The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake)

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  “We doona know his name. He’s refused to say anything other than curse at us in Chinese. J.L. and Rajiv brought him back two weeks ago. I’d sent them to China again to hunt for Russell.”

  “Did they find him?” Dougal asked.

  “Nay. But they think he found them.” Angus took another sip from his cup. “A group of Master Han’s soldiers ambushed them. They were in serious trouble, when a barrage of arrows took out half the enemy.”

  “Russell?”

  Angus nodded. “It must have been him, but when the battle was over, they searched the vicinity and couldna find him.”

  Dougal motioned to the monitor. “So this is one of Master Han’s soldiers?”

  “Aye. He’s mortal, or started out that way, but he now has some of the superpowers that we possess. We’re no’ sure how Han is transforming the mortals, but it has something to do with the demon Darafer and some drugs he made.”

  Dougal frowned. They’d defeated villainous vampires before, but never one who had teamed up with a demon.

  “The problem with hunting for Russell is that he’s hoping to kill Master Han,” Angus continued. “So in order to find him, we also have to search for Master Han.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Dougal asked. “Should we no’ be trying to kill the bastard?”

  “We need to, aye, but ’tis verra hard to actually find him. He’s taken over a large portion of southern China, Tibet, and the northern portions of Thailand and Myanmar. ’Tis a huge area to canvas. J.L. and Rajiv have spent months there, and they’ve discovered thirty outposts, each one heavily guarded. As far as they can tell, Master Han teleports from one fort to another, and they never know where he’ll pop up next.”

  Dougal winced. “Like playing whack the mole.”

  “Aye. Master Han has nearly a thousand soldiers now, spread over the thirty outposts. J.L. and Rajiv are so outnumbered that they try their best to avoid any confrontations.” Angus sighed. “I was discussing this with Roman and Jean-Luc. We find ourselves in a moral dilemma.”

  “How so?”

  “They may be the enemy, but they’re mortal.” Angus extended his cup toward Dougal so he could refill it with Bubbly Blood. “We never felt guilty about killing Malcontents. They’re a bunch of rotten bastards who’ve spent centuries killing mortals and enjoying it.”

  “Aye,” Dougal muttered. “And they’re already Undead. They simply turn to dust after ye skewer them.” Just like his hand, once it had been sliced off in battle.

  Angus nodded. “But when we kill Master Han’s soldiers, they doona disappear. Their bodies remain. And so does our guilt. As far as we know, their souls go straight to hell.”

  Dougal winced. “I dinna know that.”

  “Our guys learned about it on their first mission to China. The mortals enjoy their superpowers as a gift from Darafer, but when they die, their souls belong to him forever.” Angus dragged a hand through his hair. “We doona know if the mortals agree to the bargain, or if they are coerced through vampire mind control. Roman and I have discussed it at length, and we’re reluctant to engage in battle with these mortals. We doona want to kill them.”

  And dispatch their souls to hell. Dougal finished his Bubbly Blood and refilled his cup. “While we wait, Master Han is making more of them. Dooming more souls.”

  “I know.” Angus drank. “That’s why J.L. and Rajiv brought back one of the soldiers. We have some good scientists here: Roman, Laszlo, and Abby. We hoped they could figure out how the mortal was changed and how to change him back.”

  “Then we could save them instead of killing them,” Dougal concluded.

  “Aye.” Angus finished his cup and set it on the table. “Abby has been studying blood and tissue samples from our guest, and she claims he’s been altered genetically. ’Tis beyond her area of expertise, so she suggested we find an expert to help us out.”

  Dougal nodded. “Did ye find someone?”

  “Dr. Lee did.” Angus referred to the vampire doctor from Houston. “He’s been looking for an assistant, since he has an increasing number of Vamps and shifters and wee bairns to take care of. He found a physician who also has a Ph.D. in genetics. A young mortal. And a genius, according to Dr. Lee. He’s bringing her here tonight.”

  “Her?”

  “Aye.” Angus stood and paced across the room. “He hired her a week ago, but he had some trouble breaking the news to her about vampires and shifters.”

  Dougal finished his cup of Bubbly Blood. Was it right to drag an innocent, mortal woman into this mess? “She dinna take it well?”

  “Nay. She became so upset that she wanted to quit, and he ended up erasing her memory in order to keep her employed. We doona want to lose her.”

  Dougal winced. “And he’s bringing her here? The place is swarming with supernatural creatures.”

  “We thought it best. As a scientist, she has great admiration for Roman and his invention of synthetic blood. She also knew about Abigail’s achievements and was eager to meet her.” Angus motioned to the monitor showing the ballroom. “And there’s a blasted party going on for a bunch of bairns. How frightening can we seem when we dote on our children?”

  Dougal snorted. “So we’ll convince her that we’re as meek as lambs?”

  Angus smiled. “That’s the plan.”

  “What of the moral dilemma of exposing an innocent woman to a dangerous world? What if she wants nothing to do with us?”

  Angus’s smile faded. “We need her. And since ye’ll be working here, I expect you to do yer part to convince her to help us.” He held up a hand when Dougal started to object. “Ye may think it’s wrong to involve her, but what if she can free the soldiers who’ve been enslaved by Master Han? There could be over a thousand souls she saves.”

  So the needs of the many outweighed the needs of one? There was a ruthless logic to it, but it still didn’t sit well with Dougal. How often in the past had he ranted against a cruel fate thrust upon him without his consent? The same thing could happen to this woman.

  He took a deep breath. The die was cast, and he couldn’t fight it. All he could do was protect her to the best of his ability. “Hopefully she will react well tonight.”

  “Like ye said, we’ll be as meek as lambs.” Angus stepped closer to the wall of monitors. “They’re here.”

  Dougal glanced at the screen that showed a black Town Car pulling into the parking lot. “Who’s with her?”

  “Abby picked her up this afternoon at LaGuardia and took her to Roman’s townhouse. After the sun set, Dr. Lee and Gregori joined them. That’s Gregori’s car. He’s driving.”

  “They plan on telling her the truth soon?” Dougal asked.

  “Aye,” Angus replied. “Abby will take her to the lab first. Laszlo’s been getting things ready.”

  Dougal glanced at the monitor, where Laszlo could be seen straightening a stack of papers. No wonder the chemist had cleaned the room. He’d even combed his unruly hair and put on a fresh white lab coat with a full array of buttons.

  Dougal’s gaze shifted back to the dimly lit parking lot, where the Town Car had come to a stop by the front entrance. His nerves tensed as a heavy feeling swept over him. Something was wrong. The air was suddenly too thick to breathe. He grabbed the bottle of Bubbly Blood and swallowed down a gulp. It didn’t help.

  Gregori and Dr. Lee exited the front seats and opened the rear car doors. Two women emerged. One was short with curly auburn hair. Abigail Tucker Holstein: renowned scientist, daughter of the American president, and Gregori’s wife. The other . . . Dougal glimpsed a slim young woman, who turned away from the camera, her long black hair swinging about her shoulders.

  His prosthetic hand tightened around the bottle of Bubbly Blood.

  Gregori punched in the security code at the entrance, then opened the doors so they could enter the foyer.

  “Dr. Lee made the mistake of simply blurting out the truth,” Angus said, watching the monitors. “Abby thinks we should pique h
er scientific curiosity first. Then we’ll have a better chance at reeling her in.”

  They paused in the well-lit foyer, and Dougal had a clearer view of her from behind. The graceful curve of her spine and firm set of her shoulders, the inquisitive lean of her head as she looked about . . . so familiar. Painfully familiar.

  His shoulder blade itched as his tattoo grew warm. Turn, turn toward the camera.

  Her head moved slightly as if she might have heard him. Turn, turn to me. A sizzling sensation started on the tail of his tattoo, then burned a path along the dragon’s body, over his shoulder to his chest, till it erupted in the fiery breath etched in crimson over his heart.

  He gritted his teeth against the surprising burst of pain. Why was the tattoo tormenting him now, when it had been quiet since 1746? It took a great effort just to whisper. “What’s her name?”

  “Dr. Chin. Leah Chin,” Angus replied.

  Li Lei. Dougal’s heart thudded in his ears, a pounding rhythm for the sad melody that had haunted him for so long. I will find you. No matter what. If it takes a thousand years, I will find you.

  It had taken almost three hundred years, but he’d found her. Turn, Li Lei, turn to me.

  She swiveled, looking around the foyer, then glanced straight up at the camera.

  It wasn’t her.

  His heart seized with an abrupt pain. Of course it wasn’t her. How could it be? He’d buried her himself in a grassy mound overlooking the Yangtze River that had claimed her life. She was lost to him forever.

  His fist clenched, and the bottle of Bubbly Blood shattered in his prosthetic hand.

  Chapter Two

  Leah Chin was not in a partying mood. After one glance at the large room where a party was in full swing, her nerves tensed. So many people, laughing and chatting, happy and comfortable with each other. She’d witnessed similar events numerous times in college, med school, and grad school. And she’d never fit in.

  She’d grown up without the benefit of friends or classmates, so she’d been ill prepared for the social aspects of college. And starting at the age of fourteen hadn’t helped. She found people fascinating, but only from a distance. She could watch the lively antics of brightly colored fish in a giant aquarium but never dive in and play. Jump in and you risk drowning. Or being eaten by sharks.

  She glanced again at the security camera in the corner by the front door. Someone was staring at her, she could feel it. Stop being so paranoid! Still, her skin prickled with a strange sensation. Instead of being the scientist observing a specimen under a microscope, tonight she had an odd feeling that she was the specimen.

  “Would you like to drop in and say hello?” Dr. Lee motioned to the large, noisy room.

  “I-I don’t want to interrupt.” After all, she’d come here believing she would tour Romatech Industries and meet its owner, the renowned scientist Roman Draganesti. No one had said anything about a party. “I wasn’t invited.”

  “Everyone’s invited,” Dr. Lee told her. “It’s a birthday party for three kids. Very friendly people. You’ll like them.”

  “They won’t bite,” Gregori Holstein added, his eyes twinkling when his wife shot him a disapproving look.

  “You can meet them later.” Abby Holstein gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. “How about we go to my lab first?”

  “Yes.” Leah jumped at the lifeline. “Please.”

  “Wonderful.” Abby smiled at her. “I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on.”

  “I’ll see if I can find Roman for you.” Gregori winked at his wife, then strode down a corridor on the left.

  Leah noted the tender look in Abby’s eyes as she watched her husband walk away. Must be nice to love someone that much.

  “I’ll join you in a few minutes after I see how the birthday kids are doing.” Dr. Lee paused at the entrance to the large, noisy room. “I delivered them, you know.”

  Leah blinked. “You mean these people are your patients?” A week ago, when Dr. Lee had hired her, he’d mentioned he was the personal physician for a select group of clients. She would be expected to help him whenever he needed her, but she’d been hired mainly for her expertise in genetics.

  He smiled. “You’re their doctor now, too. They’ll want to meet you sometime tonight. When you’re ready.”

  She swallowed hard as Dr. Lee sauntered into the noisy room. There were so many of them. It would take her awhile to be comfortable with them all. Her gaze flitted quickly over the crowd. Bouncy, happy children. Only a few adults looked over the age of forty. In fact, most of them appeared to be in their peak years of fitness.

  “They’re really nice people,” Abby said softly.

  “They seem very healthy.” Leah retreated into the foyer when a few partiers cast curious glances her way. “Why do they need two doctors at their beck and call?”

  Abby hesitated before replying, “They have . . . special needs.” With a quick smile, she motioned toward the double doors at the back of the foyer. “My lab’s this way.”

  After one last worried glance at the party, Leah headed toward the double doors.

  “Not much of a people person?” Abby asked as she held open a door.

  Leah entered the next corridor. “I’ve always wanted to help people. That’s why I became a doctor. But I discovered I was better suited for lab work.” And being alone.

  “I recognized the deer-in-the-headlights look on your face.” Abby gave her a sympathetic smile. “I felt the same way when my father wanted me to attend campaign rallies or state dinners. It was all I could do not to throw up.”

  “Really?” Leah stared at her, stunned. “But you seem so . . . confident.”

  Abby snorted. “I learned to mask it, but I always felt terribly awkward at social events. Once I left the lab, I never knew what to say. Is it like that for you, too?”

  “Yes. I’ve always found science much more reliable than people.”

  With a nod, Abby smiled. “I felt the same way . . . but then I met my husband.” She turned left into the corridor. “Come on, this way.”

  Leah glanced about as she walked. The left wall was interspersed with doors; the right wall was made entirely of glass and overlooked a basketball court and a well-lit patio furnished with tables and chairs. She spotted a gazebo covered with white twinkling lights in the distance. So pretty. “This looks like a nice place to work.”

  Abby nodded. “I’m very happy here. I have a fabulous lab.”

  Leah slanted a curious look at Abigail Holstein. Could she actually become a friend? There’d been plenty of students eager to befriend Leah in college and med school, but they’d only sought her out in hopes of free tutoring from the infamous freak who had started college at the age of fourteen and med school at the age of seventeen. Dr. Freakazoid, they had called her behind her back. And when they’d no longer needed her to pass a course, they’d quickly disappeared.

  She’d started off so naïve and trusting. It had been a cruel lesson, realizing that people were often undependable and unpredictable. Mercenary and combustible. You never knew when a seemingly harmless fish would turn out to be a shark. The only way to remain safe was to remain alone.

  Science, on the other hand, she could trust. Unlike people, chemicals bonded in a consistent, reliable manner. They could break apart or combust only if she introduced a new variable. In her lab, she was in control, queen of a universe where all her constituents obeyed the rules.

  She took a deep breath. “When Dr. Lee hired me, he said I would spend most of my time in a lab. It was my genetics research that interested him the most.”

  “Yes, we’re very excited about that.” Abby slowed to a stop. “Don’t let the number of patients alarm you. You were right about them being very healthy. They won’t need your services unless one of them is injured. Or expecting a child.”

  Leah noticed that Abby’s hand had moved to her stomach. “Are you . . . ?”

  With a grin, Abby nodded. “We found out last nigh
t.”

  “Wow. Congratulations.”

  Her face beaming, Abby leaned toward Leah. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? We’re going to announce it at the party.”

  Leah nodded. Would Abby be shocked to know she’d never had a friend confide a secret to her before? “I won’t say a word.”

  Abby clasped her hands together. “Gregori is so excited. And his mother—she’ll be ecstatic!”

  “I imagine your parents will be thrilled,” Leah added.

  Abby’s smile faded a bit. “I hope so.”

  Was there a problem there? A chill skittered down Leah’s spine, and she peered over her shoulder. Another camera, its red light blinking. “Are we being watched?”

  Abby glanced at the camera. “Maybe. We have excellent security.”

  “Can they hear us?”

  “I suppose, if they turn up the volume.” Abby shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. There hasn’t been an incident here since the bombing years ago.” She winced. “It wasn’t a big deal. No one was seriously hurt.”

  Leah’s mouth dropped open. “This place was bombed?”

  “I know it’s hard to believe someone would do that when synthetic blood saves so many lives, but I’m afraid there are some strange . . . people out there.” Abby patted her on the arm. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” Leah glanced again at the camera. Were they listening? “I know the world is full of weirdos.”

  Abby gave her a worried look. “As you say.” She walked forward a few steps, then stopped next to a door. “Welcome to my lab.”

  “Whoa. Are you partying without me?” Gregori asked as he sauntered into the security office. “It smells like Bubbly Blood in here.”

  “There was a wee accident.” Angus motioned to where Dougal was partially hidden beside the desk, picking up shards of glass that were once a bottle and tossing them into the litter bin.

  “Hey, dude, long time no see,” Gregori greeted him. “How’s the bionic hand?”