"What am I going to do with you guys?" Gregori sighed. "Laszlo looks like a dork, and you - Dougal, you gotta lose the skirt, the poufy shirt, and the hairy handbag. That thing is scary."
Dougal glanced down at his sporran, made of black muskrat fur. " 'Tis verra practical. Where else would I keep my coin?"
"Pockets!" Gregori gave him an incredulous look. "Have you heard of those? Sheesh, dude, you're medieval."
He stiffened. "I'm no' medieval."
"Dougal, you're accessorizing with a dead animal."
"I'm no' medieval. I was transformed after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. 'Twas called the Age of Enlightenment, in case ye dinna know."
Gregori snorted. "You fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie? How enlightened was that?"
Dougal gritted his teeth. "I fought for freedom from English tyranny. As a bloody Yank, ye should understand that."
Gregori shrugged. "Fine. But I'm telling you, man, if you want to find a woman, you need to upgrade." His eyes lit up. "I bet you need some practice, too. Don't go anywhere." He took off across the foyer and down the hallway.
Laszlo fiddled with another button. "What is he up to?"
"No good, most likely." Dougal looked at Leah. She was nibbling on a strawberry and casting curious glances at the crowd of Vamps across the room. "Are ye serious about her?"
"I-I'm not sure," Laszlo answered quietly. "She may be in shock, so I should probably leave her be for a while and give her some time to adjust . . ."
As Laszlo continued to reason with himself, Dougal studied her. She was a natural beauty, and he would wager a year's earnings that she was unaware of it. Her hair was long, thick, and black, her face small and delicate, her neck slim and graceful. So much like Li Lei. Same creamy, porcelain skin. Same tilt of her head. Same little nose and exquisitely shaped mouth. He nearly moaned when she bit into a strawberry, then licked the juice from her lips.
Her eyes were different. They were a lighter, more golden brown, and their shape was a little rounder. And there was another difference. A huge one. Leah Chin was alive. This was no ghost shrouded with regret but a vibrant, lovely woman.
Li Lei's hair had always been pulled tightly back, but Leah's hair was loose. A glorious, shimmering curtain that swayed gently with her every move. He couldn't wait to touch it, feel its silky texture, and run his hands through it.
His gaze drifted lower. Her knit shirt covered her shoulders, but he had no doubt they were beautiful. The clingy material outlined her breasts nicely, allowing him to envision the -
" . . . mounds," Laszlo said. "More like mountains."
"What?" Dougal gave him a wary look.
"Paperwork," he clarified. "Mounds of it. I doubt I have time to court Dr. Chin."
"Right." Dougal glanced once again at Leah and discovered her staring at him. Her eyes widened, and she turned her back. Damn, was he that scary to look at? Her abrupt movement had caused her hair to swing back and forth. It was cut bluntly across, the ends right below her shoulder blades.
A vision popped in his mind with him flat on his back and her sitting astride him, riding him, with her hair swaying wildly. And when she leaned forward to kiss him, her hair fell forward to sweep gently across his face. He would be immersed in her softness, her sweet fragrance. Just imagining it made his groin grow -
" . . . tight," Laszlo continued. "Very tight schedule. So much to do and so little time."
"Aye," Dougal muttered. So much he would do. He would caress her all over, explore every inch of her creamy skin, make her moan and writhe and scream with pleasure. He adjusted his sporran to conceal his hard -
" . . . staff," Laszlo said. "We have staff meetings every night."
"Every night, aye," Dougal mumbled. He would pleasure her every night.
"Oh God, no," Laszlo whispered.
Dougal followed the chemist's line of vision and spotted Gregori coming toward them. He was carrying VANNA in his arms. Who would bring a life-sized sex toy to a birthday party for bairns? Obviously, she wasn't intended to be a present for the children. That meant . . .
"Bloody hell," Dougal growled.
Chapter Five
How many times had she caught him staring at her from across the room? About as many times as he'd caught her doing the same. Leah's face grew warm. What was it about him that kept her eyes gravitating toward him?
First of all, he was probably a vampire, so it was crazy to look at him at all. But she was. Over and over again. And that, unfortunately, provided more proof that she was no longer firing on all her synapses. Just one step away from going completely bonkers.
He was handsome, but then, so were most of the men in the room. Because of her Irish grandfather, she'd always had a fondness for men in kilts, but there were other kilted men in the room, and she wasn't gawking at them. And it wasn't as if he made her feel safe. Quite the contrary. Laszlo looked a lot safer. So did the cheerful men holding babies.
Was that the difference? Everyone looked happy except the guy in the doorway. Was it her own frazzled nerves that caused her to be drawn to the one person who appeared as agitated as she did?
She could feel his stare, the heat of it prickling her back. The last few times she'd glanced at him he'd seemed grim and angry. Intense. As if a roiling fire inside him was threatening to erupt like a volcano.
She glanced at him again and froze. So much hunger in his eyes. And pain. It shook her, grabbing onto her heart.
There'd always been a strong need inside her to fix people who were suffering. As if that could somehow erase all the pain she'd suffered in silence. It was why she'd insisted on going to medical school in spite of the awkwardness she felt around others.
But this was no ordinary man. She couldn't let herself get drawn in. Not with him. Deep in her heart she knew he had the power to devastate her more than any other man on the planet.
She turned her back to him. "Who is he - the man next to Laszlo?"
Abby narrowed her eyes. "That must be Dougal. Dougal Kincaid. Haven't seen him around much lately. He's been guarding the Echarpes in Texas."
"He's security?" Leah sipped some punch and swallowed hard when Abby nodded her head. Of course he was security. He'd been watching her all evening. Even now she could feel his sharp emerald eyes burning into her back. "A vampire?"
"Yes."
Single? Leah stopped herself from asking. She had to be out of her mind.
"He's always struck me as a bit shy," Abby continued. "A quiet kind of guy."
Quiet until the volcano erupts. Leah wondered if she was the only one who sensed he was about to blow.
"He's a musician." Abby stepped closer, smiling. "You want to hear a funny story? Lara told me about it. One of the Vamps, Jack, was throwing a bachelor party for Ian in a hotel room at the Plaza. Dougal was playing the bagpipes, and they were all drunk on Blissky and trying to dance a jig. They were so loud that the hotel called the police, and Jack had a hell of a time trying to explain it all."
Leah glanced over at the happy crowd. Apparently vampires liked to party. "So what happened? Were they arrested?"
Abby chuckled. "No, but Jack ended up married to the police officer. Lara's over there somewhere." She motioned toward the crowd. "She's expecting a baby, too."
Leah gulped. She was sensing an alarming pattern here. "Do the Undead always take mortal women for their wives?"
"Well, not always." Abby picked up the cake knife. "Which flavor cake would you like?"
Not always? Did that mean some of the women here were vampires? Or something else?
Her heart started racing again. What if vampires were just the tip of the iceberg? What if the normal world around her was actually abnormal?
"I think I'll try the pink layer." Abby put a slice on a small plate. "I'm not sure if it's cherry or strawberry. What would you like?"
My sanity back. Leah studied the different layers. White, lemon yellow, pink, red velvet, and devil's food.
"You should get the chocolate," a young voice said beside her.
Leah jumped. The little boy had curly blond hair, blue eyes, and a dab of chocolate icing on his nose. "You - you're Roman's son?"
He nodded, smiling. "I'm Tino."
Half vampire? Leah eased a bit to the side.
"What's your name?" Tino asked.
"I'm . . . Dr. Chin."
"Oh." Tino took a chocolate chip cookie off the table and munched on it. "The chocolate cake is the best."
"You eat regular food?" Leah asked.
Tino nodded, his mouth full. "My mom says I'm surprisingly normal." He wrinkled his nose. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing." He pointed up to the ceiling. "Would you like a balloon?"
Leah glanced up. Helium-filled balloons covered the ceiling.
"What color would you like?" Tino asked.
"I don't kn - " Leah halted when the little boy rose through the air. "Oh God. Oh my God." Half vampire.
"He's really very normal," Abby assured her quietly. "He can just do a few tricks that - "
"Do you know what you've done here?" Leah pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe. "You've created a new species."
"The children are basically human. You'll see that when you study Tino's blood work."
"Basically human?" Leah wondered if she could still make a run for it. Unfortunately, the big, volcanically inclined Dougal would stop her.
Or maybe not. Gregori had returned with a woman, and the other men had retreated into the foyer, completely focused on her. She was dressed in a sparkly red dress that barely covered her rump and clung to a body that was downright voluptuous. Gregori had an arm around her waist and was grinning at her.
"Oh, no," Abby whispered. "It's Vanna. I thought he'd gotten rid of her."
Leah winced. Poor Abby was pregnant, and her husband was seeing another woman?
Gregori pushed the woman into Dougal's arms. Scowling, he tried to hand her back, but Gregori simply laughed. Dougal glanced at Leah, and his scowl grew even more menacing. He stalked away, taking the woman with him.
Leah shuddered. "Will that woman be safe?"
"She's not - "
"Here's your balloon." Tino interrupted Abby as he landed beside them, holding a pink balloon. "I thought you might like pink cause you're a girl."
"Thank you." Leah automatically took hold of the pink ribbon. She glanced back at the foyer, but Dougal and the woman were no longer in sight.
"Don't let Coco touch it," Tino warned her. "Her claws are too sharp, and she might pop it."
"Claws?"
"Let me get you a piece of cake." Abby rushed back to the cake and plopped a slice onto a plate. "Tino, you want another piece?"
"No, thanks. I'm full." He smiled at Leah. "Coco wanted to help with the balloons, but her nails are too sharp. All the were-panther kids are like that."
Leah gasped, and the balloon escaped her hand. "Were-what?"
The second Gregori shoved VANNA at Dougal, he objected and pushed her back. Unfortunately, his prosthetic hand had locked onto her forearm and refused to let go.
"Bloody hell," he whispered. He didn't want anyone to witness his lack of control. Why tonight, of all nights? He was just getting back into the game. If Angus saw that he couldn't control his own freaking hand, he might never get another chance.
As he stalked down the hall to find a vacant conference room, he heard Gregori chuckling behind him. Dammit. Everyone would wonder why he wanted to be alone with a rubber doll, and by the sound of Gregori's sniggering, he knew what their conclusions would be.
He entered the first conference room and kicked the door shut. The room was empty, dimly lit from the window that overlooked the front parking lot.
Release! he ordered his hand. Nothing.
"Let go!" He shook his right arm, trying to fling VANNA across the room. She flopped wildly, still in the grip of his traitorous hand. One of her stiletto heels flew off and clattered onto the conference table. Her blond wig stayed on, but the hair stuck out like she'd been plugged into an electric socket.
Damn. He rammed her against the wall, pinning her across the chest with his left arm as he attempted to tug his right hand free. With each tug, her arm lifted higher and higher. Her stiff fingers caught in his hair, pulling his hair loose from its tie.
"Dammit. Let go!" He tried jerking his hand to the side. Her whole body moved with him, but her dress didn't. Clasped in his left fist, the flimsy material tore completely off her shoulders.
"Bollocks," he growled and let the dress fall.
He hesitated a second, surprised by how real her breasts looked. The nipples were even beaded, as if she was aroused. Her glassy eyes stared at him through strands of messy hair. Her mouth was permanently set in a dopey grin. There was even a tongue in her mouth. And teeth.
Bloody hell, of all the stupid situations to be in. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He just needed to relax, and then his prosthetic hand would let go. He would toss VANNA back into Gregori's office and forget this had ever happened.
Gregori and Laszlo had invented VANNA years ago as an alternative to biting real women. As good Vamps, they had all switched to drinking synthetic blood out of bottles, but some had missed the thrill of sinking their fangs into a lovely neck. To solve that dilemma, Gregori had come up with VANNA, the Vampire Artificial Nutritional Needs Appliance.