Single? Leah stopped herself from asking. She had to be out of her mind.
"He's always struck me as a bit shy," Abby continued. "A quiet kind of guy."
Quiet until the volcano erupts. Leah wondered if she was the only one who sensed he was about to blow.
"He's a musician." Abby stepped closer, smiling. "You want to hear a funny story? Lara told me about it. One of the Vamps, Jack, was throwing a bachelor party for Ian in a hotel room at the Plaza. Dougal was playing the bagpipes, and they were all drunk on Blissky and trying to dance a jig. They were so loud that the hotel called the police, and Jack had a hell of a time trying to explain it all."
Leah glanced over at the happy crowd. Apparently vampires liked to party. "So what happened? Were they arrested?"
Abby chuckled. "No, but Jack ended up married to the police officer. Lara's over there somewhere." She motioned toward the crowd. "She's expecting a baby, too."
Leah gulped. She was sensing an alarming pattern here. "Do the Undead always take mortal women for their wives?"
"Well, not always." Abby picked up the cake knife. "Which flavor cake would you like?"
Not always? Did that mean some of the women here were vampires? Or something else?
Her heart started racing again. What if vampires were just the tip of the iceberg? What if the normal world around her was actually abnormal?
"I think I'll try the pink layer." Abby put a slice on a small plate. "I'm not sure if it's cherry or strawberry. What would you like?"
My sanity back. Leah studied the different layers. White, lemon yellow, pink, red velvet, and devil's food.
"You should get the chocolate," a young voice said beside her.
Leah jumped. The little boy had curly blond hair, blue eyes, and a dab of chocolate icing on his nose. "You - you're Roman's son?"
He nodded, smiling. "I'm Tino."
Half vampire? Leah eased a bit to the side.
"What's your name?" Tino asked.
"I'm . . . Dr. Chin."
"Oh." Tino took a chocolate chip cookie off the table and munched on it. "The chocolate cake is the best."
"You eat regular food?" Leah asked.
Tino nodded, his mouth full. "My mom says I'm surprisingly normal." He wrinkled his nose. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing." He pointed up to the ceiling. "Would you like a balloon?"
Leah glanced up. Helium-filled balloons covered the ceiling.
"What color would you like?" Tino asked.
"I don't kn - " Leah halted when the little boy rose through the air. "Oh God. Oh my God." Half vampire.
"He's really very normal," Abby assured her quietly. "He can just do a few tricks that - "
"Do you know what you've done here?" Leah pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe. "You've created a new species."
"The children are basically human. You'll see that when you study Tino's blood work."
"Basically human?" Leah wondered if she could still make a run for it. Unfortunately, the big, volcanically inclined Dougal would stop her.
Or maybe not. Gregori had returned with a woman, and the other men had retreated into the foyer, completely focused on her. She was dressed in a sparkly red dress that barely covered her rump and clung to a body that was downright voluptuous. Gregori had an arm around her waist and was grinning at her.
"Oh, no," Abby whispered. "It's Vanna. I thought he'd gotten rid of her."