VANNA had seemed like a good idea at the time, but it hadn’t worked. Her rubberlike skin had proven difficult to bite, and Roman had lost one of his fangs giving her a trial run.
Dougal was more in danger of losing his sanity than his fangs. He could also lose his job if he didn’t get his damned hand under control.
Release, he calmly ordered the prosthesis. Nothing.
He took a deep breath and tried again. No response.
Gritting his teeth, he glared at his hand. You will obey me! Release! Still nothing.
“Dammit!” He sat VANNA on the table, forcing her legs to bend at a ninety-degree angle at the hips. Her legs jutted out, spread wide.
He stepped between them. “I’m not losing my job over this. Release!”
His hand remained locked on her forearm.
Rage burst inside him, and he roared. With his left hand, he shoved her back on the table. As her legs flew up, feet toward the ceiling, her one remaining stiletto caught the hem of his kilt and pulled it up.
“Ye bloody witch from hell!”
“Were-what?” Leah repeated when Abby hesitated.
“Were-panthers.” Tino watched her balloon float back to the ceiling. “Do you want me to get it back?”
A chill skittered down Leah’s spine. “Panthers? As in big killer cats?”
Tino frowned. “They’re nice. My aunt is a were-panther. You want to meet her?”
The room swirled, and Leah grabbed onto the table edge.
“Take it easy.” Abby approached her slowly. “We were going to tell you as soon as we thought you could handle it.”
Tino winced. “Did I mess up?”
“It’s okay,” Abby assured him.
“It’s not okay.” Leah struggled to breathe. “There are some big killer cats in the room with us?”
“Were-cats,” Abby said. “Or were-panthers, to be precise. I’m not sure if Rajiv is here. He’s a were-tiger.”
“What does that mean?” Leah pressed a hand against her chest. Her heart was thudding wildly. “They’re half cat?”
“They’re fully human right now.” Abby touched her arm. “We call them shifters. Werewolves, were-cats, were-bears. I even met a were-dolphin in Hawaii. They shift once or twice a month when the moon is full. I can get you some blood work from one of them if you’d like to study—”
“I don’t want to study them!” Leah stepped back, raising her hands. “I want my world back, my safe world where humans stay human!”
“I’m sorry.” Abby gave her a sympathetic look. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But once you get to know everyone, you’ll see how nice—”
“I don’t want to know everyone!” Leah yelled. She winced when the crowd across the room looked her way. Oh God, the vampires and shifters were staring at her now.
She stepped back. Great move, Leah. Make the pack of supernatural creatures angry.
“Relax,” Abby whispered softly. “No one is going to hurt you.”
Tino gazed at her sadly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you already knew everything. My dad said you were going to join us.”
Join them? Leah gulped down some air. “I-I need to . . .” Escape. But she could hardly say that out loud. “Is there a ladies’ room nearby?”
“In the hallway across the foyer.” Abby pointed toward the entrance. “I could go with you.”
“I-I’m fine. I just need to be alone for a few minutes.” Leah ran for the foyer. Breathing heavily, she glanced back. No one had followed her. Thank God.
But they were watching her. Her skin crawled with gooseflesh. She looked up at the camera by the front door. The red blinking light mocked her. No escape. Her gaze lowered to the front double doors. Locked, most probably.
How about a window? Maybe she could sneak out from a vacant room. She crossed the foyer calmly so it would look like she was simply on her way to the restroom. She sauntered into the hallway and tried the first door on the left. Locked.
The second doorknob moved with a tiny click. Bingo. She pushed the door open and froze.
“Ye bloody witch from hell!”
The room was dark, but she could see enough to recognize the man in the kilt. The volcano had erupted.
Dougal had pinned a woman down on the table. His back was to Leah, but she could see his hair flying wild, his kilt lifted in front. The woman’s legs were spread wide and jolted each time he shoved against her.
“Let go, dammit!” He pushed at her so hard that her head banged against the table.
Leah gasped.
He looked over his shoulder and stiffened.
“Oh God,” she breathed, stepping back.
“Wait!” With a jerk, he pivoted toward her, and the woman’s arm ripped from her body.
Leah screamed.
Blood spurted from the woman’s shoulder, spraying drops across Dougal’s white shirt and face.
She stumbled back. The room swirled, along with his stricken, bloodstained face.
“ ’Tis no’ what ye think.” He stepped toward her, the woman’s arm dangling from a blood-smeared metallic hand.
Red, bloodlike dots flickered before her eyes, then Leah did something she’d never done before.
She fainted.
Chapter Six
“The devil take it, man, what the hell happened?” Angus shouted in the security office.
Dougal squared his shoulders. “ ’Twas my fault. I’ll explain it to Dr. Chin—”
“The hell ye will!” Angus interrupted him. “Ye’ve terrorized her enough for one evening.”
Dougal glanced at the monitors but couldn’t spot her anywhere. Seeing the pale, horror-stricken look on Leah’s face had caused his grip on VANNA’s arm to finally relax. The arm had hit the floor just seconds before Leah had crumpled, and his heart had plummeted along with them. How would she ever see him as anything but a hideous monster?
Her scream and collapse had caused all the partygoers to come running. And there he’d stood in the dark conference room, his kilt askew, his hair wild, his face and clothes splattered with blood, while half-naked VANNA reclined on the table, looking thoroughly ravished and dismembered. Leave it to Gregori to comment she was still smiling.
“Where is Dr. Chin?” Dougal asked.
“Gregori carried her down to a bedroom in the basement. Ye willna see her on a monitor. Emma told me she insisted they turn the camera off.”
So she was awake. “How is she?”
“She’s demanding we call the police and turn you in for sexual assault and battery.” Angus grimaced. “It looked like ye were—”
“I wasna tupping a rubber wench!” Dougal’s heart plummeted even farther. Did Leah think he was a rapist?
“Well, we can be grateful for that,” Angus muttered. “But ye still ripped her bloody arm off. Is that what ye call meek as a lamb?”
Dougal sighed. He could look like either an incompetent fool or a violent sex offender. “My prosthesis locked onto VANNA’s arm and wouldna let go. I dinna want anyone to see, so I took her to the nearest conference room—”
“Yer hand is malfunctioning?” Angus interrupted.
“ ’Twas no’ responding to my mind control.” Dougal closed his fist and opened it. “ ’Tis working now, but I’ve been having trouble on and off all evening.”
Angus gave him an exasperated look. “Ye should have said something. Roman and Abby can examine the hand to see what’s wrong with it. If it’s broken, they can fit you with a new one.”
Dougal sat heavily in a chair. “I doona think it is the hand’s fault. I know I should have told you, but I dinna want to look incompetent.”