All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

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 on 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."

"I'm so sorry."

"Save yer pity for Vanda. Corky's suing her."

"That's ridiculous! Corky purposely set out to hurt you. She was cruel and vicious." Toni paced in front of him. "Though I have to admit, Vanda went shrieking across that table like a flying monkey."

Ian's dimples showed, and Toni secretly celebrated that she could still make him smile.

"Vanda is a loyal friend," he said. "I'll pay the damages."

"But it wasn't your fault." Toni resumed her pacing. "We could prove Corky was lying. You could get some of the Vamp women you've slept with to come forward and—"

"I have never slept with a Vamp." He took a sip from his bottle.

"Really?" She halted. "So you actually prefer mortal women? Never mind." She began to pace once again. "We'll get one of the mortals you slept with to—" No, that wouldn't work. Mortals wouldn't have been watching DVN.

"Most of them have passed away." Ian took another sip.

"Well, okay. I'll just call that bitch myself and tell her I've slept with you."

A corner of Ian's mouth tilted up. "Ye would lie for me, Toni?"

It wouldn't have to be a lie, the thought sprang to her mind. She winced, wishing she could do a mental rewind. Surely he wasn't doing his vampire telepathy on her. Her cheeks heated up as she slanted a wary glance his way.

He was watching her intently. A flash of red tinted his eyes before he blinked and looked away. He drank some more blood. "Ye should go, Toni."

"All right." She backed toward the door. "Just don't let this get you down, okay?"

He shrugged. "It was a silly notion from the start. Me, trying to be some sort of Romeo when I havena the slightest idea how to be charming or flirtatious."

"That's not true. You've been very charming and flirtatious with me." And one hell of a kisser.

He set the bottle on the table. "I doona know why, but it comes easy with you. But it doesna matter now. I'm pulling out of this dating nonsense."

"What?" She stepped toward him. "You're quitting?"

"A man should be honest with himself, Toni. I'm no' a ladies' man, I'm a warrior. Ye said it yerself the other night, that I was wasting my time."

"But I—" She'd said it out of frustration. And jealousy, she now realized. She'd hated the thought of him preferring a Vamp woman over her.

"Ye know my past transgressions," Ian continued. "Do ye really think a man like me deserves to be loved?"

He didn't feel deserving? Toni's eyes welled with tears. When she'd first met Ian, she'd thought they were totally different, but now she realized they were very much alike.

He'd touched on the last of her morning affirmations, and the one she found the hardest to believe. I am worthy to be loved. How could she ever be worthy? She'd always let down those who counted on her. And poor Ian. He didn't feel worthy, either. Her heart ached for him.

"Ye doona need to answer." Ian stood and walked away. "The look on yer face tells me how ye feel."

"But you do!" The words tumbled from her mouth. "You do deserve to be loved."

He turned toward her, a surprised look on his face.

She blinked back her tears. "Don't you dare give up, Ian." She dashed to the door.

"Toni," he whispered her name softly, so softly she wasn't sure she'd heard it.

She paused at the door and glanced back. A flood of longing rushed through her.

He stepped toward her, and she gasped.

His eyes were bright red.

She stumbled from the room and shut the door. Dear God. What was she doing? She was falling for a vampire.

Ian opened the aluminum blinds and peered down from the fifth-floor office. With his superior vision, he was able to count twenty-two women on the sidewalk, all bundled up against the cold and carrying posters. One was wearing a tiara that sparkled in the nearby streetlamp.

A sleek black Jaguar came to a stop in front of the townhouse, and the women wandered over to check it out. Then a slash of light spilled onto the sidewalk from the townhouse. The women squealed and rushed toward the front door. Just as Ian wondered if he would have to fend off a home invasion, the slash of light disappeared.

The driver jumped out of the Jaguar. Carlos. He extracted someone from the bunch of excited women and led her back to his car. Toni.

With a twinge of annoyance, Ian realized Carlos had rescued her from the mob. The Jaguar sped down the road. What was she up to now? With a greater jab of annoyance, he realized she preferred spending her free time with Carlos.

Or did she just feel safer with a mortal who was supposedly gay? Ian was fairly sure that her rushed exit from the office had meant she was aware of his attraction to her. But she'd also gasped when she'd noticed his eyes. Did his Undead nature frighten her? Probably so. After surviving a vicious vampire attack, why would she welcome the advances of another vampire?

But when he'd kissed her, she hadn't pushed him away. Perhaps there was hope after all. He closed his eyes, picturing her in her tiny skirt. He would stroke her golden thighs, then slide his hand under her skirt to feel the sweet curve of her hip and bottom, and the tender, moist flesh between her legs.

With a sharp breath, he cleared his mind. What a fool he was. Intellectually, he knew a female Vamp presented the most suitable mate for him. Yet here he was, lusting for a mortal. And even worse, the one mortal who was off limits.

She totally intrigued him—physically, emotionally, and intellectually. She was such an interesting mixture of determination and self-doubt, emotional strength and hidden wounds. She reminded him of himself.

And what were her hidden motives for being here? What made an intelligent woman with a bright future guard the Undead and risk losing her memory when she left? He had to know. Last night while she'd slept, he'd teleported into her bedroom and slipped a tracking device into her handbag. He would know exactly where she and Carlos were going.

He wandered back into the bedroom to shower and change clothes. After taking care of the women on the sidewalk, he teleported to the parking lot at Romatech Industries.

Connor showed no reaction when Ian marched into the security office. He simply turned off the television.

Dougal and Phineas gave Ian sympathetic looks before focusing on their shoes. Bloody hell. He hated pity even more than humiliation.

"We'd better make the rounds." Dougal headed out the door. "Come on, Phineas."

Phineas paused halfway out the door. "Man, that Corky bitch was wack. You want me to set her straight?"

"Nay." Ian smiled halfheartedly. "But I appreciate the thought."

"Anytime, bro." Phineas raised a fist and punched the air. "I got your back." He closed the door as he left.

Connor sat behind his desk and quietly studied Ian.

"Have a go." Ian folded his arms across his chest. "I reckon ye're wanting to rant at me."

"I reckon ye've endured enough humiliation for one night."

Ian lifted his chin. "Doona hold back on my account. I have a high threshold for pain."

Connor's face remained blank, though Ian detected an amused glint in his blue eyes. "Ye should have known Corky couldna be trusted."

"I did, and I warned Vanda. She dinna believe me."

Connor lounged back in his chair. "I daresay she believes you now."

"Aye." Ian smiled, recalling Toni's description of her as a screeching, flying monkey.

"The situation is hardly amusing. I hear there are over twenty women camped out in front of the townhouse."

"Doona worry. They're all gone. I took care of it."

Connor gave him a bland look. "And were ye careful with the disposal of the bodies?"

"I dinna kill them!" Ian paused when he saw Connor's mouth twitch. The damned Scotsman was playing with him. "Verra funny."

Connor chuckled as he rose from his chair. He approached Ian and slapped him fondly on the back. "Lad, how did ye manage to make such a mess?"

Ian felt his face redden. "I'm trying to clean it up. I took the names and phone numbers of the women on the street. They were happy to leave after I talked to them a wee bit. The puir lassies were freezing out there."

Connor shook his head. "I canna imagine being that desperate for love."

Ian sighed. Didn't everyone need to be loved? He'd endured twelve days of tortuous pain on Roman's Stay-Awake drug just so he could look older and find true love. "There's another problem. Did ye see how Cora Lee announced to the whole vampire world that I aged? Everyone will wonder how that happened."

"I doubt any Vamps want to age." Connor circled his desk and sat. "But if anyone finds out that the drug enables a vampire to stay awake during the day—"

"The drug could be used as a weapon," Ian finished the sentence. "I'm sure the Malcontents have been dying to know how Roman managed to invade their headquarters during the day to rescue Laszlo. If they figure it out, they'll do anything to get their hands on that drug."

Connor drummed his fingers on the desk. "I'll tell Roman that we need to either hide the drug or destroy it. And we'll increase the security here."

"Roman has the formula in his head," Ian continued. "We'll need to watch out for him."

"Aye." Connor gave Ian a worried look. "When the Malcontents start looking for answers to how ye aged, ye're going to be their first target."

Ian swallowed hard. While he hunted for his true love, the Malcontents could be hunting for him.