She released the doorknob and turned toward him. "Then you believe dead women are better than live ones?"
"I dinna say that. But I am better suited for a Vamp."
"Really? Are the live ones too hot for you to handle?"
Was she challenging him? "I havena met a woman yet that I couldna handle."
"Right." She eyed him warily. "You probably used vampire mind control on them."
Damn, but she knew exactly where to plunge in the knife. "Aye, I used mind control. And they loved it. It made their orgasms stronger." He arched a brow. "Would ye like a demonstration?" Her eyes seethed with anger. "I'd like you to go away. And die." She opened her bedroom door. He stepped closer. "Why do ye guard us when ye doona like us? Why would ye spend yer days trapped in a house with the Undead?"
"Good night, Mr. MacPhie." She shut the door in his face.
"I'll find out about you, Toni," he yelled, then stalked back to the stairs.
The sun was touching the horizon now. He could feel the death-sleep pulling him into oblivion. He gazed up the stairwell to the fifth floor and concentrated hard. In an instant he was there. He stumbled into Roman's office and shut the door behind him. With the aluminum shutters covering the windows, the room was dark, but no problem for his superior vision. He crossed the office to the bedroom and collapsed on the king-sized bed. By all the saints, this was so much better than a narrow coffin. He stretched out, enjoying the comfort. His breathing slowed as death- sleep stole over him.
Wait. He shook his head. He still needed to find out about Toni. He rolled toward the bedside table and grabbed the cordless phone. His vision blurred as he punched in Connor's cell phone number. Just a few more minutes, that was all he needed.
"Hello?" Connor sounded sleepy.
Ian stretched on his back, holding the phone to his ear. "Tell me about Toni."
"Is that you, Ian?" Connor yawned. "Call me later."
"Tell me about Toni. How did ye find her?"
"I came across her in Central Park." Connor yawned again. "Monday night."
And this was only Wednesday morning. Ian opened his mouth, but no words came out. His eyes flickered shut.
"Three Malcontents," Connor's voice slowed, "attacked her...verra vicious..."
No wonder she hated vampires. Ian lost his grip on the phone. Was she planning to stake them all in their sleep?
As death-sleep dragged him under, he wondered if he would ever wake again.
Chapter Three
I deserve to be happy.
I will accomplish my goals.
I will achieve something meaningful with my life.
I am worthy to be loved.
Toni repeated her morning affirmations as hot water sluiced down her body and steam billowed around her. She just needed to believe. Yeah, right. In the last few days, her life had started spiraling down the toilet.
I deserve to be happy. She sighed. Her family didn't believe in her, so why should she? She turned the water off. She needed to toughen up emotionally and not let other people drag her down-- people like Ian MacPhie.
How could a dead guy be so handsome? She pulled back the shower curtain. Why couldn't he have been mortal? For one fleeting, wonderful moment, she'd thought he was human. But no. Swish down the toilet. He was one of them.
She stepped out of the shower, scolding herself. Don't think about him. He has no power over you. Unless...
Unless he used vampire mind control. Toni's bare skin prickled with goose bumps, and she shivered in spite of the hot steam surrounding her. She glanced down at the bite marks that covered her chest and torso.
She'd fought those three vampires. She'd thought she might survive until they'd taken over her mind. She'd sat there in the dirty snow, shivering and helpless while their cruel thoughts invaded her head and forced her to remove her shirt. Her bra. A deep shudder racked her body. If Connor hadn't come along when he had...
She blinked away tears and grabbed a towel to dry off. She would remain in control and stay focused.
I will accomplish my goals. She had to succeed. Sabrina was counting on her. Already Toni had confirmed the existence of vampires and invaded the good-guy camp.
Good-guy vampires? Who would believe that? But Connor had saved her, and he swore all good Vamps had given up biting. She'd seen them drink from bottles, but still, it was hard to completely trust them. No matter how well these good Vamps behaved, she could still sense the beast lurking just below the surface. She'd felt it even stronger with Ian, but instead of repelling her, it had excited her.
How foolish could she get? Only a complete idiot would challenge a beast that could bite. She would ignore him.
I will achieve something meaningful with my life. This would happen. She and Sabrina had it all planned out.
Toni padded into the bedroom while she towel-dried her hair. Her gaze wandered over the soft, golden walls and large canopy bed hung with blue and gold brocade fabric that matched the curtains and comforter. The two dressers that flanked the bed looked like Louis XVI antiques.
One thing she had to reluctantly admit: the Vamps had excellent taste. Dougal claimed this room once belonged to a Vamp princess who was a member of Roman Draganesti's harem. Apparently Roman had disbanded his harem when he married. Toni snorted. What a great guy. As far as she could tell, all the male Vamps were a few centuries behind on their opinions of women. Ian MacPhie certainly was.
I am worthy to be loved. The last affirmation was the hardest to believe. She tossed her towel into the laundry hamper. Dammit, she was loved. Grandma had loved her.
And remember what happened to her? You failed her. Toni quickly squashed the nasty inner voice that kept sabotaging her affirmations, telling her she didn't deserve to be happy, and she wasn't worthy to be loved. She was worthy, dammit. And she would not fail Sabrina. Even if it meant living in a house full of blood-drinking creatures.
She popped in her contacts and dressed in her guard uniform of khaki pants and a navy polo shirt. Connor had given her small sizes, but still, the men's clothes hung on her frame like shapeless sacks. Obviously MacKay Security and Investigation was not accustomed to hiring female guards. Dougal and Phineas had been surprised, but they'd accepted her easily enough once they'd seen her fight.
Ian was much more suspicious, but she wouldn't let him scare her away. She would remain calm and cool. In control. Nothing was going to faze her.
She jumped when her cell phone blasted forth with loud music. Damn. Carlos had given her a new ringtone a week ago, but the sudden explosion of "Cum on Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot always gave her a jolt.
The male vocalists screamed while she dug through her handbag. Hopefully, it was Sabrina calling. Toni had gone to the hospital last night to see her, but Sabrina had been sleeping so peacefully, Toni hadn't wanted to wake her.
She yanked open the phone. "Hello?"
"Toni?" The gruff voice sounded urgent. "What's going on there?"
"Howard?" Her supervisor? Howard Barr was in charge of daytime security, and he monitored Toni from his location at Roman Draganesti's house. Howard was supposed to call for a morning report at eight A.M., but yesterday morning he'd used the house phone, not her cell phone. Her gaze flickered to the bedside table where the digital clock glowed 7:26. "Is something wrong?"
"That's what I'm asking you," Howard continued in a rush. "I did my morning rounds here, and Connor had his cell phone open by his ear. Were you talking to him?"
"No. Everything's fine here--"
"I don't think so. Connor's phone was connected to your house phone there. I hung up and tried to call, but your line is still busy."
Toni glanced at the phone on her bedside table. A light indicated it was still in use. Of course. Ian had said he would check up on her. "It must be Ian MacPhie."
"Ian?" There was a pause during which Toni could hear the shuffling of papers. "Are you sure? He's not due back for another week. And his coffin's empty."
"He outgrew it."
"So it's true? The boy doesn't look fifteen anymore?"
She wrinkled her nose. "He looks older than that, but his behavior's not what I would call mature."
Howard chuckled. "Made a good impression, did he? Look, he's not showing up on any of my monitors, so you'll have to find him and make sure he's all right."
"I'm sure he's fine. Where would he go? He's dead. That sorta cuts down on his mobility." "Yes, but we're responsible for these guys during the day. You can't guard a corpse if you don't know where it is. So find him."