All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire - By Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,46

Undead coven master? And there was an angelic little boy standing close to her.

"This is my son, Constantine." Shanna ruffled his blonde curls.

Toni leaned over. "Hi, Constantine."

He smiled, then buried his face in his mother's coat.

The older woman chuckled. "He won't be so shy once he gets to know you. Gregori told me he met you last night. He was very impressed with your dancing."

Toni laughed. "He's a lot of fun."

"Yes." Radinka's eyes narrowed. "But I do not believe he is the one destined for you, my dear." Toni blinked. "I--I'm not looking for anyone--"

Shanna touched her arm. "Don't worry. Radinka's always trying to match people up."

Radinka snorted. "There's no trying to it. I can see when two hearts belong together." She pointed to her temple. "I'm psychic, you know."

"Oh. That's nice." Toni didn't know what else to say.

"It doesn't take a psychic to know a bored child will be a problem." Radinka moved one of her tote bags to the floor. "So we brought the little one some toys."

Constantine rummaged through the bag, removed a big picture book, then wiggled onto a kitchen chair. "I want to learn how to read."

"That's wonderful." Toni smiled at him, and he smiled shyly back, his cheeks dimpling.

"Uncle Connor said you were nice. He said you know how to kick a--"

"Whoa, Uncle Connor talks too much." Shanna removed her coat, then turned to her son. "Let's get you out of that jacket."

While Shanna hung up jackets on the hooks by the back door, Radinka unloaded groceries from the remaining bags on the table.

"We weren't sure if you had enough food here." Radinka set a carton of milk in the fridge, then grabbed the kettle from the stove. "I'll make everyone a nice cup of tea."

Constantine eyed the bags of fruit still on the table. "Can I have a banana?"

"Here you go, sweetie." Shanna handed him one, then stashed the bags in the fridge.

Toni was about to offer Constantine some help when she realized he didn't need it. He peeled the banana, then bit off a piece while he studied his book.

He pointed at a word. "Is this house?"

She peered over his shoulder. "Yes, it is." What a bright little boy he was. She wondered if he was Shanna's from a previous relationship. Surely Vamp men weren't able to have children. "Thank you for coming today."

"We were happy to." Shanna hooked the empty tote bags on the pegs with their coats. "A delivery man's bringing a tree around noon. We always decorate one for the guards."

"Oh, that's nice." With all the turmoil in her life, Toni had forgotten that Christmas was coming soon.

Radinka set out three cups and saucers on the counter. "We saw those women out front with their posters. I can't believe they're behaving so silly."

"Yeah." Toni sat next to Constantine. "It's crazy."

Shanna shook her head. "Poor Ian. I heard he really had to suffer to get his older looks." Radinka made tsking noises as she placed a teabag in each cup. "Gregori told me he's doing a television interview tonight with Corky Courrant."

Shanna made a face. "That's a disaster waiting to happen."

"Why?" Toni asked.

Shanna bit her lip, considering. "I should leave Ian a note, begging him not to do it. Is he in the basement?"

"No, he outgrew his coffin. He's on the fifth floor." Toni winced. "In your husband's bedroom." Shanna laughed. "Well, looks like I'll get some exercise. Be right back." She strode from the kitchen.

Toni was tempted to go with her. She'd seen Ian only once this morning, right before calling in her eight o'clock report. She'd risen at six-thirty A.M. and was having breakfast in the kitchen when Phineas and Dougal had come in for a bedtime snack before retiring to the basement. She'd hoped to see Ian, but he'd gone straight up to the fifth floor without stopping by to see her. Why had he not wanted to talk to her? She was a bit worried that he'd actually hit it off with one of those fifty Vamps he'd dated last night.

The kettle whistled, and Toni jerked back to the present. She had to stop thinking about Ian so much.

Howard strode into the kitchen. "Those women are psycho! One of them hit me with a poster when I told her Ian wasn't here."

Toni winced. "Sorry. They do seem awfully determined."

Radinka handed Howard a cup of tea. "Such nonsense. Are they still there?"

"I got them to leave, but I'm afraid they'll come back." Howard drank some tea. "I'd