"No' real dates," Ian muttered. "I'm just meeting them at a nightclub." He lowered his voice, "For my kind."
"A nightclub?" Carlos asked with one foot on the windowsill. "You should take Toni. She loves music and dancing. Don't you, menina?"
She stared at Carlos, confused.
"It's no' a suitable place for her," Ian began.
"Too wild?" Carlos asked. "Don't worry. Toni loves to get wild. Don't you, love?" He winked.
"I–I doona think she would like it," Ian insisted, and Toni realized he wasn't able to explain that this was a vampire nightclub.
"Toni just adores places with lots of action." Carlos gave her a pointed look, and it finally clicked.
A vampire hangout! It might be the perfect place to get the proof she needed. "Oh yes! I would love to go."
Ian's eyes widened. "Ye would?"
"Of course." She gave him a dazzling smile. "You will take me, won't you?"
"But ye know what kind of people will be there," he whispered.
"I'd really like to go." Toni made sure that Carlos had disappeared through the kitchen window. "I'm still a bit uncomfortable around vampires. But if I go with you to this club, it might help me get over it. I could see you all in a different light."
Ian nodded. "Connor told me how bad the attack was. I'm verra sorry."
"Oh." Did he really care? "I–I'm okay."
He looked genuinely concerned. "It happened only a few nights ago. Ye havena had time to recover."
"Well…" She smoothed a loose tendril of hair back from her brow.
"Connor said ye fought bravely. He was verra impressed."
She drew in a shaky breath. No, dammit, she wasn't over it. This whole conversation was getting on her nerves. And the bite marks on her chest and torso were starting to itch. "I don't know how I would have survived if Connor hadn't come along when he did."
"I understand now why ye hate mind control so much. Connor told me how they forced ye to take—"
"Please stop!" She didn't want the memories crashing over her right now.
"Toni." He touched her shoulder, and she flinched. "Och lass, I would never hurt you."
She blinked, refusing to cry. This would never do. A stubborn, suspicious Ian she could handle, but a sweet, compassionate one? He was melting all her defenses.
She backed away and folded her arms across her bite-marked torso. "So how is the investigation going? Have you decided whether I'm trustworthy yet?"
"I still doona know yer full name. But yer refusal to talk to me is verra understandable after the way ye were attacked."
"True." Or maybe her refusal was a shield to keep her from feeling too attracted to this guy. Not that she would ever admit that.
"I'm still no' certain why ye dinna let Connor erase the memory. It is causing ye pain, lass."
She snorted. "If I had all my bad memories erased, there wouldn't be much left."
Ian frowned. "Surely that canna be so."
Toni thought back. No, there had been happy times. Sweet memories of her grandmother. Fun times with Sabrina. Moments of pride when she'd done well in school.
"My mother didn't want me." With a wince, she pressed a hand against her mouth. Damn. How had that slipped out?
Ian looked stunned. "How could that be?"
"I'm…illegitimate."
He shrugged one shoulder. "I dinna think that mattered in modern times."
"It didn't matter to my grandmother. She was happy to raise me. But my mom has always been embarrassed by her big mistake. Me." Toni waved a hand in dismissal. "It's not important. I don't know why I mentioned it."
"Because it causes ye pain. It's the pain we endure that makes us strong. Ye're verra brave no' to run from it."
Toni's gaze was drawn once more to Ian's, and she felt her pulse jump. Her skin tingled with awareness. Her lips went dry. Her mind grew fuzzy, and all she could think about was moving closer to him. When he stepped toward her, she wondered if he was feeling the same compulsion.
"I know the memory causes ye pain, but I'm verra glad ye kept it."
"You want me to suffer?"
"Nay. But if ye hadna kept yer memories, I would have never met you."
"Oh." Her brain grew even foggier, and she couldn't think of anything to say. She licked her lips, then noticed his gaze shifting to her mouth. Oh God.
"I'm back!" Carlos announced at the kitchen window.