Chapter Seven
Leah woke with a jolt, sitting up in bed. For a second she felt disoriented, then she remembered where she was - a guest bedroom in Roman Draganesti's townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. More memories from the night before flooded back. Vampires, shifters, hybrid children, and him. Dougal.
With a shudder, she pulled the blanket up to her chin. He had given her a chance to escape, but then he'd also become a major reason to stay.
She shook her head, not comfortable with that thought. In truth, she had many reasons to stay. She was intrigued by this new supernatural world, challenged by the work, and honored to have a chance to save lives. Those were legitimate reasons that made her decision sound much more noble than the way her heart pounded whenever he looked at her.
Even so, he was the one who dominated her thoughts. When would she see him again? Where was he now? Light filtered in around the curtains, so it was daylight outside. He would be sleeping or whatever happened to vampires during the day.
To her surprise, the bedside clock read a few minutes past noon. She jumped out of bed and headed to the shower. As she washed her hair with her favorite jasmine-scented shampoo, she let her mind wander back to the night before. After her decision to stay, she'd gone back to the lab with Abby to study the two remaining blood samples.
Abby was right. Tino was basically human. But the third sample, taken from a soldier for Master Han, had shown an alarming number of mutations. Changing him back to a normal mortal would not be easy, but it was a challenge she was looking forward to.
By two in the morning, she'd been exhausted, so Gregori and Abby had driven her back to the townhouse before going on to their own place. Abby had promised to pick her up at 3:30 p.m. so they could return to Romatech and get what she called an early start. Leah supposed these strange hours would become the norm for her now that she was working with vampires.
She was too hungry to mess with her wet hair, so she towel-dried it, threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. To her surprise, she heard voices inside. And smelled coffee brewing.
She peeked inside the swinging door. There were two women and three children. Two of the kids looked like twins, and they were sitting in high chairs.
The younger woman, a pretty redhead, glanced her way and smiled. "Hi, Leah. Come and have breakfast with us."
She eased inside. "Good morning. I mean, afternoon." She'd been introduced to the party crowd the night before, but there had been so many of them that she couldn't recall any names.
"Buenos dias," the older woman said. "I'm Fidelia." She placed pieces of toast and jelly onto two plastic plates. "The little ones are Jillian and Jean-Pierre."
"We call him John for short," added a young girl. "I'm Bethany."
"And I'm Heather." The mother poured milk into two cups and snapped spouted lids on top before passing them to the toddlers.
"Papa's still asleep," Bethany added.
Fidelia snorted. "That's a nice way to put it. Dead as a rock is more - " She paused when Heather cleared her throat.
Dead? The older woman must be exaggerating. "So you're married to a vampire?" Leah asked Heather as she eyed the children. They were probably hybrids like Tino.
Heather nodded, smiling. "Yes. I'm married to Jean-Luc Echarpe. You met us briefly last night."
Leah blinked. "The famous fashion designer?" He was a vampire?
"That's Papa!" Bethany sat up in her seat, grinning.
"We came for the party last night, but we'll be staying a while, getting ready for fashion week." Heather motioned toward the counter. "We bought some groceries yesterday. Please help yourself to whatever you like."
"Thank you." Facing the counter, Leah twisted a bagel in half and dropped the pieces into a toaster. She located a saucer, a knife, and some cream cheese. "So I guess you live in Paris?"
Fidelia scoffed. "I wish."
"We're in Texas." Heather sipped some coffee. "Jean-Luc went into hiding there when the media started wondering why he wasn't aging."
"And then he fell in love with my mom," Bethany added.
Heather smiled at her daughter.
They seemed like a happy family, Leah thought wistfully as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Those Vamps, they're very macho." Fidelia bit into a bagel, and her eyes narrowed on Leah. "You're a pretty young thing. I bet they'll go after you next."
"Fidelia," Heather whispered. "You might frighten her."
"She should be frightened," Fidelia insisted, then twisted her square frame in the chair to face Leah. "If one of those Vamps sets his sights on you, he'll be like a dog with a bone. A rabid dog. With a boner."
"Fidelia!" Heather gave her a warning look.
The older woman shrugged. "Okay. They're more like those heat-detecting missiles. If they think you're hot, they'll zoom right after you till they catch you. And then, bam!" She clapped her hands together. "It's an explosion of love!"
Bethany giggled.
Leah swallowed hard. Was that why Dougal had watched her with such an intense, hungry look in his eyes? Had he set his sights on her?
"They're muy macho, very sexy." Fidelia patted her hair, which was black with two inches of gray roots. "I had my eye on Robby, but he found a girl a few years younger than me."
"More than a few years," Heather muttered.
"I like the Scottish ones the best." Fidelia's eyes twinkled. "And I like what they're wearing underneath their kilts. Nada!"
Bethany grinned. "Aunt Fee, you should marry Dougal. He's still single."
Leah's breath caught. She turned her back, pretending to wait on the toaster.
"Ah, Dougal," Fidelia murmured. "He's a handsome hombre. Never says much, but I suspect he's more a man of action."
"He's real good with a sword," Bethany said.
Fidelia chuckled. "Those Scotsmen have some really long swords. And I bet they know just how to use them."
Heather cleared her throat. "I'm afraid Dougal won't be our guard anymore. He's going to be in charge of night security at Romatech."
Where I'll see him every night. Leah started when the bagels popped up in the toaster.
"I'm going to miss Dougal," Bethany whined. "Who's going to guard us then?"
"Don't worry, honey," Fidelia replied. "Mr. Glock and Senor Beretta will keep us safe."
"Oh God, no," Heather whispered. "You brought them with you?"
"Of course," Fidelia said. "That's why I love teleporting with the Vamps. They never take my guns away."
Leah glanced back and saw the older woman patting her large handbag.
Heather sighed. "You didn't need to bring them."
"How else do we stay safe during the day?" Fidelia asked. "We left Billy in Texas to guard the house, and Dougal's dead as a doornail right now."
Dead? That was the second time Fidelia had said the Vamps were dead. How could that be possible? Wasn't being Undead different from being dead? Leah spread some cream cheese on her bagel. "Where is Dougal?"
"In the basement, most probably." Heather sipped some more coffee. "That's where the guards stay when they sleep here."
Leah brought her bagel and coffee to the table. The basement. Maybe she could sneak down there when no one was looking.
"Guess what?" Bethany asked her. "Mom and I are going to a show this afternoon. Mary Poppins!"
"Oh, that's nice." Leah sat.
"Don't worry about me," Fidelia muttered. "I'll just stay here with the twins."
"John and Jillian?" Bethany asked.
"No." Fidelia patted her handbag, her eyes twinkling. "Smith and Wesson."
Leah shot a wary look at the handbag. How many guns were in there?
"We'd better hurry." Heather stood, stuffing the last of her bagel in her mouth.
While Leah ate, they bustled about, putting things away and cleaning up the happy toddlers, who had grape jelly smeared all over their faces. Then they went upstairs to a playroom Heather mentioned. She and Bethany would be leaving soon for their Broadway matinee.
With it quiet in the kitchen, Leah's thoughts kept returning to Fidelia's insistence that Dougal was dead. It didn't make sense. A body couldn't remain dead for hours and then magically revive itself. He had to be in a deep sleep or something like a coma.
The more she thought about it, the more she had to know the truth. She set her dirty dishes on the rack in the dishwasher, then left the kitchen in search of the basement. She didn't have to go far. The first door she tried opened onto a staircase.
At the base of the stairs, she found a washer and dryer. Then she entered a large, well-lit room with a billiard table in the middle. Sofas and chairs lined the walls. A small fridge held bottles of something called Bleer. Synthetic blood and beer. Racks lined the upper walls, where an assortment of weapons were stashed - swords, knives, guns and rifles. Interspersed between the racks were four coats of arms belonging to four clans. The MacKay, MacPhie, Buchanan, and Kincaid. The plaid background on the Kincaid coat of arms matched Dougal's kilt. Dougal Kincaid.
So where was he? She spotted a closed door and opened it. The creak made her wince. If he was sleeping, the noise might wake him up.
The room was dark, so she left the door open to allow light to filter in from the billiards room. Two rows of twin beds lined the walls. All were empty except the first one on the left.
"Hello?" she whispered.
No answer.
She approached the bed slowly. It was him. Dougal. "I don't mean to interrupt your sleep," Well, that wasn't exactly true. She fully expected him to wake up any second. After all, he was a security guard. Weren't they trained to be light sleepers?
His large frame filled the bed to the point that his feet practically hung off the bottom edge and his shoulders took up the entire width. He was flat on his back, his hands folded at his waist, his left hand resting on top of the prosthetic right hand.
She eased closer. "Hello?" Her gaze drifted down his body. What on earth was he wearing? Some kind of nightgown? It looked like the sort of thing Ebenezer Scrooge would wear. It was white, baggy, and ended at midcalf. His feet were covered with white tube socks. The gown had long sleeves buttoned at the wrist, and another row of buttons marched up his chest to the high collar.
She smiled. The collar even had a ruffle at the top. How old-fashioned could he get? At least he wasn't wearing one of those silly nightcaps on his head.
"Are you awake?"
No answer. She leaned over to see his face, prepared to jump back whenever his eyes opened. His hair was loose about his shoulders. His jaw and mouth were outlined with dark whiskers. His mouth was closed. How could a man have such a pretty mouth?
She glanced back at his eyes. Still shut. "You know I'm here, don't you? You're only pretending to sleep?"
His face remained completely still. Not a twitch from those dark eyebrows. She'd never seen eyebrows or a forehead that could be so expressive. Her mother's emotions showed in her eyes and her voice. Her father either smiled slightly or more often, his lips thinned in disapproval.
But Dougal - she'd recognized anger, fear, pain, hunger, curiosity, approval, and inquisitiveness all from the way he'd moved his brow and eyebrows. Without thinking, she reached out to touch his forehead. It was smooth and cool.
She lifted her hand quickly and checked his eyes. Still closed.
"You're breathing, aren't you?" She held a hand an inch below his nostrils.
No air.
She rested her hand on his chest. Hard as a rock. Dead as a rock?
"Come on, wake up." She shoved at his chest. "You can't be dead. It's not possible."
She touched his cheek. Cool. The dark whiskers prickled her fingertips. "You're just too pretty, you know that?"
She glanced at his eyes again. "Sexy rascal. Shall I have my way with you?"
No response. Wouldn't a normal guy stop faking it and make a grab for her?
But he wasn't normal. She pressed her fingers against his carotid artery, but his high, ruffled neckline was in the way.
"Well, this should wake you up." She unbuttoned the top three buttons of his nightshirt, then slid her hand to his neck to feel his pulse.
Nothing.
"This can't be." She felt the other side. Damn. He didn't have a pulse.
With her own pulse racing and fingers trembling, she unfastened more buttons. She peeled back his shirt and froze. This was the last thing she expected. A green and purple dragon curled over his right shoulder and down toward his chest. The mouth was wide open, breathing red and orange flames. An Oriental-style dragon, colorful and fierce. She placed her hand on the fire etched over his heart.
Nothing. She lay her head on his chest to listen. His skin was cool against her cheek.
No heartbeat.
"Oh God," she whispered, straightening. Should she attempt CPR? Would that even work on a vampire? It was almost two in the afternoon. He could have been dead since sunrise that morning.
"Dougal." She pulled the edges of his nightshirt together and looked at his handsome face. He couldn't be gone for good. He had to come back at sunset, right? Wasn't that what vampires did?
Her eyes burned with tears. "You will come back, won't you?"
Why was she feeling so drawn to this man? He couldn't be doing some sort of hocus-pocus glamour on her, not when he was dead. So that could only mean her attraction was real.
"Really crazy," she muttered, blinking away the tears. If she had any sense, she would avoid this man like the plague.
She rushed from the room, closing the door behind her and not looking back.
Dougal jolted back to life right after sunset. His vision adjusted quickly to the dark room. This wasn't the opulent basement of Jean-Luc's house in Texas but the old, familiar basement in Roman's townhouse. And tonight, he started his new job. If he was lucky, he'd see Leah again. He might even get to teleport her to Romatech.
He still felt bad about eavesdropping on her the night before, but his guilt was overshadowed now by his admiration for her. She'd remained so strong and brave while her safe world had crumbled around her. And then she'd shown even more courage with her decision to stay. Even though she was wary of Vamps, she was still willing to work with them in order to save lives.
She had a good, honorable heart. And she was bright, beautiful, and brave. Just thinking about her made him smile. He hadn't felt this excited in years. Centuries. He wanted to know more about her. What made her happy? What were her dreams? Could she fall for someone like him?
As he sat up, he noticed his nightshirt was unbuttoned and gaping open. Who? He glanced around quickly, but the room was empty. He peered into the billiards room, but it was empty, too. Whoever had unbuttoned his shirt was gone.
He caught a slight whiff of perfume. Jasmine. His heart raced. Could it have been Leah? Was she curious enough about him that she'd examined him during his death-sleep?
He jumped in the shower as he considered other possible culprits. Heather Echarpe? No way. Fidelia? He shuddered at the thought. The woman was always trying to peek under his kilt whenever he levitated.
It had to have been Leah. He winced, imagining her reaction to his old-fashioned nightshirt. Maybe he should do as Gregori suggested and go to that fancy stylist over at DVN. The other guys always teased him about his old nightshirt. They had modernized to the point that most of them slept in underwear or less. He clung to the old shirt because it completely covered his tattoo, and he didn't want to answer any questions about it.
Leah must have seen it. He groaned at the thought. How could he explain it to her?
When he stepped out of the shower, he turned on the digital camera and monitor so he could see to shave. Normally, he didn't bother much with his appearance, but tonight he might see Leah again.
Would she confess to unbuttoning his shirt? If not, how could he ask if she had? By the way, lass, did ye molest me during my death-sleep?
Before dawn, he had teleported back to Jean-Luc's house to gather up his belongings: his clothes, tartan blanket, bagpipes, Uilleann pipes, and old tin whistle. So now he was able to dress in a fresh white shirt and kilt and tie his damp hair back with a new leather strip.
Upstairs, he found Jean-Luc in the kitchen, drinking a bottle of synthetic blood while his family ate dinner.
"Felicitations, mon ami." Jean-Luc handed Dougal a bottle from the fridge. "You start tonight?"
"Aye." Dougal popped the bottle into the microwave.
Bethany gazed at him sadly, her bottom lip sticking out. "I'm going to miss you."
"Och, lass." He patted her shoulder. "Ye'll be fine."
"I'll miss you, too." Fidelia winked at him.
He stiffened. Had she been the one unbuttoning his clothes? He removed his bottle from the microwave and took a sip. "Where is Leah?"
"She left over an hour ago," Heather replied.
"I watched a movie with her when the twins were taking a nap," Fidelia added. "She had to go to work and couldn't finish it, but she said she's seen it a jillion times."
Heather stood and gave him a hug. "We'll miss you, but we're happy about your promotion. I know you'll do great!"
With a smile, Dougal nodded. "Thank you." He stepped back, his bottle in hand. "I should be going now."
He went back to the basement to slip his dagger into the sheath beneath his knee sock. So Leah had spent the afternoon watching something she'd seen many times before? What kind of movie would inspire such devotion?
Upstairs, he ventured into the parlor. It was empty, the television turned off. On top of the DVD player he found a plastic case. An Affair to Remember.
Curious, he read the synopsis on the back of the case. It sounded a bit sappy to him, but at least she wasn't watching a movie about slaying vampires.
He teleported to the side door at Romatech, then pressed his palm against the sensor to unlock the door. An alarm system had been installed years ago that detected anyone teleporting into the facility, so he and the other Vamps routinely teleported to one of the entrances.
He strode down the hall, drinking from his bottle. Outside the MacKay security office, he punched in the code to unlock the door. Inside, Austin was putting on his coat.
"Hey, Dougal." Austin slapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back."
" 'Tis good to be here." Dougal glanced at the monitors. Leah and Abby were in a lab, hunched over some papers on a table. The captive soldier was still in the silver room. Tino was on the basketball court, playing with his father, Angus, and Carlos.
Dougal's gaze shifted back to Leah, and his tattoo itched. She seemed even more beautiful tonight. "How's everything?"
"Good. Freemont's making the rounds right now." Austin grabbed his keys off the desk. "I gotta run. Matthew has soccer practice tonight."
"I understand."
"See ya tomorrow." With a smile, Austin left.
Dougal finished his bottle of breakfast blood while he watched the monitors. Austin was hurrying out the side door to his car in the parking lot. He lived nearby in White Plains with his wife and kids.
It seemed like everyone was having bairns these days. Dougal's gaze shifted back to the monitor showing Leah and Abby. Even Abby and Gregori were starting a family.
Laszlo entered the lab, sporting a fresh white lab coat, a striped shirt, and a bright red bowtie. His hair was neatly combed, and his round face gleamed a rosy pink, as if he'd scrubbed it too hard. The two women glanced up at him and smiled.
Dougal's prosthetic hand tightened around the bottle, and he glared at it. Doona act up tonight. He finished the bottle and tossed it into the recycling bin.
The office door opened, and Gregori sauntered inside. "Hey, dude. What's up?"
Dougal inclined his head. "Good evening."
Gregori peered at the monitor showing the lab and grinned. "Laszlo's looking less nerdy tonight, don't you think?"
Dougal shrugged.
"I made an appointment for him with Wilson," Gregori continued.
Dougal wondered if he should do the same.
"And I gave him some advice on how to charm the ladies," Gregori added. "The most obvious way to win a woman's heart."
It didn't seem so obvious to Dougal. He waited, but Gregori was entirely focused on the monitor.
"Isn't Abby beautiful?" he whispered. "She's practically glowing."
"What is the way?" Dougal asked. When Gregori gave him a blank look, he added, "The obvious way to win a woman's heart."
"Oh, that." Gregori waved a dismissive hand. "It just takes a sense of humor. You gotta make the lady laugh."
Dougal swallowed hard. "Laugh?"
"Yep. Let's see if Laszlo pulls it off." Gregori turned the volume up on the lab.
" . . . an alarming amount of genetic mutation," Leah was saying, pointing at a printout.
Laszlo sat next to her at the table. "I've always found genetics fascinating."
Leah nodded as she read.
Laszlo twisted a button on his lab coat. "Before I was transformed, I was a student at the University of Vienna. I was able to visit Gregor Mendel a few times in Moravia."
Leah turned to him, her eyes wide. "You knew Gregor Mendel?"
Laszlo blushed. "Yes. He was very kind. He would discuss his theories with me for hours."
"Holy crapoly," Leah whispered. "I can't believe you knew him."
"That is so cool!" Abby added.
"And he would invite me to sup with him." Laszlo fumbled with another button. "Of course, we always had pea soup."
Leah and Abby laughed.
Gregori punched his fist in the air. "Way to go, Laszlo!"
Dougal's prosthetic hand clenched.
Laszlo's blush deepened. "I-I was serious. Mendel had over twenty-nine thousand pea plants."
Abby and Leah chuckled.
The office door opened, and Freemont sauntered inside. "What's up, dudes?" He nodded at Dougal. "Finished my rounds. Everything's clear."
"Good." Dougal ordered his fist to relax and it slowly obeyed, making a few clicking sounds.
"Your robot hand is so awesome." Freemont grabbed a donut from the box on the sideboard. "You look like a Terminator."
Dougal winced inwardly. "Thank you."
"Oh, that reminds me," Gregori told him. "Abby is expecting you to see her tonight, so she can examine your hand. She wants to do an X-ray or a CAT scan, I think."
Dougal stifled a groan. " 'Tis fine now."
"Orders from Angus." Gregori gave him a wry look. "And you don't say no to big Mongo."
On the lab monitor, Abby rose to her feet. "All this talk about pea soup is making me hungry." She nudged Leah. "Why don't we head to the cafeteria for some supper?"
"Okay." Leah stood. "I could use a break."
Laszlo eased to his feet, a hopeful look on his face as he twisted a button.
"We'll be back in about thirty minutes," Abby told him as she strolled toward the door.
"Bye." Leah left with Abby.
Ping. Laszlo's button popped off.
"Damn, Laszlo," Gregori muttered. "You missed your chance." He adjusted his tie. "Well, I need to get to work. Though I might stop by the cafeteria for a few minutes." He grinned.
"I'll come with you," Dougal said. He wasn't going to miss his chance. When Gregori gave him a questioning look, he added, "I need to make the rounds."
"I just did that." Freemont stuffed half a donut in his mouth.
Dougal's jaw shifted. "I need to set up an appointment with Abby."
"Oh, right." Gregori slapped him on the back. "Well, let's go."
As Dougal marched toward the cafeteria, he resolved to impress Leah and win her heart. According to Gregori it was simple. He only had to be charming and make her laugh.
His prosthetic hand clenched. He was doomed.