All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

CHAPTER 17

Ian strode down the hallway. "Ladies' or gents'?"

"Excuse me?" Toni asked.

"Which restroom do ye prefer? I want to wash up a bit."

"Oh. Ladies', I guess. If you don't mind."

He smiled. "As long as it's empty." He pushed open the door to the ladies' restroom. "Hello?"

Toni followed him inside and looked under the stalls.

"Romatech is fairly empty on Sunday night. Just a few people who come to Mass." He turned on a water faucet and washed his hands in the sink.

She stood behind him. "You're not in the mirror. I can see myself like you're not even there. It's so creepy."

"Thank you." He cupped water in his hands and splashed it on his face. Blood swirled around the sink. "Now tell me yer secrets." He yanked paper towels from the dispenser and pressed them to his face.

"Careful," she warned him. "You don't want to push any glass further in."

"Obviously I canna see what I'm doing." He tossed the towels in the trash.

"Here, let me." She dampened some paper towels and folded them into a pad. Then she gingerly patted his brow.

"Yer secrets?"

"All right." She plucked a shard of glass from his hair and tossed it in the trash. "After my grandmother died when I was thirteen, I was shipped off to a boarding school in Charleston. I was miserable until I met Sabrina."

"Yer roommate?"

"Yes. She came to school after both her parents died in a small plane crash. She'd been an only child, so she was really alone. At first I just thought it was cool that there was someone there who was more miserable than me. But then I got to know her, and we became best friends. More like sisters, really."

"Aye." Ian could relate. Connor and Angus had always been like older brothers to him.

Toni threw the bloodied paper towels in the trash and made a fresh pad. She dabbed at his cheeks. "Sabrina and I came up with a master plan for our future, and we've been working on it for years. You know how some celebrities adopt kids from foreign countries?"

"Aye."

"We plan to do that on a bigger scale. We'll run an orphanage that's a real loving environment, like the family we always wanted. And we'll rescue kids from around the world. I've been studying business and sociology so I can run the orphanage, and Sabrina's getting a master's in education so she can run the school. And Carlos already has some orphans for us."

This was not what Ian had expected. It was a huge undertaking. "Ye'll need a great deal of money."

Toni carefully wiped his chin. "Sabrina's parents left her a huge inheritance. Eighty-five million."

Ian's eyebrows rose.

"She can only inherit the full amount once she graduates from college. Her parents didn't want her to be a useless trust fund baby."

Ian nodded slowly, although his mind was racing. If Toni had such big plans, why was she here, working as a guard? And she certainly didn't intend to stay. It would be terribly selfish of him to try to keep her here when she had such a noble plan for her future.

"Everything was going according to plan till last Sunday," Toni continued. "Sabrina was attacked in Central Park. She ended up in the hospital with cracked ribs, contusions, and…bite marks."

Ian inhaled sharply. "Malcontents."

"Yes. She was hysterical when the police questioned her. She claimed she'd been attacked by vampires."

"Those fools. They should have erased her memory."

Toni's eyes widened. "You think it's all right, what they did?"

"No, of course not. But any vampire, good or bad, knows there is nothing more important than keeping our existence a secret."

Toni winced as she threw away the dirty paper towels. She pulled more towels from the dispenser. "Let's clean up your knees."

She started to kneel, but Ian levitated till his knees were even with the sink. "It'll be easier this way."

"Oh." She glanced up at him. "This is weird."

"Thank you. Back to yer story…"

"Right." She gently tugged his bloody knee socks down. "Sabrina's trust is handled by her aunt and uncle. Her uncle's a psychiatrist, and he diagnosed her as psychotic and delusional. He put her in a mental ward."

"She's the one at Shady Oaks Psychiatric Hospital?"

"Yes." Toni's eyes flashed with anger. "Her uncle wants her money, so he'll make sure she's never released. Carlos and I went to see her tonight, and it was awful."

Ian lowered himself to the floor. "Ye went there before Mass?" No wonder her emotions had been so raw.

Toni nodded. "I can't fail her like I did Grandma. I've got to get her out of there."

He squeezed her hand. "And ye thought ye would need my help? Is that why ye took the job as my guard?"

"I do need your help, but that's not exactly how things happened. After Sabrina was attacked, she asked me to find the vampires who attacked her, to prove she wasn't delusional."

Ian stiffened. "Ye purposely went to the park to be attacked?"

"I didn't think anything would happen, 'cause I didn't believe vampires were real. But—"

"Ye were viciously attacked," he finished her sentence. "Ye could have died if Connor hadna come along."

"Believe me, I know how bad it was. Connor offered to erase my memory, but I couldn't do that, not when I'd just found out that Sabrina was right. So I took the job, hoping I could get the proof she needed."

A chill came over Ian. "Ye intended to prove our existence?" He let go of her hand. "Ye took an oath that ye would never expose us."

Toni winced. "I know."

"Do ye no' understand the full importance of our secret? If our existence becomes public knowledge, there would be millions of mortals wanting us destroyed. There would be slayers roaming the streets with their bloody stakes. There'd be scientists wanting to experiment on us or dissect us. And if they ever found out about the healing properties of our blood, we'd be hunted like animals and drained dry. Exposure means extinction."

She paled. "I never meant to hurt anyone. I thought I could give the proof to a psychiatrist or lawyer who would keep it confidential. Sorta like your Father Andrew."

"That's a terrible risk to take. Ye canna guarantee someone would keep quiet, especially if he considered us a serious threat to mankind."

"The Malcontents are a serious threat."

"Ye canna expose them without exposing us! And we're the only ones capable of defeating them. I canna believe ye would take such a risk with our lives." He paced away from her.

"I didn't understand at first how nice the Vamps are. Once I got to know you all, I knew I couldn't hurt you."

"That's bloody generous of you." Ian frowned at her. "Ye should have told me this from the start."

"I didn't know if I could trust you. It took me a few days to get to know you."

Ian didn't know what to think. He just felt a nagging sense of betrayal. "I–I have to think about this." He headed for the door.

She followed him. "Ian, you must know I could never hurt you."

He felt too confused to even know how to answer. "Go to bed, Toni. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ian, I'm sorry."

He couldn't bear to see her stricken face, so he marched back to the waiting room. Shanna was ready to see him. He sat on an operating table, thinking things over while Shanna plucked glass from his face and knees.

He couldn't believe Toni had planned to spill their secret. Maybe she didn't understand how important it was. But surely, Connor had explained it to her.

To her credit, she had noble intentions. She was trying to save her friend Sabrina. Ian would feel that way about his friends. But she'd intended to expose the Vamps. That made his gut wrench.

When Shanna was done, he wandered down the hall. Toni had signed a contract, swearing to protect them. How could she have planned to betray them?

But she hadn't. Should he blame her for her intentions before she'd gotten to know them? After the Malcontents had attacked her, she might have easily thought all vampires were evil and should be exposed.

But she'd practiced deception. He'd sworn to himself that nothing was more important in a potential mate than honesty and loyalty. Was that why this frustrated him so much? He was seeing Toni as a potential mate. God knew he wanted her. He ached with desire for her. He thought about her all the time. But could he trust her?

After an hour of getting nowhere, he decided he needed advice. He teleported to Vanda's office at the Horny Devils. After she recovered from the shock of his scarred face, he gave her the details of Toni's story.

Vanda sat behind her desk, frowning. "That little bitch."

Ian stiffened. "She doesna deserve that. She's trying to save her friend who's in danger."

Vanda's eyebrows rose. "Are you defending her now? I thought you were angry with her."

"I'm no' angry." He paced across the office. "I'm confused."

"Why? This problem's so easy to solve."

He stopped. "Ye think so?"

"Sure. Fire her ass and erase her memory. Then she's no longer a threat, and she's out of your life for good."

Out of his life? A surge of panic swept through him. How could he bear to lose her? "But…what about her friend?"

"Who gives a shit? She doesn't owe you any money."

"She's trapped in a mental ward—"

"Yeah, yeah, by the evil uncle. Boo hoo. That's one person. One mortal. And Toni was ready to expose us all to danger because of it."

"Only because she cares so deeply," Ian protested.

"She's not the only one," Vanda muttered.

Ian scowled at her. "Fine, I admit it. I care about her. I wouldna be this upset if I dinna care."

"A week ago, you swore to me that all you wanted was a Vamp. I have a list right here of twenty Vamp women, all vetted by me and eager to meet you. You could start seeing them tonight."

A week ago, that would have sounded wonderful. But now Toni was in his life and everything was changed. "I doona want to date anyone else. Take my profile off the dating site."

"Ian, she was planning to betray us."

"But she never did. She never did anything to harm any of us." He was finally able to appreciate her predicament. She wanted to save Sabrina because she loved her. And she hadn't exposed him because she cared about him. He'd seen that clearly on her face when she'd frantically searched for him in the parking lot. She truly cared about him. But at the same time, she couldn't bear to fail her friend. Her heart was getting split in two.

All he had to do was help her rescue her friend. Then she would no longer be pulled in two directions. She would be free to come entirely to him.

And that's what he wanted more than anything. He wanted Toni to be free to love him. She was the one he wanted.

Toni woke slowly. She'd had trouble sleeping all night, for it felt like a heavy weight was pressing against her chest. Ian. She'd lost Ian. She rolled onto her back and realized she was not alone.

"Ian?" She sat up. He was there beside her.

Relief swept through her. He couldn't be angry with her if he'd climbed into bed with her, right? Last night she'd feared their relationship was over. He'd looked so upset.

He looked perfectly peaceful now. He was lying on his back, his hands folded over his stomach.

She checked the clock on the bedside table. Eight-forty-five? She'd set the alarm for six-thirty. He must have turned it off before climbing into bed with her.

She turned back to him. For the first time since she'd known him, he wasn't wearing a kilt. He had on flannel pajama bottoms, although still a red and green plaid, which made her smile. He'd showered off all the blood and grime.

She leaned closer to examine the cuts on his face. They looked much better already. She lifted one of his hands. The gashes had closed and the scars were fading. By sunset he would be back to his usual gorgeous self.

She realized suddenly she was holding hands with a dead man. And she didn't flinch or let go. Why wasn't she freaked out? She glanced at his face. He was still the same brave warrior who had charged to Gregori's rescue, the same selfless hero who had insisted she go to safety while he stood there bleeding, the same sweet man who had kissed her passionately and then taken all the blame for it.

She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. There she found a note taped to the mirror.

Toni,

I want to help you rescue your friend. Please forgive me for being an arse.

Ian

With a laugh, she pressed the note against her chest. Ian understood. She could trust him. And Sabrina would be saved. She ran back into the bedroom. "Thank you, Ian. Thank you."

He just lay there.

She sat on the bed, smiling at him. "You're not an arse. You're a wonderful man."

And she was falling in love with him.

A thrill shot through her. How could she not love him? He was the dearest, sweetest, sexiest man she'd ever met.

She studied his face as love continued to swell inside her. This wasn't at all like her two past relationships. She'd thrown herself into those affairs with a desperation born from her mother's rejection. She'd needed to feel loved.

This was different. She hadn't meant to fall for Ian. For the first time, it wasn't about her and her need to be loved. It was all about Ian and the love she felt for him. It had become painfully clear to her when the explosions had gone off and she'd feared him dead.

She touched the dimple on his chin. She couldn't run away from him. She'd be running from her own heart.

She showered and dressed and left Ian locked safely in the silver room. When she stepped out of the elevator onto the ground floor, she was immediately surprised by all the people. Real people. They were bustling up and down the hall. Most of them were wearing white lab coats. They all had Romatech name tags clipped on their pockets.

On the way to the MacKay security office, she called Carlos on her cell phone. "Guess what? Ian agreed to help us rescue Sabrina."

"That's great!" Carlos lowered his voice. "So tell me, menina, what did you do to convince him?"

She snorted. "I talked to him."

"Come now, you must have been…friendly."

"Carlos, we need to rescue Bri as soon as possible. Do you think we can do it tonight?"

"Yes." His voice grew more serious. "I'll draw up some plans and come see you this afternoon."

"Good." Toni hung up and strode into the security office. Howard was sitting behind the desk, his bandaged leg propped on a chair.

"Sorry I overslept." She sat beside him.

"No problem." He waved at the monitors. "Nothing much going on. Day security is getting the mess cleaned up in the parking lot."

Toni gazed at the monitors that showed the parking lot. A wrecker was hauling the burned car away. "What did the police say about last night?"

Howard munched on a doughnut. "They're used to Romatech getting bombed. I told the officer in charge that we've been targeted by a group of psycho fanatics who are opposed to the synthetic manufacture of blood. Which is pretty much the truth, actually."

Yeah, you couldn't get any more psycho than the Malcontents. Toni scanned the other monitors. One showed a bedroom with several twin beds. Phineas and Dougal were stretched out in their death-sleep. The silver room was displayed on another monitor. Oh great. Had Howard seen her touching Ian's face? "Doesn't day security think it's strange that we're in here, watching dead people sleep?"

"They have their own office. They keep out of our business." Howard pushed a pastry box in her direction. "Want a doughnut?"

"Sure." She selected a plain one. "So what happened while I was sleeping?"

"Connor took Roman and his family and Radinka into hiding about three in the morning. No one knows where. It's better that way when jerks like Jedrek can pick through your brain."

"Jedrek's the guy who attacked Gregori?"

"Yep." Howard finished his doughnut and licked his fingers.

And Jedrek had been the one who'd tried to capture Ian. Toni sighed. She doubted they'd seen the last of him.

Howard slid a paper across the desk. "This is the list of stuff to do for the Christmas Ball. Shanna and Radinka were kinda upset that they wouldn't be here to help, but I told them not to worry."

Toni gulped down the last of her doughnut. The list was a mile long. "And all this has to be done before tomorrow night?"

"Don't worry. It's covered. I gave a copy to Todd Spencer, the VP of production during the day. He knows what to do. Shanna gives a Christmas party every year, and then there's the Vamp conference and Gala Ball every spring."

"Todd must be a mortal. Does he know about Vamps?"

Howard shifted in his chair. "Todd knows a lot of things. He's already got some workers setting up chairs and tables."

"Number one is decorate the big Christmas tree," Toni read aloud from the list. "I don't recall seeing a tree."

"It'll be delivered around noon." Howard drank from his coffee cup.

Toni glanced down the list. Item number ten was confirm the band. A phone number was listed. "I'll go ahead and call this band."

Howard chuckled. "Wait till tonight. The High Voltage Vamps couldn't light a lightbulb right now."

"It's a vampire band?"

"Yeah, they play all the big Vamp parties and weddings." Howard stood and limped toward the door. "Come on. I'll show you the ballroom."

Just to the right of the main foyer, there were a number of meeting rooms with partitions that could be folded back like giant accordions. Toni was surprised by how large the ballroom was. The back wall was mostly windows that overlooked a garden. In front of the windows, Todd Spencer was overseeing a group of workmen who were erecting a stage. Howard introduced her.

"Glad to meet you," Todd yelled over the noise as he shook her hand. "It's about time MacKay hired a woman."

Toni looked around the huge room, bustling with workers. "How many people work here during the day?"

"Over two hundred now, divided into four departments," Todd explained. "Research, production, packaging, and shipping."

"Can I do anything to help?" Toni asked.

"You can help decorate, if you like." Todd showed her the plastic bins filled with ornaments and greenery.

Howard limped back to the security office to watch the monitors, and Toni spent a few hours spreading tablecloths and draping garland. She grabbed a quick lunch in the Romatech cafeteria and called Shady Oaks.

"I'd like to talk to Sabrina Vanderwerth in Ward Three." She recited the ID number.

"I'm afraid we can't allow that," the receptionist answered. "Her doctor has left strict instructions that she's not to receive any visitors or outside calls."

Toni winced. Uncle Joe had discovered their visit. "Can't we get a second opinion on that? Surely it helps the patient to know there are people who care about them."

"The decision is final." The receptionist hung up.

"Damn." She went back to the ballroom and discovered the fifteen-foot Christmas tree had arrived. She helped decorate for a few hours, then wandered down to the MacKay office. "How's it going?"

Howard motioned toward the monitors. "They're still dead, but they should be up in about twenty minutes."

The phone on the desk buzzed, and Howard picked it up. "Yes?" He listened, then covered the receiver with his big, beefy hand. "It's the guard at the entrance gate. Someone's come to see you. Drives a black Jaguar."

"That must be Carlos." Toni headed toward the door.

"Carlos who?" Howard asked her.

"Carlos Panterra."

"She confirmed his name," Howard told the guard on the phone. "Let him in."

Toni hurried to the front door and stepped outside just as Carlos was parking his car. It was chilly with the sun going down, so she rubbed her arms as she walked to his parking place.

He climbed from his car, looking like a spy all dressed in black. He motioned toward the blackened area surrounded with orange cones. "What happened there?"

"Some vampires came by last night. Blew up a car and caused some injuries. Nothing major."

Carlos glanced at the burned area, frowning. "Are you saying your vampires don't play well with other vampires?"

"Mine are the good guys who drink from bottles. The bad ones are called Malcontents. They're the ones who attacked me and Sabrina. They hate the guys I work for."

Carlos gave her a worried look. "Toni, you've stepped into a war."

She shivered. "I know."

"You're cold. Let's get inside." He opened his trunk and removed a laptop and a long roll of white paper. "I brought the plans, so we can go over everything. We're doing it tonight, right?"

"Yes." At least she hoped Ian would agree to do it tonight.

Carlos motioned toward a duffel bag. "I packed some clothes and shoes for Sabrina. And some rope and duct tape, just in case."

"Good." She wondered once again if Carlos was more than an anthropology student.

He shut the trunk and walked with her to the front door. "Are you safe here?"

"I think so. The Vamps feel secure enough that they're having their big Christmas Ball tomorrow night."

"Partying in the face of danger? I think I like your Vamps." Carlos grinned as he opened the door. He entered, and his smile immediately faded. He sniffed, and a wary look crossed his face. "Careful." He held out an arm to block her entrance.

"What's wrong?"

"Danger," he whispered.