Her eyes grew moist. She'd begged him not to go. She'd begged him to flee with her and their sisters. But he'd wanted to prove he wasn't a baby, that he was all grown up.
He was so young to die.
"Hi," a young voice greeted her.
Vanda blinked her eyes dry. A little boy with blond curls and blue eyes stood next to the refreshment table. He was dressed in a little navy blue suit, but his shirttail had fallen out and his tie was askew.
"I'm Tino." He grabbed a cookie off the table and bit into it.
She'd seen Constantine Draganesti before but had never talked to him. "I'm Vanda."
He finished his cookie and grabbed another. "Did you know your hair is purple?"
"Yes." Apparently, small children didn't know they should stay away from people with purple hair.
"Have you seen my mommy?" Tino finished his second cookie. "She told me to come here when I got tired of dancing."
"Shanna had to go to her office for a minute. She'll be right back."
Tino approached Vanda, studying her curiously. "What are you doing with my little sister?"
"I have no idea."
He leaned over to examine Sofia's face. "I think she likes you. When she doesn't like someone, she screams." He puffed out his chest proudly. "No one can scream as loud as my sister."
You haven't heard me, Vanda thought.
"You want to see what I can do?" Tino asked, then vanished. "Ta-da!" He reappeared, standing on the chair next to her.
"Wow." Vanda stared at him. She'd heard rumors that Roman's son was special but she hadn't realized the little boy could actually teleport. "That's amazing."
"I know." He smiled smugly. "My sister can't do it."
"I guess you're all grown up," Vanda said wryly, remembering how fast Jozef had wanted to grow up.
"I am." Tino sat on the chair next to her. "I have more power than Sofia."
"Power?"
He nodded. "She wants to help you, but she's not strong enough. You want me to try?"
Vanda eyed him warily. "Try what?"
Tino rested his little hand on her arm. His nose wrinkled as he made a face. "You're hurting real bad."
"I'm a Vamp. I don't get sick."
"It's…an old pain," he whispered. "In your heart."
She felt a tingling sensation on her arm where Tino was touching her. "What are you doing?" And how the hell did he know about her pain?
The little boy winced. "I'm trying to heal your pain, but it's so deep inside."
"No!" Vanda scooted down a seat, breaking the boy's hold on her. "I need my pain. It's what I am." Dammit, she'd lived with it for so long, she couldn't imagine being without it. "It—It keeps me safe."
"Safe from what?"
"Safe from…more pain."
Tino looked confused. "I don't understand."
"It's like…having a broken leg. The pain reminds me to be careful not to break the other leg. If you had a broken leg, you wouldn't want to break the other one, right?"
Tino tugged at his crooked tie. "I don't want any broken legs."
Vanda smiled at him sadly. "You're sweet to want to help, but I…broke a long time ago. And I don't know how to get better."
"You have to want to get better," a deep voice emanated from behind a potted plant.
Vanda gasped as Phil stepped into view. "You—You shouldn't spy on people." Her heart raced. How much had he heard? Did he really think she didn't want to feel better? She wasn't a masochist, dammit. She was only trying to protect herself.
"I was doing a perimeter check." His gaze drifted slowly down her body, then back up her legs, past the baby in her lap, and settled on the bat tattoo on her breast. His mouth curled up.
Vanda ignored the tingles shooting down her arms and gave him a wry look. "And does everything check out?"
"Oh yeah." His eyes gleamed. "It's looking good." He smiled at the boy. "Hi, Tino."
"Hi, Phil." Tino squirmed off his chair. "You want a cookie? They're chocolate chip."
Phil tossed some cheese and crackers on a plate and handed it to the little boy. "Trust me. This is what you want."
Tino accepted the plate, frowning. "But I wanted—"
"Tino!" Shanna called to him as she approached with Maggie. "I hope you're eating more than just cookies."
"I am! See?" Tino showed her his plate and stuffed a cracker in his mouth.