The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake) (5 page)

“We try not to hurt mortals, but there are some bad vampires who do,” Dr. Lee warned her. “We call them Malcontents. They enjoy tormenting and killing mortals.”

“We’ve been fighting them for centuries,” Mr. Draganesti added.

“These are the good guys.” Abby motioned to the men. “I would never have fallen in love with Gregori if he hadn’t been one of the good guys.”

How could a vampire be good? Their very nature was parasitic. Leah crossed her arms. “How old are you?”

“I’m just over a hundred.” Dr. Lee gave Mr. Draganesti an amused look. “You’re the old one here.”

He shrugged. “I was born in 1461, transformed in 1492.”

“You knew Columbus?” Leah winced. She was too frazzled. Now she was asking stupid questions.

Mr. Draganesti smiled. “My son asked me that, too. Would you like to go the party now? You might feel better if you have something to eat.”

“You have real food there?” Leah asked.

“There’s a bunch of food,” Dr. Lee answered. “And a giant birthday cake. Five layers, each one a different flavor. According to Tino, the chocolate one is the best.”

Mr. Draganesti snorted. “I’m sure he tasted each layer.”

“Of course.” Dr. Lee grinned. “When I saw him, he had a smear of chocolate icing on his nose.”

Leah took a deep breath. In spite of the seemingly normal cake conversation, she was still having trouble wrapping her mind around this. Vampires. Vampires with wives and children. How could that be possible? The chocolate cake sounded good, though.

She shook her head. “Mr. Draganesti—”

“Call me Roman.”

She gave him a wary look.
Just don’t call me dinner
. “Why am I here? What do you want from me?”

His eyebrows lifted. “Straight to the point. I like that. The truth is we find ourselves in a moral dilemma. We’ve always tried to protect mortals from bad vampires, but there’s one in China who’s giving us major grief. He goes by the name Master Han.”

“He’s mutating mortals and using them to fight his battles,” Dr. Lee added. “We need to defeat Master Han, but we don’t want to kill the mortals.”

“That’s big of you,” Leah muttered. “Where do I come in?”

“The mortals have been transformed at a genetic level,” Abby explained. “Since you’re an expert in that field, we were hoping you could find a way to change them back.”

Leah swallowed a pang of disappointment. She knew she was here on business, but for a few minutes, she had hoped that Abby wanted to be her friend. Her eyes burned. Here she was, surrounded by vampires, possibly in danger, and she was fretting over hurt feelings? How silly of her. But everyone always approached her with an agenda. They wanted her brain, her expertise, her learned opinion. No one ever saw her as a normal person to hang out with.

“I was looking forward to working with you.” Abby regarded her sadly. “And I hoped we could get to know each other.”

Did she really mean that? Leah stared at her. Did she know the loneliness of never fitting in?

“We’ll understand if you refuse,” Roman said. “But please give it some thought before you decide. If you can help us, you could possibly be saving the lives of over a thousand men.”

Over a thousand lives? That was not something she could turn away from easily. “I’ll think about it. But I need some time.”

“Of course.” Roman nodded. “You’ve had a lot thrown at you this evening.”

“But you’re doing great.” Dr. Lee smiled. “We can relax and enjoy the party now, okay?”

Relax with vampires?
Leah glanced at the camera. Those watchful eyes she felt—did they belong to a vampire? Had he observed her like a lab mouse trying to find its way through a maze? Unfortunately, the evening wasn’t over, and she was still in the maze. One step away from a nervous breakdown. “I’d rather be alone with Abby right now.”

“We understand.” Roman stepped back to let her pass.

“Come on.” Abby headed for the door. “Let’s get some of that chocolate cake.”

“D
amn, this is good.” Freemont forked a bite of cake into his mouth as he sauntered into the security office. “You guys don’t know what you’re missing.”

“About five thousand calories,” Gregori muttered.

Dougal eyed Freemont’s plate, loaded down with five slices of cake. So he was doing like Tino and trying all the flavors.

Grinning, Freemont set the plate on the desk. “I’m gonna make this cake my bitch.”

Angus snorted. “While ye’re doing that, keep an eye on the monitors. I’ll leave in a few minutes to update Emma on what’s happening. I think everything’s going verra well.”

Dougal wasn’t so sure about that. As he watched Leah walk down the corridor, he had a bad feeling she was one step away from full-fledged panic. Still, her head was held high and her back was straight. She was a courageous lass, showing fortitude as her safe world crumbled around her. She’d stood up to everyone in the lab, refusing to let them intimidate her. Her strength of character was impressive.

“Gregori, ye should go to the party,” Angus continued. “Flirt with yer wife and show Dr. Chin how charming ye can be.”

Gregori scoffed. “Is that an order?”

“Is it too much for ye to handle?” Angus asked.

“No.” Gregori gave him a wry look. “I’m always charming.”

“Good. Show the doctor how harmless we are. Meek as lambs, as Dougal puts it.” Angus’s eyes narrowed on Dougal. “Ye should go with him. She might feel better knowing who was behind the camera.”

Dougal winced. Each time she’d glanced at the camera with that defiant, reproachful look, his heart had squeezed in his chest. He knew in his soul that she had resented being observed while everything she held safe and secure had been stripped away from her.

He’d been torn the entire time. Part of him had wanted to turn away and give her the privacy she deserved. But a larger part had kept him glued to the screen, hoping somehow that his presence would lend her strength, that he could lessen her pain by sharing it. He knew too well the pain of losing everything.

He watched on the monitor as she crossed the foyer with Abby. He was still torn. His heart was thudding wildly at the thought of meeting her in person. She was the most intriguing woman he’d seen in centuries. But his mind was telling him to wait. She was hanging on by a thread. If it snapped, she would run and never come back. “I’m no’ sure she wants to meet any more Vamps for a while.”

“I’ll call Abby and see what she thinks.” Gregori opened the office door. “Come on, Dougal. Let’s party.”

“Remember,” Angus said, “we’re as meek as lambs.”

“And randy as goats,” Gregori added with a laugh. He slapped Dougal on the back. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Four

L
eah was greatly relieved to see that all the adult partygoers had gravitated to the far side of the room. They were so focused on opening presents and watching the children that they barely gave her and Abby any notice.

At the first refreshment table, she loaded cheese, crackers, and fruit onto a small plate while Abby poured two cups of punch. Popping a pineapple chunk into her mouth, she glanced warily at the crowd across the room. How many of them were vampires? And how on earth did vampires have babies? Did those pretty little children shoot fangs out on occasion and transform into bloodthirsty monsters?

Mommy, I just killed the nanny. Can I have a cookie?

With a shudder, her gaze shifted to the foyer. Maybe she should say she needed to go to the restroom, then she could sneak out the front door and call a cab. But it would take time for a cab to arrive. Could she slip past the guarded front gate, or would she have to climb the wall?

Would they let her leave? She knew their big secret. And they claimed to need her help.

“Here.” Abby passed her a cup of fruit punch.

Leah took a sip. “Is it true? If I help you, I could save over a thousand lives?”

Abby nodded. “We think so.” She drank some punch. “If you recall, there were three microscopes in the lab. The first one, the one you looked at, showed a blood sample from Gregori. The second one is from Roman’s son, Tino. And the third is from one of Master Han’s soldiers. You’re welcome to look at them whenever you’re ready.”

Leah sighed. “I’m afraid I’m not taking this very well.”

“You’re doing fine.” Abby patted her shoulder, then headed toward the second table. “Come on, let’s check out the desserts.”

Leah followed her, but instead of admiring the giant cake, her gaze drifted back to the crowd across the room. What on earth? There were two men in kilts? The last man she’d seen in a kilt had been her Irish grandfather. A wave of grief swept over her with the vague memory of a haunting melody. How she missed him.

No one had enjoyed life as much as Grandpa, so it seemed like sacrilege for the Undead to dress the same way. Each of the kilted men held a young child in his arms. “Are all the children half vampire?”

“The kids like Tino are. Did you want to go back to the lab and see his blood work?”

Leah gave her a wry look. “Was that the plan all along? Appeal to my curiosity to lure me in?”

Abby winced. “Well, you have to admit it’s all fascinating. Right?”

“I admit nothing. To even consider vampires as real—I’m either crazy or dreaming.” Leah ate a cube of cheese. Cheddar, sharp and creamy. Would it taste this real if she were dreaming? But the alternative was she was crazy. And that conclusion put her one step closer to utter panic.

She glanced at the third refreshment table. It was covered with bottles and empty flutes and wineglasses. “Is that synthetic blood?”

“Yes.” Abby bit into a chocolate-covered strawberry. “The bottles on ice are Bubbly Blood, a combination of synthetic blood and champagne. Roman’s invented a whole menu of Vampire Fusion Cuisine. Bleer that’s half beer. Blissky that’s half whisky. You get the idea.”

“Vampires like to get drunk?”

Abby chuckled. “I’ve seen Gregori overindulge.” A humming noise emanated from her pants pocket, and she retrieved her cell phone. “Oh, that’s him now.” Smiling, she put the phone to her ear. “Hi, sweetie.”

Leah shuddered. Sweetie bloodsucker?

After a pause, Abby frowned. “Not now. Give us some time, okay?” She hung up. “I didn’t think you wanted to visit with any more Vamps for a while.”

“I don’t.” Leah glanced again at the vampires across the room. They were smiling and chatting like normal people. But they weren’t normal. Nothing was normal anymore. “Why are some guys wearing kilts?”

“They’re Scottish.” Abby scanned the crowd. “That’s Robby MacKay and Ian MacPhie. They’re security guys.”

Leah pivoted around till she spotted the camera with its red blinking light. Was she still being watched? If she dashed out the front door, would she be chased down by a vampire in a kilt? “If I don’t accept this, they’re going to erase my memory again, aren’t they?”

When Abby was silent, Leah turned toward her. “Are they?”

Abby winced. “Is it that hard to accept?”

Leah’s heart raced. What was hard to accept was the way she felt trapped. Coerced. It was like they were holding her brain hostage. Play along or have it tampered with. With trembling hands she set her cup and plate on the table.

“Leah, no one will hurt you,” Abby assured her, her voice sounding muffled and far away.

A wave of dizziness blurred Leah’s vision, but she shook it away. She’d rather make a run for it than faint. Better to show strength than weakness. She turned toward the entrance, desperately gathering her energy and courage for the mad dash to the foyer and front door . . . and froze.

Gregori paused in the entrance, spotted her and Abby, and waved. Another man joined him. A short man in a lab coat. Laszlo. He raised a hand in greeting, giving her a hopeful smile.

Leah’s heart thundered in her ears. No escape. The lab mouse was thoroughly caught in the maze. The guppy had been tossed into an aquarium with sharks.
Welcome to your new world.

A third man moved into view, and her breath caught. He was large, his shoulders easily taking up half the entrance. A kilt. Another security guy? Why was he blocking the door? Did he know she was about to make a break for it?

Her gaze lifted past his wide chest and impossibly broad shoulders to his face. His eyes. He was looking straight at her. Straight through her as if he could see her soul. He shrugged his right shoulder.

She turned away.

Who was he? Her back tingled as if she could feel his green eyes boring right through her, sharp emeralds slicing through her defenses till she was laid completely bare. The thundering in her ears grew quiet. A strange sense of calm stole over her, a sense of inevitability, as if her entire life had ticked away slowly for the sole purpose of arriving at this one moment in time. She knew without a doubt who he was. She’d felt him watching her all evening.

He was the man behind the camera.

D
ougal winced inwardly. Leah Chin had taken one look at him and turned away. He rolled his shoulder once again where the damned tattoo continued to sizzle with warmth.

“Dr. Lee and Roman think it’s going well,” Laszlo said.

Wishful thinking
. She was ready to bolt. Dougal could see the tension in her stance, feel the aura of desperation radiating from her. She was a brave lass, but her courage was being taxed to its limit. It made him want to pull her into his arms, though he doubted she’d accept comfort from a Vamp. “Ye doona think it is wrong to drag her into our world?”

Laszlo twisted a button. “We need her help. She’s absolutely brilliant in her field of expertise.”

“She speaks Mandarin, too,” Gregori added. “In case we need to go back to China.”

Dougal stiffened. “Ye would take her on a mission? She shouldna be put into a dangerous situation because of our problems.”

“Relax, dude,” Gregori told him. “As long as we’ve got the prisoner in the silver room, she’ll be able to work here.”

Laszlo nodded. “I’m looking forward to working with her.”

With a grin, Gregori elbowed the short chemist. “Admit it, bro. You’re crushing on her big time.”