Chapter Twenty-one
"I'm still not happy about this trip of yours," Belinda said the next evening.
"I'll be fine, Mom," Abigail assured her. "I should be away for only a few days."
Madison perched on the end of the hospital bed in their mother's private room. "It sounds exciting to me. Like super spy stuff with superheroes. I wish I could go."
"We'll be camping inside caves," Abigail muttered.
"You won't have a bathroom?" Madison's eyes widened in horror. "Or a television? How on earth will you survive?"
"I'll be fine." Abigail rolled her eyes over to their mom.
Madison looked confused for a second, then nodded enthusiastically. "Oh! That's right. She'll be perfectly fine, Mom. I'll TiVo all the good shows for her. And the Chinese will never catch her."
Belinda groaned and pressed a hand to her mouth.
"Don't worry, sweetheart." Dad patted his wife's shoulder. "Abby will be with the most powerful guards on the planet. And Gregori promised to keep her safe."
"Where is this Gregori?" Belinda motioned to the window. "It went dark an hour ago."
"I'm sure he'll call soon," Abigail said, even though she was wondering the same thing.
After a few hours of lovemaking at his condo, he'd teleported her back to the lab so she could put her clothes back on. She'd checked out at work, letting a Secret Service agent drive her home so everything would appear normal. Then he'd teleported to her bedroom at the White House and they'd had more fun in the shower.
Before leaving, he'd warned her to be packed and ready to go the next evening. Her backpack was now sitting next to the dresser in her mother's hospital room, and she was saying her good-byes.
"Be sure to wear layers," Belinda warned her. "And don't drink the water. Even when you brush your teeth."
"Yes, Mom." Abigail's phone rang. "That must be him." She stepped over to the corner of the room and answered the phone.
"Ready to go?" Gregori asked.
"Yes. What took so long?"
"We went through all the reports from the guys. The messages come in during the day and pile up. Besides, there's no need to hurry. We can't start teleporting till the sun sets in California."
"Oh."
His voice softened. "Are you all right, Scholar?"
She turned to face the wall as heat invaded her cheeks. "Yes."
"Are you in your bedroom?"
"I'm at the hospital. My mom wants to meet you before we go. Is that all right?"
"Sure."
"You can teleport straight here. I'm in my mother's private room. My dad and Madison are here, too."
Gregori appeared beside her.
Belinda gasped.
Madison grinned. "So cool."
Her father stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "Good evening, Gregori."
"Sir." Gregori shook his hand, then inclined his head toward Belinda. "How do you do, Mrs. Tucker?"
Her eyes widened. "So you're really a vampire?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She looked him over. He was wearing khaki pants, a khaki shirt, and a brown bomber jacket. "You don't look very vampirish."
"He's doing the Indiana Jones look," Madison told her mother, then frowned at him. "You forgot the hat and the whip. You know, accessories really make an outfit."
Belinda held out her hand. "Would you come here, please?"
Gregori walked forward and took her hand in his.
She searched his face. "My husband believes you can be trusted, that you'll take good care of our Abby. Is that true?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Abigail's heart warmed at the sincerity in his voice. She eased closer so she could see his face.
"Abby tells me you're a young vampire, and you've never bitten a human for food," Belinda continued.
"Yes, ma'am, that's true."
Belinda smiled. "You seem well mannered for a vampire."
He smiled back. "My mother will be pleased to hear that."
"Your mother is still alive?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I've met her," Abigail told her mother. "She's mortal. And a big fan of yours."
Belinda shook Gregori's hand, then released it. "Very well. Have a good trip. And please bring my Abby home safe and sound."
"I will." He looked at Abigail. "Ready to go?"
She nodded. After a round of tearful hugs and good-byes, she swung her backpack over her shoulder. "Let's go."
"First stop, Romatech." Gregori wrapped his arms around her, and everything went black.
They landed outside the side entrance, and Gregori swiped his card to open the door. He led her to the security office, where she was able to look at the reports from the guys in China. Both bases were set up, and they had teleported in supplies.
The office soon grew crowded with Vamps and mortals who wanted to wish them a good journey. Abigail was introduced to Angus and Robby MacKay, who would be teleporting with them as far as Tokyo. When it was time to leave, both MacKay men pulled their wives aside to tell them good-bye.
Abigail was touched by the obvious love on their faces.
She leaned close to Gregori and whispered, "Are their wives vampires, too?"
"Emma's a Vamp," he whispered back. "Olivia's mortal. And expecting their first child."
Abigail's mouth dropped open, and she glanced at Robby and Olivia, who held each other tightly. "Oh my gosh." She grabbed Gregori's arm and whispered, "We didn't use any protection last night. And we did it five times. I can hardly walk."
Gregori winced as chuckles reverberated around the room. "Abby, there's no point in whispering around vampires. They can hear everything."
"Oh." Heat rushed to her cheeks.
"Don't worry." Gregori pressed a kiss against her temple. "My sperm is dead. I can't have children until Roman does one of his magic tricks."
She narrowed her eyes. "How does that work?"
"He would take live human sperm, erase the DNA, and put in mine."
"Oh." She nodded. "Interesting." So she could actually have children with Gregori. If they decided to get married.
She glanced again at Robby and Olivia. They seemed very happy. In fact, the room was filled with couples. Roman and Shanna. Caitlyn and her husband, and others whose names she couldn't recall, but they all seemed happy.
"Time to go," Angus announced. He and Robby grabbed their bags and her and Gregori's backpacks, then teleported away.
Gregori pulled her into his arms. "Ready?"
She nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "San Francisco, right?"
"Yes. The West Coast Coven house. I've been there before, so I know the way. Hang on."
Everything went black, then her feet landed softly on a thick Persian rug. She looked around. Angus and Robby were standing close to the fireplace, talking to a dark-haired man in a kilt. The room appeared to be a parlor, richly furnished with wingback chairs and medallion-back sofas, all upholstered in dark red velvet, the color of blood. Fitting, she supposed, for a house full of vampires.
"Miss Tucker?" The kilted man approached her with a smile. "I'm Rafferty McCall, West Coast Coven Master."
"How do you do?" She shook hands with him. "Thank you for helping me."
Since they had to wait for the sun to set in Hawaii, Abigail spent the next few hours sightseeing with Gregori. Rafferty provided them with a chauffeured Town Car, and they roamed about the city, laughing and stealing kisses in the moonlight. No Secret Service agents watching their every move. She hadn't felt this free in years.
Then they teleported to a small beach house in Hawaii that belonged to a were-dolphin named Finn Grayson. He was a marine biologist who worked at a nearby sea park.
"If the MacKay dudes want something done on the islands, they rely on me," he told Abigail. "Vamps don't hang out here, you know. Too much sun." He grinned at the vampire men. "Take a load off, bros. I've got some Bleer in the fridge." He shuffled to the kitchen in his flip-flops.
Abigail couldn't help but smile at the differences. The MacKays were huge, pale, redheaded men who wore kilts and carried claymores on their backs. Finn looked like a blond surfer dude with his tanned skin and his baggy shorts and Hawaiian shirt.
She took a long walk along the beach with Gregori. Just the two of them, hand in hand. Back at the beach house, he encouraged her to take a nap. Once they moved on to Japan and China, there wouldn't be much time for rest.
She woke several hours later and ventured into the kitchen to look for food. "Hello?"
Where was everybody? After fifteen years of bodyguards, it felt strange to have no one hovering around her. She spotted Finn and Angus on the back porch. Angus waved for her to join them.
The minute she opened the sliding glass door, she heard a grating noise, the sound of metal clashing over and over.
"Sparring session," Angus explained as he pointed to the beach.
Her mouth dropped open. There on the beach, Robby and Gregori were engaged in a swordfight. With real swords. Huge swords.
Her heart leaped up her throat. "Are they trying to kill each other?"
"Nay, they're just practicing," Angus said. "I wanted to see how well the lad can fight."
She cringed when Robby's sword slashed down toward Gregori's head. He blocked it in time, the swords colliding with a loud crash. "This is crazy!"
"Ye want a man who can protect you, aye?" Angus asked as he calmly watched.
"I want a man who's alive."
Angus chuckled. "They'll no' kill each other."
Gregori shoved Robby back, then advanced toward him, lunging and parrying. The two men moved back and forth across the beach, swords flashing in the moonlight. After a while, she realized she could relax. They were carefully cutting short any thrusts that would seriously injure or kill.
As the gruesome dance continued, she became intrigued. The men were beautiful to watch. Neither was wearing a shirt, and sweat glistened off muscles that rippled across their chests and backs. Even as the men circled each other, she could always tell which one was Gregori. They were the same height, but Robby moved like a tank and stood his ground like a brick wall. Gregori was long, lean, and fluid. If he took a hard knock to the ground, he merely rolled with it and sprang back up. And he did it with style and grace.
She smiled. That was Gregori. He rolled with the punches life threw at him, and nothing ever kept him down.
"That's enough," Angus yelled. "We doona want to wear out the fledgling."
She heard Gregori's muttered curse and Robby's laugh. "You call him a fledgling?"
Angus chuckled. "Aye, just to irritate him, but the lad holds his own. Ye've found a good man there, lass."
Yes, she had. She watched him as he approached. Beneath his charm and expensive suits, he was a fighter, a warrior just like the kilted Scotsmen. His biceps bulged from the weight of the claymore, his dark, damp hair clung along his brow and neck, curling slightly at the ends. He smiled slowly at her, his dimples denting his cheeks.
Good Lord, she wanted him.
"Did you have a nice nap?" he asked.
She nodded, her gaze wandering over his bare, slick chest.
He handed his sword to Angus, never taking his eyes off her. "I'll see you in a few minutes. I need to shower."
She stood there a moment, then followed him inside the house. "Shouldn't you be inspected for injuries? What if Robby cut something off?"
"God forbid." With a grin, he pulled her into the bathroom that adjoined the guest bedroom.
After a leisurely inspection in the shower, she declared him whole and healthy. He wrapped her in a towel, dumped her on the bed, then jumped on top.
She laughed. "Aren't you tired?"
"Sweetheart." He peeled the towel open. "A good Vamp can go all night long."
And he did.
A few hours later, they teleported to Kyo's estate outside Tokyo. She called home to let her family know she'd arrived in Japan. Then she showered, changed clothes, and ate a big meal of miso soup, rice, and shrimp and vegetable tempura.
The phone rang, and it was J.L. Wang. Night had fallen in the Yunnan.
It was time for her adventure in China to begin.