“Aye. Have a good evening.” Dougal’s gaze drifted back to the monitor showing Leah and Abby hard at work.
Had Leah come to see him during the day? Had she read his note? When he’d awakened, he’d thought there had been a slight whiff of jasmine in the air. But was it simply wishful thinking? He couldn’t be sure.
The cell phone in his sporran dinged, so he took it out. There was a text message from Angus. He and Emma were teleporting back to their townhouse in London and wished him good luck with his new job. As soon as Abby reported that his hand was working perfectly, Angus would put him on the mission roster.
Dougal texted back his thanks, then finished his breakfast bottle while watching the monitors. A few minutes later, Laszlo arrived at the lab, this time sporting a purple polka-dot bowtie. Dougal’s eyes narrowed, watching Leah carefully to see how she reacted to Laszlo. She seemed friendly, but there were no stolen glances, no blushes, nothing to indicate she returned his affections.
Thank God. Dougal exhaled with relief. He didn’t want to feel like he was stealing Leah from anyone. He had another trip planned for her tonight. As soon as Freemont returned to the office, he would set his plan into action.
A little after seven, he spotted Abby and Leah on a monitor, deep in conversation as they wandered toward the cafeteria. He strode there quickly to meet them at the door. When Leah saw him, her heart rate sped up. Fear or excitement, he wasn’t sure which.
“Good evening.” He inclined his head. “May I speak with you alone?”
She glanced at Abby. “We were about to eat.”
“You can catch up with me later.” Abby shot him a suspicious look, then headed toward the cafeteria line.
“Is something wrong?” Leah asked, avoiding eye contact.
“Nay. I—” He wished he wasn’t so awkward at this. “I’d like to take you out to dinner.”
She turned to him with an exasperated look. “You don’t eat.”
“Ye do. And I think ye’ll like the place we’re going.”
She winced. “I don’t think I should go anywhere with you.”
That hit him hard in the chest. “I thought ye enjoyed our trip last night.”
A pained look flitted across her face. “I did.”
“I enjoyed it, too. And I like talking to you.”
“Dougal.” She motioned for him to follow her to a quiet corner. “I don’t want to get involved with anyone at work.”
He frowned. “Do I frighten you?”
Her eyes glistened with moisture, and she looked away.
“I would never harm you, Leah.”
“I-I believe you mean that, but I-I can’t . . .”
His heart sank. “Ye canna date a vampire?”
She turned to him with a beseeching look. “Please try to understand. I only learned about vampires two nights ago. I’m still trying to adjust. I need time.”
Was that reason to hope? If she had enough time to adjust, would she change her mind?
She sighed. “Where did you plan to take me?”
“Niagara Falls. I went earlier to check it out.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “That would have been nice. I’ve always wanted to see it.”
“We could still go. As friends. There’s a place there where ye can eat. And then, there’s a boat ride—”
“No!” She stepped back, turning pale. “I-I can’t do that.”
“I dinna mean to frighten you—”
“It’s not you. I-I’m afraid of boats. I always think they’re going to sink. I know it’s silly.”
He stiffened. A memory flashed through his mind. A storm on the Yangtze River almost three hundred years ago. A boat capsizing and his desperate attempt to keep Li Lei from drowning.
“I’m sorry.” Leah gave him a sympathetic look. “I know you want to date me, and I-I’m really flattered. But I can’t do it right now. I’m sorry.” She rushed off to get in line with Abby.
Rejected. His heart squeezed in his chest. He would have to honor her feelings and leave her alone. But there was still hope. She might change her mind eventually.
He glanced over at her. Afraid of boats? That wasn’t something he’d expected.
He trudged back to the office. The first time he saw Leah from behind, she had reminded him of Li Lei. Something about the way she moved and the tilt of her head. But he’d quickly realized that Leah was different. Vibrant and beautiful. He’d admired her strength and courage when her safe world had been stripped away. The pain and loneliness she’d endured over the years reminded him of his own suffering and made him long to comfort and protect her. He’d become so intrigued with Leah that Li Lei hadn’t even crossed his mind since that first night. He’d completely forgotten about her.
But now he wondered—could Li Lei’s soul have found a way to return to him? For almost three hundred years, he’d felt regret and shame for failing her. In his heart, he had begged for forgiveness. If Li Lei had come back, did that mean she wanted to forgive him?
His heart swelled at the thought. If it was true, it would mean he could finally put his painful past behind him. Lay the ghost of Li Lei to rest and move on with his life.
He could be with Leah. He wanted Leah. This time, he vowed, this time I will not lose the woman I love. I will protect her no matter what.
His tattoo itched, and he rubbed his shoulder where the scars remained from having a slave brand burned into his skin. It had been Li Lei’s idea to cover his mark of shame with a symbol of power. She’d claimed the dragon would give him the strength to endure. And he had. For centuries.
Now it was time to move on. If only he could convince Leah to give him a chance.
Chapter Eleven
The following night at five thirty, Dougal met Abby in her office.
“I started developing this drug six months ago,” Abby said, showing him a vial containing an ominous green liquid. “It’s designed to help the Vamps defeat bad vampires by simply taking over their minds. You wouldn’t have to fight them if you could order them to lay down their weapons and surrender.”
Dougal nodded. “A good idea.” He wouldn’t have lost his hand four years ago if he had been able to order those five Malcontents to stop.
“We’re still working on it,” Abby continued. “But it occurred to me that a diluted version might help you. If we boost your mind-control ability, then we could increase your control of the prosthesis. Do you want to try it?”
“Do I really need to? My hand worked perfectly well last night.”
“But it malfunctioned for two nights before that.” She held up the green vial. “This could help you. Are you willing to test it for us?”
He frowned. “Are ye saying it has never been tested?”
“No, afraid not.” She gave him a wry look. “We don’t keep any vampire lab mice here. But if it makes you ill, you’ll recover during your death-sleep, right?”
“Ye’re no’ a verra good salesman, are ye?”
She smiled. “Just trying to be honest. And I honestly do think this will increase your mind control and help you control your hand.”
He hesitated.
“If it works, I can approve you for fieldwork and have Angus put you on the mission roster,” she added.
Now that was a better sales pitch. “Ye’ve diluted it?”
“Yes. We don’t want you controlling all the Vamps in the vicinity, just your hand.”
He still hesitated.
Abby propped her elbows on the desk and leaned toward him. “As far as I can tell, the prosthesis works fine. The problem is your control, and it’s being affected by your emotional state. If you prefer, I could have you talk to our psychologist, Olivia—”