Sexiest Vampire Alive(71)
Gregori leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “The information I’m about to tell you is top secret even in the vampire world. I’d like your word that it never leaves this room.”
The president and CIA director exchanged looks, then nodded.
“There is another group of . . . people, supernatural like vampires, but different. They wish to remain secret for obvious reasons. I need your word that you will never attempt to hunt them down or harm them. They have trusted us to keep their secret, and it would be dishonorable for us to betray them in any way.”
“You have my word,” President Tucker said, then gave Caprese a pointed look. “If you can’t keep a secret, leave the room now.”
Caprese arched a brow. “I was quiet about vampires for six years. I can keep my mouth shut.”
“All right, then.” Gregori glanced at Abigail, whose face had turned pale. “Howard is a shifter.” When he was met with blank looks, he explained further. “A shape shifter. He changes form at will.”
She gasped. “You mean like a werewolf?”
“The majority of shifters are werewolves,” Gregori admitted.
Caprese scoffed. “I don’t believe it.”
Abigail shook her head. “I don’t see how it’s physically possible.”
Gregori gave her a pointed look. “There are a lot of things that can be possible.” Like a relationship with me. Her cheeks blushed, so he assumed she’d understood his point. “If you need proof, I could bring Howard here and let him shift. He might rip the sofas in two, but—”
“Wait.” The president lifted a hand. “If he turns into a beast, will my daughter be safe?”
“Yes.” Gregori nodded. “He has complete control. And even in human form, he has super strength and speed and heightened senses. He can protect Abigail better than any human.”
“He’s a werewolf?” she asked him.
“Actually, he’s a were-bear. A Kodiak bear. Nobody’s going to mess with Howard.”
She stared at him with a stunned expression.
“The second day guard is Rajiv.” Gregori picked up the last profile.
“Do you know Maxim?” Abigail interrupted.
Gregori blinked. “Who?”
“Maxim. He’s a werewolf.”
The president stiffened. “Abby! You know a werewolf?”
“No! He’s the hero in Mom’s book . . . but I guess he’s not real.” Her face flushed. “Sorry. I hardly know what’s real anymore.”
Gregori refrained from smiling.
The president’s face softened as he regarded his daughter. “I understand how you feel, sweetie. We’ve had a lot thrown at us these last few nights.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Werewolves and were-bears—who would ever believe this?”
“You can add were-tigers to the list.” Gregori passed him the last profile.
Abigail gasped. “Tigers?”
Gregori chuckled. “Wolves, tigers, and bears, oh my!”
When the others continued to stare at him with stunned expressions, he cleared his throat and assumed a serious expression. “Rajiv has been working for MacKay S and I for a year. His tribe is from Thailand, but they originated in the Yunnan province. Came down the Mekong River, and then settled in northern Thailand. Apparently the were-tigers like to have a set territory for each tribe, and they ran out of room in Yunnan. The good news is Rajiv has relatives there, and he knows one of their local dialects.”
“And he shifts into a tiger?” President Tucker passed the profile to Caprese.
“Yes. He can shift at will.” Gregori closed his now-empty folder. “I’ll be going, too. And Abigail. So you have the six members the A-Team.”
“Why only two day guards?” Caprese asked.
“We’ll be teleporting around,” Gregori explained. “Three vampires means we can safely transport only three—Abigail plus the two shifters.”
Caprese gathered the profiles together in a stack. “I’ll let you know if I approve of these . . . men.”
Gregori gave him a wry look. “Try to do it within a few hours. The men are already in San Francisco. As soon as the sun sets in Hawaii, they’ll teleport there. Then they’ll move on to the MacKay office in Tokyo. In twelve hours they could be in the Yunnan province setting things up.”
Abigail sat up with an alarmed look. “They’re leaving without me?”
“You and I will follow as soon as everything is ready,” Gregori said. “The other four will establish bases around the province. Since the terrain is fairly mountainous, they’ll be looking for caves or abandoned buildings away from populated areas. They’ll set up beacons in these bases that only Vamps and shifters can hear. We use the beacons to know exactly where to teleport. And each base will be stocked with supplies: food, water, synthetic blood, sleeping bags, and so forth. I’m afraid we’ll be roughing it.”