She responded with a smile and a knuckle pound. "See ya tomorrow, Dr. Phang."
Phineas grinned, then sauntered toward the stairs. "Yeah, that's me. Dr. Phang. Long in the tooth, and long in the wang." He descended the stairs to the basement, his voice still drifting toward them. "The doctor is in the house. Oh, baby, I've got the cure."
Ian could feel the pull of death-sleep, too, but as an older Vamp, he was able to resist it better than Phineas.
"Perhaps we should start over." He extended a hand. "I'm Ian MacPhie."
She gave him a wary look. "Toni Davis." She gripped his hand, quickly let go, then headed for the stairs.
He followed her. "I really did think ye were a thief. I doona normally attack women."
"Unless you're hungry." She started up the stairs.
"I doona attack for food. We have evolved past that."
"Yeah, right." She continued up the stairs without looking back.
He climbed the steps after her. "Ye doona believe me?"
She shrugged. "I've seen your kind drink from bottles."
"Then ye know we're different from the Malcontents."
Her knuckles whitened as she suddenly gripped the banister hard. Then she released it and ascended more stairs. "I gather your noble nature is somewhat new. Before the invention of synthetic blood, you must have attacked people for food."
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."