Smith, Faith V. - Presidential Heat [Vampire Government Protectors] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Faith V. Smith

  “Gareth, I’m going to see if I can find her.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, you can’t leave the dinner unless it’s a national emergency. It’s a flagrant violation of protocol, not to mention rude.”

  Gareth stewed on that for all of a second. “I don’t care.”

  He pushed his chair back with just enough force it made a slight creaking sound, silencing the chatter around him.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it seems my fiancée needs me for a moment. I’m sure you’ll all recognize the fact it’s only been a few days since she got out of the hospital. I’ll be back, hopefully before dessert is served. Now, carry on and enjoy.”

  “Gareth, do you want me to go with you to check on Kira?”

  Eve’s concern warmed his chilled heart. He hoped it was just a case of her feeling under the weather. “That’s kind of you, Eve. Please, stay here and, if you wouldn’t mind, act as my hostess until Kira and I return.”

  “It would be my pleasure. Please tell Kira, if she needs me, I’ll be happy to come to her.”

  “I will, and again my thanks.”

  Gareth followed Malachi out of the dining room.

  “Okay, give it to me straight. Do you have any idea where she is and if she’s in danger?”

  Malachi didn’t break his stride as he and Gareth continued through the State Floor of the White House. “Danny said she told him she had to go to the ladies’ room. She refused to let him go inside with her. After she didn’t come out, he went in, and she was gone. I have other agents searching this floor.”

  “Any idea where?”

  “Not yet, but I want to check out the bathroom myself. I’m hoping to pick up her scent.”

  Gareth didn’t question Malachi’s ability to do just that—the man’s talents would probably boggle the human mind.

  A bare second later, they rounded a corner to see Danny standing guard outside the ladies’ room.

  “Danny, you’re sure she went in?”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. King. And I know she never came out.”

  “Okay, stay right where you are. We’re going in for a moment.” Malachi motioned to Gareth, who followed him inside the bathroom.

  Once dead center in the middle of the floor, the vampire closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. A second later, he released his breath and opened his eyes. “She can’t be gone more than a few minutes, but I can’t get a fix on where she went.”

  Malachi strode from the room. “Danny, thank you. You may go.” He turned back to Gareth. “The other agents will be here in a moment.”

  The seconds seemed to stretch like eons, until they returned and while he waited on the agents to report. Not one of them had found anything. Malachi had taken a brief invisible trip, which boggled Gareth’s mind, to the PQ to see if she may have returned there. His findings were the same—no Kira.

  “Let’s try the first floor.” They proceeded at a fast pace toward the elevator.

  “Mr. President, Mr. King!”

  They both stopped and turned back. One of the waiters who served dinner stood there, slightly out of breath.

  “Mike, we’re busy. Can’t this wait?”

  “I don’t think so. I heard you were looking for Agent Jackson. I delivered a note to her from another agent. I didn’t mean to look at the note, but I dropped it. I saw one word, ‘library.’” The young man fidgeted in his embarrassment. “I don’t know if it’ll help or not, but thought you should know.”

  “Thanks, Mike, I’m in your debt.” Gareth looked at Malachi.

  “We need to hurry. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. No agent would have called Kira away from this dinner without talking with me first. Let’s get to the library.”

  Both men turned again toward the elevator. “Listen, Malachi, I know you can get there faster and cover more ground than I can, so go.”

  “I can’t leave you unguarded. If this is part of a plot against you, then leaving you alone could be just what they want.”

  “Yes, and while we argue about this, we still don’t know what’s happened to Kira.”

  Gareth took Malachi’s indecision and drove home his point. “We’re wasting time. Go, I’ll be right behind you.”

  “See that you are, old friend.”

  Malachi dissolved right before Gareth’s eyes. If he were not so worried about Kira, he would be more fascinated with the science of teleportation. Instead, he entered the elevator, slapped the button, and waited for the doors to close. The moment the bell signaled ground-floor status, Gareth held his breath. The doors finally swooshed open. He sprinted down the hall toward the library. The door stood open. He hit the threshold at a full run, only to skid to a stop.

  Malachi knelt by Kira’s body.

  Gareth hit his knees. “Is she…”

  “No, but she’s barely hanging on.” Malachi looked as pale as death.

  “Do something!”

  “What do you want me to do? He cut her throat!” Malachi’s cry was anguished. Tears streaked a blood-red path down his face.

  Gareth noticed for the first time the blood soaking into the rose-patterned carpet. Yet he couldn’t believe there was nothing that could be done.

  “For God’s sake, man, you’re a vampire. There has to be something you can do.”

  “There’s one thing, but I’m not sure it’ll work. My healing powers couldn’t stop the blood.” Malachi held up his red-coated hands. “The only other thing I know to do is give her some of my blood. We’ll have to work fast, and then I just don’t know.”

  “What will that do to Kira…I mean, if it heals her? Turn her into a vampire?” Even as he asked the question, Gareth could not believe that it was actually a possibility.

  “No, it won’t turn her into a vampire…” Malachi looked down at Kira and then back at Gareth. “She’s already a vampire.”

  Gareth’s mind reeled, but he didn’t show any outward sign of his shock. It would do no good, and his main concern was Kira.

  “All right, let’s do it.”

  “Okay, but first we need to get her somewhere more private than this. I can teleport her and then come back for you.”

  “I guess that’s what you just did to get here.”

  “Yes, wait right here. I’ll be back in a second.”

  Malachi gathered Kira up in his arms, stood to his feet, and then bam, they were gone. Before Gareth could assimilate if he was crazy or not, the vampire returned and grabbed his arm.

  “Hold on, Gareth, and close your eyes.”

  The library fell away from view before Gareth could get his lids closed. A vortex of pressure assaulted his body, and then his feet felt flooring beneath them. He opened his eyes and found he was in Kira’s bedroom. She lay on the bed, motionless as death.

  Malachi stripped off his suit coat. “Lock the door.” Once Gareth complied, he took out his cell. “Alex, it’s Malachi. I need you to get a message to the prime minister. Tell him Gareth’s detained but will see him in the morning.” The cell phone slapped closed.

  “You don’t think they’ll question the fact I’m not returning?”

  “No, Alex’s actually one of us, a Vampire Government Protector for England. He’s the PM’s agent, and yes, the man knows he has a vampire guarding him and his family. Alex will make certain everything runs smoothly for the rest of the dinner and get them settled in their guest room. Unless you prefer to go back and do it yourself.”

  “What in the hell does that mean? Of course I want to stay. I’m not leaving Kira.”

  Malachi flashed him a full-fanged smile and pushed up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “I was hoping you’d say that. Now ditch your coat. This could get a bit messy.”

  Gareth did as he asked, and when told, he moved to sit on the bed next to Kira.

  “Hold her head in your lap. Although she’s losing blood at a fast rate, she might try to fight the blood I give her. I need you to hold her down.”

  A moment later, Malachi used his fang
s to slice a laceration in his wrist. He then placed his arm directly over Kira’s mouth. Blood soaked her lips, but none filtered in where it was needed.

  “See if you can open her mouth more.”

  Gareth tilted Kira’s head back a fraction, and with his thumb, he pushed her lips apart. “Is that enough?”

  “I hope so.” Malachi pressed more firmly against her lips, and as they both watched, a drop flowed onto her tongue. Then another and another.

  “This is a good thing, right?”

  “Yes, at least we’re replenishing what she’s lost. If I had time, I’d used an IV hang, but the fewer questions asked, the better.”

  “I agree.” Gareth caressed Kira’s hair. The rich chestnut color he loved looked red with the infusion of blood from her throat wound.

  “So, how do we get her wound to close up?”

  “Once we get enough blood in her system, her vampire instincts will kick in, and she’ll start to heal. I’ll also be able to help the healing along then.”

  “Okay, so how long before that can happen?”

  Malachi frowned. “I’m not sure. First, I don’t know for certain the blood I’m giving her will prevent her from dying.”

  “Why is she dying? I thought you people had to have your hearts and heads cut off to die.”

  “Well, for some that’s true, but I need to explain some things so you’ll understand.”

  Gareth wondered if his brain could hold many more shocks. Finding out Kira was a vampire had almost taken out his heart. He’d fallen in love with what he thought was a mortal woman to find out she was something else entirely. What would it mean for their relationship? At the moment, he didn’t even know if they had one. Kira had lied to him, maybe not an outright lie, but one by omission. They had spoken of love, and she’d kept her origin a secret.

  “I’m listening.”

  “Okay, short version. Kira’s granddaddy, who’s pretty much older than dirt, invented a serum that allowed us vampires to be able to be photographed and also to go out in the sun.”

  Gareth kept his eyes on Kira as Malachi continued.

  “What we do as Vampire Government Protectors is top secret, pretty much. Of course, the powers we protect usually don’t know unless they find out, like you did. We started taking the serum injections, or rather Kira did, right after she was born. This allowed her to appear normal to other kids her age. She could do play-dates, as they call it now, go to school, and anything else she needed to appear normal.

  “Usually, when we hit age forty, we normally stop aging, but the serum overrides that part of our vampire makeup by allowing us to grow older, although at a slower rate than mortals, so we don’t have to move every ten years or so to prevent suspicion.”

  “So, how old are you?”

  Malachi laughed, which seemed a miracle with Kira lying there. “I’m older than you are, okay?” He checked Kira’s pulse. “Close your mouth. I’m not centuries old, but I was born of vampire parents. Grandpa Jackson gave me the serum when I was almost the age you are now. I wanted a normal life. Now, if someone is turned, they remain the age they were at the time they were changed.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Who would want to be turned? No offense.”

  “None taken. Well, there are benefits to being fanged. You can fly, teleport as we just did, live a fairly long and healthy life, etc. Of course, with all things, there are drawbacks. You watch mortal friends and loved ones grow old and die. We have to have an injection of blood, but we can eat normal food, as you’ve seen. Thanks to Grandpa Jackson.”

  Malachi removed his wrist from Kira’s mouth. “I think we’ve gotten in enough to see if it’ll work. If she doesn’t come around in about an hour, we’ll have to take the chance of bringing in blood packs and an IV pole and tubing.

  “To answer your question about beheading and the like, yes, at one time that was true. The serum acts as an agent to make us appear more human, but we have to take the good with the bad. Once our hearts stop for whatever reason, unless we can be given blood, we die. Which means Kira can die if injured severely enough.”

  Gareth eased her head back on the pillow and slid off the bed. His mind was overrun with what he’d heard. Incredible, to be sure, but with Malachi mouthing it, he knew it to be true as the red, white, and blue.

  “Should I go back to the dining room?”

  “Up to you. I think Leland can handle it, but you could drop in, tell them Kira is resting.”

  “I think I will. I also think I’m going to commandeer a bottle of brandy and some food. You hungry?”

  “Yeah, but for blood. I need to replenish the amount I gave to Kira.”

  Gareth’s shock must have shown on his face.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t bite you. I can subsidize the blood need with a raw steak. Think you can get one of those sent up?”

  “Yeah, unless you want to make it materialize.” His chuckle brought a louder one from Malachi.

  “Nope, just tell Claude, who I’m sure is hanging around the kitchen.”

  “Claude? Don’t tell me he’s…”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you. Now, get going.”

  Gareth turned to do just that, but stopped when Malachi called out, “You might want to change shirts first and put on another jacket.”

  Gareth looked down. Evidence of what was at stake spattered his shirtfront—Kira’s lifeblood. God above, she had to live. He couldn’t lose her now.

  “Yeah, I’ll do that and be back as quick as I can.”

  * * * *

  Ten minutes later, Gareth arrived back in the dining room. Most of the guests were finishing dessert. He took his seat before stating, “Kira won’t be joining us again tonight.” He only hoped it was only for tonight and not eternity. “She’s resting.”

  He motioned for the waiter to bring him a fresh glass of brandy and smiled down the table. How he hated having to make nice when Kira could be dead.

  The waiter brought his brandy, and Gareth took a moment to whisper in his ear, “Would you please ask Claude to come out? Tell him I need to speak to him.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. President.” The young man almost skipped in his eagerness to please.

  “Now, I hope all of you had a pleasant dinner, even without myself and Kira here for the most part.”

  The guests agreed. He hoped they were not offended by his having to leave, but you could never tell in politics.

  “Gareth, is Kira okay?” Leland’s question made Gareth want to yell his uncertainty, but he couldn’t.

  “I told you, she’s resting.”

  “Yes, I know that, but I also know Alex. He looked a bit terse when he got a note. I assume it was from Malachi.”

  What and how much did Leland know? He needed to find out. “Why don’t we table this discussion until after everyone else has retired?”

  “That works for me. Do you want to meet in the library like we did last time I was here?”

  “God no! We’ll meet in my private quarters. I’ll send someone to get you in a bit. Okay?”

  Leland looked a bit shocked, but nodded his head in assent.

  Before Gareth could say anything else, Claude appeared at his side. “Mr. President, I was told you needed me.”

  Whispering everything was beginning to get on Gareth’s nerves, but he did it anyway. “Malachi wants a steak, rare, brought to Kira’s room. If you wouldn’t mind, make that two, but cook mine, okay?”

  Claude’s features grew puzzled, then concerned, before he settled back into his serving manner. “I take it Kira won’t be eating.”

  “No, but hurry, Claude. Malachi might need some help. I’ll be up as soon as I can.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. President.” Claude backpedaled and then exited the room.

  Gareth took one sip of brandy and set the glass down. As much as he wanted to run from the room, he needed to keep to a bit of decorum. Although it was understandable for a president to leave a state dinner in case of a national emergency, Garet
h didn’t really think his guests would understand, or even believe in vampires.

  He played at making small talk, but after ten minutes, he’d had enough. “I hope everyone will excuse me again. There are matters that need my attention. Feel free to stay and mingle. Prime Minister and Mrs. Babcock, someone will show you to your rooms whenever you’re ready.” He and Leland exchanged looks, and then Gareth stood to his feet, nodded and left.

  He sprinted up the staircase instead of running down the hall to the elevator. He needed the physical action to fight the terror in his body. The twenty minutes or so he’d been absent from Kira’s side could mean she was recovering or dead. If dead, surely Malachi would have sent him a message.

  Scooting to a halt at the Queens’ Bedroom door, he grasped the knob and turned it before stepping inside. “How is she?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “She’s breathing better, my friend. Sit and let Malachi tell you more.” Claude moved from his spot at the side of the bed to allow Gareth to take his place.

  “Her pulse and heartbeat’s stronger now, and yes, we do have both when awake. She took a bit more blood, and as you can see, the wound is much better.”

  Gareth’s gaze went to Kira, and his mouth dropped open. The previously horrendous slice in her throat had closed up. It might not seem completely healed to Malachi and his kind, but to Gareth it was a pure, heaven-sent miracle.

  “This is great. That means she’s healing from the inside, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, and I think all she’ll need is a bag of blood and her injection of serum.” Malachi’s features showed the anxiety of the last hour, since Kira had disappeared and the aftermath.

  “So, anything on who the supposed agent was and how he got inside the White House?”

  Malachi’s growl rolled through the room. “No, and that’s making me extremely uneasy. Our regular Secret Service agents would never let anyone in they didn’t know. It has to be someone who can almost materialize out of nowhere.”