"Ian," she whispered as their breathing returned to normal. Even their breaths were in sync.
Do ye feel how much I love you? His voice filled her mind.
A warmth flooded her and brought tears to her eyes. Then a chill swept through her, and he was gone. Gone from her mind, but lying next to her with love in his eyes.
And she knew, then and there, that nothing would stop her from spending her life with Ian. No friendships or villains could stop her from loving him.
Even death couldn't come between them.
CHAPTER 25
That evening, just after sundown, Toni was sitting in the parlor with Ian, Carlos, Howard, and all the Vamp guys, watching the Digital Vampire Network. Stone Cauffyn of the Nightly News droned on and on. Phineas and Jack made everyone laugh with their impersonations of the boring newscaster.
Stone turned his head. "What is the meaning of this?"
The camera swerved, and Toni gasped. Jedrek Janow was approaching the newscaster's desk with a pistol in his hand. "Take him," he ordered, and a Russian Malcontent rushed past him to loop silver rope around Stone Cauffyn.
"What are you doing?" Stone asked. "This is highly irregular."
"On me!" Jedrek demanded, and the camera shifted to him. "You, cameraman, will do as I say if you want to live."
The camera didn't budge.
Jedrek nodded. "Good, now show our audience what we have behind door number one." He motioned to his right.
The camera panned to the door. Yuri and Stanislav entered the recording studio, each dragging a hostage.
Toni gasped. "They have Corky Courrant."
"And another woman," Ian muttered.
"I say we let him kill Corky," Phineas said.
"Shh." Ian turned up the volume as Jedrek spoke.
"As you can see, we have taken over DVN. Your regularly scheduled programming has been canceled for a far more interesting show. Ian MacPhie, you have twenty minutes to bring me the Stay-Awake drug, or I start executing people on live television."
Toni remained stunned and speechless, while the men all started to talk at the same time. How many men did Jedrek have? Who knew the layout at DVN?
The Vamp men suddenly leaped to their feet.
"Sorry!" a voice called from the foyer. Gregori entered the parlor. "Didn't mean to trigger the alarm."
Dougal rushed into the foyer to turn off the alarm.
Gregori glanced at the TV. "I saw what was happening. I thought I should warn you in case you didn't know."
"Do ye know the layout at DVN?" Ian asked.
"Sure. I've done a bunch of commercials there. Got some paper?" Gregori asked.
Toni ran to the desk. She collected some paper and pens, then dropped them on the large, square coffee table.
Gregori sat on one of the couches and began drawing.
"Phineas, Dougal, go below," Ian ordered. "Bring up some weapons. Howard, do ye know where DVN is?"
"It's in Brooklyn." Howard stood. "You want me to drive there?"
Ian ran a hand through his hair while he considered. "We doona want to teleport into a trap, so I think we should attack from the outside."
"Agreed," Zoltan said.
Their attention was snagged by a scream emanating from the television.
"You're burning my skin, you bastard!" Corky Courrant screeched as Yuri looped silver rope around her wrists.
The other woman whimpered as she was tied up.
Stone Cauffyn looked curiously at his ropes. "I say, what do you expect to gain from this?"
Jedrek sneered. "The world. With the Stay-Awake drug, I can rule the vampire world."
Stone gave him a bland look. "No such drug exists."
"Of course it does. Ian MacPhie took it. That's how he aged." Jedrek moved behind Corky and slid his hand around her neck. "I have you to thank, Ms. Courrant. You're the one who brought him to my attention."
Corky's eyes widened as his hand tightened. "If I helped you, then why don't you let me go?"
Jedrek tilted her head back to force her to look at him. "I enjoy watching blondes die. Isn't that so, Nadia?"
The camera swerved to a small brunette standing next to Stone. "It pleases the master when I kill a blonde," she whispered.
"You can't kill me!" Corky screamed. "I have fans." She glanced at the captured woman beside her. "Kill Tiffany. She's blonde. And she slept with my boyfriend."
"No!" Tiffany squealed. "I'm too young to die. And too pretty."