Forbidden Nights with a Vampire(30)

 

"Marta?" Maggie made a face. "Marta should have helped her save their sister."

 

Phil nodded. "Vanda may feel that her only surviving relative betrayed her."

 

Maggie took a deep breath. "Well, at least you know why she's so angry now."

 

"There's still a lot she didn't say. She was transformed in 1939."

 

"Oh, you're right." Maggie sat up. "And she didn't come here till 1948. That's eight years unaccounted for."

 

"And she merely called it 'difficult' in the interview. I have a feeling she went through hell."

 

Maggie's eyes filled with tears. "Of course she did. It was in her paintings. Dead bodies, swastikas, barbed wire, blood."

 

And wolves. Phil swallowed hard. How would he ever gain Vanda's trust if she was terrified of wolves?

 

Maggie touched his arm. "I want to see her. Even if all I can do is give her a hug."

 

"Of course. She'll be at the Horny Devils."

 

"I've teleported there before, so I know the way." Maggie rose to her feet. "Would you like to hitch a ride?"

 

"Yes." He wrapped an arm around Maggie's shoulders. Vanda wouldn't be able to avoid him now. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her about my being a shifter."

 

Maggie frowned at him. "You'll have to tell her if you intend to have a future with her."

 

"I will." But not now. She was already looking for a reason to run away from him.

 

Phil and Maggie threaded their way through the crowd at the Horny Devils. When Maggie spotted Pamela at the bar, she squealed, and the two women spent five minutes hugging and laughing. Phil could hardly hear them over the noise.

 

He lifted a hand in greeting. "Big crowd tonight."

 

Pamela grinned and handed him a beer. "Isn't it marvelous? That awful Corky told everyone not to come because we were so nefarious and evil." She laughed. "And of course, they just had to see for themselves."

 

"Does Vanda know about the boycott?" he asked.

 

"No, thank heavens, and we need to keep it that way. She might go ballistic, and we can't afford any more lawsuits." Pamela spotted Cora Lee and waved at her. "Look who's here!"

 

Cora Lee ran over to Maggie, and the squealing and hugging started all over again. Then Maggie produced a stack of family photos from her handbag, and the ladies gushed over how adorable Maggie's daughter was. Phil wondered how she'd managed to have a child but refrained from asking since the explanation might take a long time, and he wanted to see Vanda as soon as possible.

 

"Hey, bro!" Phineas walked toward him with two female Vamps hanging on his arms. "I dropped by like you asked. You sure were right about the hot chicks."

 

"Any sign of Max?" Phil yelled over the noise.

 

"No." Phineas gave his new friends an apologetic look. "I hate to say this, ladies, but I gotta go back to work."

 

"Oh no, Dr. Phang." The brunette on his left arm stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "How can you leave us?"

 

"Duty calls, sweetness." Phineas patted her hand. "But I'll come back every few hours to make sure you're safe."

 

"Oh, Dr. Phang, you're so brave." The blonde on his right rubbed against him.

 

"Where do you work?" the brunette asked, trying to draw his attention away from the blonde.

 

"I can't say, darlin'," Phineas replied. "Top secret stuff, you know."

 

"Oooh." The blonde shivered. "Are you a spy?"

 

"All I can say is when danger lurks in the shadows, they call on Dr. Phang." Phineas stepped back and lowered his voice. "I'll be back."

 

"I'll be waiting for you," the brunette yelled as Phineas disappeared.

 

The blonde sidled up close to Phil. "So are you a spy like Dr. Phang?"

 

"We…work together." Phil noticed Maggie was headed with Cora Lee and Pamela to Vanda's office. He started to follow, but the two Vamp women had latched onto his arms.

 

The brunette caressed his biceps. "You seem incredibly strong for a mortal."

 

"And handsome in such an earthy way," the blonde added.

 

"Actually, I'm not in Dr. Phang's league." Phil extricated himself from their grip. "He's much stronger than me. And a little dangerous. You should probably stay away from him if you like to play it safe."

 

The brunette's eyes lit up. "He sounds so exciting."

 

"Well, he is called the Love Doctor, you know," Phil admitted.

 

The blonde stepped back. "No offense, cutie, but I'm going to wait for the Love Doctor."