Phil winced. He needed to tell Vanda that the creepy vampire, Sigismund, was here, too. "It makes sense for Casimir to come to America. He wants to destroy all the modern, bottle-drinking Vamps, and this is where the majority of them live. The power base is here."
Phineas nodded. "Angus was saying the same thing."
"Well, the leaders might be here, but the followers..." Vanda groaned. "Did you see those guys at the party last night? When they thought Phineas was poisoned by Malcontents, they freaked out and wanted to run away. Our side has a bunch of wimps!"
Phineas stiffened. "I'm not a wimp."
"And neither am I. We have plenty of good fighters," Phil insisted. But he knew Vanda was making a valid point. The Vamps who chose to drink bottled blood did it because they disliked attacking mortals. By their very nature, they were peaceful, law-abiding creatures.
Casimir's followers, on the other hand, were aggressive and violent. They'd been murderers and thugs as mortals, and as vampires, their cruel natures had worsened. Give a criminal super speed, strength, and mind control abilities, and the result was a vicious monster with allusions of grandeur and invincibility. How could the Vamps hope to defeat them? But if they didn't, there would be no one to stop the Malcontents from terrorizing the world. The Vamps had to fight, like it or not, not just for their own survival, but to protect the mortal world.
Phil strode to the back door and slipped on some rubber boots. "I haven't checked the perimeter in a while. You want to come?" He gave Phineas a pointed look.
"Yeah, sure, bro."
Phil smiled at Vanda. "This will take just a few minutes."
She crossed her arms, frowning. "I get it. You want to talk about gory war stuff without scaring the little lady. Well, I've been through war before, you know. I'm tough, dammit."
Not nearly as tough as she pretended. Phil wished he could take her in his arms and kiss away the frown lines from her brow, but he couldn't in front of a witness. "We'll be right back." He slipped outside with Phineas.
He waited on the back porch a few seconds while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Then he descended the stairs to the gravel walkway. The moon, three-quarters full, hung low over a dark silhouette of evergreens. A breeze rustled the branches, filling the air with the scent of pine.
He strolled down the walkway, the gravel crunching under his rubber boots. Phineas walked beside him, peering into the dark woods.
"This way." Phil turned to make a clockwise circle around the cabin. Their footsteps became soft on the grass. He listened carefully. Birdsong, the scurrying of little paws through the underbrush.
"How bad is it?" he asked.
Phineas kicked a pinecone. "The Russian Malcontents attacked the townhouse. No one was there, but the alarm went off at Romatech, and by the time we got there, they all teleported away."
"Cowards," Phil grumbled.
"We're going to bunk down at Romatech till things settle down." Phineas sighed. "If it ever settles down. That Sigismund dude made it sound like all the Romatechs were in danger. Angus sent Mikhail, Zoltan, Jack, and Dougal to the other facilities to beef up security."
Phil glanced at the cabin's front porch as they passed by. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention Sigismund in front of Vanda. I want to break the news to her myself."
"Does she know him?"
"He's the one who changed her and her sister."
Phineas whistled. "Hot damn, bro. No wonder you nearly squeezed his head off. That was really awesome, though, the way your hand turned into a paw."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that either."
Phineas halted. "You haven't told her yet?"
"No. I tried, but..." He groaned inwardly. He should have tried harder. Vanda had been so adamant in her refusal to talk. What was she trying to hide from him?
Phineas resumed their walk around the cabin. "Connor wanted me to pass on a message. Keep your furry paws to yourself while you're guarding Vanda."
Phil gazed into the dark woods, saying nothing.
"Obviously, Connor's warning is too late," Phineas muttered.
"I'm not discussing it." Phil rounded the corner of the house and headed for the back porch.
"You don't have to, bro. The Love Doctor senses these things. Besides, you're an animal. You're going to act like one." Phineas howled like a wolf.
"Enough," Phil growled. "This has nothing to do with my animal nature. I love Vanda. And I think she loves me."
"Dude, she doesn't even know you. Not until you tell her the truth."
Phil winced inwardly. "Okay. You made your point." He could only hope his shape-shifting nature wouldn't make a difference. Vanda claimed his love would be enough. But she hated shape shifters. And she was terrified of wolves.
As they neared the back door, he heard the phone ring inside. "Hurry." He rushed to open the door. "I'd rather Vanda not answer it."
Phineas zoomed inside at vampire speed, beating Vanda to the phone. "Hello?"
As Phil locked the back door, he noted the shocked expression stealing over the black Vamp's face.
"How - How did it happen?" Phineas asked. He grimaced as he listened to the response.
Vanda retreated to the fireplace, a worried look furrowing her brow. She crossed her arms, her shoulders hunched.
"All right," Phineas said quietly. "We'll be right there." He gently replaced the receiver, then turned slowly to face them. He still looked stunned.
"What happened?" Phil asked.
Phineas swallowed audibly. "The Romatechs in Texas and Colorado were bombed. Fourteen Vamps are dead. More were injured."
Vanda sucked in a breath and pressed a hand to her mouth.
Phil felt a tightening in his chest. For the last few years there had been tension between the Malcontents and Vamps. There'd even been a few minor skirmishes. But nothing on this scale.
He looked across the room at Vanda. Somehow, he had to keep her safe. And he also needed to fight. "The war has begun."
CHAPTER 15
War.
Vanda shuddered. The nightmare was back in full force. At the age of twenty-two she'd lost her home, her family, and her mortality. War had ripped her life to shreds, and she'd ended up all alone, hunted and hiding in caves.
And now, years later, she'd lost her club and friends. Once again she was in hiding, hunted by the Malcontents. Once again war was destroying her world.
A surge of rage shot through her. How could this happen again? Was she cursed? Her hands curled into fists. She wanted to punch something. Throw something. Scream.
She grabbed her whip off the table. Let one of those Malcontents find her. She'd flay his skin right off his face. She'd kill the bloody - The whip tumbled to the floor.
Oh God, she didn't want to kill again. What was she doing? She'd let monsters get to her before. She'd let them turn her into a monster. No. Tears burned her eyes. Never again.
"Vanda?" Phil approached her with a worried look. "Are you all right?"
What a selfish fool she was. She'd nearly thrown a fit out of self-pity, when there were other Vamps who had lost their lives tonight. Fourteen dead. There were Vamps in mourning. Vamps who were injured. Her anger wasn't helping them or herself.
She took a deep breath. "I'm all right. I-I felt really pissed for a while, but - "
"You took control." Phil's eyes softened, glimmering with love.
Her heart swelled with warmth. This nightmare was different from the last one. This time she had Phil. And she didn't have wolves chasing her.
Phineas cleared his throat. "I hate to break up the tender moment, but Phil and I have been ordered to return for a strategy meeting."
Phil stiffened. "I'm not leaving Vanda alone."
"She could come if she wants." Phineas turned to Vanda. "You know how to get to Romatech, right?"
"No thanks," Vanda said. "You two go on without me."
"Are you sure?" Phil asked.
She scoffed. "Gee, should I teleport to Romatech when the bad guys are bombing Romatechs? That's a tough one. I'll just stay here."
"I'll be back before dawn," Phil assured her.
"Then you'd better hurry up and go." She glanced at the clock over the kitchen sink. "It's already four-thirty."
He nodded. "Just a minute, Phineas. I need to put my uniform back on." He dashed to the bathroom.
Vanda strolled into the kitchen and retrieved two bottles of blood from the fridge. She handed one to Phineas.
"Thanks." He unscrewed the top and drank.
"Thank you for bringing it." She lowered her voice to a soft whisper so Phil wouldn't hear. "I know you suspect Phil and I are...involved, but please don't tell anyone."
"Sweetness," Phineas whispered back, "When it comes to you and Phil, I'm up to my eyeballs in secrets. But my lips are sealed."
"Thank you." Vanda clinked her bottle against his. She turned when she heard the bathroom door open.
Phil exited, wearing his MacKay uniform of khaki pants and navy polo shirt. "Okay, Phineas. Let's go."
She gave Phil an encouraging smile as he teleported away with the young black Vamp. And then she immediately felt lonely without him. How quickly and thoroughly he'd invaded her heart and her life.
She sipped from the bottle and wondered what kind of secrets Phineas was keeping. There was no way he could know her darkest secrets. She'd never admitted them to anyone. So he had to be referring to Phil. Was there something about Phil she didn't know?
She thought back to when she'd first met him. He'd been a tall nineteen-year-old college student with beautiful blue eyes, a quick wit, and a charming smile. Even then there'd been an aura of earthy sexiness to him, a strong hint of the man he was to become, and she'd felt attracted to him from the start.
Now, as a twenty-seven-year old man, he'd far surpassed that earlier hint of manliness. He exuded masculine power, strength, and confidence. He drove her wild with desire. He inspired trust and a sense of security. But how well did she really know him?
A few memories flitted through her mind. Phil discovering a bomb in her file cabinet without actually seeing it. Phil capturing Max in her club and having enough strength to pin a vampire to the floor. Her bouncer complaining that he moved too fast.
She shoved those thoughts away. Phil was a sweet and wonderful man. She shouldn't doubt him. She ought to be grateful he was so strong and fast. If he hadn't detected that bomb, she'd be dead. If he hadn't killed that snake, she'd be dead.
His love for her was genuine and beautiful. And she was falling in love with him. That was all that mattered.
The atmosphere in the war room was grim. Phil took a seat at the conference table next to Connor. He nodded at the others sitting around the long table: Jack and Lara, Austin and Darcy, Howard, Phineas, Emma, Laszlo, Gregori, and Carlos, the Brazilian were-panther. Some additional chairs had been brought in to line the walls. Hugo, the ex-bouncer from Vanda's club, was sitting beside Robby and Jean-Luc, who must have teleported in from Texas. Angus paced around the table, deep in thought.
In the corner of the room, Sean Whelan was sitting alone. As head of the CIA Stake-Out Team, Sean's mission was to identify and terminate vampires. That mission had grown a bit complicated when his daughter, Shanna, married Roman Draganesti, and even more complicated when his team members, Austin and Emma, switched sides. Sean's gaze darted nervously about the room.
Phil scanned the room once more and realized Shanna and Roman were absent. He leaned close to Connor and whispered, "Did Angus send the Draganestis into hiding?"
"Nay," Connor replied. "He wanted to, but they insisted on staying here. Dougal and Zoltan are teleporting the injured Vamps here, and Roman and Shanna are in the clinic, patching them up."
"How did the Malcontents manage to infiltrate the Romatechs?" Phil whispered. "I thought Angus tightened security."
"I did," Angus grumbled, overhearing. "We doubled security on the ground, but they attacked from the air. Rockets fired from helicopters."
"Army helicopters?" Phil asked.
"We think so," Angus said as he continued to pace. "They must have used mind control to infiltrate nearby military bases."
"I'll alert the military," Sean Whelan said. When a dozen heads turned to him with alarm, he lifted his hands. "Don't worry. I won't tell them about vampires. I'll just say there's a radical group of psychic terrorists on the loose, using mind control to infiltrate bases. I'll recommend a lockdown, no visitors allowed on base after sundown. Any strangers will be shot on sight. Maybe that will help."
"Thank you, Whelan." Angus paced down the length of the table. "Let's get started, then. As ye all know, two of our Romatechs were destroyed tonight. One of our top priorities is resuming production as soon as possible in Texas and Colorado. Gregori is working on that."
Gregori nodded. "We're already looking at some rental properties. We still have all the daytime mortal employees, so we hope to be producing again in two weeks."
"Good. Another top priority is keeping the remaining three Romatechs safe. To that end, we have enlisted the help of Shanna's father." Angus motioned to Sean Whelan. "Ye have the floor, Sean."
"Thank you." The CIA operative stood and gazed warily about the room. "As much as it grieves me to associate with your kind, I am convinced an alliance with you is in the best interest of living Americans."
