What could he say? Home had become infinitely more interesting once Dr. O’Dea had taken up residence.
He pushed through the door and spotted Anne’s very efficient assistant, Holly, holding up a finger, which meant his mate was with a patient.
“What’s that you have there, Mr. Murphy?” the girl asked in a subdued voice.
Murphy smiled and held it up. “First prototype of a new device.”
“Oh, how clever.” Holly’s eyes lit up. “How does it work, then? You don’t break it at all?”
“Not so far.” He pulled a chair over and began showing the girl the different features, including the case made out of a new type of nonconductive polymer.
She humored him. The young woman was the daughter of one of his software engineers and had recently graduated from Trinity. No doubt Holly had something far more sophisticated at home, with a much sleeker case. Murphy didn’t care.
It worked.
“That’s brilliant, sir. I have to admit, I can use the keyboard regular, but I do prefer the voice software you gave me. It’s very convenient.”
“What do you like the best?”
Nothing like a little market research to pass the time. He might send Declan around to question the girl more. The Nocht software had been in testing for four months within their organization. Combined with the tablet, Murphy and Declan were hoping that it would give vampires a smooth platform for running most home computer programs, security systems, and mobile applications. It wasn’t perfect—far from it—but it was a start.
“What time did her patient get here?”
“Oh, I don’t know if she’s strictly a patient. Dr. O’Dea said you had a meeting with her and her husband later tonight. I think they might be getting acquainted is all. She asked not to be disturbed.”
As if on cue, the door opened, and two laughing women exited. One was human, clearly pregnant from both her scent and her appearance. She had curling red hair that looked right at home in Ireland, though she spoke with an American accent.
“Murphy!” Anne said with a smile. “Are you finished with work?”
He held up the tablet. “It works.”
She clapped her hands together, grinning as she held out her hands. “Show me!”
Murphy hid it behind his back even as he bent to kiss her cheek. “You have a guest, love.”
“Sorry, yes.” Anne didn’t look sorry; she looked happy. “I’m a very bad politician.”
“But an excellent hostess,” the American said, holding out her hand. “You must be Patrick Murphy. Thank you so much for meeting with us. I’m Natalie Ellis, Baojia’s wife.”
He took her hand and shook it. “My apologies. I didn’t expect to meet you until later this evening.”
“I have to thank Anne for indulging me. Our oldest son is two, and he is not the best about going to sleep away from home. Combine that with jet lag…” She rolled her eyes. “My husband is attempting bedtime while I make myself scarce. If Jacob sees me, all bets are off. I called Anne, hoping to find someone to hang out with at this time of night.”
He put an arm around his mate, who promptly swiped the tablet.
Murphy laughed and said, “I hope your accommodations are comfortable.”
“They are, thank you. Carwyn and Brigid are awesome hosts. And Brigid’s Aunt Sinead has Jake completely charmed. We might end up stealing her and taking her back to California.”
It was unusual for vampires to have families, but not unheard of, especially if they took human mates. It wasn’t biologically possible for immortals to breed, but modern technology had proved helpful in some areas.
Murphy’s nosiness about the arrangement grew from pure curiosity. Baojia’s deadly reputation had crossed oceans. It was hard to imagine the vicious killer coaxing a small child to bed. Murphy wondered if Baojia had remaining blood relatives or whether his children’s biological father was anonymous.
None of his business really, though it did make him grateful that his mate was already immortal.
There were no tests for Elixir in the bloodstream, but Anne’s appetite was as voracious as a newborn. While that caused its own set of problems, especially since blood restrictions were still in place, it did reassure them that the transfusion from her sire had been effective. If Elixir had still been in her system, a lack of hunger would have been the first symptom.
“I don’t suppose,” Murphy said, “that you can tell me why Baojia requested a visit?”
Natalie opened her mouth, then closed it. “I think I need to leave that to him. I try not to poke my nose into official business too much. I can say I think it’ll be welcome news. I tagged along because I’ve never been to Ireland. Well, and my husband has a hard time letting me out of his sight while I’m gestating.”
Anne blinked. “I suppose he would.”
“Is your family Irish?” Murphy asked. She certainly looked it with her red hair and smattering of freckles.
“My dad was, but a long way back. I’m from Northern California.”
“It’s a beautiful part of America.” He reached over and grabbed the tablet from Anne. “My toy.”
“Greedy.”
“Declan made one for you too.”
Natalie leaned over. “That’s really a working tablet?”
“It’s a prototype,” Murphy said. “But it’s looking very promising.”