"I took vows when I became a monk. I vowed I would do no harm. I broke that. I took a vow of poverty. I broke that, too."
"But you've done so much good. You shouldn't feel bad."
He turned onto his side and looked at her. "I took a vow of celibacy. I broke that just now."
She recalled his odd words before entering her. "The last vow?"
"Yes."
She propped herself up on her elbow. "Are you saying you were a virgin?"
"In the physical sense, yes. Mentally, I've been engaging in vampire sex for centuries."
"You've got to be kidding me. You never…?"
He frowned. "I kept my vows while I was alive. Would you expect less of me?"
"No. I'm just amazed. I mean, you're incredibly handsome. Weren't the village girls swooning over you?"
"They were swooning, all right. They were dying. All the women I saw were sick, covered with sores and growths and—"
"Okay. I get the picture. Not exactly attractive."
He smiled. "The first time I overheard vampire sex, it was by accident. I thought the lady was in trouble and needed help."
Shanna snorted. "Yeah, she needed something, all right."
He rolled onto his back and yawned. "I think the formula is wearing off. Before I fall asleep, I want to ask you something."
He was going to pop the question. Shanna sat up. "Yes?"
"If you're attacked, not that I would allow such a thing to happen, but—" He looked at her. "If you're attacked and dying, do you want me to transform you?"
Her mouth fell open. That wasn't a marriage proposal. "You want to turn me into a vampire?"
"No, I wouldn't want to condemn your immortal soul."
Jeez, he was stuck in such a medieval mindset. "Roman, I don't think God has abandoned you. Your synthetic blood saves lives every day. You could still be part of God's master plan."
"I wish I could believe that, but—" He sighed. "If things get bad with Petrovsky, I want to know where you stand."
"I don't want to be a vampire." She winced. "Please don't take that in a bad way. I love you just as you are."
He yawned again. "You're all that is good and pure and innocent in this world. No wonder I love you so much."
She stretched out beside him. "I'm not that good. I'm down here enjoying myself while people upstairs deal with the mess."
Roman frowned, gazing at the ceiling. Suddenly he sat up. "Laszlo!"
"He's asleep right now."
"Exactly." Roman touched his forehead. "I'm seeing spots."
"You're worn out." Shanna sat up. "You need to sleep now so your wounds can heal."
"No. Don't you see? All the vampires are dead right now. It's the perfect time to rescue Laszlo."
"But you're about to fall asleep."
He grabbed her hand. "Do you remember how to get to my lab? You can bring back the rest of the formula—"
"No! You're not taking another dose. We don't know what kind of damage it might do."
"I would heal during my sleep. I have to do this, Shanna. As soon as Petrovsky wakes up, he could kill Laszlo. And if we attack his house, he'll kill Laszlo for sure. Come on." He gave a nudge.
"Quickly, before I pass out."
She crawled out of bed and began to dress. "We have to think this out. How will you get to Petrovsky's house?"
"I'll teleport in, find Laszlo, and teleport back home. It'll be easy. I should have thought of this before."
"Well, you were a bit distracted." Shanna tied her shoelaces.
"Hurry." Roman sat on the edge of the bed.
"I will." She unlocked the door. "I'll leave this open slightly so I can get back in."
He nodded. "Good."
She ran to the nearest stairwell and darted up the stairs. She wasn't sure she approved of this idea. Who knew what another dose of that formula might do to Roman? The ground floor was crowded with people, and she weaved around them as quickly as she could. And what if there were guards in Petrovsky's house? Roman shouldn't go in there alone. In the lab, she found the beaker of green liquid on the table. She picked it up, then noted her purse. What a shame her Beretta was gone.
She grabbed her purse and headed back to the silver room. Maybe she could borrow another gun. One thing was for sure. Roman was not doing this mission alone.
CHAPTER 25
"Are you sure you want to go in there alone?" Phil asked as he parked down the street from Petrovsky's house.
"I won't be alone for long." Shanna checked her purse. It was stuffed with lengths of rope for tying up prisoners. She pulled out the cell phone she'd borrowed from Howard Barr and punched in the newly memorized phone number for Roman's house.
"Barr," the head of Roman's daytime security answered.
"We're in place. I'm going in."
"Good. Keep the line open," Howard warned her in his nasal voice. "Here. Roman wants to talk to you."
"Be careful," Roman warned her.
"I'll be fine. Phil's here if I need him." Shanna opened the car door. "I'm setting the phone in my purse now. See you soon." She propped the open phone on top of everything in her purse.
Phil gave her an encouraging nod. She climbed from the car and walked toward Petrovsky's house. At Romatech, she'd given Roman another dose of the formula before they teleported to his house. There, with Howard Barr's advice, they'd made their plan for Laszlo's rescue. She'd been opposed to Roman's theory that he could simply call Petrovsky's house and teleport there. He might accidentally arrive in a room full of sunlight. So, with Howard's support, she'd talked Roman into letting her participate.
She stopped in front of Petrovsky's duplex and glanced back. Phil was still in the black sedan, watching. Another vehicle caught her eye, a black SUV parked across the street. It looked just like the one that had followed her before. But they all looked alike. The city was full of them.
She hugged her purse to her chest. The phone was close by, with Roman listening in. She climbed the steps to the front door and rang the bell.
The door opened. A heavy-set man with a shaved head and graying goatee glared at her. "What do you want?"
"I'm Shanna Whelan. I believe you've been looking for me?"
His eyes widened. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in the house. "You must be one stupid bitch," he growled with a thick accent as he shut the door.
She backed away. There was too much light coming in from a window above the door. She saw an open doorway to the side and slipped inside a small parlor. The carpet was threadbare, the furniture old and sagging. Light filtered in through dusty, yellowed blinds.
The Russian followed her into the room. "This is too strange. You either have a death wish or this is some kind of trick." He opened his jacket to reveal a shoulder holster.
She moved toward the window. "No trick. I'm just tired of running."
The man removed his pistol. "You know Petrovksy will kill you."
"I was hoping to make a deal with him." She inched closer to the window. "You see, I've been in Draganesti's house, and I know a lot about his security."
The Russian narrowed his eyes. "You wish to trade your life for information."
"That's the plan." Shanna eased back the curtains.
"Give me your purse. I must check it."
She set it down in a nearby chair. While the Russian moved forward, she quickly closed the blinds.
"There," she announced in a loud voice. "It's nice and dark in here now."
The Russian peered inside her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "What is this?" He closed the phone, breaking the connection.
But Roman had heard her cue and was already materializing in the room. With vampire speed, he wrenched the gun from the Russian's hand and punched the man in the jaw. The Russian crumpled to the floor.
Shanna removed the rope from her purse and handed it to Roman. Quickly he tied the Russian's hands and feet.
"So far, so good," she whispered. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Roman handed her the Russian's gun. "Use this if you have to."
She nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Roman sped away in a blur.
Shanna knew if there were any more guards in the house, they'd never see him coming. He'd knock them flat, tie them up, then continue his search until he found Laszlo.
She picked up the phone and once again dialed Roman's house. "Howard? Are you still there?"
"Yes. How's it going?"
"Fine. We should be coming back soon." She set the phone down next to her purse.
Suddenly the front door burst open. With a gasp, Shanna raised the Russian's pistol. Footsteps raced across the foyer, then stopped in the doorway to the parlor. Two men in black suits faced her, their pistols drawn.
Shanna's mouth fell open. She blinked. "Dad?"
Sean Dermot Whelan looked much the same as he had a year ago when she'd last seen him. There was a little more gray in his reddish-gold hair, but his blue eyes were as sharp as ever. He lowered his pistol. "Shanna, are you all right?" He entered the parlor, looking about the room. He frowned at the unconscious man on the floor.
"Dad!" Shanna dropped her borrowed gun next to her purse. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.
"Sweetheart." He held his gun to the side while he hugged her with his free arm. "You scared me to death when I saw you coming into this house. What the hell are you doing here?"
She pulled back. "I could ask the same thing about you. I thought you were in Lithuania."
"I've been back awhile." He touched her face. "Thank God you're all right. I've been so worried about you."
"I'm fine." She hugged him again. "I thought I'd never see you again. How is Mom and—"
"Later," he cut her off. "We need to get out of here." He nodded toward her purse. "Get your stuff."
The second man in black entered the room. He was young with wavy, dark hair. "The foyer's clear."
He inched toward a doorway across the room.
Shanna glanced at her purse. The phone was still sitting beside it on the chair cushion. How could she leave without Roman? How could she explain to her father what she was doing here? She was thrilled to see him again, but she had to wonder why he was here. "You saw me come here?"
"We've been watching Petrovsky's house for weeks. Draganesti's place, too." He tilted his head toward his companion. "This is Garrett."
"Hi," Shanna greeted the other man, then turned back to her father with a sudden realization. "You were in the black SUV I saw across the street."
"Yes." Sean motioned impatiently. "Come on. There could be a dozen mafia goons in this house. We can't stay and chat."
"I–I'm not here alone."
Sean narrowed his blue eyes. "You were alone when you came into this house. But you did have a driver—"
"Drop it!" Phil jumped into the parlor entry way, pointing his gun at Sean and Garrett.
They swung around, aiming their pistols at Phil.
Shanna gasped. "Don't shoot."
Phil held his gun steady while he glared at the men in black. "Are you all right, Shanna? You can come with me now."
Sean stepped in front of her. "She's not going anywhere with you. Who the hell are you?"
"Security," Phil answered. "I'm responsible for her safety. Now step aside and let her go."
"I'm her father. She's coming with me."
"Oh, I know who you are." Phil gave them a look of disgust. "You're CIA. The Stake-Out team."
"What?" Garrett exchanged a worried look with Shanna's father. "How do they know?"
CIA ? Shanna glanced from one man to another, trying to figure out what was going on. Her dad had always said he worked for the State Department, but he sure wasn't behaving like a diplomat. And what was the Stake-Out team?
"So you must be one of Draganesti's daytime guards." Sean's voice was heavy with disapproval.
"You're a traitor to humanity. A human working to protect vampires."
Shanna gasped. Her father knew about vampires?
"Drop it," a new voice warned. Another man in black appeared behind Phil.
Phil glanced back and muttered a curse. He lowered his gun onto the floor.
"Good work, Austin," Sean said. He strode toward Phil and retrieved his gun. "You're a human, so I'm going to let you go. Go back to that monster you serve and tell him his days, or rather his nights, are numbered. We're taking the vampires out, one by one, and there's nothing they can do about it."
Phil gave Shanna a worried look.
"I'll be all right. Go on." She watched him run from the house. Dear God, what a mess. Her father and these men were vampire slayers?
As if to confirm her conclusion, Garrett pulled a wooden stake from his jacket. "Since we're here, why don't we take care of a few vampires while they're sleeping?"
"They'll be heavily guarded." The man named Austin entered the parlor. He was young, with
shaggy, blond hair. He noted the Russian on the floor. "There are usually ten to twelve armed men in this house during the day. I never saw them leave. So where are they?"
Sean nodded. "The place is too quiet." He looked at Shanna. "You said you weren't here alone?"
She swallowed hard. That was before she knew her father was a vampire killer. If he and his men went roaming about the house, killing vampires, they might kill Laszlo or even Roman.
"I was wrong. I think we'd better leave." She leaned over the chair to pick up her purse. The phone was still open, so she raised her voice, hoping Howard Barr would hear. "I'm ready to go with you, Dad."
Sean grabbed the phone, examined the number, then raised the phone to his cheek. "Who is this?"
He frowned at his daughter. "They hung up." He closed the phone and dropped it in his pocket. "What's going on, Shanna?"
"Nothing." She swung her purse onto her shoulder in a nonchalant gesture. "I'm ready to go." It didn't matter if her dad had the phone. Roman could use any phone in the house to teleport home. And when he got home, Howard Barr and Phil would be able to explain what had happened to her.
Right now, she needed to get these vampire slayers out of the house and away from Roman.
"Shall we?" She moved toward the foyer.
"Wait." Sean reached out to stop her. "You didn't seem very surprised about vampires." He studied her carefully. "You spent a lot of time at Draganesti's house. You know what kind of evil creature he is, don't you?"
"I think we'd better leave before the mafia guys find us."
Sean shoved her hair back and examined each side of her neck. "Did that monster bite you?"
"He's not a monster." Shanna stepped back. "If you've been watching him and Petrovsky, you should know they're completely different. Roman is a good man."
Sean's mouth twisted with disgust. "Draganesti is a hideous creature from hell."
"He is not! He risked his life to protect me."
"Stockholm syndrome," Garrett muttered.
Sean nodded, his eyes narrowed. "Did you let him in, Shanna?"
In her mind? Yes, and in her body and in her heart. But there was no way she could admit that to her father. He already wanted to kill Roman. If he knew the truth, he'd move Roman to the top of his list. She needed to warn Roman of this new danger. But then he might already know about the Stake-Out team. Phil had known.
"Everything I did was of my own free will."
Sean cocked his head, studying her. "We shall see."
A blur of motion shot into the room. Roman came to a stop with Laszlo slung over his shoulder. "I heard voices. What's going on here?"
Sean, Garrett, and Austin gaped at him.
He noted their weapons and gave Shanna a questioning look. "You know these men?"
She motioned toward her father. "My dad thought I needed rescuing."
Sean blinked. "This can't be. A vampire moving about during the day?"
"And so fast," Austin whispered. "I never saw him coming."
Roman frowned at Shanna's father.
"You're Sean Whelan."
Sean nodded. "And you're Draganesti, the disgusting creature who's been holding my daughter prisoner."
Roman's mouth thinned. "She has a different opinion. Don't you, Shanna?"
She saw Garrett behind Roman, moving slowly toward him with a wooden stake. "I think you need to leave."
"I'm not going without you."
"You bastard." Sean removed a wooden stake from his jacket. "I don't know what you've done to my daughter, but you'll pay for it."
Shanna ran to her father, hoping her embrace would keep him from jumping at Roman. The poor man was just standing there, staring at her, making himself an easy target. "Go!"
"You see?" Sean wrapped an arm around Shanna. "She's staying with me. In fact, she's going to become one of my team."
Roman looked ill. "Is this true, Shanna? Do you want to kill me now?"
Her eyes filled with tears. There's a man with a stake behind you.
Roman glanced back and saw Garrett. He gave Shanna one more tortured look, then zoomed into the foyer and up the stairs.
"After him!" Sean yelled. Garrett and Austin ran up the stairs.
Sean released Shanna and gave her a disappointed look. "You warned him, didn't you? You're sympathizing with the creature that held you prisoner."
"He's not a creature! And I was never his prisoner. I left when I wanted to."
"And then you ran back to him the very next night. Face it, Shanna. He's controlling you. That's what vampires do. They mentally manipulate their victims until you can no longer see the truth."
A tear ran down her cheek. "That's not what happened. The truth is that death cannot change a man's heart. Evil men, like Ivan Petrovsky, will become evil vampires. But men like Roman
Draganesti remain good and honorable."
Sean's jaw tightened. "There's nothing good or honorable about vampires. They're serial killers. They've gotten away with murder for centuries." He leaned toward her. "But not anymore."
Her skin chilled. "You can't kill them all."
"That's exactly what we're going to do—stake them through the heart one by one till the world is free from their evil existence."
Austin and Garrett came back downstairs.
"He's gone," Austin reported. "Disappeared. All we found was a phone off the hook."
How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire las-1 Page 30
