Connor dropped his hand, releasing Austin. “I asked her about that, and she said no. If she dies, we have to let her go.”
“No!” Austin paced away, refusing to accept this. He marched back to Connor. “I won’t let her go. You’ll change her back into a vampire.” He leaned closer. “And then, you’ll change me.”
Connor’s eyes widened. “Are ye serious?”
Austin pulled down the collar of his shirt. “What are you waiting for? Go for it, you bastard!”
Gregori strode toward them. “You’re willing to become a vampire to save Darcy?”
“Yes. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Connor exchanged a look with Gregori. “I wasna certain she’d made the right choice. Or that this man was worthy of her. But now, I see that he is.”
Austin’s vision blurred with tears. “Don’t let her die.”
“We’ll do our best.” Connor slipped back inside the operating room.
Austin leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the door. Live, Darcy. You have to live.
“I misjudged you,” Gregori spoke behind him. Austin turned. The young vampire extended a hand, and Austin shook it. They waited by the door in silence.
After a few minutes, Gregori perked up. He pressed an ear against the door.
“What is it?” Austin asked.
“They’re getting excited,” Gregori whispered. “I can hear them. She…she’s responding. She’s breathing on her own.”
“I’m going in.” Austin wrenched open the door and marched inside. Darcy was lying on an operating table with bright lights illuminating her pale face. Roman Draganesti and the short chemist named Laszlo were hovering over her.
“Ye shouldna be here,” Connor muttered.
“Buzz off,” Austin growled.
“Is that any way to talk to yer new boss?”
“I don’t care—what?” Austin glanced at the Scotsman before returning his gaze to Darcy.
“She’s coming around,” Roman announced.
Austin stepped forward. “Is she all right?”
Roman glanced up. “You must be Austin.”
“Yes, sir.” He stopped beside the operating table. “Is she all right? Did it work?”
Roman checked her life signs on a nearby machine. “She’s doing great.”
“We did it!” Laszlo twisted a button on his lab coat. “This is a momentous achievement, sir.”
Darcy moved her head and moaned.
Austin touched her face. “Darcy?”
Her eyes flickered open. “Austin?”
“Yes.” He took her hand. “I’m here, sweetheart.”
Her gaze flitted around the room. “I—I’m alive.”
“How do you feel?” Roman examined her eyes with a small flashlight.
“Tired. Weak. Thirsty.”
“Thirsty for what?” Roman clicked off the flashlight.
Darcy licked her lips. “Water. Juice.” She slowly smiled. “A vanilla milkshake.”
Roman smiled. “That’s a good sign.”
The short chemist removed his latex gloves. “I could go to the cafeteria and bring her back something.”
Roman nodded. “Just some juice for now. Thank you, Laszlo.”
“My pleasure.” Laszlo plucked at the button on his lab coat. “It’s been an honor to participate in such a miraculous event.” He scurried from the room.
Loud cheers erupted from the waiting room. Laszlo had obviously spread the good news.
Austin brushed Darcy’s hair back from her brow. “Do you hear that, sweetheart? All your friends are happy for you.”
She gazed at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I was so afraid.”
“I’m sure you were. I was terrified.”
“Aye, that he was.” Connor stepped forward. “The lad even offered to become a vampire if we would stop the procedure.”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, Austin. I would have been so angry with you.”
“I know, but I figured you’d get over it in a century or two. And we would have been together.”
She smiled.
And he was undone. “Marry me. I know this isn’t the most romantic setting for a proposal, but I can’t wait. Please say you’ll marry me.”
A tear trailed down her cheek. “I will marry you.”
Austin grinned. He leaned close to wipe her tear away. “Now, don’t cry. I’m not much of a catch right now. I don’t even have a job, and—”
“Wait a minute, lad,” Connor interrupted. “I told Angus MacKay about you, and he wants to hire you. We need your help in locating Casimir. He’s somewhere in Eastern Europe.”
Austin straightened. “Who is Angus MacKay? And who is Casimir?”
“Casimir is the leader of the Malcontents,” Roman explained. “He’s the cruelest, most vicious vampire in the world.”
“As a mortal, ye have the advantage of snooping about during the day,” Connor continued. “And with yer psychic abilities and CIA training, ye’re the best man for the job.”
Austin swallowed. It was just the sort of mission he’d always wanted. He glanced at Darcy.
“You should do it,” she whispered.
“I won’t leave you.”
“I’ll come with you. I was always good at research and investigation. I can help.”
“It could be dangerous.” Austin corrected himself. “It will be dangerous.”
Darcy smiled. “I always wanted to do more serious stuff.”
Austin turned to Connor. “Darcy and I are a team. You’ll need to hire us both.”
The Scotsman’s mouth twitched. “Aye, we can do that.”
“I have a villa in Tuscany you can use as your base,” Roman offered.
“Thank you,” Austin replied. “That’s very generous.”
Roman smiled. “I’m in a generous mood. I just found out last night that I’m going to be a father.”
“Och, that’s grand.” Connor shook his hand. “But I thought ye had stopped trying because of the…problem.”
Roman’s smile faded. “Apparently, our first attempt worked.”
A vampire fathering a baby? Austin gave Darcy a questioning look.
“I’ll explain later,” she whispered.
Austin glanced at Roman and Connor. They looked more worried than happy. “Congratulations.” Austin extended a hand.
“Thank you.” Roman shook it, his smile returning. “You’ll enjoy working for Angus.”
“Who is he?”
“The owner of MacKay Security and Investigation,” Connor explained. “And coven master of the United Kingdom.”
“Oh.” Austin swallowed. He should have realized he’d be working for a vampire organization.
Connor’s eyes twinkled. “How soon can ye start?”
“Ah, we need a few weeks. We need to get married.”
“You can have the reception here, no charge,” Roman offered. “And I have an apartment in Paris you can use for your honeymoon, if you like.”
“Thank you.” Austin realized that even though he and his future wife were mortal, their life would still revolve around vampires. “Darcy and I need to make a few trips first.”
“Trips?” she asked.
“One to Wisconsin to see my family. And the other—”
She gasped. “My family?” She glanced at Roman and Connor. “Is that all right?”
Connor shrugged. “As long as ye have a good explanation.”
“Don’t worry,” Austin assured her. “I’m an old pro at cover stories. We’ll just say you were in hiding from some bad guys, and now that the bad guys are dead, you’re able to resume your old life.”
She looked skeptical. “You make it sound so simple.”
“The simpler stories are the best,” Austin said.
She smiled. “Then I’ll also tell them you were the hero who rescued me.”
“Well, if you insist.”
She took a deep breath. “Everything’s perfect now.”
Austin kissed her brow. “We have each other.”
She smiled at the men surrounding her. “Mortal and vampire.” She squeezed Austin’s hand. “I have the best of both worlds.”
Acknowledgments
I’d like to acknowledge all those who ignited the blazing success of this vampire series. Wonderful readers and dedicated booksellers—thank you! I’d also like to thank all the editorial staff at HarperCollins, in particular, Senior Editor Erika Tsang. My gratitude to the art department for producing exquisite covers, and to the sales, publicity, and marketing departments for believing in my work. Thank you all!
I would never survive the long journey from page one to the end without my critique buddies: MJ Selle, Sandy Weider, Vicky Yelton, and Vicky Dreiling. Somewhere between the chicken lo mein and the eggrolls, they dish out great insight into characterization and conflict. My thanks to Paul Weider for helping me to create a very high-tech super spy. Thanks also to the members of West Houston, Northwest Houston, Rose City, Lake Country, and PASIC chapters of RWA for your continued support and encouragement. My heart-felt gratitude to agent Michelle Grajkowski and her heroic family.
And as always, my love and gratitude to my own hero and husband, Don.
a cognizant original v5 release october 16 2010
About the Author
A native Texan, KERRELYN SPARKS lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband and three children. Much to her daughter’s dismay, there doesn’t appear to be any vampires in East Texas. Still, Kerrelyn is tempted to write a book about a cowboy vampire who has amnesia and a secret baby. Please visit her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com or write to her at P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512. She would love to hear from you!
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Avon Contemporary Romances by
Kerrelyn Sparks
VAMPS AND THE CITY
HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
VAMPS AND THE CITY. Copyright © 2006 by Kerrelyn Sparks. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition JANUARY 2009: ISBN 9780061863684
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