"Excuse me?" Belinda gave her nurse an indignant look.

Abigail exchanged a grin with Debra, then patted her mom on the shoulder. "We can't all be blond like you."

Her smile faded when she noted strands of silver in her mother's hair. When had that happened? Even Debra's short and tidy Afro had acquired hints of gray among the black.

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat so her clenched fists wouldn't show. Time was flying by, and she'd hardly made any progress at all. Her chest tightened with the same fear that had haunted her for a dozen years. Failure is not an option. Failure means your mother dies.

"Take a seat." Belinda motioned to the chair beside her. "The good part's coming up."

Abigail perched on the edge of the chair and gripped her jeans-clad knees. She needed to relax and enjoy the time she had with her mother. And not feel guilty that she wasn't at the lab.

"Are you ready for me, my love?" he whispered.

"Oh yes, Maxim! Take me. I need to feel your manly rod of steel deep inside me."

Abigail snorted. "I think he has a penile prosthesis."

Debra laughed.

Belinda scowled at them both.

Maxim caressed her face, then sliced through her nightgown with his claw.

"What?" Abigail sat back. "His claw?"

Belinda nodded. "I told you he was sexy."

Debra rolled her eyes. "Only a blonde would be stupid enough - "

"He's got a claw?" Abigail jumped to her feet and picked up the case for the audio book. "Wild and Wicked Nights with a Werewolf? You mean Maxim has hairy palms and never cuts his nails?"

Belinda sighed. "You might as well turn it off. You've really destroyed the mood now."

"Who could ever be in the mood for a claw?" Abigail punched the off button and dropped the CD case on the table. "What happened to the Greek billionaire tycoon and his secretary?"

Belinda shrugged. "I wanted to branch out. Try something new. I never get out of the house, you know. I can at least let my imagination roam free."

Abigail swallowed hard. "You're right. I'm sorry." Even though the house in question was the White House, it was still a prison for her mom.

"Hi, guys!" a cheerful voice greeted them from the doorway. A dog yipped.

"Madison?" Belinda squinted, then smiled. "Well, don't you look lovely! Is that a new dress?"

"Yes!" Madison waltzed into the clinic, carrying a pink rhinestone-encrusted dog bag.

She twirled, and her pink, sparkly cocktail dress swirled around her long, lean, perfectly tanned legs. "Isn't it gorgeous? It's a Versace. Oh, sorry, Dolly darling!" She patted the head of her toy poodle. "Little schnookums gets motion sickness, don't you, poor baby?"

"If that rat's going to puke, take it out of here," Debra grumbled.

Madison gave the nurse an annoyed look, then aimed her high-wattage smile at her mom and sister. "Guess what? I have the most exciting news ever!"

"There's a sale at Bloomingdale's?" Abigail muttered.

Madison gasped. "Is there? Oh." She waved a dismissive hand with perfect pink nails. "I can do that tomorrow. What's happening tonight is actually more important."

Belinda exchanged an amused look with Abigail. "How shocking."

"It is. Quite shocking." Madison set her dog bag on the carpet, then pressed a hand to her chest. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just blurt it out. Debra, be sure to monitor my mother's blood pressure. This may be . . . too shocking."

Debra gave her a wry look over the top of her reading glasses. "I've got it covered."

"Very well. Here goes." Madison took a deep breath. "Vampires are coming to the White House."

Abigail bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Her mom smiled. "Honey, vampires aren't real."

Madison flinched. "How can you say that?" She motioned toward the audio book on the table. "You were so happy when I bought the werewolf book for you. If you believe in werewolves, then you should believe in vampires, too. If you don't, then it's like . . . racist, or something."

"Girl, are you on medication?" Nurse Debra asked.

"No, of course not," Madison answered impatiently.

"Maybe you should be," Debra muttered.

Abigail covered her mouth to hide her grin.

"I'm totally serious," Madison insisted. Her dog yipped in agreement.

Belinda shook her head. "Vampires and werewolves aren't real, sweetie. It's called fiction."

"That's what everybody used to think." Madison brushed her long blond hair over her shoulder. "But vampires are real. It's all over the Internet, so it has to be true. Besides, I have proof."

Abigail assumed a serious expression. "If you're referring to that video on YouTube, I've seen it, too, and it doesn't actually prove anything. How did you reach the conclusion that vampires are coming to our house?"

Madison heaved a frustrated sigh. "Okay. I'll explain it to you." She ticked off a list with her fingers. "Number one, I heard Dad is holding a top secret meeting tonight at ten o'clock. And you know vampires can only meet at night."

"That's not actual proof." Or even a logical train of thought, although Abigail refrained from telling her younger sister that.

"Number two," Madison continued. "I heard that all the top defense guys will be here, like the CIA and Homeland Security directors. So you know they're meeting someone really important . . . like vampires."

Abigail shrugged. "That's still not proof."

"Okay, then number - " Madison glanced down at her hand to see which finger she was on. "Three. I checked in the kitchen, and they just received a special delivery." She lowered her voice to a dramatic hush. "It was blood!"

Abigail groaned inwardly. Didn't Madison realize it was necessary to keep a supply on hand in case their mother needed a transfusion?

"It's probably for me," Belinda muttered.

"Does your blood come in bottles?" Madison asked. "And arrive in the kitchen?"

Abigail shot Debra a questioning look, and the nurse shook her head.

"Did you see these bottles of blood?" she asked Madison. "Where did they come from? Were they the same blood type as our mother's?"

"I don't know." Madison gave them all an indignant look. "It doesn't matter. It's obvious those bottles are for the vampires who are coming tonight. If you don't believe me, then come with me and I'll prove it to you."

Abigail sighed. Of all the silly things . . .

"Go on," Belinda nudged at her. "I want to hear all about it."

Abigail noted the twinkle in her mother's eyes. She was enjoying Madison's latest drama. "Very well. I shall investigate the matter and report back to you."

Belinda clapped her hands together. "Excellent."

"Come on!" Madison grabbed her dog bag, and Dolly yipped. "The vampires will be arriving any minute now."

Abigail waved bye to Nurse Debra and her mom, then joined her sister in the East Sitting Hall. A second Secret Service agent was standing nearby - Josh, the poor guy who was assigned to Madison. She smiled at him, and he nodded ever so slightly, his face expressionless. She'd managed to make him crack a smile once by telling him if anyone ever tried to kidnap Madison, they'd give her back in ten minutes.

Madison looked her over, frowning. "Jeans and a T-shirt? And why do you always wear that ugly coat? It has no style whatsoever."

"It's a lab coat. I came straight from work."

Madison sighed. "I wish there was time for you to change. First impressions are important, you know. But no matter, we need to hurry." She strode down the hall, her high heels silent on the thick carpet.

Abigail walked beside her, and Josh followed discreetly at a distance. "So you wore that dress for the vampires?" she asked.

"Of course." Madison marched across the Center Hall and into the Yellow Oval Room. "I want to look my best. Everyone knows vampires are extremely attractive."

"I thought they were kind of pale and . . . dead."

"Undead," Madison corrected her. "And yes, they're a bit pale, but in a sparkly sort of way. I thought they would like this sparkly dress. And Dolly's rhinestone bag. It's important to make them feel comfortable, you know."

Abigail shrugged. "You're the expert." Her sister had always loved sparkly things, so much so that the Secret Service used Sparkle for her code name.

Madison slanted an annoyed look in her direction. "I know you don't believe me, but you'll see I'm right." She opened a French door that led onto the Truman balcony of the South Portico. "This way."

"But what about the meeting?" Abigail stepped outside into the cool night air. "Shouldn't we go to the West Wing?"

"Yes, but we'll see them here first." Madison set the dog bag down, then strode to the edge of the upper balcony that overlooked the south entrance of the White House.

Josh stationed himself by the door and murmured their location into the communication device on his wrist.

Abigail rested her hands on the wrought-iron railing and peered down at the circular drive two floors below. "There's no one here."

Madison huffed. "Do you expect them to pull up in a car? They're vampires! They'll fly in. I expect they'll want to land right here on the balcony." She scanned the night sky. "Do you see them? They'll probably be in bat form."

Abigail crossed her arms and leaned against a thick white column. She could hear horns blaring and the hum of traffic in the distance, but here, they were in a small green oasis of quiet. The grounds were well lit and colorful with spring blossoms. She really ought to enjoy the gardens before the heat of summer invaded. Take time to smell the roses. But she could always feel the clock ticking, warning her she was in a race against time to save her mother.

She sighed. "You do realize it's physically impossible for a full-grown man to shrink his mass down to the size of a bat?"

Madison gasped and pointed. "Is that one?"

"Looks like a crow."

"Oh." Madison pressed a finger to her mouth as she considered. "The meeting's going to start soon. I wonder what's taking them so long."

"Well, it's a long flight from Transylvania."

Madison scoffed. "Don't be silly. They're already here in America. They're all around us."

"I guess I've missed them somehow."

"Well, duh! Of course you missed them. We never know when we're actually seeing them. They're good at blending in. Oh!" Madison's eyes widened. "I know what the problem is! They can't enter our house until we invite them."

"Really?"

"Yes! It's a vampire thing. Trust me. I'm a bit of an expert. I've read all the latest books." Madison stretched her arms out and raised her voice. "Oh, creatures of the night! I call upon the Undead! You are welcome in our humble abode!"

Humble? Abigail stifled a laugh. "Maybe it's working." She pointed to a limousine that was turning into the driveway.

"Don't be silly, Abby. They'll fly in as bats." Madison scanned the horizon.

"What happens when they change into human form? Will they go into the Oval Office completely naked?"

Madison giggled. "That would be so cool! But no, they'll be very well dressed. Tuxedoes, probably. They have expensive tastes."

Abigail watched as the limo came to a halt on the driveway. A group of Secret Service agents swarmed the car with their high-tech gadgets, making sure it hadn't been tampered with. The head Black Suit opened the door, and a man climbed out.

Her breath caught. There was something about him that immediately seized her attention. That alone was strange since she'd never been the type to ogle men. Maybe it was the way he straightened as he got out of the car. He was graceful, but manly, as if he had great strength and power that he kept quietly in control.

She could only see his back, but . . . wow. He was tall and lean, and his expensive suit fit his broad shoulders to perfection. His dark brown hair was a bit long, the ends reaching past his collar, but it looked soft and thick and so very tempting to touch. If only she could see his face.

A second man emerged from the limo. Shorter, stockier, older, with a reddish-blond buzz cut. He acted like he was in charge, talking urgently to the Secret Service agents. The mystery man seemed content to stand silently by. The shorter guy introduced him to the head Black Suit, and he turned to shake hands.

He was stunning. Abigail leaned against the railing for a better view. All she could see was the right side of his face, but what a profile. Good Lord, a man could melt butter with a profile like that. A sharp, straight nose, high cheekbone, and a jawline that curved into a strong chin. Wow. He should be on the cover of one of her mother's books.

Who was he? He seemed too young to be a politician. Maybe the older guy was the politician, and this guy was his aide? But tonight's meeting was being attended by experts in defense, so he might be from the CIA or the Pentagon.

She edged closer into the shadow created by the column so she could spy on him unnoticed. He was listening to the head Black Suit now. His skin was a bit pale in comparison to the other men. Hmm, pale skin, extremely attractive, well dressed, expensive tastes. She might be able to convince her sister that a vampire had indeed arrived at the White House.