It was so…tempting. But alarming, too, for she already had her life planned out with Sabrina. Sabrina was her family, not these people in the Vamp world. As soon as the mess with Sabrina was resolved, Toni could leave the Vamp world forever. Two days ago she'd been eager to leave. Now she was starting to feel…wanted. And valued. For the first time, she realized she was getting pulled in two different directions.
"Are you all right, dear?" Radinka asked.
"I–I'd better go." She glanced at the clock over the kitchen sink. "My final starts in an hour."
Constantine placed his small hand on her arm. "You'll be okay, Toni."
Her arm tingled as a surge of warm energy rushed from the little boy's hand. She stiffened, then immediately relaxed as the energy washed over her with a soothing gentleness. Her tension melted away, leaving a sense of well-being and a feeling that she could accomplish anything.
She looked at the little boy, and he smiled back. There was an intelligence in his bright blue eyes that should have been frightening in a child so young, but she felt too relaxed to be concerned. Constantine radiated goodness, so she knew there was no need to be afraid.
He withdrew his hand and focused his attention back on his picture book. Toni gathered her things and said her good-byes. As she walked to the subway station, the little boy's question kept repeating in her mind. Is Toni with us? How deep was she getting sucked into this new world? Would it be hard to give it up when she left? Not so hard, if they completely wiped her memory. But how could she give up the memory of Constantine and the others?
How could she give up ever seeing Ian again?
That evening, Toni was celebrating the end of her college education with a big bowl of triple chocolate ice cream on top of a double chocolate brownie, when Ian walked in.
"Good evening."
He'd caught her with her mouth full. She gulped. "Hi."
He opened his mouth to speak, then apparently changed his mind. He wandered to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of blood. He hesitated, then placed it back in.
"Not hungry?" She scooped more ice cream into her mouth.
"I already ate." He paced across the room, his kilt swishing about his knees.
"Did you see the Christmas tree in the parlor? It's very pretty. Shanna and Constantine decorated it."
"Aye, it's nice." He continued to pace.
He seemed nervous to her. "Are you doing that interview tonight?"
"I think so." He flexed his hands as he paced. "But I have a bad feeling about it."
"Shanna thought you should skip it. Did you see the note she left you?"
"Aye, but Vanda's worked verra hard to set this up. I doona want to disappoint her." He sighed. "She's lined up some more dates for me, too."
Toni stabbed at the brownie. "More Vamp women?"
"Aye." He leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms across his chest.
And what about the kiss they'd shared in the car? Toni thought about bringing it up, but she'd been the one who'd insisted they never speak of it. She'd called it a mistake. She glanced at Ian. Had he thought it was a mistake?
But what about those moments when their eyes met, and the whole world melted away? Toni could have sworn something was happening between them. Something like a huge magnet drawing them together. Or was she fooling herself? She took her bowl to the sink. She'd lost her appetite.
"Toni, I doona know how to say this, but…"
Would he tell her he was attracted to her? "Yes?"
"I canna see myself when I shave. I was wondering if I looked all right. For the interview, ye ken."
"Oh. Okay, let me see." She moved close and examined his cheeks, the line of his jaw, his strong neck, and his dimpled chin. She felt her own face growing warm. "You look fine to me."
Her eyes met his, and her heart did a little flip. Damn, knowing him, he'd heard that. She stepped back.
"I doona have a hairbrush upstairs. I just pulled my hair back."
"I've got one." She rummaged through her handbag on the kitchen table and pulled out a brush. She was about to offer it to him when she realized this was a chance to actually touch his hair. With her heart racing, she motioned to a chair at the table. "Take a seat."
He did.
She stared at the back of his head and his shoulders. Even from the back he was gorgeous. She untied the leather strip around his ponytail and dropped it on the table. She stroked the brush through his thick hair. It shimmered in waves down to his shoulders. His very broad shoulders.
"You have wavy hair." She smoothed a hand over the waves. His hair was as soft as she'd thought it would be.
"When I wore it short, it was curly," he said. "Thank you for helping me. I–I wanted to look good for the interview, but I dinna want to seem vain."
She smiled. "I don't think you're vain." Gorgeous, but not vain. She gathered his hair into a ponytail. She'd never dated a guy with hair this long. It was a lot sexier than she'd realized. She took her time, smoothing the silken strands back from his temples and around his ears.
"Ye have a soft touch," he whispered.
She leaned over to get the leather strip off the table, and her breasts grazed against his head. He glanced up at her, and her breath caught. "Are you all right? Your eyes look kinda bloodshot."
He closed them. "I'm a wee tired."
"Oh." She hadn't thought a Vamp could get tired. She tied the strip around his hair at the base of his neck.
"I dinna know what to wear—breeches or a kilt."
"The kilt is good. It's…you. And you want to be yourself. I mean, if a woman doesn't love you for yourself, then she's not the right one for you."
He remained silent.
She stepped back. "Have you met someone you liked?"
"Aye. I have."
Her heart plummeted. "I see. Well, I'm done here."
"Thank you." He rose slowly. "When I told Vanda I was looking for my true love, I told her I wanted a lady Vamp who was honest, loyal, intelligent, and pretty."
Toni's heart sank lower. She didn't match up very well.
"But now I'm starting to realize that there's more to love than meeting a few requirements."
"That's true." She dropped her brush into her bag.
He strode to the kitchen door, then hesitated. "If ye were no' my guard, I could date you."
Her heart swooshed back into place. He wanted to date her?
He frowned. "But if ye were no longer my guard, yer memory would be erased. Ye wouldna know me."
"I know." Her heart squeezed. "It's kinda…sad."
"Aye, it is." He turned and left the room.
A little after ten, Carlos called. "I'm on my way home."
Toni was already in her pajamas, lounging in bed. "How was your date?"
"Good. Maria let me into Dr. Proctor's office, and I found a copy of the will. Sabrina can't inherit the bulk of her trust fund until she obtains a college degree. Meanwhile, her aunt Gwen remains the trustee."
"So they're trying to keep her from graduating?" Toni sat up with a gasp. "Carlos! What if they plan to keep her locked up in a mental hospital forever?"
"I'm afraid that's exactly what they're up to," Carlos muttered. "But never fear. I discovered where Dr. Proctor works. Shady Oaks Psychiatric Hospital. I called, but they wouldn't confirm if Sabrina is a patient there."
"We have to find her."
"I know, menina. We will. Meet me tomorrow night after you get off work, and we'll go to Shady Oaks together."
"Okay." Toni hung up. She'd find Sabrina. And she'd get her out of that hospital. She wouldn't let her down.
CHAPTER 11
Saturday before dawn, Toni didn't see Ian. He teleported straight to the fifth floor without stopping to say hello. How had the interview gone? Was he avoiding her? He'd mentioned he'd met someone he liked. But he'd also hinted that he wanted to date her. It was so confusing.
Four times during the day, she wandered up the stairs to check o
n him for her reports. She stood there, staring at him in his death-sleep, searching for answers that weren't detectable on his handsome, blank face.
Right after sunset, Dougal and Phineas marched into the kitchen for their evening breakfast. Toni was having a quick sandwich before leaving to meet Carlos.
"Saturday night." Phineas took a gulp from his bottle of warmed-up blood. "I bet you've got a hot date."
"Something like that." She set her empty plate in the sink. "Why doesn't Ian come down? Isn't he hungry?"
"There's a wee fridge up there with a supply of blood," Dougal said. "Still, I wish he would come down."
"Yeah. The interview couldn't have been that bad." Phineas drank more from his bottle.
Dougal frowned. "Gregori told me it was verra bad."
Toni's heart stilled. "Why? What happened?"
Dougal shrugged. "Gregori wouldna give details. But they're showing the interview tonight on the telly."
She would have to see it. Hopefully, it would air before it was time to meet Carlos. But poor Ian. Was he hiding in his room out of embarrassment? "You know, this whole dating thing has snowballed completely out of control. The women came back about two hours ago. There are about twenty of them camped out on the front sidewalk."
"Twenty babes? Are they hot?" Phineas rushed from the kitchen.
Toni ran after him and found him turning off the alarm. "Phineas, don't! They're rowdy enough already. Whenever I look out the window, they start screaming."
"Cool." Phineas yanked open the door and was instantly rewarded with squeals. "Ladies." He held up his hands. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Dr. Phang, the love doctor."
"We want Ian!" They pressed forward, knocking over empty beer bottles.
"Careful," Toni warned Phineas.
"Ladies, you have come to the right place. I'm a personal friend of Ian's—"
"Ask him if he wants some of this!" One of the girls let out a long squeal while she lifted her T-shirt to flash her boobs like a girl gone wild.
"That's a good start," Phineas said. "Anyone else?"
"Stop it." Toni slammed the door shut and glared at Phineas. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
He grinned.
Dougal's mouth twitched as he reset the alarm. "Come on, Dr. Phang. We need to go to Romatech."
"But the interview is starting in five minutes." Phineas dashed into the living room and located the remote control. "Don't you guys want to see it?"
"I do." Toni settled on the maroon couch that faced the widescreen TV.
"I'm going to work." Dougal gave Phineas a warning look. "I'll expect ye there in fifteen minutes."
"Okay, okay," Phineas agreed impatiently. "But admit it, bro, you're going to be watching it at Romatech."
Dougal smiled. "Perhaps." He vanished.
Phineas sprawled on the couch next to Toni and turned on the TV. "See that dude? He's Stone Cauffyn. Does the Nightly News."
Toni listened to the Vamp newscaster drone on in a boring voice. Suddenly her cell phone went off.
"Love is a battlefield?" Phineas snorted. "Man, that's wack. Love is a many-splendored thing, especially when you're with Dr. Phang."
"I'll keep that in mind." Toni rushed into the foyer to answer the phone. "Carlos?" She glanced at the surveillance camera. "This is not a good time."
"We need to go to Shady Oaks. Get your pretty ass home, girl, so we can go."
"I—" Toni glanced at the television in the next room. "I need to stay here about fifteen more minutes."
"Why? Aren't you off duty when the sun sets?"
"Yes, but…" She groaned inwardly. It was happening again. She was getting pulled in two different directions.
"Okay, I'll pick you up on the way. And before you object, I know exactly where you are, menina. I Googled Ian the other night and found his profile and address. I'll be there in twenty minutes." Carlos hung up.
"Toni, it's starting," Phineas yelled.
She rushed back to the couch. The TV screen was filled with large words in a flowing script—Live with the Undead, starring Corky Courrant.
"Good evening, friends!" A close-up revealed a face with heavily lined eyes and collagen-enhanced lips. "This is Corky Courrant, reporting from the Horny Devils nightclub in New York City."
The camera pulled back, and Toni recognized the nightclub she'd seen the night before. Corky was sitting at a table next to a somber-looking Ian.
"Shit, look at the tits on her," Phineas murmured.
"Tonight we're talking to Ian MacPhie, who has recently posted a very popular profile on the online dating service Single in the City." Corky inclined her head toward Ian. "We're delighted to have you on the show, Ian."
"My pleasure," Ian said.
"This ain't so bad," Phineas observed.
"Looks fine to me," Toni agreed. More than fine. Ian looked gorgeous with his blue eyes and wavy black hair. His green sweater clung to broad shoulders and a firm chest.
"My friends, this is a special night." Corky's smile faded, and she affected a dreamy look. "Every now and then, in the annals of vampire history, there arises a man who stands out among all others. He is the legendary hero who inspires great music and poetry, that perfect man who inhabits the secret fantasies of all vampire women."
Ian shifted in his seat, his face blushing.
"He is the man we all yearn for." Corky glanced at Ian. "And this is not his story."
Toni gasped. Ian's face paled.
Corky's eyes gleamed with wicked delight. "No, tonight we have the pathetic story of a lonely, desperate man, so desperate he tries to sell himself online. No, wait, he's so pathetic he has a friend sell him online."
"What are you doing?" Vanda marched into view.
"Ah, here is the friend—Vanda Barkowski. Tell me, is it true Ian's too illiterate to write his own profile?"
"He's not—" Vanda began.
"Did you write it or not?" Corky snarled.
"I helped," Vanda admitted, "but he's not illit—"
"I had to wonder what would drive a man to such desperate measures," Corky continued with a smile. "So, before this show, I interviewed two women who are very well acquainted with Ian MacPhie. Here they are…"
The screen changed to the blonde bartender.
"You are Cora Lee Primrose, former member of Roman Draganesti's harem?" Corky asked.
"Yes." Cora Lee smiled shyly. "Ian was one of our guards. He was always such a sweet boy."
"Boy?" Corky asked. "He looks thirty in his photo."
"That's because he ate something that made him grow older," Cora Lee explained. "For centuries, he looked like a fifteen-year-old boy."
"That's amazing. What else can you tell us about Ian?"
"Well." Cora Lee chewed on her bottom lip. "He told me why he wanted to look older. He just wants to get laid."
The scene switched back to Corky and Ian, who was frowning.
"That was a joke," he muttered.
Corky scoffed. "The next interview, please…"
The scene shifted to another blonde Vamp. Toni recognized her as Pamela, the woman from the restroom.
"I am Lady Pamela Smythe-Worthing, one of the owners of this establishment," she began. "And I have known Ian MacPhie since 1955 when he was assigned to guard those of us who were members of Roman Draganesti's harem."
"I heard he looked like a teenager," Corky said.
"Indeed," Pamela agreed. "He was much too young-looking to be of any interest to us. Personally, I believe Ian MacPhie is a five-hundred-year-old virgin."
"Amazing," Corky said. "So his profile is nothing more than a desperate ploy to finally pop the cherry?"
Pamela smiled. "Precisely."
The scene switched back to Corky and Ian.
Vanda planted her hands on the table and leaned toward Corky. "That's bullshit. Ian's looking for his true love."
"Can you confirm he's not a virgin?" Corky asked calmly. "Have you slept with him?"
"Of course not
," Vanda growled.
Corky raised her voice. "Has anyone here slept with Ian MacPhie?"
The camera panned over a hundred faces, all shouting no, then returned to a smiling Corky. "I rest my case."
"You told me you would be nice," Vanda yelled.
Corky shrugged. "As a dedicated journalist, it's my duty to always report the truth."
"The truth?" Vanda shrieked. "The truth is you're a vicious, lying bitch!" She leaped across the table and seized Corky by the neck.
"Vanda, no!" Ian grabbed her, trying to pull her off Corky, who was getting shaken like a rag doll, although her huge breasts remained remarkably still.
Corky's eyes bugged out as she gasped for air. "Cut!"
A commercial started for custom-made coffins. Toni and Phineas stared at the TV in silence.
"Shit," Phineas finally whispered.
Toni swallowed hard. "That was bad."
"Really bad." Phineas stood as he turned off the TV. "Well, I gotta go to work." He vanished.
Toni dashed up the stairs. Carlos would be here any minute now, but she didn't want to leave without making sure Ian was all right. That was part of her job. Sorta.
She reached the fifth floor, gasping for air, and knocked on the door. No answer. She turned the knob, and it opened. That was a good sign. He hadn't locked her out.
She peered inside. The room was dark except for the light emanating from a television. She opened the door wider and spotted Corky Courrant on the TV.
"My friends, I'm sure you're terribly distressed after watching that vicious woman's attempt to strangle me." Corky sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear. "But don't cry for me. I'm going to be all right."
The television switched off in the middle of a fake Corky sob, and Toni spotted Ian sitting in the dark.
She slipped inside the room. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Toni. I doona need a babysitter."
"I'm just here as a…friend." She approached him.
"Ye watched the interview?" He set the remote on the table beside his chair and picked up a bottle of blood. "Of course ye saw it. The entire vampire world saw it."
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