Sexiest Vampire Alive

Chapter Fourteen

The following night Gregori paced across his office at Romatech, stress ball in hand. He’d told Angus and Roman that everything was progressing well. Luckily Phineas had backed him up, claiming the date with the president’s daughters had been a great success.

Bullshit. He gave the ball another squeeze. He’d come damned close to completely blowing his mission. Thousands of Vamps depended on him to forge an alliance with the U.S. government and prevent the Vampire Apocalypse. And what did he do? Molest the president’s daughter in front of an audience. In front of a Secret Service man!

“Stupid, stupid,” he muttered to himself. At least Gordon had erased the video so Corky Courrant couldn’t get her evil hands on it and post it on YouTube.

But he couldn’t erase his actions. The whole alliance could have fallen apart if Abigail hadn’t stepped in. She’d saved his ass. Not because of any affection she felt for him. She’d saved him out of desperation to save her mother.

Just as he had suspected, the secret trip to China was connected to her mother. No doubt her Ph.D. in biochemistry was also connected to her mother. Everything Abigail did was due to her determination to save her mother.

Such love. Such dedication. She was incredible. Brilliant, beautiful, and capable of so much love.

But not for him. Her description of his lovemaking kept repeating in his mind.

An accident.

The stress ball exploded in his hand.

“Shit.” He threw it away and grabbed another one.

An accident. Had she felt nothing at all? Had she stood there, bored and mentally compiling a grocery list, while he spiraled completely out of control?

He’d never felt an attraction like this before. Romance was supposed to be fun. He loved the thrill of the chase, the giving and taking of pleasure. Simple, easy fun. But there was nothing simple or easy about Abigail.

She was impossible, but it didn’t deter him. She was forbidden, but that only made her more tempting. A desperate desire had dug its claws into his heart and was threatening to consume him entirely. Shit. What was she doing to him? He’d actually forgotten he was in the studio.

He could have sworn she’d felt something. Her heart had definitely raced. But then, her heart rate always sped up whenever he came near. It could mean that she was afraid. Or worse. Repulsed.

Vamp women didn’t care if he was a Vamp. But it could be a deal breaker for a lovely mortal like Abigail. She’d fallen on the couch in the Oval Office, trying to escape his handshake. She’d fainted when she saw him on the ceiling. And she’d scooted halfway around the booth at the nightclub to get away from him.

Could it be that she didn’t even like him? So many Vamp women had chased him over the years, maybe he’d lost the ability to know when he was being rejected.

What a joke. The womanizer falls for the one woman who doesn’t want him.

He threw the ball against the wall, and it burst in a cloud of white powder. He was crazy to fall for Abigail. The president wasn’t going to allow his daughter to get romantically involved with a vampire.

Josh clearly didn’t approve of him. When Gregori had teleported home an hour ago to put on a fresh suit, he’d discovered that his condo had been searched. Probably Josh and Charles, looking for something negative to report to the president so the alliance could be broken. Or maybe they had hoped to find him asleep and vulnerable to attack.

Thank God he’d slept at Romatech. He wasn’t sure how far Josh and Charles would go to keep Abigail safe from the evil clutches of a vampire.

And he still wasn’t sure how she felt. That alone was enough to drive him completely bonkers.

The desk phone rang, and he picked it up. “Yes?”

“She’s here,” Emma told him. “The limo with Abigail Tucker just went through the front gate.”

He picked up another stress ball. “I’ll meet her at the front entrance. Can you tell Roman she’s here?”

“I’m afraid not,” Emma replied. “He had to leave for a moment.”

“What?” Gregori squeezed the stress ball. “He agreed to meet her. He knows how important this is.”

“Don’t worry,” Emma reassured him. “Roman will be back soon. There’s a bit of a family drama going on right now. He and Angus had to teleport to the school to bring Shanna and Caitlyn back.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Gregori felt a twinge of worry for the women. Shanna had only recently been transformed and was still adjusting. Caitlyn had undergone the painful transformation into a were-panther and was now expecting twins. “Are they all right?”

“They’re fine, but their mother isn’t,” Emma explained. “She called Caitlyn, and apparently, she was screaming and terribly distraught—”

“Darlene is never distraught!” Sean Whelan shouted in the background. “She’s always perfectly calm!”

“Well, she isn’t calm now,” Emma told him. “Gregori, Roman’s coming back soon. Caitlyn and Shanna are meeting their mother here at Romatech.”

“All right.” Gregori hung up, wondering what was wrong with Sean Whelan’s wife. Maybe she’d finally figured out what a jerk he was.

He stuffed the stress ball in his pocket, and strode to the main foyer.

The night shift at Romatech was small compared to the large number of mortals who worked during the day, but he had warned them that the president’s daughter would be touring the facility. The marble floors had been polished, the offices and laboratories tidied up. He’d arranged for the cafeteria to be kept open late, and a gourmet chef had been brought in to cook a few of his specialties.

Phineas had requested the night off, so he could return to DVN with Madison. He’d called earlier to report Josh was watching him like a hawk. Gregori supposed Charles would be coming with Abigail.

He punched the code on the security pad by the front door to unlock it, then stepped outside to wait. A light rain had left the black-topped parking lot wet and gleaming under the lampposts. As usual, his gaze drifted to the spot where his life as a mortal had ended eighteen years ago. Casimir had attacked him and left him dying on the dark asphalt.

Then there was the other spot where he’d been caught in the blast of a car bomb set by the Malcontents. There’d been a church service that night in the Romatech chapel, led by Father Andrew. The chapel was a sad and empty place now, just a vase of flowers on the altar in memory of the mortal priest who had become a father to them all.

Gregori sighed. Everyone was glad Casimir was finally dead, but the cost had been too high.

His gaze wandered back to the first spot where he’d been transformed. Twice he’d cheated death in this parking lot. You’re not immortal, you fool. He could die as easily as Father Andrew. He should stop playing at life and make his life mean something. But what gave life meaning?

Father Andrew would have said love.

Headlights flashed in the distance, pulsating like a strobe light as a limo passed through the wooded grounds.

Abigail.

She was coming. His heart squeezed with a knot of longing.

The limo came to a stop under the porte cochere. While Charles climbed out of the driver’s seat, Gregori opened the back door.

“Step back, please.” Charles gave him a stern look, then rushed over to assist Abigail.

Gregori moved back. Apparently Charles had been warned that the lusty vampire wanted to jump on Abigail like a rabid dog.

Unfortunately, the minute he saw her emerge from the limo, he did want to get his paws on her. He had to swallow hard to keep from drooling. And it wasn’t like she was dressed in a sexy outfit. She was wearing jeans, a navy and green plaid blouse, and a green raincoat.

She was beautiful.

The mist in the air had made her hair curlier, her cheeks rosier, and her skin look even more dewy soft. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked around.

He inclined his head. “Welcome to Romatech, Scholar.”

She smiled. “The place is huge! And the grounds are beautiful. I’m already impressed.”

“Great.” Gregori swiped his ID to unlock the front door, then followed them inside the foyer.

“I’ve noticed several cameras,” Charles said as he watched Gregori punch in the code to reactivate the locks. “Is there a security problem here?”

Gregori considered how to respond, then decided honesty would be best. “We’ve been bombed a few times.”

Abigail gasped. “Why? Synthetic blood saves thousands of lives. Who could object to that?”

“The Malcontents,” Gregori explained. “They hate synthetic blood. They figure if they can get rid of Romatech, they can force Vamps to go back to biting.”

Charles frowned. “If Miss Tucker is in danger, then we should leave.”

“She’ll be safe,” Gregori reassured him. “We have an excellent security force. Would you like to see their office?”

“Yes.” Charles nodded.

Gregori led them down the hall on the left. He reached in his pocket to squeeze the stress ball. The damned Secret Service man was hovering close to Abigail. At this rate, he’d never get some time alone with her to know how she truly felt.

“Our security is provided by MacKay Security and Investigation,” he explained. “The CEO is Angus MacKay. If you have a secret mission in mind, he can provide you with the best operatives in the Vamp world.”

Charles looked doubtful. “Do they have any field experience?”

Gregori snorted. “Some of them have centuries of experience. A few of the newbies used to work for the FBI and CIA. There’s one guy who teleports into Langley without you guys knowing.”

Charles’s eyes narrowed. “I doubt that.”

“Do you want to see the medal the Brits gave Angus? During World War II, he teleported behind German lines and rescued some Royal Air Force guys. Got them all out alive in one night.”

“Then the British government knows about vampires?” Abigail asked.

Gregori nodded. “I told your father about it the other night. We’d like to have the same sort of relationship with the American government.”

“That sounds good to me,” Abigail said. “I’m going to recommend to my father that we go ahead with the mission.”

“Miss Tucker—” Charles started.

“I can’t afford to lose any more time,” she interrupted. “If the British trust these Vamps, then I will, too.”

Charles glanced at Gregori with a look bordering on disgust. “Josh told me about him. He’s not to be trusted.”

Gregori gritted his teeth. “I would never harm Miss Tucker. I’m sure she knows that.” He wasn’t sure at all, but he hoped she would verify it.

She didn’t. She looked away, her cheeks turning pink.

Damn. Did she not even like him?

As they approached the MacKay office, the door opened. No doubt the people inside had been watching them on the monitors.

Emma stepped outside. “Good evening. I’m Emma MacKay, vice president of MacKay S and I.” She smiled. “I worked for the CIA for a short time.”

“She’s a vampire?” Abigail whispered.

“Yes, I am.” Emma’s smile widened, and she pointed to her ears. “Super hearing. Please, come inside.”

Gregori stepped into the office, followed by Emma and Charles, who motioned for Abigail to remain in the hall.

“Remember me?” Sean Whelan shook hands with the Secret Service man. “I’m head of the CIA Stake-Out team.”

Charles quickly scanned the room, then gestured for Abigail to enter.

“Wow,” she whispered as she approached the wall of monitors.

“Impressive.” Charles eyed the stash of weapons in the caged-off area at the back.

“Miss Tucker?” Sean shook her hand. “Delighted to see you again. If there’s anything I can do to assist you, please let me know.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a curious look. “So you’re a friend of the Vamps?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Of course I didn’t start off that way. As head of the Stake-Out team, my original goal was to terminate all vampires. But over time, I learned that the good Vamps were on our side, helping to protect us from the Malcontents.”

Charles’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why are you here?”

“I drop by every now and then to keep an eye on things.” Sean wandered over to the table and poured a cup of coffee. “Would you like a cup?”

Charles shook his head.

Gregori bit his lip to keep from laughing at how Sean was pretending to still be mortal.

“My husband, Angus, will be back soon,” Emma said. “In the meantime, I’d be happy to answer any of your security questions.”

Abigail gasped and pointed at a monitor. “Four people just appeared out of thin air.”

Emma glanced at the monitor. “Yes, that’s my husband, Angus, and Roman Draganesti, CEO of Romatech. They’re teleporting Roman’s wife and sister-in-law here.”

Charles studied the monitor. “They arrived outside?”

“Yes, they’re coming in the side entrance now,” Emma explained. “Teleporting straight into the facility sets off an alarm. That way we can tell if any Malcontents have entered.”

“Excuse me.” Sean hurried out into the hallway.

“Dad!” Shanna called out to him. “What are you doing here?”

Sean winced and closed the office door.

“Dad?” Charles stepped closer to examine the monitor. “Those women are Sean Whelan’s daughters?”

Emma exchanged a look with Gregori.

He shrugged. They could hardly hide the truth. “Sean’s daughter Shanna is married to Roman Draganesti.”

Charles scoffed. “No wonder he’s friends with them.”

“Actually,” Emma muttered, “it took Sean several years to accept Roman as a son-in-law.”

Charles nodded, then shot Gregori an annoyed look. “No man would want his daughter involved with a vampire.”

Gregori scowled back. “Some women might think Vamps make excellent husbands. They don’t have to cook for us. We never snore. And while we’re passed out all day, they have free access to our credit cards.”

Emma chuckled.

Abigail continued to study the monitors, ignoring him, but her mouth twitched.

“What do you mean by passed out?” Charles asked. “You’re unconscious during the day?”

Gregori exchanged another look with Emma. “Something like that.”

“There’s a car pulling into the parking lot.” Abigail motioned to another monitor.

Emma winced, then gave them a bright smile. “Perhaps you should continue with your tour now.” She opened the door and stepped outside. “Come along.”

Gregori reached for Abigail, but Charles grabbed her arm first and ushered her into the hall.

Emma whispered to Shanna and Caitlyn, “Your mother has arrived.”

“I’ll let her in.” Caitlyn hurried down the hall to the foyer.

“Mr. Draganesti?” Abigail approached Roman.

He turned toward her.

“Roman, this is Abigail Tucker.” Gregori quickly made an introduction. “If you could talk to her later—”

“Of course.” Roman shook her hand, smiling. “I’d be happy to.”

“This way.” Gregori motioned for Abigail and Charles to follow him. Hopefully they could get out of the way before all hell broke loose.

“Dad, go inside the office,” Shanna said behind them. “Mom doesn’t want to see you right now.”

“But I have a right—” Sean objected.

“She figured it out, Dad!” Shanna interrupted him. “She knows what you did to her.”

“Impossible,” Sean replied. “I’ve always had complete control of her mind.”

Abigail stopped to listen.

“Come on.” Gregori reached for her arm.

“Back off,” Charles growled.

“He was controlling his wife’s mind?” Abigail whispered. “Is he a vampire?”

Gregori winced. “Sean has always had a lot of psychic power. That’s why he’s head of the Stake-Out team. He can resist any sort of mind control. Now, let’s move on.” He led them farther down the hall.

“You’re no longer in control of your wife.” Roman’s angry voice echoed down the hall. “The control was probably broken when you went into a vampire coma.”

Charles halted.

“Dammit!” Sean shouted. “This is all your fault, Roman!”

“How can you say that?” Shanna fussed at him. “He saved your life!”

“You call this life?” Sean roared. “He turned me into a—” He glanced down the hallway and spotted Gregori with Abigail and the Secret Service man. “Shit!” He ran into the security office and slammed the door.

“He’s a vampire?” Charles asked softly.

Gregori sighed. “He was mortally wounded in battle about a week ago. Shanna begged her husband to transform him. It was the only way to save his life at the time.”

“You can save someone’s life by transforming him?” Abigail asked.

Gregori squeezed the stress ball in his pocket. He shouldn’t have let Abigail and that damned Charles come here. They were learning too much. He could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. Was she considering having her own mother transformed?

“Sean is here?” a woman shrieked in the foyer. “He told me he was out of the country. That filthy liar! Where is he?”

“Mom, calm down!” Caitlyn told her.

Shanna ran toward the foyer. “Mom!”

Abigail followed, so Gregori and Charles went after her. They stopped at the entrance to the foyer.

“Shanna?” A middle-aged woman stared at Shanna, then burst into tears. “My baby! It’s been so long!”

“Mom!” Shanna hugged her, then Caitlyn joined in the embrace.

Darlene Whelan touched Shanna’s face. “Look at you. You’re so beautiful. I missed you so much.”

Shanna’s eyes glimmered with tears. “You’re back now, Mom. We have you back.”

They continued to hug each other and weep. Gregori glanced over at Abigail and found her watching with tears in her eyes. Hopefully no one would notice that Shanna’s tears were tinted pink.

Darlene wiped her face, then clenched her fists. “I know what he did to me. That control-freak bastard! I can hardly remember the last fifteen years. He stole them from me!”

“I know you’re angry, Mom,” Caitlyn said. “I was angry, too, when I found out what he did to you.”

Darlene gritted her teeth. “Anger doesn’t begin to describe how I feel. If I ever see him, I’m going to kill him!”

“Mom—” Shanna began.

“I have my bags in the car,” Darlene announced. “I’m leaving him. I was hoping I could stay with one of—” Her mouth dropped open. “Caitlyn, you’re pregnant?”

She patted her swollen belly. “Yes, with twins.”

“I have two children myself,” Shanna added.

“Oh my.” Darlene went pale. “I didn’t realize you two were married.” She frowned. “You are married, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Shanna grinned. “I know the perfect place for you to stay. You can see your grandchildren every day.”

“Oh. Oh my.” Tears ran down Darlene’s face. “That would be wonderful.”

“Come.” Shanna wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Let me introduce you to my husband.”

Gregori, Abigail, and Charles moved to the side to let the three women pass. Roman, Angus, and Emma were still waiting in the hallway in front of the security office.

“Does the mother know about Roman?” Abigail whispered to Gregori.

He shook his head.

“Oh brother,” she murmured. “She’s in for more drama tonight.”

“Yep,” Gregori agreed. Not only would Darlene Whelan find out her daughter was married to a vampire, but her daughter had recently become one as well. And her other daughter, Caitlyn, was now a were-panther and expecting kittens.

The security office door opened and Sean jumped out.

“Darlene! Don’t leave me!”

“You bastard!” Darlene charged down the hall. Her daughters grabbed her to slow her down.

“Darlene, I only did it because I love you!” Sean shouted.

“The devil take it.” Angus shoved Sean back into the office. “Doona come out until ye know how to treat a woman.”

“But she’s going to leave me!” Sean bellowed.

“And ye deserve it.” Angus shut the door in his face.

“Never a dull moment around here,” Gregori muttered. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” He led Abigail across the foyer and through some double doors into another hallway.

She walked beside him with Charles trailing behind. “Sean Whelan was using mind control on his wife?”

Gregori nodded. “He sent Shanna away as a teenager when he discovered he couldn’t control her.”

Abigail shuddered. “No wonder his wife is so angry. If someone messed with my mind, I’d want to kill him, too.”

He glanced back at Charles, then lowered his voice. “For the record, I think what Sean did was unconscionable. It’s not how you treat someone you love.”

She didn’t answer, but he noticed her hands were clenched. “Here.” He handed her the stress ball. “These seem to help.”

She accepted the ball and gave it a squeeze. “What do you have to be stressed about? Can’t you live forever?”

“We’re not immortal. We can die. And we see people die.”

She nodded and dropped the ball into her raincoat pocket. “I think that would be the worst part of being a vampire—watching your mortal friends and family die.”

She grew quiet until they arrived at Laszlo’s laboratory. Laszlo invited them in with a shy smile.

“Amazing.” She looked around, her eyes wide. “Tell me what you’re working on.”

“Of course.” Laszlo launched into a long monologue that made no sense to Gregori at all, but Abigail was nodding and agreeing.

Laszlo was clearly delighted to have someone who understood what he was doing. Charles stood by the door, silent and watching. Gregori ended up standing nearby, silent and watching, too, because he couldn’t understand what the hell they were talking about. Whatever it was, it certainly had Laszlo excited for he was twirling the buttons on his new lab coat. Abigail seemed excited, too. She was talking fast, her hands were gesturing, her eyes gleaming.

Gregori sighed. He was doomed. She was way too smart for him. Way too alive for him. Way too forbidden for him.

She mentioned some plants she wanted to find in the Yunnan province of China, and one of Laszlo’s buttons popped off and bounced onto his black-topped table.

“Yes! Roman used a plant from that province when he invented the Stay-Awake drug.” Laszlo fiddled with another button. “The drug works, but it has the unfortunate side effect of aging the Vamp one year for every day he ingests it.”

“Amazing,” Abigail said for about the tenth time.

“Roman still has the plant in his lab,” Laszlo continued. “Perhaps you would like to examine it?”

“I would love that!”

“I’ve been working on the Stay-Awake formula to try to minimize the side effects, but it’s hard to find a Vamp who’s willing to test it. They don’t like taking a chance that they could age a year.”

Abigail gasped. “You test your formulas on your fellow vampires?”

Laszlo chuckled. “We don’t have any vampire mice. Besides, if a formula ends up making a vampire ill, it won’t last for very long. His body will automatically heal during his death-sleep—”

“Laszlo!” Gregori stepped behind Abigail and made a cutting motion across his neck.

“Death-sleep?” Abigail asked. “He’ll automatically heal?”

Laszlo’s eyes widened as he realized he’d said too much. “Oh, I—I meant—” He nervously plucked at a button.

“What he means is vampires have superior strength,” Gregori said. “We tend to heal more quickly than mortals. Of course we can still die. And if we lose a body part, we can’t regenerate. We have a Vamp friend who lost a hand in battle.”

“True.” Laszlo nodded. “Our healing abilities are quite limited. Shall I go find that plant for you?”

“Ah, yes, thank you.” Abigail watched as Laszlo scurried from the room.

“Let me show you my office.” Gregori grabbed her elbow and steered her out the door.

Charles frowned at them and followed.

“What did he mean by death-sleep?” she asked.

Gregori winced inwardly. Vamps would be in deep shit if the government knew how helpless and vulnerable they were during the day. How easy they were to kill. “It’s just a term we use to describe our sleep during the day. It’s a . . . very deep sleep.”

“So if you teleported me into China, you would have to sleep during the day?”

“Yes, but remember we can move super fast at night and teleport hundreds of miles. We can do more in one night than a mortal could do in a week. Besides, if you want to remain covert, you’re better off doing things at night.”

“I suppose that’s true.” She walked beside him, chewing her bottom lip. “What did he mean by automatically heal?”

Shit. He should have never invited Abigail here. She was too smart, too quick at figuring out their most guarded secrets. “I told you, we tend to heal more quickly.”

She stopped abruptly. “Would you let me examine you?”

He gave her a slow, seductive smile, hoping it would distract her. “Do I get to strip?”

She blushed, but waved a dismissive hand. “I’m sure your anatomy is basically the same as a mortal man. What I need is a few tissue samples and some vials of your blood.”

His smile faded. “Scholar, I’ll take you anywhere you want in the world. I’ll protect you with my life.”

“I appreciate that, but right now, all I want is some blood.”

“I . . . can’t. I’m sorry.”

Her eyes narrowed. “If there’s some sort of special healing properties in your blood, I need to know. It might help my mother.”

He clenched his hands. This was what he had feared the most, what every vampire in the world feared, that mortals would not only learn that vampires existed, but that their blood could heal. “We can’t let you examine our blood.”

She gasped. “I’m right, aren’t I? Your blood has healing properties.” She touched his arm. “Please, this is for my mother.”

He shook his head. “Every Vamp in the world is trusting me to keep them safe. If mortals thought our blood could heal disease, they would hunt us down and drain us all dry. It would be mass murder.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You would let my mother die?” She gripped his arm. “Just give me a little. I won’t tell anyone where I got it from. I can keep a secret.”

“Secrets have a way of getting out. Look how well the vampire secret was kept.”

She moved closer. “Gregori, please.”

He winced. She wasn’t going to let this go. “I’m sorry.”

She released his arm and stepped back. “I can force you. Give me a blood sample, or I’ll tell my father to break the alliance.”

A chill ran down his back. Without the alliance, Vamps could be in serious danger. But if he gave her a blood sample, they would be doomed. “Abby, don’t do this. Don’t push me.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. “You’re not giving me any choice.”

Shit. There was only one way out of this mess. He hated to do it, but what choice did he have? Thousands of Vamps were counting on him.

Her words came back to torment him. If someone messed with my mind, I’d want to kill him, too.

He squeezed his fists. He had no choice.

He shot a surge of mind control at Charles, and the agent slumped against the wall. You will forget everything you heard since we left the foyer.

He grabbed Abigail by the shoulders. “Forgive me.”

She blinked. “For what?”

He hesitated. Why not? This might be his only chance. He kissed her.

She stiffened in surprise, then slowly relaxed as he poured his apology into the kiss. Her lips molded against his so soft and sweet. Forgive me, Abby.

He broke the kiss and invaded her mind.

You will forget everything that has happened since we left the foyer.