Sexiest Vampire Alive(27)

Could that be true? Abigail wondered. Could there be such a thing as a harmless vampire? It sounded like an oxymoron.

“You can believe Mr. Holstein,” the stocky man who had arrived with him said. “Even though the Vamps have a number of impressive powers, they are basically safe and harmless.”

“Stow it, Whelan,” Mr. Caprese muttered. “That’s not what you told me when you started the Stake-Out team. You said the Undead were dangerous, and this one has just proven it.”

Mr. Holstein folded his arms over his chest. “If I was truly dangerous, none of you would be alive to talk about it. But as Mr. Whelan has discovered over the last few years, we are harmless. We’re morally opposed to causing any injury to humans.”

“Of course.” The general sneered at him. “You wouldn’t want to diminish your food source.”

Mr. Holstein glared at him. “We’re not inhuman monsters. We all started our lives as humans. We had human parents and a human childhood. Many of the older Vamps have descendants. Younger Vamps like me still have family. How could I view a human as food when my own mother is still alive?”

He was a young vampire? Abigail wondered what had caused him to become Undead. What exactly did it mean to be Undead? Gregori Holstein was moving about, thinking, talking. Didn’t these things require an active circulatory system? Her mind raced with one question after another. So many unknowns, but one thing was for certain. Mr. Holstein was fascinating.

She winced inwardly. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by this man, no matter how mysterious and handsome he was. She had to hold firm to her mission. All her years of study and hard work had been aimed at one goal: discovering a cure for her mother. She had no time for studying this . . . vampire, no matter how fascinating he was.

“Mr. Holstein makes an excellent point,” her dad said. “He’s still basically human. I think we can trust him.”

The Homeland Security director, Mr. Schiller, snorted. “Are you kidding? He has powers we can’t hope to compete with.”

“But we don’t use them to harm mortals,” Mr. Holstein insisted.

“What other powers do you have?” the national security advisor asked.

Mr. Holstein shrugged and skirted the desk. “You’ve witnessed most of them. Levitation, teleportation, super speed and strength.”

“And heightened senses,” Abigail murmured softly.

He looked at her, and that shot her heart rate into warp drive. The corner of his mouth lifted.

Blast him. He could hear it.

“Any other powers?” her dad asked.

His smile widened. “I’m an excellent dancer.”

Dad chuckled, but her breath caught in her chest. He was deflecting. She knew it. He had more powers. Powers he didn’t want them to know about. For one thing, she was ninety-nine percent certain that he had caused Madison’s dog to fall asleep. If he could do that to an animal, he could probably do it to humans. What other tricks could he play on the human mind?

A chill skittered down her arms, giving her goose bumps. Mr. Holstein could be far more dangerous than her father realized. She needed to warn him, but she didn’t want to make accusations she couldn’t prove.

“Dad?” She sidled up close to him. “Can I have a word with you in private?”

He turned to her, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “You’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you?” He squeezed her shoulder. “That research trip you wanted to take? I think it’s possible now.”

She gasped. Good Lord, that hadn’t occurred to her. She’d proposed that trip two weeks ago.

“I hated having to turn you down,” her dad whispered. “But this changes everything. And the fact that it happened now, just when we need it, it makes me believe this was meant to be.”

Her heart squeezed in her chest. She couldn’t blame her father for believing that fate had somehow stepped in to help him keep his beloved wife alive. But could fate take the form of vampires?

She glanced at Mr. Holstein. He was watching them curiously, and no doubt he could hear every word. “Dad, we need to talk about this. Alone.”

“It’ll be fine. Trust me.” He patted her shoulder, then turned to his advisors. “My decision is made. We will proceed with the alliance. These Vamps possess special abilities that will come in handy.” He glanced back at Abigail and winked.

She gulped. Dad might be jumping into this alliance out of desperation to save Mom. Such an alliance shouldn’t be based on emotional reasons, but she couldn’t help but share his surge of hope. Mr. Holstein’s ability to teleport meant he could get her into China without the Chinese government even knowing about it. She might find the plants that had the most potential of saving her mother.