He gritted his teeth. "I never used violence."
She reached the landing and whirled around to glare at him. "Did you use mind control?"
He flinched. "Ye doona understand."
"Oh, I think I do. Mind control made it easy for you to manipulate people." Her eyes narrowed. "But they were still victims, and you were still violating them."
"We were never like the Malcontents. Those bastards are murderers. We never killed for food."
"Okay. You weren't killers. You were just parasites." She turned to continue up the stairs.
He grabbed her arm to stop her. "If ye hate us, why have ye taken a job to protect us?"
She pulled away and started ascending the stairs. "I don't hate you. And I have my reasons."
"What reasons?" He stumbled on a step with his new size thirteen feet.
She glanced back. "Why are you following me? Don't you need to go to the basement and…die?"
"I'm no' sleeping there."
"But I've seen your coffin down there." She gave him a wry look. "It looks so cozy."
"Then ye sleep in it."
"Over my dead body. Oh, wait a minute. It's your dead body. In about five minutes. So I'd better hurry." She jogged up the rest of the stairs.
Smart ass. His gaze slid down to her round, firm rump, so deliciously defined in black spandex. It was enough to turn him back into a biter. He followed her, watching her hips sway as she strode down the hall. She stopped at a door on the right.
He paused beside her. "I outgrew it."
"What? Your ego?"
"Lass, ye doona need to carry a weapon. Yer tongue can slash a man to shreds."
She smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I outgrew my coffin. I'm five inches taller than when I was last here."
Her eyes widened. "Connor mentioned that you'd grown, but I didn't quite believe it. I thought vampires were always stuck at the age when they died."
"That is true, normally. But I aged twelve years over the summer."
"Oh." Her mouth quirked. "Welcome to puberty."
He planted a hand on the wall beside her and leaned forward. "Ye saw under my kilt. Ye know I'm a grown man."
She lifted her chin in a defiant gesture, but her cheeks turned a pale pink. "I'm trying very hard to wipe that unfortunate incident from my memory."
He smiled slowly. "Let me know if ye succeed."
Her blush deepened. "Mr. MacPhie, I should remind—"
"Call me Ian. Is Toni yer full name?"
"No. Look, I'm trying to talk to you since I estimate in about three minutes, you'll keel over dead."
"If I do, will ye put me to bed?"
"This sort of talk is not appropriate—"
"Is yer name Antonia?"
Her eyes darkened. "No."
"Tonatella? Tonisha?"
"No."
"Toni Baloney?"
Her mouth twitched. "I'm trying to be serious."
"Me, too." He let his gaze wander over her. "I'm dead serious."
She snorted. "Mr. MacPhie, I signed a contract two nights ago, and it clearly stated that I am not to become involved with anyone I'm guarding."
His heart stuttered, and it wasn't caused by the rising sun. "I dinna realize we were involved."
"We're not!" She huffed. "But you are flirting with me, and it has to stop."
He blinked. He was flirting? He'd been more tempted to wring her neck than seduce her. "Ye think I was flirting?"
"Well, yes."
He leaned closer. "Did ye like it?"
"You're still doing it."
He smiled lazily. "Sweetheart, I can do it all night long."
"The night is over." She turned and grabbed the doorknob. "Good night, Mr. MacPhie."
He stepped back. He wouldn't let her rejection bother him. Why should it bother him? "I wasna being serious. Ye need no' worry about me pestering you. I am looking for true love, but only with a lady Vamp."
She released the doorknob and turned toward him. "Then you believe dead women are better than live ones?"
"I dinna say that. But I am better suited for a Vamp."
"Really? Are the live ones too hot for you to handle?"
Was she challenging him? "I havena met a woman yet that I couldna handle."
"Right." She eyed him warily. "You probably used vampire mind control on them."
Damn, but she knew exactly where to plunge in the knife. "Aye, I used mind control. And they loved it. It made their orgasms stronger." He arched a brow. "Would ye like a demonstration?"
Her eyes seethed with anger. "I'd like you to go away. And die." She opened her bedroom door.
He stepped closer. "Why do ye guard us when ye doona like us? Why would ye spend yer days trapped in a house with the Undead?"
"Good night, Mr. MacPhie." She shut the door in his face.
"I'll find out about you, Toni," he yelled, then stalked back to the stairs.
The sun was touching the horizon now. He could feel the death-sleep pulling him into oblivion. He gazed up the stairwell to the fifth floor and concentrated hard. In an instant he was there.
He stumbled into Roman's office and shut the door behind him. With the aluminum shutters covering the windows, the room was dark, but no problem for his superior vision. He crossed the office to the bedroom and collapsed on the king-sized bed. By all the saints, this was so much better than a narrow coffin. He stretched out, enjoying the comfort. His breathing slowed as death-sleep stole over him.
Wait. He shook his head. He still needed to find out about Toni. He rolled toward the bedside table and grabbed the cordless phone. His vision blurred as he punched in Connor's cell phone number. Just a few more minutes, that was all he needed.
"Hello?" Connor sounded sleepy.
Ian stretched on his back, holding the phone to his ear. "Tell me about Toni."
"Is that you, Ian?" Connor yawned. "Call me later."
"Tell me about Toni. How did ye find her?"
"I came across her in Central Park." Connor yawned again. "Monday night."
And this was only Wednesday morning. Ian opened his mouth, but no words came out. His eyes flickered shut.
"Three Malcontents," Connor's voice slowed, "attacked her…verra vicious…"
No wonder she hated vampires. Ian lost his grip on the phone. Was she planning to stake them all in their sleep?
As death-sleep dragged him under, he wondered if he would ever wake again.
CHAPTER 3
I deserve to be happy.
I will accomplish my goals.
I will achieve something meaningful with my life.
I am worthy to be loved.
Toni repeated her morning affirmations as hot water sluiced down her body and steam billowed around her. She just needed to believe. Yeah, right. In the last few days, her life had started spiraling down the toilet.
I deserve to be happy. She sighed. Her family didn't believe in her, so why should she? She turned the water off. She needed to toughen up emotionally and not let other people drag her down—people like Ian MacPhie.
How could a dead guy be so handsome? She pulled back the shower curtain. Why couldn't he have been mortal? For one fleeting, wonderful moment, she'd thought he was human. But no. Swish down the toilet. He was one of them.
She stepped out of the shower, scolding herself. Don't think about him. He has no power over you. Unless…
Unless he used vampire mind control. Toni's bare skin prickled with goose bumps, and she shivered in spite of the hot steam surrounding her. She glanced down at the bite marks that covered her chest and torso.