Sexiest Vampire Alive (40 page)

“I’m . . . really dirty. I’m going to shower.” He strode into the bathroom.

She stood there, her mind racing with jumbled thoughts.
It’s perfect now. Don’t mess it up
. How could she mess things up by asking for his blood?
I told you that before
.

The sense of déjà vu jabbed at her, and she paced about the bedroom, trying to remember. She’d met him at the White House. Then there had been the date at the nightclub and the trip to DVN. No, none of that triggered any forgotten memories.

The next night she’d gone to Romatech. She’d witnessed that scene where Sean Whelan’s wife had discovered he’d been messing with her head for years.

She halted. No, it couldn’t be possible. Gregori would never do such a thing.

Bits and pieces came back to her. She’d almost fainted. She’d been surprised at dinner that forty-five minutes had gone by. The stress ball had appeared in her pocket without her remembering how it got there. Laszlo had come up to her, acting like he already knew her.

A shudder skittered through her body.

She’d had this conversation with Gregori before.

She walked into the bathroom. He was in the shower stall, his back to her, his back that was smooth without any sign of the wounds he’d suffered.

With a trembling hand, she opened the door.

He turned and smiled. “Want to join me?”

Tears stung her eyes. She was afraid to ask, afraid of the answer. “Did you mess with my mind? Did you erase my memory?”

His smile vanished. “Abby, don’t—”

“Did you screw with my mind?”

He grimaced. “We . . . can talk about it.”

“No!” She backed away. Her heart plummeted, and a wave of nausea churned her stomach. “You did it, didn’t you?”

“Abby, we can talk about it.” He turned off the water and stepped out. “I had no choice at the time. And it was only a few minutes.”

She pressed a hand to her mouth and ran back into the bedroom.

“Abby.” He followed her, dripping wet.

“How could you?” She opened her backpack. Her hands shook as she fumbled inside.

“I told you. I have people I have to protect.”

“And what about my mother? I’m trying to protect her!” She found her passport, her emergency cash, and her credit card.

“Oh God.” Tears tumbled down her face. She had to leave him. She couldn’t stay with someone who would screw with her mind.

She swung the backpack onto her shoulder. “We just went through hell, and we didn’t have to! If you had given me a sample of your blood, I might not have needed those damned plants, and we wouldn’t have suffered, and I wouldn’t have met that demon, and he wouldn’t have threatened to make my mother worse!”

She stormed out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the foyer. When she tried to open the front door, an alarm went off. She frantically pushed buttons, trying to get the door to unlock.

“What is wrong?” Kyo asked as he rushed toward her.

She sniffed and wiped the tears from her face. “I’m going home. Can you please call me a cab?”

“Cab?” He looked confused. “Why you crying?”

“Abby!” Gregori ran downstairs, wearing a pair of jeans. “Don’t leave like this. We can talk it over.”

“There’s nothing to say!” she yelled at him. “You don’t trust me enough to give me a sample of your blood. And I can’t trust you anymore!”

“The devil take it.” Angus strode into the foyer, a bottle of blood in his hand. “What is everyone fashed about?”

“I need a cab.” Abigail sniffed. “I’m going to the airport.”

“No!” Gregori walked toward her. “We’ll work this out.”

She yanked on the door handle. “I want to go!”

“Miss Tucker,” Angus said. “There’s no record of you entering this country. If you wait, I can teleport you west. It will take a while—”

“I don’t want to wait.” She wiped tears from her face.

“I have private jet,” Kyo suggested. “Mortal pilot.”

“Ye do?” Angus asked.

Kyo nodded. “I like it. I ride in back and sleep in coffin. I don’t have to wait for sun to set.” He turned to Abigail. “I get you out of Japan. My jet take you to Hawaii. Then you get plane home.”

“No!” Gregori shouted. “She’s not leaving. We have to talk this out.”

“Let her go and think things over,” Angus muttered.

“Yuki is my chauffeur,” Kyo said. “I have him take you to airport.” He punched some buttons on the intercom, then opened the door.

“Thank you, Kyo. You’ve been very kind.” She stepped outside.

A black Town Car drove up, and she climbed into the backseat while Kyo gave the chauffeur instructions. As Yuki drove away, more tears streamed down her face.

She was leaving Gregori.
After he nearly died to save your life
. She pushed that thought aside.

He’d also screwed with her mind. Erased her memory. She might not have gone on the mission if she’d found something useful in his blood. When she thought about all they’d suffered through—Gregori’s wounds and Howard’s torture—more tears ran down her cheeks.

He refused to give her his blood. Refused to trust her. Refused to help her mother.

But he loves you. You love him. He almost died to save your life.

No. She wouldn’t think about that. She couldn’t.

He might have saved her life.

But he’d broken her heart.

Chapter Thirty

G
regori paced in his office at Romatech. Desperate times called for desperate measures. And he was desperate.

Time for Plan C.

He squeezed a stress ball. He’d devised the plans on the way back to New York. There’d been several layovers, while he, Angus, and Robby had waited for the sun to set at the next destination. He’d had plenty of time to figure out how to get Abby back. Angus and Robby had offered their advice—beg and grovel—but he hoped to avoid that. After all, he’d saved her life. He deserved some respect, dammit.

But it wasn’t going well. Plan A had been a miserable failure. He’d based it on the premise that their squabble had been unimportant in the big scheme of things. They loved each other, so any minor disappointments could be easily smoothed over.

He called to see if she’d arrived home safely. She wouldn’t pick up his calls. He left cheerful messages and sent flowers to her at the White House. Sent candy to her office. Sent more flowers and a fruit basket to her mother’s room at the hospital. Left more cheerful messages with assurances that he loved her and had every confidence they could weather this minor storm.

He got an inkling that it wasn’t working when the flowers were returned ground into mulch.

Undeterred, he moved swiftly on to Plan B—holding her plants hostage until she agreed to meet him. He sent more text messages, reminding her that her Tiger Paw plants were at Romatech. He was taking good care of them. And she could come pick them up some evening. Or he could deliver them to her personally at her lab.

No response.

He’d felt sure Plan B would work. Didn’t she want the damned plants? Didn’t she want to help her mother? He saw on the news that the first lady was failing fast.

Abigail felt betrayed. He realized that now. And his only hope at winning her back was Plan C.

He dropped the stress ball on his desk, picked up the small package he’d prepared for her, and slipped it inside a coat pocket. He’d waited till it was three in the morning, assuming the hospital would be quiet and free from visitors.

“Good luck,” he murmured to himself, and teleported to Belinda Tucker’s hospital room.

It was dark, except for the lights of the monitor screens. The first lady lay in her bed asleep, her face pale.

Across the private room, he saw Abigail sleeping on a couch. Dark circles smudged her eyes, and her nose looked red as if she’d been crying too much.

“I’m sorry, Abby,” he whispered.

In the corner, a young man was sprawled on an easy chair, also sleeping. Gregori recognized him as Abby’s brother, Lincoln.

Sleep.
He directed a mental command at both Abby and her brother. He couldn’t afford to have them wake up until Plan C was fully implemented.

The door opened and a male nurse walked in. He was a young man, dressed in white, with blond curly hair. He didn’t look alarmed at the sight of Gregori.

He smiled. “How may I help you?”

Gregori shot a spurt of mind control at him, but wasn’t sure he was getting through. “I want to give blood to her.” He motioned to Belinda. “A direct transfusion. My blood type is the same as hers.” He’d been drinking nothing but Type O for several nights to make sure he matched up.

The nurse inclined his head. “I will do as you ask.”

“Good.” He must have the nurse under his control after all. He took off his coat and laid it on the coffee table close to Abigail.

The nurse inserted a needle into Belinda’s left arm, since her right arm was connected to an IV. “Bring a chair over here.”

Gregori carried a lightweight plastic chair over to the other side of the bed. He sat and rolled up his sleeve.

The nurse rubbed alcohol on the crook of his elbow, then inserted a needle. Soon, blood was streaming through a tube into Belinda.

After about ten minutes, her face took on some color. She opened her eyes, saw the nurse, and smiled. “You came back.”

“Yes.” The nurse nodded, smiling back at her. “And someone else has come to help you.”

Her eyes widened when she noticed Gregori. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to help.”

Her gaze shifted to the tube inserted in her arm. “You’re giving me vampire blood?” She stiffened. “I won’t become a vampire, will I?”

“No,” Gregori assured her. “It won’t harm you in any way.”

“You will be fine,” the nurse said softly. “Trust me.”

“I do,” she replied.

The nurse smiled and motioned toward Gregori. “You can trust him, too.”

Belinda gave him a curious look.

“This will be enough.” The nurse disconnected them, then smoothed a bandage over Belinda’s puncture. He stuck another bandage on Gregori’s arm.

“Thank you.” Gregori rolled down his sleeve.

Belinda looked over at Abigail asleep on the couch, then turned back to Gregori. “You broke her heart.”

“I know. I’m . . . trying to mend it.”

“By mending me?” She smiled. “I do feel much better.”

“I’m glad.” He sighed. “I should have helped you earlier. I’m sorry.”

“Abby told me you were trying to protect your people, that you feared they would be hunted down for their blood.”

He nodded. “I was afraid to trust her.”

“I can understand that. I know from being close to my husband that it can be a heavy burden when the safety of so many people depends on your decisions. You must have felt torn between two worlds.”

“Abigail is my world. I know that now.” He glanced at her on the couch. “I would do anything for her.”

Belinda took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled when I realized she was in love with you. But the more she talked about you, the more I understood why she fell for you.”

He felt a surge of hope. “She speaks well of me?”

Belinda smiled. “On and off. She’s been very angry, but as much as she fusses about you, she defends you at the same time. She said you saved her life. You stepped in front of her and took two daggers in the back that were meant for her.”

Gregori nodded. “I love her.”

Belinda reached over and patted his hand. “If you can win her back, you will have my blessing.”

“Thank you.” He squeezed her hand, then stood. “I have something for Abby. Can you make sure she gets it?” He removed the package from his coat pocket and handed it to Belinda.

“Thank you, Gregori. Thank you for bringing her home safely.”

He nodded. “Good night.” He put on his coat and noticed the nurse was still there, standing by the door. “Thank you for your help.” He started to release him from mind control, then realized it wasn’t there.

The nurse inclined his head. “God be with you.”

“You too.” He glanced at the nurse’s name tag.
Buniel
. He stepped back, inhaling sharply. “You—you—”

Buniel’s eyes twinkled with humor. “Yes?”

“You’re Marielle’s friend. She told us about you.” Gregori ran a hand through his hair. “Shit—I mean, sorry.” Damn, he’d just cursed in front of an angel. “Aren’t you a healing angel?”

“A Healer, yes.”

“Well . . . darn.” He motioned toward Belinda, who had fallen asleep. “Why haven’t you healed her? She was close to death when I got here.”

Buniel arched a brow. “I am aware of her condition. I’ve been keeping her alive.”