Forbidden Nights With A Vampire (10 page)

Vanda swallowed hard. Frieda’s eyes had been that same shade of blue. Tinged with a bit of green, so they were almost turquoise. “What—” Her voice croaked, and she cleared her throat. “What’s her name?”

“Sofia.” Shanna popped a grape in her mouth. “After Roman’s mother, who died when he was very young.”

Vanda’s eyes burned. She’d never be able to honor her mother’s memory by naming a child after her. With trembling fingers she brushed the blanket off Sofia’s head. Black hair. Just like Jozef. The old wound in her heart cracked further open, and she blinked back tears. She couldn’t do this. She had to give the baby back.

She looked at Shanna. “I—”

“She likes you.” Shanna smiled. “She usually starts screaming if she doesn’t recognize whoever’s holding her.”

“But…” Vanda glanced down at the baby. How can you like me? I’m dying inside.

Sofia waved a tiny fist in the air and moved her mouth like she was trying to talk.

“There you are, Vanda.” Maggie peered around the giant ice sculpture. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Vanda’s heart leaped, then relaxed when she saw that Maggie was alone. She hadn’t brought Phil with her. “Where is he?”

“Gee, I wonder whom you’re referring to.” Maggie circled the table. “Hi, Shanna.”

“Maggie, how are you?” Shanna gave her a hug.

“I’m great. And this must be your new baby.” Maggie rushed over to Vanda to look at the infant. “Sweet Mary and Joseph, what a beautiful little girl.”

“Thank you.” Shanna strolled over with her plate of food.

“Where’s Phil?” Vanda whispered to Maggie.

“He’s on guard duty right now. He said he’d catch up with you later.” Maggie’s mouth twitched. “I didn’t know you were so good with babies.”

Vanda gritted her teeth. “I’m not.”

Shanna munched on a cracker. “Sofia’s taken a real liking to Vanda.”

“She’s too young to know any better,” Vanda muttered.

Shanna chuckled. “Actually, she has very good instincts where people are concerned. She always spits up on Gregori, and Radinka claims it’s because she knows he’s a womanizing cad.”

“I’m so glad I ran into you, Shanna.” Maggie removed a photo from her evening bag. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about my daughter Lucy. She’s seven years old now. And she’s mortal, since Pierce fathered her before he was turned.”

“I see.” Shanna studied the photo. “She’s adorable.”

“The problem is, Lucy’s in school now,” Maggie continued. “And it’s hard to explain how her parents are never available during the day. And we worry that she might slip up and mention that her parents are vampires and her great-uncle and aunt are shape shifters.”

Vanda flinched, and the baby whimpered.

Shanna leaned over to whisper comforting words to her daughter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Vanda,” Maggie said. “I probably gave you a shock. A lot of Vamps don’t know about shifters.”

Vanda shuddered. “I know about them.” Her muscles tensed and a black hole of panic threatened to overwhelm her. She gasped for air.

“Are you all right?” Shanna set her plate on a nearby chair. “Do you need me to take the baby?”

“I—” Vanda’s gaze met the baby’s blue eyes and she froze. Time slowed down and a soft feeling of peace poured through her, trickling down sweet and golden like honey. The panic attack was gone. “I’m okay.”

“Good.” With a smile, Shanna handed Lucy’s photo back to Maggie. “Your daughter is a perfect candidate for the school we’re opening in the fall. We’ll have a few mortal children there, children who know too much, like Jean-Luc and Heather’s girl Bethany.”

“It sounds wonderful.” Maggie slipped the photo back into her bag.

“Classes will be in the evening so Vamp parents can teleport their children to school.” Shanna retrieved her plate of food, then paused with a piece of cheese halfway to her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I just had a terrific idea. You were an actress on DVN. You could teach a drama class to our older students!”

Maggie’s mouth fell open. “Me? Teach?”

“Yes!” Shanna grinned. “You could teleport Lucy to school, then stay to teach a class. What do you think?”

“Well, it sounds more fun than shoveling bat guano every night,” Maggie murmured.

“There you go.” Shanna gave her an encouraging look. “And your husband would be welcome to teach, too.”

Maggie nodded slowly. “We could use the extra money.”

“Great! Let’s get you a couple of job applications and a registration form for Lucy. I have them in my office.” Shanna set her plate of food on the table, then glanced at Vanda. “Can you watch Sofia for a few minutes? Thanks!”

“But—” Vanda watched in dismay as Shanna and Maggie dashed off. “Goddammit.” She glanced at the baby. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

The baby gazed up at her, wide-eyed and curious.

Vanda sighed. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”

Sofia made a slurping noise.

Vanda adjusted her hold and waited. And waited. She touched the baby’s cheek. The skin felt so soft and new. The last time she’d held a baby was in 1927, when her brother Jozef was born. She’d always thought of him as her baby. He’d been only twelve when he’d marched off with his father and brothers to fight the Nazi invasion.

Her eyes grew moist. She’d begged him not to go. She’d begged him to flee with her and their sisters. But he’d wanted to prove he wasn’t a baby, that he was all grown up.

He was so young to die.

“Hi,” a young voice greeted her.

Vanda blinked her eyes dry. A little boy with blond curls and blue eyes stood next to the refreshment table. He was dressed in a little navy blue suit, but his shirttail had fallen out and his tie was askew.

“I’m Tino.” He grabbed a cookie off the table and bit into it.

She’d seen Constantine Draganesti before but had never talked to him. “I’m Vanda.”

He finished his cookie and grabbed another. “Did you know your hair is purple?”

“Yes.” Apparently, small children didn’t know they should stay away from people with purple hair.

“Have you seen my mommy?” Tino finished his second cookie. “She told me to come here when I got tired of dancing.”

“Shanna had to go to her office for a minute. She’ll be right back.”

Tino approached Vanda, studying her curiously. “What are you doing with my little sister?”

“I have no idea.”

He leaned over to examine Sofia’s face. “I think she likes you. When she doesn’t like someone, she screams.” He puffed out his chest proudly. “No one can scream as loud as my sister.”

You haven’t heard me, Vanda thought.

“You want to see what I can do?” Tino asked, then vanished. “Ta-da!” He reappeared, standing on the chair next to her.

“Wow.” Vanda stared at him. She’d heard rumors that Roman’s son was special but she hadn’t realized the little boy could actually teleport. “That’s amazing.”

“I know.” He smiled smugly. “My sister can’t do it.”

“I guess you’re all grown up,” Vanda said wryly, remembering how fast Jozef had wanted to grow up.

“I am.” Tino sat on the chair next to her. “I have more power than Sofia.”

“Power?”

He nodded. “She wants to help you, but she’s not strong enough. You want me to try?”

Vanda eyed him warily. “Try what?”

Tino rested his little hand on her arm. His nose wrinkled as he made a face. “You’re hurting real bad.”

“I’m a Vamp. I don’t get sick.”

“It’s…an old pain,” he whispered. “In your heart.”

She felt a tingling sensation on her arm where Tino was touching her. “What are you doing?” And how the hell did he know about her pain?

The little boy winced. “I’m trying to heal your pain, but it’s so deep inside.”

“No!” Vanda scooted down a seat, breaking the boy’s hold on her. “I need my pain. It’s what I am.” Dammit, she’d lived with it for so long, she couldn’t imagine being without it. “It—It keeps me safe.”

“Safe from what?”

“Safe from…more pain.”

Tino looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s like…having a broken leg. The pain reminds me to be careful not to break the other leg. If you had a broken leg, you wouldn’t want to break the other one, right?”

Tino tugged at his crooked tie. “I don’t want any broken legs.”

Vanda smiled at him sadly. “You’re sweet to want to help, but I…broke a long time ago. And I don’t know how to get better.”

“You have to want to get better,” a deep voice emanated from behind a potted plant.

Vanda gasped as Phil stepped into view. “You—You shouldn’t spy on people.” Her heart raced. How much had he heard? Did he really think she didn’t want to feel better? She wasn’t a masochist, dammit. She was only trying to protect herself.

“I was doing a perimeter check.” His gaze drifted slowly down her body, then back up her legs, past the baby in her lap, and settled on the bat tattoo on her breast. His mouth curled up.

Vanda ignored the tingles shooting down her arms and gave him a wry look. “And does everything check out?”

“Oh yeah.” His eyes gleamed. “It’s looking good.” He smiled at the boy. “Hi, Tino.”

“Hi, Phil.” Tino squirmed off his chair. “You want a cookie? They’re chocolate chip.”

Phil tossed some cheese and crackers on a plate and handed it to the little boy. “Trust me. This is what you want.”

Tino accepted the plate, frowning. “But I wanted—”

“Tino!” Shanna called to him as she approached with Maggie. “I hope you’re eating more than just cookies.”

“I am! See?” Tino showed her his plate and stuffed a cracker in his mouth.

“That’s my sweetie.” Shanna kissed the top of his head, then walked over to Vanda. “Thank you for watching Sofia.” She gathered up the baby, who was now sleeping soundly. “I never realized how good you are with children. You should do like Maggie and adopt one.”

Vanda’s mouth dropped open.

“What a marvelous idea!” Maggie clasped her hands together, grinning.

“No way,” Vanda protested. She winced at the amused look on Phil’s face. “I run a strip club, remember?”

“What’s that?” Tino asked with his mouth full.

“And I have an anger problem,” Vanda continued. “Not to mention the fact that I’m dead half the time.” She glanced at the boy. Hopefully, her undead status didn’t come as a shock to Tino. He had to know that his father was dead during the day.

She wondered briefly if the little boy ever acted up when he knew his dad wasn’t there to stop him. She could just picture Shanna telling him, Just wait till your father wakes from the dead. You’ll be in big trouble then.

Vanda slowly realized that everyone was quietly staring at her. “What?” She glanced down at her dress to make sure she wasn’t covered with baby spittle.

“You just admitted that you have an anger problem,” Phil said, his pale blue eyes twinkling. “That’s the first step toward improvement.”

“Exactly.” Shanna nodded. “You can’t fix a problem until you admit it exists.”

“Well, isn’t that special.” Vanda stood and slung her evening bag onto her shoulder. “I’ve had enough fun for one evening. Shall we go, Maggie?”

“We haven’t met Lara yet,” Maggie reminded her.

“And you haven’t talked to me,” Phil said.

“I don’t—” Vanda started.

“Excellent!” Shanna interrupted. “I’ll tell Roman that you’re following the court decree and having a meeting with your anger management sponsor. He’ll be so impressed.”

Damn. Vanda couldn’t see a way out of this one. But the last thing she needed was another encounter with Phil. She had no self-control around him.

“Come along, Tino. Let’s find your dad.” Shanna grabbed the diaper bag, then glanced at Maggie. “I’ll call you.” She walked away with the baby. Constantine waved good-bye, then ran after his mother.

“I need to finish my rounds,” Phil said. “I’ll meet you back here in fifteen minutes.” He hugged Maggie, smiled at Vanda, and strode away.

Vanda couldn’t help but admire his gorgeous backside as he crossed the room. Still, she wondered why he’d hugged Maggie and not her.

Of course! He was guarding her at the townhouse and sponsoring her in anger management. He was forbidden to have a relationship with her, and most of these Vamps in attendance knew it. So, as long as she stayed here in the banquet hall, surrounded by other Vamps, he’d have to keep his hands off her.

She would be safe from his seductive maneuvers. And from her own weakness. Vanda smiled to herself. Suddenly, the party didn’t seem so dismal after all.

W
hat exactly does a bomb smell like?” Phineas asked.

“Trouble.” Phil strode through the parking lot outside Romatech, sniffing each car to make sure the Malcontents hadn’t planned a surprise for the Vamps.

“How did you learn how to do it?” Phineas followed him. “Did you train with the canine unit at NYPD?”

“Very funny.” Phil gave the young black Vamp a shove. “The lot is clear. Let’s go back inside.”

They headed for the front door. Because of the party, the door was unlocked and anyone could walk in. The guests had been instructed to drive to Romatech, so they were first vetted by the guard at the entrance station. Then Connor checked everyone in the foyer. Howard Barr was in the security office watching the monitors to make sure no one teleported onto the grounds.

Phil and Phineas had taken turns roaming the grounds and the facility. So far, everything had gone smoothly.

Phil had reserved a conference room close to the banquet hall. He’d called the priest earlier in the day to explain his theory about Vanda’s past, and Father Andrew had wanted to see the DVD of Vanda’s interview. He was in the conference room now, watching it.

Phil strode into the foyer. “All clear,” he reported to Connor.

“Good,” the Scotsman replied. “Ye can take a break now.” He gave Phineas a stern look. “Doona drink too much, lad.”

“Aye aye, Captain Connor.” Phineas saluted him, then dashed into the banquet hall.

Phil strolled into the noisy hall and glanced at the far corner where he’d discovered Vanda earlier. He smiled to himself, remembering how beautiful she’d looked in her silver dress, how sweet with a baby cradled in her arms. She had so much love to give, if only she could get over the pain from her past.

“Hi, Phil,” a happy voice greeted him.

“Lara.” He gave Jack’s fiancée a hug. “How are you?”

“Exhausted.” She brushed her golden red hair over a shoulder. “It must have taken an hour to meet everyone. My jaw is aching from all the smiling, and now I can’t remember half the people’s names.”

Phil nodded. “You will, in time.”

“Jack said there was some real food around here somewhere.”

“Over there.” Phil pointed to the far corner.

“Good. I’ll grab a quick bite while Jack dances with LaToya. Did you meet my roommate?”

“Not yet. I’ve been on guard duty.”

Lara cast a nervous glance toward the dance floor. “LaToya refused to be my maid of honor until we told her the truth about Jack, so we told her last night. Jack wanted to be there in case she went completely berserk and needed her memory erased.”

Phil spotted Jack on the dance floor with a young black woman in a red dress. “Is she okay?”

“She’s…a little freaked out. She always knew there was something different about Jack. But she thought he was a superhero, so now she’s disappointed. Of course, I think he is a superhero.”

“Of course.”

Lara leaned close. “I didn’t tell her about your secret.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I’d better get some food.” She hurried off and waved at Phineas as he returned with a glass filled to the brim with Blissky.

He took a long drink of the synthetic blood and whiskey mixture and winced. “Damn, that’s good.”

Phil shook his head, smiling. “Connor will know.”

“Not if I have one of these afterward.” Phineas showed him a roll of Vampos, then slipped the mints back into the pocket of his black trousers.

Phil knew the vampire after-dinner mint got rid of blood breath, but he wasn’t sure it could erase the smell of whiskey. At any rate, it wasn’t his problem. He glanced over at the corner where he was supposed to meet Vanda in five minutes. “Any news on Max the Mini Member?”

Phineas snorted. “You renamed the bastard. I like it. But no one’s found him yet.” He drank more Blissky. “I’m happy to keep going to the Horny Devils to make sure the ladies are safe.”

“Like those two women last night?”

“What can I say? The ladies love to hang with Dr. Phang.” Phineas adjusted his bow tie. “I look like James Bond in this tux, don’t you think? I’ll be looking sharp for my date tonight with Lisa. She thinks I’m a super spy.”

“Which one was Lisa? The blonde?”

Phineas frowned, considering. “I think so. Or she could be the brunette.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The Love Doctor is an equal opportunity babe magnet, and one hot babe is just as bootie-licious as another.”

Phil snorted. “One day you’ll eat those words.” He pictured Vanda in his mind. “One day you’ll meet someone special, someone who can cut you off at the knees with a simple smile. Someone who can capture your very soul with just one glance of her beautiful eyes. And in one fell moment your entire world will tilt on its axis to point only at her. And you’ll know you have met your fate.”

Crash.

Phil jerked back as Phineas’s glass shattered on the floor, shards glittering in a pool of Blissky. The young Vamp’s hand was frozen in the air. He looked stunned.

“Phineas?” Phil touched his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

He remained stiff, his eyes wide-open and unblinking.

“Phineas.” Phil shook him, but it had no effect. The young Vamp seemed completely paralyzed.

Nightshade? For a shocked second Phil wondered if someone had slipped the paralyzing drug into Phineas’s drink. Was there a Malcontent lurking in their midst? But no, it couldn’t be Nightshade. That would have made Phineas fall on the floor before paralysis set in.

“Who?” Phineas whispered so faintly Phil wasn’t sure he’d heard it. This was a good sign, though. If Phineas had been dosed with Nightshade, he wouldn’t be able to talk.

“Who…who is she?” Phineas whispered.

Phil followed the Vamp’s line of vision. The dance floor.

There were several couples on the dance floor. Shanna was dancing with her husband. Jean-Luc was dancing with Heather. Gregori was dancing with the fashion model, Inga. And Jack was dancing with…“LaToya? The girl in the red dress?”

“La…LaToya?” Phineas stared at her.

“She’s Lara’s roommate.”

“She’s a goddess.”

“She’s the maid of honor.”

“She’s an angel,” Phineas breathed.

“She’s a police officer.”

Phineas blinked. A shudder visibly shook him, and he turned to Phil with an appalled expression. “I—I don’t do well with the po-po. I have an outstanding warrant.”

Phil winced. “That could be a problem.”

Phineas’s gaze drifted back to LaToya, and his brown eyes widened with a look of awe. He squared his shoulders. “Nothing will stop me.” He stepped forward.

When his shoe crunched on glass, Phil pulled him back. “Wait a minute.” He motioned to a waiter to clean up the mess.

Phineas stiffened suddenly and grasped Phil’s arm. “Did you see that? She looked at me!”

Phil glanced at the dance floor, and sure enough, LaToya was checking Phineas out.

“I’m in love,” Phineas whispered.

That was fast. Phil suppressed a grin. “What about your date with Lisa?”

“Who?”

“Lisa. The blonde…or brunette. They’re both Vamps like you. LaToya’s mortal.” Even though a lot of male Vamps were falling for mortal women, Phil knew the guys deeply regretted the fact that they would have to turn their wives at some point, or lose them to the ravages of time.

Phineas sighed. “LaToya is La-One. La-angel.”

“All right, Pepe LePew, but you haven’t actually met her yet.”

Phineas stepped back as two waiters approached with a dustpan, pail, and mop. “I’ll meet her now.” He popped a Vampos into his mouth, then stuffed the roll of mints into his trouser pocket. “I need to act cool, man. Turn up the mojo. Impress her with my savoir faire and debonairness.”

He unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket to reveal a bright red cummerbund. “The Love Doctor is in the house. Come on, bro. You can be my assistant. Make me sound good.”

“I’ll do my best.” Phil accompanied the young black Vamp to the dance floor.

Phineas had one hand pressed to his cummerbund and was suddenly walking like John Wayne.

“What are you doing?” Phil whispered.

“This is my pimp walk. The ladies can’t resist it.”

“Are you sure that’s the right approach to take with a police officer?”

“Oh yeah.” Phineas smirked. “It’s working, bro. She can’t take her eyes off me.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Phil muttered.

The music stopped, and Jack spotted them. “Phil, Phineas, how are you? Have you met Lara’s friend, LaToya?”

Phil shook her hand. “A pleasure to meet you. And may I introduce Phineas McKinney, a valued member of the MacKay Security and Investigation team.”

“And head of the special Malcontent Terrorist Task Force, but I can’t discuss that.” Phineas waved a dismissive hand. “Top secret stuff, you know.”

Jack gave him a wry look. “That is a well kept secret.”

LaToya frowned. “Are you for real?”

“Of course.” Phineas took LaToya’s hand. “Don’t worry, sweetness. I won’t frighten you with the gruesome details of my missions as super spy, code name Dr. Phang.”

“Fang?” LaToya jerked her hand away and leaned close to Jack. “He’s a vampire?”

“He’s a good Vamp,” Jack whispered. “Like me.”

“The jury’s still out on that,” LaToya muttered.

Jack sighed. “And he has excellent hearing.”

LaToya turned back to Phineas and huffed when she caught him ogling her. “Don’t go looking at my neck, sucker.”

“He drinks synthetic blood like the rest of us,” Jack said.

Phineas executed a gallant bow. “I could drink in your majestic beauty for an eternity.”

“You’re not drinking anything from me,” LaToya said, then turned back to Jack. “I saw those holes on Lara’s neck when she came back from that undercover mission. I didn’t realize what it meant at the time, but if you ever do that again—”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Jack interrupted. “I was posing as a Malcontent, so I had to act like one.”

“I’m just warning you.” LaToya waved a finger at him. “If I see any more bite marks on my friend, I’m coming after you like a gator on a dead chicken. And you—” She turned to Phineas. “Don’t think you can pull any of that super mojo on me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just another dead carcass trussed up in a fancy tuxedo.”

“I’m the Love Doctor, sweetness. I’ve got the cure.”

“You’re a dead doctor. I don’t care how handsome you are. I’m not interested!” LaToya marched off.

Jack winced. “Sorry, old boy. She’s a bit sensitive about vampires at the moment.”

Phil patted Phineas on the back. “Maybe she’ll come around in time.”

Phineas smiled slowly. “She said I was handsome. Did you hear that?” He smoothed back his short hair. “Dr. Phang strikes again. The chase is on.”

“You should take it slow,” Phil warned him, but the Love Doctor took off, following LaToya.

Phil sighed. He couldn’t even take his own advice. Now that he knew Vanda was genuinely attracted to him, he was pursuing her as fast as he could. He congratulated Jack, then hurried off to the conference room to make sure Father Andrew was ready.

And then, somehow, he needed to get Vanda there for the meeting.

As it turned out, Vanda didn’t need to get in line to meet Jack’s fiancée. After she and Maggie retrieved two more glasses of Bubbly Blood, they returned to the corner behind the mortal refreshment table and found Lara there.

Lara filled them in on the wedding plans, then Maggie shared her family photos and described the ranch in Texas. Vanda sat, sipping her Bubbly Blood, while she waited for Phil to return. Not that she was in any hurry to see him. She was still peeved about his snooping around in her past.

Constantine came back, wanting more cookies, so Maggie distracted him with photos of her ranch.

“Can I go?” Tino asked. “I want to ride a horse.”

“I would love for you to visit.” Maggie gave him a hug. “I’ll ask your mom about it.”

Lara filled a plate with boiled shrimp, then drizzled some hot sauce on top. “So tell me, Vanda, what do you do for a living?”

“I run a—” She glanced at the little boy. “A dance club.”

“Can I go?” Tino asked.

“No,” Vanda and Maggie both answered quickly.

“But I like to dance.” Tino skipped over to the table to snatch a cookie.

“It’s just for adults,” Maggie explained, then her eyes widened. “Lara, it would be the perfect place for a bachelorette party.”

Lara’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s that kind of place?”

“Exactly,” Vanda replied. “But with male Vamps doing the…dancing.”

“I want to dance,” Tino said.

Lara sighed. “It sounds interesting, but I don’t know if we can get my maid of honor to agree. She’s a little—”

“I told you to stay away from me!” A loud voice interrupted Lara. “You come after me again, and I’ll sucker punch you into next week. You got that?” A young black woman in a red dress strode into the corner area. “Lara, that Blackula dude is stalking me.”

“Who, Phineas?” Lara waved at the young Vamp, motioning for him to stay back. She lowered her voice. “LaToya, he’s a nice guy. I think he looks like Denzel.”

LaToya crossed her arms with a huff. “A dead Denzel.”

“He was one of the Vamps who rescued me from Apollo’s compound,” Lara continued. “He helped rescue all the girls. He’s brave and loyal—”

“I don’t care,” LaToya grumbled. “He’s still one of them. I don’t know how you can stand to be around them.”

Lara winced. “LaToya, this is Constantine, Maggie, and Vanda.”

LaToya smiled at them. “Hey there.” She patted Tino on his head. “Aren’t you a cutie? Did you come here with your mommy?” She glanced again at Maggie and Vanda as if she were trying to figure out which one of them was the mom.

“Yes,” Tino said. “Do you want a cookie?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” LaToya grabbed a plate and circled the refreshment table, helping herself. “Thank God I found the place where all the normal people are hanging out.”

Vanda set her empty glass on the floor underneath her chair. “So what do you have against Vamps?”

“Oh, the usual.” LaToya popped a grape into her mouth. “They’re dead and slimy, probably stink during the day—”

“That’s not nice.” Constantine frowned as he grabbed the last cookie.