him, Kevin waited for what he was sure was going to be an interesting story. He found himself very curious as to how Mr. Atkins as well as most of his team knew where Shawn was and had reached them in time to stop him. He was damn grateful to see them. He just wasn’t sure how they had managed to pull it off. When the window had shattered, it broke Shawn’s concentration just long enough for Kevin to get the knife away from Erica’s throat.
“Okay, out with it. How long have you guys been here, and how did you know Shawn was here in the first place?” Kevin asked as he looked between Mr. Atkins and Marshall. As he watched the other two men, Kevin found himself inwardly cringing. Both he and Erica now knew Shawn had been watching them as they made love on the beach the night before, he hoped they hadn’t had any other unwanted company.
“Jim spotted Shawn in his neck of the woods earlier this evening, and recognized him immediately from the bolo Charles had put out on him. He watched him swim across the inlet, and called Charles to see if anyone was at the beach house. Charles called us as soon as he hung up with Jim to put a plan together,” Marshall explained, and then glanced over to Mr. Atkins.
“Right, and as soon as I got wind that our little gal here was in trouble, I fired up the boat and told Marshall he had ten minutes to get as many team members together as he could, or I was going in solo,” Mr. Atkins continued with a wide grin on his face.
Jim was a vampire Forest Ranger in charge of a strip of forest across from the beach house. He had been a friend of Charles and Kevin for many years.
“Leave it to this Navy guy to want to go by boat!” Marshall chuckled as he gestured to Mr. Atkins. “The team and I were in the air when Charles called me, alerting me to the problem. I simply had the pilot change course and drop a few of us out when we were flying above the boat.
“We had just reached shore when you called,” Marshall continued.
“Well, I am thankful you guys showed up when you did,” Kevin stated in a quiet voice. He wasn’t used to not being able to take care of a situation on his own, but seeing a knife at Erica’s throat had almost been his undoing. As he thought about that knife at her throat, and then the vile things Shawn had spat at her, he felt relief wash over him. Shawn was caught, and Kevin would make sure he would be present when Shawn stood before the judicial board.
Looking back over to Marshall, Kevin inquired, “So I take it the FBI came and claimed their present in Brazil?”
“Yes, although it was actually the CIA who wanted him the most. Everything is wrapped up, and I even have most of the paperwork done on the case. I didn’t have anything else to do on the plane ride back, so I started it,” Marshall replied.
Mr. Atkins stood up and glanced over to Marshall. “I may be mistaken, but I think our ride has just arrived.”
Not hearing anything, Erica glanced over to him with a curious look on her face.
“Jim is giving us a ride back on his speed boat. The others have already left in my boat with Shawn. I told them we would catch a ride back from Jim and to go ahead,” Mr. Atkins answered her unspoken question.
* * * *
Shawn’s hearing was held the following Thursday afternoon, and as Kevin anticipated, the list of charges in which he was found guilty was staggering. The vampire judicial system was set up so that, even if a vampire was found guilty of a crime, if the judging panel felt there was any way of rehabilitating this individual, they would. Of course, after the list of charges was read out loud, the thought of rehabilitation would have been the last thing to enter anyone’s mind.
It didn’t help that Shawn was as belligerent as ever. He’d had no alcohol since the VCTF took him into custody, and was going through withdrawals. Still, it took some nerve to stand before the judging panel, knowing they held his life in their hands, sneering at them while insisting that he was “going to kill that little twit of a wife of his.” Kevin stood in the back of the room and shook his head. He would have thought that Shawn would have at least been respectful to the judges. Evidently he thought he was above them also, and didn’t need to follow any rules. It certainly didn’t help his case when he outrageously and adamantly told the judges that vampires were superior to any humans, and they had no right to protect a human. Kevin was very glad that they did not need Erica present for testimony. No, Shawn was digging his own grave, and doing a great job of it to boot. Besides, this was the very same panel who had read Erica’s mind when she filed for divorce, so they already knew what crimes this monster had committed against her.
The judging panel took less than ten minutes to reach a verdict. As Kevin had predicted, Shawn was found guilty, and was sentenced to death very quickly. Justice had been served. The scheduled execution was set for the following morning, and Kevin knew he would be there to make sure it was carried out. Only then could he return home and assure Erica that Shawn would never bother her again.
Chapter Seventeen
“So, what’s on your mind, son?” Charles glanced up from the computer components he was soldering together and immediately noticed a frown notched on his son’s forehead.
“I heard Shawn’s execution went well, so surely you can’t be frowning over that!” Charles continued as he sat his tools down and gave his adopted son his attention. Something was definitely bothering Kevin. He had arrived in the office a moment ago with a definite puzzled look on his face.
“Of course I am not upset over Shawn’s demise. With what he
did to Erica notwithstanding, the man was a walking time bomb, ready to go off and out us all. I really wanted to speak to you about an entirely different matter.” Kevin paused for a second and Charles cocked an eyebrow up in interest. It wasn’t every day that Kevin seemed at a loss for words.
Kevin sat down and seemed to take a deep breath before starting. “I’m well aware that vampires by nature are not very emotional, so I am confused as to the rather strong emotions that have been running through me. This situation has been going on for a while now, and the emotions seem to be getting stronger as time goes on. I wanted to get your take on it. Could it have something to do with the animal blood running through me?” Charles kept an emotionless face, in spite of the bark of laughter bubbling up inside of him as he watched his son. It was obvious that Kevin was warring within himself over these emotions. Ah, welcome to love, son.
Sitting back in his chair, he clasped his hands together behind his head. “Does the timing of these strong emotions line up with Erica coming into your life?”
“Yes, that’s probably when they started, but like I stated, they seem to be getting stronger. Some of the emotions I understand, such as my love for her, and I am very thankful that I am able to feel this intense feeling. But there are others that I simply don’t understand. I’ve had an overwhelming desire to protect her ever since I met her, and while it is my job to protect innocents every day, this is so much stronger. It’s almost overwhelming.” Kevin seemed to stare off in space for a few seconds before continuing. “The night I proposed to her, I thought my chest would split in two waiting for her response.” He rubbed his hand over his chest. “I have never felt anything like that since being changed, and I’ve always held the idea that vampires were incapable of experiencing such intense emotions.”
Charles looked over at his son and grinned widely. “Welcome to being in love, son. You are right. We tend not to be very emotional beings by nature. However, I really don’t think your animal blood has anything to do with what you are going through. I’ve watched strong emotions come out in our kind on several occasions, one of those times being on myself. When a vampire falls in love with their true mate, then emotions can overpower almost anything, including vampirism. We all have emotions, they are just not at the forefront like humans’ are. However, love does some strange things, son.”
“So, I’m okay?” Kevin inquired skeptically.
Charles’s bark of laughter rang out sharply. “I would never call a man head over heels in love like you are okay. But, you’ll survive.”
Kevin chucked at his father’s response. “Thanks for the advice.”
“That’s what I am here for, son,” Charles replied, as Kevin slipped out the door.
Charles calling out his name before the door shut stopped Kevin in his tracks. He turned around in the doorway to face him.
“Have you talked to Erica about a new identity?” Charles inquired.
“No, why do you ask? Has something come up about her past?”
“Not yet, but I am still searching. You need to talk to her, or send her to me. I have all the paperwork ready to go,” Charles assured him.
Kevin gave a quick nod, then turned and walked out. He wasn’t confident that Erica would fully understand and embrace what he knew needed to be done. Since Erica was human but would be living with vampires, it was necessary to re-invent her so no one from her past could ever track her down and inadvertently discover their existence. The fact that she had no family and had been raised in foster care made it all the more easier. Vampires had survived living next to humans for thousands of years, simply because they were extremely cautious.
On his way back to his suite, his cell phone vibrated at his hip.
Marshall wasted little time in letting his friend know the nature of the call. “Hey buddy, the team would like to thank Erica for her help on the Brazil case. Can you find a reason to bring her to the office when most everyone is on duty?”
“Would tomorrow afternoon work? I believe she has a committee meeting for the senior center. I’ll make sure I am available to escort her, and swing by the office on our way there.” Kevin was happy to hear the team hadn’t forgotten Erica’s help in their recent case in Brazil. He knew Erica wasn’t looking for any type of recognition, but the guys telling her thank you would mean a lot.
* * * *
Erica found herself nervous the closer the time came to attending her first committee meeting. She rushed through getting dressed, wanting to arrive early in order to give herself a few moments to put her thoughts together. As far as she knew, she would be the only human on the committee. That alone made her a little nervous. She had no idea who else would be on this committee. After Mr. Atkins suggested she be head of the committee in charge of overseeing the elderly village project, the board had decided to ask for volunteers to fill the remainder seats.
With her thoughts on the upcoming meeting, she ran straight into a brick wall as she headed for the door. She looked up into the amused face of her fiancée.
“Well, hello to you too, darling,” he stated as he bent down to steal a quick kiss.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry? Wait, if you have decided to leave me, don’t tell me, my heart won’t take it,” he whispered playfully as he clutched his chest in mock dismay.
“I have my first committee meeting this afternoon. I was going to leave early so I have time to put myself together before everyone arrives,” Erica replied in a bit of a rush.
“You know, you are going to become a very busy lady with all of these projects you are taking on,” Kevin murmured against her lips, and then, nibbling his way to her ear, continued. “I worry that you will become too busy and forget about your groom. He has needs that only you can meet, my love.” His whisper was feather light in her ear, causing a shudder to run down her backbone.
Breathlessly, she responded. “And just how does this rock hard, stronger than Superman, faster than Flash groom of mine need to be taken care of?”
He chuckled at her description, then working his way back to her lips, replied, “Um, well, my lips get very lonely, and I seem to have a growth problem with a certain organ.” He playfully rubbed his rock-hard cock up against her for emphasis.
A deep chuckle escaped Erica before she could continue. “Oh, I can take care of these lips,” she replied, as she leaned up and he quickly began to devour her lips. Little did she realize that while he had her mind occupied with kissing her, he had also been cleverly inching her away from the door and over to the couch. When the back of his legs hit the arm, he fell backwards, bringing her down with him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and deepened the kiss. The remainder of her body molded to the front of his, and her legs wrapped themselves around him. Breaking the kiss a moment later in order for her to catch her breath, Kevin grinned as he cocked an eyebrow her way and then whispered wickedly, “Oh yeah, your groom most definitely needs to be taken care of.”
“Yes well, about this other problem, this growth problem,” Erica stated as she slipped her hand between their two bodies and cupped his erection through his jeans, “this problem will require my attention later when I have the time to devote to it. Otherwise, I am going to be late for my first meeting.”
“What, you don’t want to go in and explain to a group of strangers that you are running late because you were having sex with your fiancée?” Kevin asked teasingly.
“No!” she replied rather emphatically.
Kevin eased them up off the couch a moment later. When he had her standing and had helped her straighten her clothes, he stated softly, “I’d like to escort you to your meeting this afternoon, if that is okay with you.”
She studied his face for a moment, wondering if he had this planned all along, or if this was a sudden decision. She couldn’t help but think there was something he wasn’t telling her. “I always enjoy your company, but I don’t want you to feel obligated,” she finally replied carefully.
He gave her one of
his devastating, beautiful smiles before replying, “I want to see how the construction is coming along underground.” And just as smoothly as he had fed her the excuse for accompanying her, he grabbed her hand and started for the front door, leaving her little room for rebuttal.
The ride over to the VCTF building was quiet. By the time the building was in sight, Erica felt her nerves ready to snap. If something was going on, she wished Kevin would just tell her. As they entered the building, the entire team was lined up by the door. Marshall stepped up to greet the couple as soon as the door shut behind them.
He looked into her eyes intently. Erica had the feeling that whatever this was about, Marshall felt strongly. Did this have something to do with Kevin accompanying her to her meeting?
After a moment of staring into her eyes, he took a deep breath and smiled tenderly. “Erica, the team would like to thank you for your help in the Brazil case. Each of us feels we owe you so much more than just a simple thank you. You may very well have saved numerous lives that day.”
Erica, already a tight bundle of nerves due to her upcoming meeting, let go of Kevin’s hand and threw herself into Marshall. He caught her easily, wrapping his arm around her as she hugged him tightly. “Oh, Marshall, none of you owe me a thing. I am just so happy that everyone escaped injury.” Choking up quickly, she rushed to continue before she became a blubbering mess. “You have no idea how scared I was that evening.”
A moment later when Erica still clung tightly to Marshall, he sent his friend and boss a questioning glance. The amused look on Kevin’s face was hard to miss. “Um, Erica, if you don’t let go of me, your fiancée might not let me live long enough to see your wedding,” Marshall stated in a light chuckle as he attempted to slowly extract her away from him.
Erica, who had found herself very emotional, sniffed slightly, as she released Marshall from the hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered with a small smile on her lips, and then turned on her heel very quickly to face Kevin.