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"It’s not--never mind I’ll explain later" She tone I put on your phone," Carlos continued "Now you’re rocking the boys big tiht Bye, Carlos" Toni snapped her phone shut and dropped it in her pocket It was a stinking shay She had no idea how to re of phones, there was still a beeping one on the bed with Ian He’d obviously been holding it next to his ear, but now his fingers were relaxed, curling slightly where they rested on the pillow The receiver must have slid down the pillow, for it was now nestled in the crook of his neck and shoulder His head was turned toward her, his eyes shut

She had a creepy feeling his eyes aze at her with the blank look of a zoht away She reached for the receiver, but accidentally brushed her hand over his fingers She jerked her arm back Shoot, she’d never touched a dead person before But he hadn’t felt cold and stiff as she expected hiers and his neck and slowly pulled the phone out Her knuckles grazed the tip of his chin It was rough hiskers She winced, realizing how close she was to touching his htly parted, perfectly shaped

She stepped back, bringing the phone to her chest His expression was peaceful, so different from the intense ee of his eyelashes cast a shadow on his pale cheeks Beautiful A ed at the saaze fell to the dis she’d noticed about hi at her, she’d wanted to poke it with her finger She reached out her hand, then snatched it back What was she thinking? He was one of them

She dropped the receiver back into the cradle on the bedside table It i

She jurip She lifted the receiver "It’s okay, Howard I found hile Definitely not Howard, unless he had a secret she didn’t know about

"Hello?"

"Hi!" Another giggle "Is Ian there?"

Toni hesitated If this girl knew Ian, wouldn’t she knoas dead at the ht now Can I take a ain

Toni found a pen and pad of paper in the nightstand drawer She waited, but there was silence

"Hello? You’ll need to give iggle

Toni waited while the caller grew silent, apparently atteirl? Hadn’t he said he was looking for a Vaht, and she was conscious Sorta "Can you tell les "I’e?"

"Can you tell Ian I think he’s really hot?"

"Sure" Toni glanced at Ian He looked stone cold to her "How did you le in the City It’s a dating service, you know?"

"I see" Was that how Ian planned to find his true love? That didn’tfor only Vamp women

"Yeah, I just saw his profile," Mitzi continued "And his picture And I had to call because he’s so hot!"

"Right Do you want to leave a number?"

Mitzi recited her nuo out with hiet lucky, ’cause he’s so hot!" She giggled, then thankfully hung up

The second Toni set down the receiver, the phone rang again This had to be Howard "Hello?" "Is Ian MacPhie there?" a throaty female voice asked

Another woman? At least it wasn’t Mitzi "Ian is unavailable at this tie?" "My nale in the City, and I lanced at the coht need to take a look at this profile

"Yes," Lola continued "I especially liked the part about Ian’s castle in Scotland, and how he’s spending some of his vast fortune to renovate it"

Vast fortune? Toni snorted, then covered it with a dainty cough She seriously doubted Ian had a vast fortune when he orking as a security guard for Ro lies on the Internet in order to get dates? The , other than the little proble dead half the time?

"You see," Lola lowered her voice dra in a castle"

"Wow"

"I’etarian," Lola announced "I do hope Ian is one, too He’s so hot"

"Right Well, I can safely say he doesn’t eat meat"

"Splendid" Lola recited her phone nulared at Ian "Liar You said you didn’t want to date mortals"

Cum on feel the noize! She jumped Now this had to be Howard Or Sabrina She pulled out her cell phone "Hello?"

"Toni?" Howard’s voice boo’s fine Ian’s in the bedroom on the fifth floor The phone was off the hook, but I put it back"

"What was so urgent that he had to call Connor?"

Toni winced "He was probably calling about uard was too bizarre for hiet used to you Has he seen you fight yet?"

"Yeah, a little"

"Then he kno tough you are He’ll learn to trust you in tiht to suspect her She did have a hidden agenda, though she certainly didn’ttoday?" Howard asked He roceries were delivered to the townhouse, so Toni wouldn’t have to leave her charges unprotected

"I’m fine for now, but I have a final exam Friday at NYU I’ll need to leave around noon"

"I reed for ht you had to guard Rouards there can keep an eye on theot it covered"

"Thank you" Toni felt relieved, but a bit shocked that the Vae their routine just to help her out "Just one exao, and I’m officially done with my master’s"

"Great" Howard paused "You know, you can probably get a better job than this It’s not very intellectual"

"It’s fine The pay is a lot more than I expected"

"Yeah, well, the Vamps kno important it is to have mortals they can trust"

"I understand" The phone on the nightstand rang "Oh God, I hope that’s not Mitzi or Lola"

"Who?" Howard asked