All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

CHAPTER 5

Jedrek Janow moved slowly across his new office at the Russian-American coven house in Brooklyn. So far, so good. His electronic scanning device wasn't picking up any bugs. When he'd arrived Tuesday night, he'd found a few. He suspected there was a mole in his coven, but until he found the bastard, he'd keep checking the office every night.

Such disloyalty and incompetence would not be tolerated. As the new master, he'd made it clear last night that he expected more from this coven. Any member who wasn't willing to die to achieve his goals might as well die now. He'd punctuated his speech by staking a coven member who hadn't looked properly impressed.

That simple act had done wonders for everyone's motivation. The men had offered to hunt for him. The women had offered to screw him. All except one. The little brunette, Nadia, had looked terrified of him.

So of course he'd selected her. He smiled, remembering the brutal hour he'd spent with her. When he'd finally let her slink away in tears, he'd relished the certain knowledge that her fear of him had grown. She still had some spirit in her, though. He'd break it soon enough. It was a game he'd enjoyed many times over the centuries.

He finished scanning the room. It was clean, and it would stay that way now that he was in charge. The former coven masters had been idiots. Ivan Petrovsky had ended up betrayed and assassinated by his own coven. Katya Miniskaya had made a ton of money, only to squander it all in a pathetic attempt to kill a former lover who'd jilted her.

Neither Ivan nor Katya had recognized what was truly important. When Roman Draganesti invaded this building during the daytime to rescue one of his minions, Ivan had simply increased the number of day guards. The idiot! Draganesti had been awake during the day. The significance of that had completely evaded Ivan. And Katya.

A vampire who could stay awake during the day could rule the world. All vampires would have to bow to him for fear of being slaughtered during their daily death-sleep.

"Master?" Yuri knocked on the door. The door was open, but he was afraid to enter without Jedrek's permission.

Good. They were learning fast. Jedrek sat behind his desk and dropped the bug detector in a drawer. "Enter."

"I have the report and photos you requested."

"Show me."

Yuri set some digital photos on the desk. "This is Romatech and some of the Vamps who work there."

Jedrek recognized the pictures of Draganesti and his bodyguard, Connor Buchanan. "Who is this?"

"Gregori Holstein. A vice president at Romatech."

"Where is the information on Draganesti's home?"

Yuri gulped. "We haven't been able to find it. Yet," he quickly added in response to Jedrek's glare. "Here are some photos of his townhouse in the Upper East Side."

Jedrek looked through them. There was a kilted Scotsman and a young black man in the MacKay uniform.

Yuri pointed at the photo of a third man. "This guy arrived last night. We're not sure who he is. He doesn't match any of our older photos."

Jedrek studied the picture of a young man in a red and green kilt. "Another damned Highlander. I swear MacKay has an endless supply of them." He picked up the last photo of a young blonde woman. "Who is this? Their whore?"

"Perhaps." Yuri shifted his weight. "She's mortal."

"How can you tell?"

"I…recognize her. I fed on her Monday night."

Jedrek set her picture down. "Wasn't that the night you let Sashenka get slaughtered?"

"Connor Buchanan killed him," Yuri said quickly. "We had everything under control until he showed up."

Jedrek curled his hands into fists. "It was three against one. You should have killed the damned Scotsman. What did I tell you about incompetence?"

Yuri paled. "It will not be tolerated."

Jedrek stared at the man, allowing Yuri's fear to grow as the seconds ticked by. He breathed deeply. He loved the smell of fear. "You are fortunate the event happened before I became master. I am hungry now. Fetch me a mortal."

"Yes, Master." Yuri bowed. "Right away."

Jedrek smoothed a finger over the face of the girl in the photo. "Bring me a blonde. I hear they're more fun."

After a subway ride and short walk to Washington Square, Toni arrived at the second-floor apartment she shared with Sabrina. She dropped her handbag and keys on the coffee table, then shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it and her scarf on the love seat. Sabrina's cat, Vanderkitty, jumped from the easy chair to weave around Toni's legs.

"Hey, Van." Toni rubbed behind the orange tabby's ears. "Have you seen your mama?"

Van gave her an annoyed look, then marched off to the kitchen area to assume a regal pose by her food bowl.

"Don't give me that. I know Carlos has been feeding you." Toni peered inside Sabrina's bedroom.

It looked the same as it had last Sunday—discarded jeans on the floor, textbooks lying open across the purple chenille bedspread. Before going out Sunday night, Sabrina had spent most of the day studying for finals this week—finals she had missed. Toni had visited all of Bri's professors on Monday to explain why Bri would be absent. She would receive incompletes in all five of her classes.

It was as if Sabrina's life had suddenly frozen in time, and her room along with her. Toni wondered if their lives would ever be the same.

She turned on the bedside lamp, then dug through the top drawer of Bri's bedside table. Her heart squeezed when she spotted a birthday card Bri had kept. Toni had given it to her years ago. It was the first time she'd bought a card that was addressed to "Sister."

As far as Toni was concerned, Bri was her sister. They'd been best friends for ten years. They spent their holidays and vacations together. God knew their real families didn't want them.

Which was why it was so weird for Bri to leave the hospital with her aunt and uncle. Toni had heard so little about this couple over the years, she couldn't even recall their full names. Joe and Gwen something-or-other who occasionally remembered to send Bri a Christmas card. Why had they suddenly developed an interest in their niece?

Toni located a pink fuzzy address book and thumbed through the pages. It was sad how few names were in the book. Even sadder how many names had been crossed out over the years. Poor Bri. It was so hard for her to find people she could trust.

Toni carried the address book back into the living room and flopped down on the love seat. Vanderkitty jumped onto the back of the love seat to perch by Toni's ear.

"You miss your mama?" Toni interpreted the loud purring as a yes. "Yeah, me, too."

She flipped through the pages of the address book. "Aha!" Under the Ps, she found Dr. Joe Proctor and Gwen, who lived in Westchester. This had to be them, although Toni hadn't known Uncle Joe was a doctor.

She reached over the sofa arm for the cordless phone on the end table and noticed the blinking message light. Four messages. Three were from her, since she'd called three times. Maybe the fourth one was from Bri.

Toni punched the play button and listened to her voice grow increasingly worried with each message. Finally the last message.

"Bri, this is Justin. You gotta forgive me, babe—"

Right. Toni turned the message off. Then she dialed the number for the Proctors. What kind of doctor was he? A proctologist? Her snort was interrupted by a feminine voice with a Hispanic accent.

"Dr. Proctor's residence."

"Hi. Is Sabrina there?" Toni heard muffled voices in the background.

A different voice came on the phone. "Good evening. This is Gwen Proctor."

"I'm Toni, Bri's roommate. I'd like to talk to her."

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment. She's sleeping, and we hate to wake her up, the poor dear. She's been through such a terrible ordeal."

Tell me about it. Toni had survived a vampire attack, too. "Is she all right?"

"Yes, of course." A definite chill had crept into Gwen's voice. "Thank you for calling."

"Can you tell her to call me when she wakes up?"

"We don't want to upset her delicate condition."

Was that a no? "Bri will want to talk to me."

"Perhaps, but you're not qualified to talk to her properly.

My husband is an excellent psychiatrist, an expert in the type of severe psychosis that Sabrina is exhibiting right now."

Toni's stomach dropped like she'd swallowed a cement brick. "Bri is not psychotic."

There was a pause where Toni could hear whispering.

"Ms. Davis?" a brusque male voice came on the phone. "This is Dr. Proctor, Sabrina's uncle. I can assure you she's receiving the best care available."

"I just want to talk to her."

"Under the circumstances, I cannot allow that."

Toni's fist squeezed around the receiver. "Look, she's twenty-three years old. You can't decide whom she talks to."

"You would not be a positive influence on her at this time," he answered calmly. "The poor girl believes she was attacked by vampires."

Toni gritted her teeth. "Yes, I know—"

"And she fears they'll return to harm her again. We are providing her a safe environment for her recovery."

"That's great, but I still want to talk to her."

"The last time she talked to you, she asked you to prove that her attackers were actual vampires," Dr. Proctor continued. "And you agreed."

"She was lying there injured in a hospital room. How could I say no?"

"I cannot allow her to speak to anyone who will encourage her in these paranoid delusions. You would severely jeopardize the progress we've made."

Toni swallowed hard. "What are you doing to her?"

"Giving her expert care. Good night." He hung up.

"Wait!" Toni glared at the receiver. "You asshole!"

"I hope you're not referring to me."

Startled, Toni jumped in her seat, then turned toward the man climbing through the kitchen window.

"Carlos!" she scolded her next-door neighbor. "How long have you been there, listening?"

"Long enough."

"In that case, I was referring to you." She hung up the phone. Now that she thought about it, she was glad he had eavesdropped. She needed a friend she could confide in, and with Sabrina gone, Carlos was all she had left.

It wasn't the first time he had snuck up on her. The man moved with a quiet, stealthlike grace. She assumed he'd acquired the skill from his trips into the Amazon jungle, where a person was better off not announcing his presence. With his shoulder-length black hair, black sweater, and black leather pants, Carlos was barely visible on the fire escape landing their two apartments shared.

He straddled the windowsill, his white teeth flashing as he grinned. "Come now, girl, you should be nice to me. It sounds like you might need someone with my talents."

She snorted. "Which talent would that be? The one where you dance the samba, wearing a sequined thong?"

He looked affronted. "I wear a lot more than a thong. I have a hot pink satin cape and a headdress with ostrich feathers. It's enormous." He winked. "Like the rest of me."

Toni laughed. Carlos always went back to Brazil for a few days at carnival time. Since he was working on his master's in anthropology at NYU, he claimed the trip was educational. Toni and Bri had certainly learned some new things from the videos he brought back.

He swung his other leg over the windowsill, then straightened his long, lean frame. He was gorgeous, but more likely to dress Toni and Sabrina than date them. Vanderkitty leaped from the love seat, bounced across the kitchen floor, and landed in his arms.

"She never greets me like that," Toni muttered.

"She knows who's the boss around here. Hello, love." He rubbed the cat's head against his smooth, tanned cheek, then set her on the linoleum. "I was coming over to feed her when I heard you getting all huffy on the phone."

"That was Sabrina's aunt and uncle. They've got her at their house, and they won't let me talk to her."

"Humph. Some people are so rude." Carlos opened the cabinet under the sink and removed Van's bag of kibble. "Menina, you said you'd tell me what was going on."

"Yeah, I know." But how could she explain without sounding crazy? "I hardly know where to start."

"Start with the bastards who attacked Sabrina." Carlos poured kibble into Van's bowl. "It was Sunday night, yes?"

"Yes. She went ice skating with Justin in Central Park. They had an argument, and she left on her own."

Carlos put the kibble back under the sink and slammed the cabinet door shut. "Merda. She should have called me."

"Or me," Toni agreed. "Unfortunately, Justin upset her so much, she wasn't thinking properly."

Carlos's amber eyes narrowed. "Did he hurt her?"

"Emotionally, yes. He made a comment about how they should spend the money she's going to inherit."

Carlos winced. "I didn't think he knew about that."

"Me, neither. Anyway, Bri felt totally betrayed, and she took off on her own. Then the bad guys attacked her."

"Poor menina." Carlos strode into the living room and perched on the arm of the easy chair.

"There were three…thugs," Toni explained. "Bri ended up with abrasions and cracked ribs. Some people found her, lying unconscious in the snow, and called 911. The police interviewed her at the hospital, but they thought she was delusional, you know, from all the hypothermia and blood loss. They didn't believe her story."

Carlos made a sound of disgust. "She was obviously attacked. Did they think she injured herself?"

"No, but they thought she was imagining the thugs worse than they really were."

"They beat her up and left her for dead. What could be worse than that?"

Vampires. But no one had believed Bri. Even Toni had thought her friend was conjuring up some imaginary boogey monsters as a response to the trauma she'd endured. "Bri was upset when no one believed her, so she asked me to go to the park and find the guys who attacked her."

Carlos sat back. "Are you crazy, girl? You should have asked me to come with you."

He was right. Carlos was an expert in martial arts. When he had first met Toni and Bri two years ago, he'd insisted they go to classes with him. "I wish I had. But I didn't think anything would happen."

Carlos frowned. "You didn't believe her, either?"

"I believe her now. Monday night, I was alone in the park, and the three…guys showed up. I tried fighting them off, but…" Toni had done well until they'd started moving super fast. That had been her first clue that the attackers weren't normal. Then a blast of cold air had slammed against her head, and they had invaded her mind. The memory caused a shudder to run down her spine.

"Menina." Carlos sat beside her on the love seat. "What are you not telling me?"

"I…can't explain. It's too strange."

He gave her an annoyed look. "I spent part of my childhood in the Amazon jungle. I spent last summer in the jungles of Malaysia. I have seen stranger things than you can imagine."

Toni took a deep breath. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone about vampires, but how could she explain Sabrina's dilemma without revealing their existence? "I need your word you won't repeat this to anyone. I'm serious. I'll be in big trouble if the truth gets out because of me."

"I can keep a secret. Tell me."

"The bad guys bit Sabrina. Me, too."

Carlos stiffened. "They were like animals? They wanted your…flesh?"

"No. They wanted blood. They were…vampires." She watched Carlos's face, half afraid he would laugh at her.

He stared blankly at her for a few seconds, then raised his dark eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

"I could show you the bite marks."

"Vampires?"

"Yes. They have nasty, long fangs. They can move super fast, and the worst thing, they can take over your mind."

Carlos dragged a hand through his black hair, pushing it back from his face and revealing a small gold stud in each ear. "My God, menina, how did you ever escape?"

"Then you believe me?"

"Yes. I know you wouldn't make something like this up." He took her hand in his. "Tell me everything."

She closed her eyes briefly. "It was terrifying. They were inside my head, ordering me to do things against my will. My mind was screaming no, but I couldn't stop them."

Carlos squeezed her hand. "It's okay, love."

"Then out of nowhere, this big guy in a kilt showed up, brandishing a sword, and yelling at the vampires to leave me alone."

Carlos's amber eyes lit up. "Oh my, a macho hero."

"That's what I thought. He stabbed one of the vampires with his sword, and it turned to dust. The other ones released me, so they could fight him. And that's when I realized my mind was free. So I joined in on the fight."

"Oh, good for you, girl."

"Then the two bad guys vanished, and—"

"Vanished?"

"Yeah. It's another vampire thing. Then the Scotsman grabbed me, and we vanished, too."

Carlos gasped. "Merda! Where did you go?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you saying the Scotsman is a vampire, too?"

"Yes, but he's a good one. His name is Connor, and he took me to Romatech Industries."

Carlos nodded slowly. "I've heard of that place. It's run by that famous scientist who invented synthetic blood."

"Roman Draganesti. I met him. He's the leader of the good Vamps."

"Good Vamps?"

"Yeah. Roman gave me a blood transfusion. Then Connor offered to erase my memory of the whole ordeal. They really don't want people to know that they exist."

Carlos gave her a wry look. "I can believe that."

"But I couldn't let them erase my memory, 'cause I needed to tell Sabrina that she was right."

"Claro."

"Luckily, there was another option. Connor knew I could fight, so he offered me a job, guarding the Vamps during the day. You see, they're totally helpless then. And they're in desperate need of mortals they can trust."

"So that's where you've been during the day?" Carlos asked. "You're guarding vampires?"

"Yes. Today was my second day. It's a fairly easy job. They're basically dead during the day, so there's not much going on. But I do have to stay there. I'd be in big trouble if I left them unguarded."

Carlos snorted. "If they're dead, how could they know if you left?"

"I have to call in reports to my mortal supervisor, Howard. And he's watching me on monitors. He's been very understanding. He's taking over for me Friday so I can take my final. And he let me use the answering machine today when every ditzy female in the city was calling for…him."

"Him?"

"I don't want to talk about him. I've got enough problems without…him."

"Ah." The corners of Carlos's mouth tilted up. "So is this him one of them?"

"He's a Vamp, yes. A very annoying one." Of all the Vamps, Ian was the only one who suspected her of a hidden agenda. The fact that he was correct just made it more aggravating.

The man was driving her crazy. Since her attack, she had every reason to hate vampires. The damned monsters deserved to be hated. It was like they'd stripped her humanity by reducing her to nothing but a food source. And when they'd taken over her mind, it had felt like her soul was being squashed. So how the hell could she find Ian so attractive?

For a second, she'd thought he must be controlling her mind. But she'd never felt the jab of cold air on her brow. Nor had she heard his voice in her head. No, her attraction was real. Crazy, but real.

Any man would be blessed and honored to receive yer love. Her heart had almost stopped when he'd said that. It was the loveliest thing anyone had ever told her. It made her feel attractive and…worthy. I am worthy to be loved.

The way he had looked at her, like he was reaching deep inside her, had made her painfully aware of an emptiness in her soul. He was dangerous. And beautiful.

"Menina, it seems to me you have a conflict of interest."

"I'm not going to let him get to me."

Carlos smiled. "I wasn't referring to him. Though I suppose he does explain that mushy look on your face."

"Excuse me?"

Carlos chuckled. "I was referring to this new job of yours. You're paid to protect the Vamps, yes?"

"Yes. I took a vow to protect them."

"But at the same time, you want to prove Sabrina's telling the truth about vampires. Seems to me, if you expose the secret about vampires, you will be breaking your vow to protect them."

"I thought about that. You see, if we just let a lawyer or a psychiatrist know the truth, then they'll be bound by client confidentiality. So they'll know Bri isn't crazy, but at the same time, they won't be able to expose the Vamps and hurt them."

"Ah." Carlos nodded. "A tricky plan, but a good one."

"The problem is finding actual proof of their existence. I thought about taking photos of them in their death-sleep, but they look totally normal."

"Like they're asleep?" Carlos asked.

"Exactly. Well, Dougal looks kinda dead, 'cause he sleeps in a coffin, but even so, it would just look like a photo of a dead guy. And people die all the time. It's hardly revolutionary. I looked in their library—"

"They have a library? They're not in a dark, gloomy crypt somewhere in a graveyard?"

"No, they have a luxurious townhouse. Five floors of beautiful antiques and artwork. You wouldn't believe the canopy bed I'm sleeping in."

"Oh God." Carlos pressed a hand against his broad chest. "It sounds fabulous. When can I see it?"

"I can't sneak you in past the surveillance cameras."

He scoffed. "Don't bet on it, girlfriend. So what's the story with Sabrina?"

"Her aunt and uncle checked her out of the hospital and took her to their house in Westchester. Uncle Joe's a psychiatrist, and he says she's suffering from severe psychosis. He won't let me talk to her."

Carlos frowned. "What do you know about this aunt and uncle?"

"Not much. They never showed much interest in Bri before now."

"Yes, but she stands to inherit a lot of money once she graduates, yes?"

"Yep. Eighty-five million."

Carlos's eyes widened. "I had no idea it was so much!"

"Well, she doesn't advertise it, for obvious reasons. Her parents didn't want her to become a useless trust fund baby, so they stipulated in their will that she had to graduate from college before she could inherit the whole amount. She's been getting a yearly allowance since she was fourteen."

"And when does she graduate?"

"Next spring. Well, actually, it'll be longer than that 'cause she's getting incompletes this semester."

Carlos stood and paced across the floor. "She could be in serious trouble."

Toni swallowed hard. "I was afraid of that."

"I need all the information you have on the aunt and uncle."

"This is it." Toni handed him the pink fuzzy address book. "Their last name is Proctor."

He ripped out the page, then folded it. "I'll check them out, especially their financial records."

"How will you do that?"

He slipped the paper into a pocket of his tight leather pants. "I have a computer."

"So do I, but I wouldn't know how to check on someone."

"No offense, love, but it took you months to learn how to download e-mail."

Toni sighed. It was true. She was totally inept when it came to modern technology. She'd lived her first thirteen years at her grandmother's house in rural Alabama, where their one phone had a rotary dial and their one television had four channels and no remote control.

"That reminds me." She dug through her handbag and handed him her cell. "I need a different ringtone."

He grinned. "You don't want to rock the boys?"

"No, I'll leave that to you. I need something less…loud, please."

"No problem." He jammed the phone into his pocket. "How long were you planning to stay here?"

"About half an hour. I need to pack some more clothes to take back with me."

"Fine. I'll be right back." Carlos slipped out the kitchen window.

Toni looked in the refrigerator for something to drink, but everything there had caffeine. Not good when she needed to be asleep by ten every night so she could rise early in the morning. She poured herself a glass of ice water, then headed to her bedroom to pack.

Monday night, after she'd survived the attack and accepted employment, she'd been stuffed in the backseat of a sedan, and Dougal had driven her here to pick up some clothes. She'd been in such a state of shock, she'd only grabbed a few things from her bedroom while Dougal had waited in the living room. Then he'd driven her straight to the townhouse, and she'd been there ever since.

She realized now that the Vamps hadn't wanted her to get loose with the knowledge she possessed. The fact that she'd been allowed to go out tonight must mean that they had decided to trust her. How long would she have to live with them? It was hard to say. How could she help Sabrina if she couldn't even talk to her?

"Your phone's ready." Carlos strolled into her bedroom.

She jumped. Good grief, he was too good at sneaking up on people. She dropped the cell phone into her suitcase, next to her box of daily contacts.

Carlos wandered over to inspect her clothes closet. "Hmm, this is too frumpy. Oh my God, I love this black leather vest. What a shame it's too small for me." He took the vest out to admire it.

Toni smiled as she emptied her underwear drawer in the suitcase. She had missed Carlos.

"By the way, I did a quick check on Dr. Proctor's financial records. He's in debt up to his greedy little eyeballs. Been living way beyond his means."

Toni's mouth fell open. "You were gone twenty minutes, and you learned all that?"

Carlos shrugged and hung her vest back in the closet. Then he gasped. "Girlfriend, hasn't anyone ever told you never ever wear horizontal stripes?" He pulled out the offending T-shirt. "This should be burned."

"Thanks. I was looking for that." Toni whipped the T-shirt out of his hand and tossed it in her suitcase.

"Humph." Carlos proceeded to her dresser to check out the rest of her clothes. "Now this is nice. You should take this." He pulled out a skimpy red satin teddy.

"It's December. I'm taking some flannel pajamas."

"But menina, don't you want to look sexy for him?"

Toni slammed her suitcase shut. "You have definitely gotten the wrong idea about him."

Carlos's amber eyes twinkled. "Are you sure? I only need to mention him, and your cheeks bloom like a red rose."

"That's irritation, not attraction." Toni pulled her suitcase off the bed and rolled it from the room. "I've got to go, Carlos. Take care of Vanderkitty."

"Will do. And I'll see what else I can find out about Sabrina's uncle."

"Thank you." Toni stopped to give him a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He grinned. "Now hurry on back to him."

"Stuff it, Carlos." She left the apartment to the sound of his chuckling. Hopefully, Ian would be busy all night pursuing Vamp women. If she was really lucky, she'd make it back to the townhouse and her bedroom without having to see him at all.