"You - you erased my memory?"
"You were having a panic attack. It seemed like the best way to calm you down."
Leah struggled to breathe. Oh God, was that why the past few days were a blur? He'd . . . tampered with her mind?
"My dear child," Roman said softly. "Perhaps you should sit down?"
"You look very pale," Abby added.
"I don't faint." Leah stumbled toward the far wall, where a countertop and sink were located. She didn't know whether to be angry or . . . scared to death. Her mind had been tampered with? Dr. Lee had that kind of power?
She glanced at herself in the mirror over the sink and grimaced at her pale, stricken look. Damn them all. She would not allow anyone to alter her memory. She would remember this.
But did that mean she had to accept a new reality, one that was occupied with vampires? With trembling fingers, she turned on the cold water.
"Let me help." Abby joined her at the sink and pulled some paper towels from the nearby dispenser.
She eased away a few inches.
"Leah, please," Abby whispered. "I'm mortal. And a scientist like you. I had trouble accepting it, too." She folded the towels into a pad and moistened it under the cold running water. "Here, press this against the back of your neck."
Leah accepted the damp pad and looked in the mirror over the sink. She and Abby were reflected there, and the stainless steel table in the background. No Laszlo.
She glanced back, and with a gasp, she dropped the damp pad to the floor. Roman Draganesti was standing right behind her. "What? How did you - ?" She turned back to the mirror.
He wasn't there.
"Do you believe us now?" his voice spoke softly behind her.
The room swirled, and she gripped the edge of the counter. Vampires are real? It wasn't scientifically possible. She squeezed her eyes shut. Had her world just turned upside down? Had she stumbled into an alternate reality? Was she hallucinating?
"Take deep breaths," Abby whispered. "You'll be okay."
Leah shook her head. No, it would never be okay. Her safe and scientific world had crumbled around her. What was left to rely on? How could she even trust her instincts, when they were telling her she'd lost her mind?
A cold sweat broke out on her skin. She cupped her hands in the cold running water, and her eyes burned at the sight of her shaky hands. Was this really happening to her?
She splashed water on her face, then straightened to watch the rivulets running down her face in the mirror. It was real. Was the vampire still behind her? She cupped more water in her hands and tossed it over her shoulder.
A wincing sound. She turned and found Mr. Draganesti standing behind her, wiping droplets of water off his shirt and tie.
He gave her a wry look. "My wife didn't take the news well either."
"Your wife?" Leah scoffed. "Apparently she got over it."
He nodded. "Shanna's looking forward to meeting you. Our children are at the party, too. Sofia is four, and Constantine's six."
"Already?" Dr. Lee strolled toward them, smiling. "It seems like just yesterday I delivered them."
"I know." Mr. Draganesti grinned. "They grow so fast."
Leah grimaced at the pointed canine teeth on display. Did they have fangs that shot out like the ones in movies? How many carotid arteries had they punctured with those?
When Mr. Draganesti noticed the apparent horror on her face, his smile faded. "Dr. Chin, there is no need to fear us. I invented synthetic blood to free us from the need to use mortals for our survival."
So Romatech Industries was their equivalent to a grocery store. Leah moved to the side beyond their reach. "Before synthetic blood, you fed off people?"
Mr. Draganesti nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. We would take what we needed, then erase the mortal's memory."