All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire(68)

"I'm fine." She moved closer to him. "What did you bring?"

 

He opened his bag, and she peered inside.

 

"Laszlo, these are wonderful! Thank you!"

 

He blushed. "I'd better get them inside." He scurried inside the door with his mysterious bag.

 

What the hell was going on? "What's up?" Toni motioned toward the locked door.

 

"Toni!" Shanna gave her a hug. "Have you seen my office yet?" She pointed at the dental office across the hall.

 

"No." Toni suspected Shanna was trying to change the subject.

 

"You need to make an appointment," Shanna continued. "All the MacKay employees get two free checkups every year. Well, actually, not free. Angus pays for it. Have you met Angus?"

 

Definitely trying to change the subject. "No, I haven't."

 

"Hi, Mommy! Hi, Toni!" Constantine called out.

 

Toni spotted him hovering about four feet off the floor in the room next to Shanna's office. This had to be his nursery. The doorway was partially closed off by the bottom half of a door. The top half was open, and Constantine had levitated so he could see them in the hallway.

 

"Hi, Constantine." Toni peered into his playroom. It was full of toys, books, stuffed animals, a twin bed, and some comfy chairs. "Wow, you have a lot of stuff."

 

"You can say that again," Radinka muttered as she returned some books to a bookcase. "You two had better hurry up, or you'll be late for Mass."

 

"Okay." Shanna leaned over the door to hug her son. "I'll see you afterward, sweetie." She started down the hall, then stopped when Toni didn't join her. "Aren't you coming?"

 

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to Ian." Toni gestured toward the security office.

 

"Howard's the only one there right now." Shanna moved closer. "All the Vamp guys are at the chapel, making sure it's safe. They're worried the Malcontents will try something tonight."

 

"Like what?"

 

Shanna sighed. "They blew up our chapel last summer. Luckily, no one was there at the time."

 

Toni winced. "That's terrible."

 

"Yeah." Shanna glanced toward the nursery and lowered her voice. "That's why I'm leaving Tino in the nursery with Radinka. Just in case. Come on. You need to meet Father Andrew. He's wonderful."

 

Toni followed her down the hall and into the main foyer. "I don't know if I should go. I wasn't raised Catholic."

 

Shanna grinned. "Neither was I. But these old Vamps are so medieval, it's all they know. Did you know my husband was a monk?"

 

"I didn't know that." Toni followed Shanna into the right wing. She wondered how old Ian was exactly, but didn't want to draw attention to her interest in him. "Are all the guys medieval?"

 

"No. Gregori's young. Roman transformed him in 1993, when some Malcontents attacked him outside in the parking lot. Poor guy was just picking up his mom from work."

 

"How sad." Toni grimaced. But it did explain how he managed to have a mortal mother who was still alive. "What about Connor and…Ian?"

 

"They were transformed after some battle in Scotland in the 1500s, changed the same night, so they've always been close. Roman changed Connor, and Angus changed Ian."

 

"They wanted to be changed?" Toni asked.

 

"Oh yeah. They were both mortally wounded. It was either be changed or die." Shanna entered a room on the right. "This is our fellowship hall, where everyone visits after church. I just want to make sure everything's ready."

 

The room had two long tables, both draped in long, white tablecloths. It was obvious that one was meant for Vamps, and the other one for mortals. The mortal table boasted a cheese/deli tray, a veggie and dip tray, a bowl of punch, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

 

The other table had two large bins filled with ice and bottles of blood. The microwave was in the center of the table, flanked by rows of glasses.

 

"Ladies, the service is starting," a male voice spoke from the hallway.

 

There was no mistaking that deep, lilting voice. Toni's heart fluttered in her chest. When she turned to face him, her heart did a bigger flip.

 

"We'll talk later." Shanna patted Toni on the arm, then hurried from the room.

 

Toni approached Ian, and her heart speeded up under his intense scrutiny. "I need to talk to you."

 

He raised his eyebrows. "Are ye ready to finally confess yer secrets?"

 

Her face heated. All the other Vamps had trusted her from the beginning. Only Ian had suspected her of a hidden agenda. "How do you know I have secrets?"