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.
What 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.