The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks Read Free Book Online Page A

clothes?”
    Gregori heaved a sigh. “You need help, bro.” He glanced over at Dougal. “It wouldn’t hurt you to update, too, you know. How long have you been wearing that kilt? A couple of hundred years?”
    Dougal scoffed. “ ’Tis new.” He’d ordered it in Glasgow a few years back. Well, ten years. He finally managed to relax his prosthetic hand.
    “And the poufy shirt?” Gregori eyed it askance. “Did you steal that off a pirate?”
    “Nay.” Dougal had had his share of scuffles with pirates, but never over a shirt.
    Gregori’s mouth twitched. “We should trade your bionic hand in for a hook and get you an eye patch. Then you’d really look like a pirate. You already have the long, wild hair.”
    “ ’Tis no’ wild,” Dougal grumbled. He’d tied it back with a strip of leather. He glanced over at Leah and discovered her looking at him. She turned away. For the first time in centuries, he wondered what a woman saw when she looked at him. Did he actually look like a bloody pirate?
    “What am I going to do with you guys?” Gregori sighed. “Laszlo looks like a dork, and you—Dougal, you gotta lose the skirt, the poufy shirt, and the hairy handbag. That thing is scary.”
    Dougal glanced down at his sporran, made of black muskrat fur. “ ’Tis verra practical. Where else would I keep my coin?”
    “Pockets!” Gregori gave him an incredulous look. “Have you heard of those? Sheesh, dude, you’re medieval.”
    He stiffened. “I’m no’ medieval.”
    “Dougal, you’re accessorizing with a dead animal.”
    “I’m no’ medieval. I was transformed after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. ’Twas called the Age of Enlightenment, in case ye dinna know.”
    Gregori snorted. “You fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie? How enlightened was that?”
    Dougal gritted his teeth. “I fought for freedom from English tyranny. As a bloody Yank, ye should understand that.”
    Gregori shrugged. “Fine. But I’m telling you, man, if you want to find a woman, you need to upgrade.” His eyes lit up. “I bet you need some practice, too. Don’t go anywhere.” He took off across the foyer and down the hallway.
    Laszlo fiddled with another button. “What is he up to?”
    “No good, most likely.” Dougal looked at Leah. She was nibbling on a strawberry and casting curious glances at the crowd of Vamps across the room. “Are ye serious about her?”
    “I-I’m not sure,” Laszlo answered quietly. “She may be in shock, so I should probably leave her be for a while and give her some time to adjust . . .”
    As Laszlo continued to reason with himself, Dougal studied her. She was a natural beauty, and he would wager a year’s earnings that she was unaware of it. Her hair was long, thick, and black, her face small and delicate, her neck slim and graceful. So much like Li Lei. Same creamy, porcelain skin. Same tilt of her head. Same little nose and exquisitely shaped mouth. He nearly moaned when she bit into a strawberry, then licked the juice from her lips.
    Her eyes were different. They were a lighter, more golden brown, and their shape was a little rounder. And there was another difference. A huge one. Leah Chin was alive. This was no ghost shrouded with regret but a vibrant, lovely woman.
    Li Lei’s hair had always been pulled tightly back, but Leah’s hair was loose. A glorious, shimmering curtain that swayed gently with her every move. He couldn’t wait to touch it, feel its silky texture, and run his hands through it.
    His gaze drifted lower. Her knit shirt covered her shoulders, but he had no doubt they were beautiful. The clingy material outlined her breasts nicely, allowing him to envision the—
    “ . . . mounds,” Laszlo said. “More like mountains.”
    “What?” Dougal gave him a wary look.
    “Paperwork,” he clarified. “Mounds of it. I doubt I have time to court Dr. Chin.”
    “Right.” Dougal glanced once again at Leah and discovered her staring at him. Her eyes widened, and she