She shook her head. What was she thinking? She would simply end up burned.
As she turned to leave, she spotted something odd. A piece of paper stuck out from his left hand. He must have fallen into his death-sleep holding it.
She leaned over for a closer look and froze at the sight of large, bold letters. Leah. He'd written her a note? A thrill of excitement shot through her, quickly followed by a jab of annoyance. How dare he assume that she would come downstairs to ogle him in his death-sleep? It wasn't as if she was obsessed with him.
She winced. She was here, wasn't she?
With a tug, she slipped the note from his hand, then opened it.
Dear Leah,
I doubt you'll come downstairs to see my dead carcass, but in case you do, I am leaving you this note. I'm not good at saying what I feel, so I thought I would write what was in my heart.
If I could dream, I would dream of you.
If I could see the sun, it could not shine brighter than you.
If I died a thousand deaths, I would come back to search for you.
Leah's eyes blurred with tears. She'd been told he was shy, but she hadn't realized he was so romantic. How cruel could fate be that she'd finally met the perfect man, but he was a vampire?
She folded the note and wedged it back beneath his left hand. It would be better if he didn't know that she'd read the note. She didn't dare let him know how deeply he affected her.
A tear ran down her cheek and landed on his hand. She wiped it dry and hurried from the room.
"How is everything?" Dougal asked that evening as he strode into the security office.
"The usual." Austin slipped on his coat. "Angus and Emma will be returning to London tonight, so it'll be just you and Freemont. Oh, and Abby wants you to come by her office tomorrow night at five thirty."
"All right." Dougal hoped she wasn't planning to run more tests on his hand. He took a sip from his bottle of synthetic blood as he scanned the monitors. Plenty of mortals were still in the facility, but that tended to happen in the fall and winter months, when the sun set early. He spotted Freemont in the cafeteria, presumably making his rounds, although it looked more like he was flirting with the pretty young cashier.
His gaze shifted back to the lab. "When did Abby and Leah arrive?"
"About two hours ago." Austin pocketed his car keys. "They needed to see the guy in the silver room, so I took them down there. Leah wanted more blood and tissue samples, and Abby gave him another injection to keep him in stasis."
Dougal eyed the monitor showing the silver room. "There was no problem then?"
"Nope." Austin headed out the door. "See you tomorrow."
"Aye. Have a good evening." Dougal's gaze drifted back to the monitor showing Leah and Abby hard at work.
Had Leah come to see him during the day? Had she read his note? When he'd awakened, he'd thought there had been a slight whiff of jasmine in the air. But was it simply wishful thinking? He couldn't be sure.
The cell phone in his sporran dinged, so he took it out. There was a text message from Angus. He and Emma were teleporting back to their townhouse in London and wished him good luck with his new job. As soon as Abby reported that his hand was working perfectly, Angus would put him on the mission roster.
Dougal texted back his thanks, then finished his breakfast bottle while watching the monitors. A few minutes later, Laszlo arrived at the lab, this time sporting a purple polka-dot bowtie. Dougal's eyes narrowed, watching Leah carefully to see how she reacted to Laszlo. She seemed friendly, but there were no stolen glances, no blushes, nothing to indicate she returned his affections.
Thank God. Dougal exhaled with relief. He didn't want to feel like he was stealing Leah from anyone. He had another trip planned for her tonight. As soon as Freemont returned to the office, he would set his plan into action.
A little after seven, he spotted Abby and Leah on a monitor, deep in conversation as they wandered toward the cafeteria. He strode there quickly to meet them at the door. When Leah saw him, her heart rate sped up. Fear or excitement, he wasn't sure which.
"Good evening." He inclined his head. "May I speak with you alone?"
She glanced at Abby. "We were about to eat."
"You can catch up with me later." Abby shot him a suspicious look, then headed toward the cafeteria line.
"Is something wrong?" Leah asked, avoiding eye contact.
"Nay. I - " He wished he wasn't so awkward at this. "I'd like to take you out to dinner."
She turned to him with an exasperated look. "You don't eat."
"Ye do. And I think ye'll like the place we're going."
She winced. "I don't think I should go anywhere with you."
That hit him hard in the chest. "I thought ye enjoyed our trip last night."
A pained look flitted across her face. "I did."
"I enjoyed it, too. And I like talking to you."
"Dougal." She motioned for him to follow her to a quiet corner. "I don't want to get involved with anyone at work."
He frowned. "Do I frighten you?"
Her eyes glistened with moisture, and she looked away.
"I would never harm you, Leah."
"I-I believe you mean that, but I-I can't . . ."
His heart sank. "Ye canna date a vampire?"
She turned to him with a beseeching look. "Please try to understand. I only learned about vampires two nights ago. I'm still trying to adjust. I need time."
Was that reason to hope? If she had enough time to adjust, would she change her mind?
She sighed. "Where did you plan to take me?"
"Niagara Falls. I went earlier to check it out."
She closed her eyes briefly. "That would have been nice. I've always wanted to see it."
"We could still go. As friends. There's a place there where ye can eat. And then, there's a boat ride - "
"No!" She stepped back, turning pale. "I-I can't do that."
"I dinna mean to frighten you - "
"It's not you. I-I'm afraid of boats. I always think they're going to sink. I know it's silly."
He stiffened. A memory flashed through his mind. A storm on the Yangtze River almost three hundred years ago. A boat capsizing and his desperate attempt to keep Li Lei from drowning.
"I'm sorry." Leah gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you want to date me, and I-I'm really flattered. But I can't do it right now. I'm sorry." She rushed off to get in line with Abby.
Rejected. His heart squeezed in his chest. He would have to honor her feelings and leave her alone. But there was still hope. She might change her mind eventually.
He glanced over at her. Afraid of boats? That wasn't something he'd expected.
He trudged back to the office. The first time he saw Leah from behind, she had reminded him of Li Lei. Something about the way she moved and the tilt of her head. But he'd quickly realized that Leah was different. Vibrant and beautiful. He'd admired her strength and courage when her safe world had been stripped away. The pain and loneliness she'd endured over the years reminded him of his own suffering and made him long to comfort and protect her. He'd become so intrigued with Leah that Li Lei hadn't even crossed his mind since that first night. He'd completely forgotten about her.
But now he wondered - could Li Lei's soul have found a way to return to him? For almost three hundred years, he'd felt regret and shame for failing her. In his heart, he had begged for forgiveness. If Li Lei had come back, did that mean she wanted to forgive him?
His heart swelled at the thought. If it was true, it would mean he could finally put his painful past behind him. Lay the ghost of Li Lei to rest and move on with his life.
He could be with Leah. He wanted Leah. This time, he vowed, this time I will not lose the woman I love. I will protect her no matter what.
His tattoo itched, and he rubbed his shoulder where the scars remained from having a slave brand burned into his skin. It had been Li Lei's idea to cover his mark of shame with a symbol of power. She'd claimed the dragon would give him the strength to endure. And he had. For centuries.
Now it was time to move on. If only he could convince Leah to give him a chance.
Chapter Eleven
The following night at five thirty, Dougal met Abby in her office.
"I started developing this drug six months ago," Abby said, showing him a vial containing an ominous green liquid. "It's designed to help the Vamps defeat bad vampires by simply taking over their minds. You wouldn't have to fight them if you could order them to lay down their weapons and surrender."
Dougal nodded. "A good idea." He wouldn't have lost his hand four years ago if he had been able to order those five Malcontents to stop.
"We're still working on it," Abby continued. "But it occurred to me that a diluted version might help you. If we boost your mind-control ability, then we could increase your control of the prosthesis. Do you want to try it?"
"Do I really need to? My hand worked perfectly well last night."
"But it malfunctioned for two nights before that." She held up the green vial. "This could help you. Are you willing to test it for us?"
He frowned. "Are ye saying it has never been tested?"
"No, afraid not." She gave him a wry look. "We don't keep any vampire lab mice here. But if it makes you ill, you'll recover during your death-sleep, right?"
"Ye're no' a verra good salesman, are ye?"
She smiled. "Just trying to be honest. And I honestly do think this will increase your mind control and help you control your hand."
He hesitated.
"If it works, I can approve you for fieldwork and have Angus put you on the mission roster," she added.
Now that was a better sales pitch. "Ye've diluted it?"
"Yes. We don't want you controlling all the Vamps in the vicinity, just your hand."
He still hesitated.
Abby propped her elbows on the desk and leaned toward him. "As far as I can tell, the prosthesis works fine. The problem is your control, and it's being affected by your emotional state. If you prefer, I could have you talk to our psychologist, Olivia - "
"I'll take the drug." There was no way he would discuss his emotions with Robby's wife. His feelings were personal. His past was private. He didn't share it with anyone.
"All right." Abby filled a syringe with the greenish liquid. "It will take some time before you'll feel the effect. Twenty or thirty minutes." She gave him a wry smile. "Do you want to roll up a sleeve or lift your kilt?"
He snorted, then unbuttoned his cuff and rolled up his sleeve. She wiped his arm with antiseptic, then plunged the needle in.
"That's it." She fixed a Band-Aid over the spot. "Just go about your normal routine and let me know how it works. Oh, and let me know if you have any strange side effects."
"Now ye tell me about strange side effects?"
She grinned. "I have to get back to work now. Good luck!" She hurried from the room.
He stepped into the hallway, rolling his sleeve back down. His normal routine. That was easy enough. He checked the office, and Freemont was there, manning the desk, so Dougal offered to do a perimeter check.
He exited the building through the side entrance and strode around the parking lot. In a few hours, once all the mortals were gone, he would zoom about at vampire speed, but for now, he kept a normal pace. The mortals were starting to get off work, and some were returning to their cars.
He headed into the woods. The crisp autumn air felt refreshing against his face. It wouldn't be long before the first snow, and he looked forward to it. He hadn't seen snow at all during the four years he'd spent in Texas.
Was the drug taking effect? He curled his prosthetic hand into a fist, then relaxed it. There was no difference that he could tell. The real test would be if he could control it with Leah in the vicinity.
He headed back toward the building, walking past the gazebo, which was glittering with white Christmas lights. A sharp pain shot through his skull, surprising him with its intensity. He shook his head, and it cleared.
As he crossed the basketball court, another pain pierced his head, shooting from his temple to the base of his skull. He halted, squeezing his eyes shut. Damn. Was this one of the blasted side effects? If so, he wouldn't be taking the drug again.
He took deep breaths, waiting for the pain to ease.
When he opened his eyes, he spotted a group of female employees in the cafeteria. Mortals. Ten of them. He watched them through the window. Apparently they had stayed after work to have a party. A birthday party, from the looks of the big cake skewered with candles. Another table was covered with brightly colored gift bags. The sound of the women's laughter and chatter was so loud that he could hear it outside. There were times when superior hearing was not a blessing.
One of the ladies lit the candles, and just as they started singing the happy birthday song, another pain screeched across his brain.
"Och." He squeezed his eyes shut. Stop!
The singing stopped.
He opened his eyes and saw that the ladies were all staring at each other with confused looks on their faces.
Had he done that? Was this another side effect? The women continued to stare at each other while the small candles burned down, the flames sputtering in the icing. Blow them out!
All ten women leaned over the cake, huffing and blowing.
He winced. Abby had certainly managed to increase his mind control. With the flames blown out, the women stood in a circle around the cake, staring at it. Were they awaiting further orders?