Shanna heaved a sigh of relief. Roman was safe. Safe at home, but tortured with the belief that she'd betrayed him. Somehow she had to get back to him.
Sean grabbed her arm. "You're coming with us."
Fifteen minutes later, Shanna was riding in the back of a black SUV with her father. Austin was driving, and Garrett was riding shotgun. She gazed out the window and noted they were headed for Manhattan by way of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Roman would be home, probably upstairs in his bedroom. She hoped the formula was wearing off.
He wouldn't suffer if he was asleep. And at least, Laszlo would wake up this evening in a safe place. Her eyes continued to well with tears, and she blinked them away, not wanting to cry in front of her father.
"I know you've been through a tough couple of months," her father spoke softly. "But it's all over now. You're safe."
Safe, but heartbroken if she could never see Roman again. She cleared her throat. "How's Mom?"
"Fine. She's here in the States. Your brother and sister, too. I'm afraid you can't see them." Shanna nodded.
"I'm very sorry about your friend who was killed," Sean said. "I asked the Justice Department about you, but they couldn't tell me anything. I've been worried sick about you."
"I'm fine. It's been hard, but I'm okay." She'd been so lonesome until she'd entered Roman's world.
She missed him already. And she missed Radinka, Gregori, and Connor. They'd become her first real friends since losing Karen.
"I discovered your whereabouts by accident," Sean continued. "My team's been watching Petrovsky for weeks. We have his house bugged, his phone tapped. We heard him make that call to the SoHo SoBright Dental Clinic. I recognized your voice and realized they were coming to kill you."
Shanna shuddered, remembering the terror she'd felt.
"We rushed to the clinic, but you'd already disappeared. We knew Petrovsky didn't have you. I was in a panic, trying to find you. I had Garrett watching Draganesti's house, and he spotted you leaving.
Unfortunately, he lost you."
"I was afraid that Russian would kill her," Garrett mumbled.
"Luckily you called that pizza place. We had a tap on their phone, so we found you. We waited outside your hotel, then followed you." Sean glared at Garrett. "But we lost you again."
Garrett's face turned pink.
Shanna almost felt sorry for the young man. It was never good to disappoint her dad. "You work for the CIA now?"
"I always have."
"Oh." Shanna winced inwardly. So her dad had been lying to them for years.
"I was recently given a new assignment—to create a special team for the purpose of eliminating the most dangerous threat mankind has ever faced."
She swallowed hard. "Vampires?"
"Yes." Sean leaned back in his seat. "Five months ago, I was in St. Petersburg when I spotted a man attacking a woman. I drew my weapon. Told him to release her and back away. When he let go, she collapsed in the snow. I fired my weapon, but it didn't faze him. Then this chill came over my mind, and I heard a voice telling me to forget. And then he vanished. I checked the woman. She was dead with two punctures on her neck."
Sean shrugged. "They've probably been spotted many times over the centuries, but they always used mind control to keep humans from remembering what they'd seen. In my case, it didn't work."
"You can resist mind control."
"Yes. We all can. That's why my team is so small. There's only a handful of people in the world with enough psychic power to resist their mind control. We're the only ones who can defeat those demons."
She breathed deeply, letting this new revelation sink in. "How… how long have you known about your psychic power?"
Sean shrugged. "Thirty years or so. When I joined the CIA, they discovered my talent and trained me to read and manipulate minds. It came in handy when dealing with scum."
"All those years you were working as a spy, you told us you were a diplomat."
"I couldn't let your mother know. It was hard enough on her as it was, with us always moving from one place to another, always living in foreign countries."
Shanna remembered how her mom always seemed cheerful and optimistic. She'd been a pillar of strength for the children, always making the upheavals in their lives seem like grand adventures. "I thought Mom handled everything really well."
Sean frowned. "Not at first. She was a nervous wreck. But in time, I learned how to manage it, and things got much better."
Manage it? A queasy feeling settled in Shanna's stomach. "How did you manage it?"
"I bolstered her mental strength with my own. She was much more capable after that."
The queasy feeling twisted in her gut. "You used mind control on Mom?"
The two guys in the front seat exchanged glances.
Sean shot her an irritated look. "You don't need to make it sound so bad. I merely helped your mother maintain a healthy mental balance. Otherwise the poor woman would have had a breakdown."
Shanna gritted her teeth. "It was for her own good?"
"Exactly. And you kids, too. It was much easier to concentrate on my job when there was peace at home."
Anger boiled inside Shanna. "You… you controlled all of us? Like a freaking Stepford family?"
"Calm down. You're too old for a temper tantrum."
She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She couldn't believe it. All these years, she had missed her family so much. But was her family, her entire childhood, all a lie? Was none of it real?
Suddenly a burst of warm air swept across Shanna's brow, encircling her head and pricking at her mental defenses. She closed her eyes and pushed back.
"That's my girl," Sean whispered.
She opened her eyes and stared at her father. The mental assault melted away. "That was you?"
He shrugged. "Just testing your defenses. You always were the strong one. And the more you fought me mentally, the stronger you got."
Her breath hitched. "That's why you sent me away. You sent me to boarding school because I was too hard to control."
"Hey." He pointed a finger at her. "I spent a fortune on you. And you got the best education in the family. You have no reason to complain."
Tears stung her eyes. "I missed my family."
He patted her hand. "We missed you, too. I was always proud of you, Shanna. I knew your abilities could be as strong as mine someday."
She pulled her hand away. Good God. Had she ever known her real mother or brother or sister? Or were they just peaceful robots her father had controlled? All these years, she'd felt bad about being sent away. Now she realized she was the lucky one. She'd been allowed to grow up free and develop her own sense of right and wrong.
And what her father was doing was wrong. Eliminating all vampires was akin to racial purging. It was a crime of hate.
She gazed out the window. What could she do?
"So, tell me," her father continued. "How can Draganesti stay awake and mobile during the day?"
"He's a brilliant scientist. He was testing a formula, at the risk of his own life, in order to rescue a friend."
Sean snorted. "He has you thinking he's some kind of noble superhero. Believe me, if he got hungry, you'd be just another warm meal to him."
She gritted her teeth. "He's the inventor of synthetic blood. He's responsible for saving millions of human lives."
"He probably invented the stuff to give his buddies more food."
Shanna turned to face him. "If you knew him, you would know he was good. But you won't even try. You're just determined to hate them all."
Sean frowned at her. "You're forgetting a very important fact, Shanna. They're no longer human.
They feed off humans."
"They are human. Roman and his followers don't bite people anymore. They want to protect mortals. Petrovsky and the Malcontents are the ones who want to attack us."
Sean shook his head. "This synthetic blood is new. Before Draganesti invented it, h
e was feeding off humans just like the other vampires. They're monsters, Shanna. You can't turn them into saints."
She sighed. Her father had always been so stubborn. "There are two different kinds of vampires out there—the modern-day Vamps and the Malcontents."
"And it's our job to kill them all," Sean concluded.
"There may be some truth to what she says," Austin said as he steered the SUV into a right turn.
"I've been listening in on Petrovsky's phone. He hates Draganesti with a passion. There's been some talk about the two factions duking it out."
"A vampire war?" Garrett asked. "That would be cool."
Sean turned to Shanna. "Those explosions at Romatech—do you know who was behind it?"
"It was Petrovsky and the Malcontents. They want to destroy all the synthetic blood in order to force vampires everywhere to go back to biting people."
Sean nodded. "What else do you know?"
"Roman and his followers are opposed to biting mortals. They're willing to fight in order to protect us."
Sean narrowed his eyes. "I find that hard to believe."
"Hey, let 'em fight," Garrett said. "Maybe they'll kill each other off. It would sure make our job easier."
Shanna groaned inwardly. Roman, Connor, Ian, and all the Highlanders risking their lives in battle?
It made her sick. If only there was some way she could stop the war from happening.
The SUV pulled into a line at the entrance of nice hotel.
"Are we staying here?" she asked.
"You will," Sean answered. "Austin will remain with you for protection. Garrett and I have some business to attend to."
So her dad was going to leave her with a watchdog. That would make it hard to contact Roman.
"Like I said before," her father continued, "our team is small. I've been searching for people with enough psychic power to resist vampire mind control. Any American with that ability has a duty to his country to put that ability to proper use."
Shanna swallowed hard. Was her dad referring to her?
"What I'm saying, Shanna, is—I want you to join my team."
Yep, he meant her. "You want me to kill vampires?"
"I want you to protect the world from demonic creatures. We're terribly outnumbered, Shanna. We need you. I can get you into the CIA immediately, and we'll begin your training."
"I already have a career. I'm a dentist."
Sean waved a hand in dismissal. "That's not your true calling. God has given you a gift, a gift to fight this curse on mankind. It would be unforgivable not to use it."
Work for her domineering father? Talk about feeling cursed. Shanna's gut reaction was to tell her father to leave her the hell alone. She wanted more than anything to be with Roman. But what if living with Roman made her father move him to the top of his hit list? In that case, it would be better for her to stay with her father.
What if she knew all about her father's plans? Then she could keep Roman alerted to any trouble coming his way.
And maybe, in time, she could convince her dad that good Vamps really did exist. Maybe, in time, she could be with Roman again.
If she refused to join her dad's team, and her dad went on a killing spree, staking her friends, how could she live with herself? Roman had done his best to protect her. Now it was her turn to protect him.
The SUV pulled up in front of the hotel's revolving door.
She took a deep breath. "All right. I'll consider joining your team."
CHAPTER 26
Roman woke with his usual sharp and sudden intake of air. His heart lurched in his chest, then settled down to a steady beat. He opened his eyes.
"Thank God," a voice muttered. "We dinna think ye'd ever wake up."
Roman blinked and turned his head toward the voice. Angus was standing next to his bed, frowning at him. In fact, there were several people crowded around his bed. Jean-Luc, Connor, Howard Barr, Phil, Gregori, and Laszlo.
"Hey, bro." Gregori smiled. "We were worried about you."
Roman glanced at Laszlo. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, sir." The small chemist nodded. "Thanks to you. You can't imagine how relieved I was to wake up in your house."
Angus crossed his arms over his broad chest. "The question is, how are you? I hear ye were up and about during the daytime."
"Yes." Roman sat up and glanced at his bedside clock.
God's blood. The sun must have set over an hour ago. "I overslept."
"I havena ever heard of that happening before," Connor said.
"Possibly a side effect of the drug you took." Laszlo leaned forward. "Do you mind if I check your pulse, sir?"
"Go ahead." Roman stretched his arm out. Laszlo studied his watch while he gripped Roman's wrist.
"Congratulations, mon ami" Jean-Luc said. "Your formula is a great success. Awake during the day—it is amazing."
"I was still burned by sunlight." Roman glanced down at his chest where the sun had slashed a wound across his skin. The rip in his shirt was still there, but the skin had healed. Now, the wound was inside, tearing at his heart. Eliza had caused the wound a hundred years ago when she'd wanted to kill him. Now, because of Shanna, it was sliced open once again.
"Pulse is normal." Laszlo let go of Roman's wrist.
How could it be normal when his heart was ripped to shreds? Roman swallowed hard. "Did Shanna come back?"
"Nay," Connor whispered. "We havena heard from her."
"I tried to save her," Phil said, frowning. "But they had me outnumbered."
"That bloody Stake-Out team," Angus muttered. "Phil and Howard told us all about yer daytime adventure while we were waiting for ye to wake up."
Roman's heart squeezed in his chest. "She's joining her father's team. He'll train her to kill us."
Connor scoffed angrily. "I doona believe it."
Gregori shook his head. "It doesn't sound like her."
Angus sighed. "Mortals canna be trusted. I learned that the hard way." He regarded Roman sadly. "I thought ye did, too."
He had, but Shanna had filled him with hope once again. Roman had fallen asleep totally confused, and now it still didn't make sense. It seemed clear that Shanna had wanted to stay with her father.
And staying with her father meant she would become a vampire killer. But why had she warned him of the slayer behind him? Why try to save his life if she wanted him dead? Did she think somehow she was protecting him by staying with her father? Did she actually love him after all?
"We've been busy while ye were sleeping," Angus announced. "When we woke, there was still an hour or so of nighttime in London and Edinburgh. So we've had every phone in this house busy while we teleported more of my men here. The good news is we now have an army downstairs of two hundred warriors. We're ready to go to war."
"I see." Roman climbed out of bed. Many of the men downstairs would be ones he had personally transformed. If they died in battle tonight, what would happen to their immortal souls? He knew they were good men, but still, they'd existed for centuries by feeding off mortals. God would never allow such creatures into heaven. And if the only alternative was hell, then Roman had doomed their immortal souls the minute he had transformed them. It was a burden of guilt too heavy to bear.
"I'll be with you in a minute. Please wait in my office."
The men filed out. Roman dressed, then went into his office to warm up a bottle of blood. "How's your mother, Gregori?"
"Fine. I just came from the hospital." Gregori slouched in a wingback chair, frowning. "She says she made you swear to keep me safe during the upcoming war. I'm not a coward, you know."
"I know." The microwave dinged, and Roman removed his bottle of blood. "But you haven't been trained to fight."
"Big deal," Gregori muttered. "I'm not staying behind."
Roman sipped straight from the bottle. "Do we have enough weapons?"
"We're bringing stakes and our silver-plated swords." Angus paced about the room, his kilt swinging about his
knees. "And we're bringing guns in case Petrovsky has mortals helping him."
The phone on Roman's desk rang.
"Speak of the devil," Jean-Luc whispered.
Roman strode to his desk and picked up the receiver. "Draganesti here."
"This is Petrovsky. I don't know how you managed to get in my house during the day, but don't ever try it again. From now on, I'll have thirty armed guards here, and they'll be shooting silver bullets."
Roman sat behind his desk. "I see my new formula has you worried. Are you afraid we'll come and stake you while you're sleeping?"
"You won't find us, you bloody svoloch! We have other places to sleep during the day. You'll never find us."
"I found my chemist. I can find you."
"You can have the stupid chemist. The little weasel ripped all the buttons off my couch. Now, here's the deal, Draganesti. You deliver Shanna Whelan to me tonight, or I keep bombing your plants and kidnapping your employees. And the next time I take one of your people, he'll be a pile of dust by the time you find him. Just like that Highlander I staked last night."
Roman's grip on the receiver tightened. He wouldn't risk any more Highlanders. And he'd never betray Shanna, even if she betrayed him. "I don't have Dr. Whelan."
"Of course you do. I heard she was in my house with you. You turn her over, and I'll stop bombing Romatech."
Ridiculous. Petrovsky would never stop causing trouble. Roman knew that without a doubt. And he knew he would protect Shanna with his dying breath. "Listen, Petrovsky. You won't be bombing Romatech, or kidnapping my employees, or harming a hair on Shanna Whelan's head, because you're not going to live through the night."
Ivan snorted. "That drug you took has messed up your head."
"We have an army of two hundred warriors, and we're coming after you tonight. How many men do you have, Petrovsky?" There was a pause. Roman knew from Angus's latest reports that the Russian-American coven can muster about fifty warriors at the most.
"I'll be generous," Roman continued, "and say you have a hundred men. That still leaves you outnumbered two to one. Would you care to wager on who's going to win tonight's battle?"
"You stinking svoloch. You can't have two hundred men."
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