Austin shrugged. “They needed it.”
“Aye. But so do you if ye’re unemployed.”
“I intend to find another job.”
“Ye worked in Eastern Europe for a while.”
Austin swallowed. “How do you know about that?”
“Ian has grown quiet adept at breaking into Langley. Ye’re fluent in Hungarian and Czech?”
“Yes.” Austin suddenly felt like he was on a job interview. “I’d like to continue the fight against the Malcontents if you know of an organization that—”
“Later,” Connor interrupted him. “Several Malcontents have been murdered lately in Central Park. What do ye know of that?”
Austin took a deep breath, but remained silent.
“The Russians have accused us of doing it, but I think it’s yer bloody Stake-Out team. Since ye’re no longer with the CIA, you wouldna mind telling me if I’m right?”
Austin hesitated. “The Malcontents deserve to die. They attack the innocent.”
“Aye.” Connor crossed his arms. “Since you and Garrett were involved in the reality show, I’m betting the assassin is either Sean Whelan or one of the females on the team.”
Damn. He needed to call Emma and tell her to stop.
“’Tis one of the ladies, then,” Connor said softly. “You wouldna feel the need to protect Sean.”
Austin shifted in his chair. This vampire was too sharp.
Connor gestured toward the knife. “And why have ye brought this here? Are ye hoping to torment my guilty conscience?”
“So you admit to your guilt? Why didn’t you take her to a hospital? Or to Romatech? They have tons of synthetic blood there. You could have saved her.”
Connor’s eyes clouded with pain. “She was such a brave lass. She dinna deserve to die.”
“But you killed her.”
He shook his head sadly. “A vampire can smell how much blood a mortal is carrying. We can hear the beating of their hearts. The knife had nicked a major artery. She was bleeding internally. Only a few more beats and she would have been gone.”
“You don’t think there was enough time?”
“I know there was not.” Connor heaved a sigh. “I know she hates me. But believe me, there was no other way to save her.”
“I believe you.” The pain in the vampire’s eyes was real.
Connor touched the plastic bag. “How did ye get this?”
“I stole it from the police.”
The Scotsman’s eyebrows rose. “I’m impressed.”
“Darcy told me about Roman’s experiment to transform a vampire back into a human. She said it didn’t work because they needed the human’s original DNA.”
“Aye.” Connor lifted the knife, his eyes widening. “And this is Darcy’s human blood.”
“With her human DNA.” Austin leaned forward. “I think it’s possible the experiment could work on her.”
“Have ye told her?”
“No. Her friends are protecting her from me.”
“Why?” Connor frowned. “What did ye do to her?”
“I made her lose her job. And I fell in love with her.”
“Ah. And ye would prefer to love a mortal than a vampire?”
“I’d be happy with her any way I could get her, but it’s not about me. It’s about Darcy and her happiness. This needs to be her decision.”
Connor set the knife back on the table. “I’ll have to check with Roman to see if he believes it could work.”
“Then will you tell her? I think it should come from you.”
Connor sighed. “I couldna give her a choice before.”
Austin handed him the knife. “This time, you can.”
At midnight, Vanda and Maggie dragged Darcy into the living room to watch another episode of The Sexiest Man on Earth. Sly was still airing the show on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The vampire public demanded it. According to Corky Courrant, it was the most popular show since the formation of DVN.
In the week since she’d been fired, Darcy had kept busy helping the ladies start their business and find a townhouse of their own. For now, they were all staying in Gregori’s cramped apartment. The ladies were too happy to be bothered about the close quarters. They even invited Darcy to participate in their male dancer club, but she declined.
Now she sat, scrunched on a couch between Vanda and Maggie. The ladies loved seeing themselves on TV, but watching the show and seeing Austin was torture for Darcy. Knowing she couldn’t have him didn’t lessen her love for him. It only increased the poignancy of her longing. By the end of the show, she was thoroughly depressed. The jubilant ladies filled glasses with Bubbly Blood.
“Cheer up.” Maggie handed her a glass. “At least Sly agreed to let us keep all the money.”
Gregori snorted. “He had no choice. Roman was the one who put up the funds, and he insisted you all keep it.”
“The master did care about us after all.” Cora Lee grinned. “You should be happy, Darcy. Your show is the biggest hit ever.”
“Indeed,” Princess Joanna agreed. “Sly would be a fool not to beg you to do another one.”
Unfortunately, Sly was a fool. “He’ll just hire someone else,” Darcy muttered.
“I don’t think so,” Vanda countered. “Corky Courrant’s been playing your interview over and over. She’s making you famous. Sly will have to ask you back.”
“Vanda’s right.” Gregori sipped from his glass. “Corky’s taken up the cause of female Vamp liberation, and she’s named you the hero of the movement. Sly will look like a complete scumbag if he doesn’t take you back.”
Unfortunately, Sly was a complete scumbag. Darcy wasn’t going to hold her breath waiting for him to call.
“The founder of the female Vamp liberation movement.” Maggie gazed at Darcy with admiring eyes. “I knew it. I knew there was a reason for you to be with us. This was all meant to be.”
Darcy’s heart swelled with emotion. She was meant to be here. Meant to be a vampire. Her eyes misted as she regarded all her friends. At last, she was making peace with her world.
“Being the marketing genius that I am,” Gregori continued, his eyes twinkling, “I’ve decided to take full advantage of your celebrity status. I convinced Roman to start a new line of female Vamp products, and we want you to be our spokesperson.”
Darcy’s mouth fell open. “You mean, I would have a job?”
“Yes.” Gregori smiled. “You would make commercials, go on tours. Be an inspiration to Vamp women all around the world.”
The ladies squealed and gathered around Darcy to congratulate her. She was too stunned to do anything but babble incoherently. In the midst of all the noise, the phone rang.
Gregori answered it. “Sure, come on over.” He glanced at the women. “Step back, please. We have a visitor coming.”
The women crowded against the far wall as a figure materialized before them. Shoulder-length auburn hair. A red and green plaid kilt. Connor. Darcy stiffened.
He immediately focused on her. “We need to talk. Alone.”
Her heart pounded in her ears. What doom was he bringing tonight? And why? Her life was finally looking hopeful again.
“Come, ladies.” Gregori motioned toward the door. “Let’s give them some privacy.”
Darcy perched on the edge of an easy chair as her friends filed from the room. Connor paced about, his kilt swishing around his knees. He was nervous, she realized, and that only served to make her pulse race faster.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve been enjoying yer show.”
“Thank you.”
“I gather ye dinna tell yer boss about Austin working for the CIA?”
“No. Sly was furious enough just to find out he’s mortal.”
Connor folded his arms across his wide chest. “He came to see me a few hours ago.”
“Austin?”
“Aye. He had something important to tell you. And yer friends here weren’t letting him get through to you.”
/>
Darcy’s heart stuttered. Austin had tried to reach her? While she remained speechless, she heard muffled whispers behind the door. Her friends were listening in. Her nosy, overprotective friends. “Austin’s been trying to reach me?”
“Aye.” Connor glanced at the door where the whispers had grown in volume. “I suppose they were trying to protect you.”
Darcy raised her voice. “How silly of them. They should know I can take care of myself.”
The whispers cut off.
Connor’s mouth twitched. “Well done, lass,” he said softly.
Darcy motioned to the chair next to her. “What did Austin say?”
“He claimed he was no longer with the CIA.” Connor took the offered seat. “We checked on it, and it’s true. In fact, Sean Whelan has blacklisted him from any government employment.”
“I see.” Poor Austin. He was in worse shape than her.
“Ye told him about the experiment to transform a vampire back into a mortal.”
“Yes.” Darcy frowned. “I told him it didn’t work.”
“Because the vampire’s original human DNA is needed.”
“Yes.” Darcy wondered where this was going.
“Austin brought me the knife from yer attack four years ago. It was covered with yer blood. Yer human blood.”
Darcy fell back against the chair. “You mean…?”
“Aye. I took the knife to Roman. He isolated yer human DNA. He thinks ye’re the best candidate we’ll ever find.”
She pressed a hand against her chest. Her heart was thundering in her ears. “I—I could become mortal again?”
The whispers resumed outside the door.
Connor leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. “I have to tell ye, lass, there’s a possibility ye could perish during the procedure.”
“How—how big a possibility?”
“Roman estimates a seventy-five-percent chance of success.”
And a twenty-five-percent chance she could die.
The door burst open, making her jump in her chair.
“Don’t do it!” Maggie rushed into the room.
“I agree.” Gregori marched in. “You shouldn’t risk your life, Darcy. You have a perfectly good life here.”
The other ladies murmured in agreement.
Darcy’s eyes filled with tears. She did have a promising future in the vampire world. But she didn’t have Austin. And he still wanted her. That was why he’d brought Connor the knife. “Austin wants me to do it?”
Connor shook his head. “He dinna say. He only said ye deserved to be happy. And ye deserved to have a choice.”
He wants me to choose. She could have a bright future as a celebrity in the vampire world. She had wonderful friends who cared about her and a female liberation movement she’d managed to start. On the other hand, she could have Austin. And her family. And sunshine. And a one in four chance of dying.
“Don’t do it.” Maggie knelt beside her chair. “We need you.”
“I’m not sure we’re enough.” Vanda’s eyes glimmered with tears. “There’s nothing more sacred than love.”
“But we love her!” Maggie exclaimed.
A tear tumbled down Darcy’s cheek.
“Enough of yer blethering,” Connor stood. “This is Darcy’s decision. I couldna give her a choice before, but now, I can.”
Darcy wiped her cheeks. “I need to talk to Connor alone for a moment.”
Her friends trudged slowly from the room and shut the door.
Darcy drew a shaky breath. “If I go through with this, I might not survive, so I want you to know how I feel.”
Connor sat heavily in the chair next to her. “I know ye hate me. I doona blame ye for that.”
“I’ve been telling myself I should hate you, but I realize now I was angry with myself. I was…ashamed.” More tears slipped down her cheeks, and she brushed them away.
“Why, lass? Ye were verra brave to rescue that young girl.”
Darcy shook her head. “I was a coward. I blamed you for transforming me, for not giving me a choice. But the truth was I had a choice. When you poured your blood down my throat, I could have refused. I could have turned my head and died with dignity. But I didn’t. I was afraid. I didn’t want to die.”
“No one wants to die, lass.”
“I drank your blood.” Tears streamed down her face. “I was so appalled with myself.”
Connor grabbed her hand. “You did what ye had to do to survive. And ye made the right choice. Look at all the good ye’ve done. Our world is a better place because ye’re here.”
“I made the right choice,” she repeated to herself. A sense of peace filled her heart. Maggie was right. Her life as a vampire had been meant to be. And if she hadn’t survived, she would have never met Austin. She squeezed Connor’s hand. “Thank you.”
His blue eyes glistened with tears. “Have ye decided, lass?”
“Yes. I took the cowardly choice before. This time, I choose to be brave.”
Chapter 27
Monday night, the phone rang, jolting Austin from a deep sleep. The clock read only eleven-thirty. He’d gone to bed early after an exhausting day on a new construction site. His nerves clenched as he fumbled for the receiver. A call this late usually meant bad news. “Hello?”
“The procedure is scheduled to begin in twenty minutes.”
Procedure? “Who is this?” he asked, although the caller’s Scottish accent made it fairly obvious.
“Connor. I thought ye might want to be here for Darcy.”
“She—she’s doing it?” Austin’s heart lurched in his chest. “She’s going to be changed back—”
“Aye,” Connor interrupted him. “They’re prepping her now. All her friends are here, so—”
“Where?” Austin jumped out of bed.
“Romatech. Ye know where it is?”
“Yeah. White Plains. I’ll be there. Tell Darcy I’m coming.” Twenty minutes? Damn, he’d never make it in time.
“Ye should know there’s a possibility she’ll no’ survive.”
His heart plummeted into his stomach. He could have sworn both lungs had collapsed cause he couldn’t breathe. He heard a clicking sound. “Wait!” Too late. Connor had hung up.
He dropped the receiver back into its cradle. Holy crap. He should have never given them the knife. Darcy could die.
He threw on some clothes, grabbed his wallet and keys, and charged out the door. Try to think positive. The elevator took an eternity to reach the ground floor. Think positive. She’ll be mortal. He sprinted to the parking garage. His hands shook as he fumbled to unlock the car. He climbed in and started the engine.
She could die.
He sped out of the garage and zoomed north on the West Side Highway. His gaze darted to the dashboard clock every few seconds. Was she afraid? Dammit, of course she was afraid.
She could die.
His heart hammered when twenty minutes had passed. They were starting the procedure. And he wasn’t there. He sped past a police car in the Bronx. Holy shit. He glanced in the rearview mirror. No flashing lights. Thank God. He turned north onto the Bronx River Parkway.
She could die.
Finally, he reached the outskirts of White Plains. He swerved into the entrance of Romatech, ignoring the guard station and the kilted Scotsman who shouted at him. He screeched to a halt by the front door and ran inside. Two Scottish guards grabbed him.
“Where’s Darcy?” He struggled. “I have to see her.”
“Ye’re Austin Erickson?” The first guard restrained him while the second one removed Austin’s wallet and checked his ID.
“Yes.” Austin yanked his arm free from the vampire’s grasp. “I’m here to see Darcy Newhart.”
The second guard returned his wallet. “Connor told us ye were coming. This way.”
Austin followed the guards down a hallway, around a corner, and down another hallway. Finally, they opened a pair of swinging doors.
Austin rushed inside and halted when he saw Gregori and all the ladies from the reality show. Gregori was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. He shot Austin a hostile look. Vanda was pacing about the room. Maria Consuela and Princess Joanna were kneeling together with a priest, all of them praying in Latin. Maggie took one look at him and started crying. Lady Pamela and Cora Lee sat on each side of Maggie, whispering assurances. Then they looked at Austin with accusation in their eyes.
He should have never recovered that knife. It would be his fault if Darcy died. He cleared his throat. “How is she?”
“How do you think she is?” Gregori growled. “They’re draining every drop of blood out of her.”
Vanda slowed to a stop in front of him. “Connor comes out about every five minutes to tell us what’s happening.”
Austin strode toward Gregori. “Tell them to stop. It’s not too late to keep her a vampire, right?”
Gregori snorted. “Why would you want to stop it? She wasn’t good enough for you as a vampire, was she?”
Austin clenched his fists. “I love her just the way she is. Now go in there and tell them to stop!”
Gregori hesitated, so Austin strode toward the door. “Darcy! Don’t do it!” The door was locked. He pounded on the door. “Don’t risk your life for me, dammit!”
The door opened suddenly as Connor exited. Austin tried to go in, but the Scotsman shoved him back and held him against the wall with one hand. Austin strained against Connor’s grip, but the Scotsman was incredibly strong.
“Ye’re making too much noise out here,” Connor growled.
“You have to stop the procedure,” Austin whispered.
“She’s entered the vampire coma,” Connor announced softly. “’Tis too late.”
Maggie burst into tears. Cora Lee and Lady Pamela joined her. Vanda stumbled to a chair and collapsed. Gregori slumped against the wall, his eyes closed.
Austin’s eyes filled with tears. What the hell had he done? He had no right to take Darcy away from these people who loved her. “You can still let her stay a vampire.”
Connor shook his head. “It was her choice. She deserved to have a choice, and ye know it.”
“Listen! If things go badly, if she’s dying, I want you to make her a vampire. She’ll be safe that way.”
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