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but I slashed his arm to get free." "Good grief," Toni whispered. This was awful. "Are you okay?" "Aye." Ian finished his bottle and rinsed it out in the kitchen sink. "We expect they'll try
something tonight, so ye should get more rest while ye can." "Okay. I'll just go to the bathroom first." She padded to the bathroom. Once she was done, she
shut the door behind her and let her eyes adjust to the red-tinted darkness. Ian was no longer in the kitchen. She moved toward the bed and halted. There he was, on the far side, lying on top of the covers,
wearing his kilt, a white T-shirt, and his knee socks.
"What are you doing?" She glanced around the room. There was only one bed. Maybe if she pushed the easy chairs together, she could manage-- "I willna molest you, lass. Verra soon, I'll no' be able to move." He clasped his hands together
over his stomach and studied the ceiling. "Though I hope ye willna have yer way with me while I'm unable to defend myself."
She snorted. "Right. Because there's something so irresistible about a corpse." His mouth curled into a half smile as he looked at her. "If it bothers you to sleep next to me, I can lie on the floor. Once I'm dead, I'll hardly know the difference."
"I've dated a few guys with the same level of sensitivity," she muttered while she debated whether to climb back into bed. He yawned and closed his eyes. "I'll be gone soon."
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She sat on the edge of the bed. "Does it hurt?"
"To know there's a beautiful woman lying next to me, and I'll no' be able to touch her?" His eyes opened and glimmered with humor. "It's a living torture. But no' for long."
She scoffed. "I meant does it hurt every morning when you die?"
He lay there, his gaze roaming over her slowly, lingering here and there as if he were memorizing every tiny detail. Her skin tingled, responding to his gaze. Just when she thought he wouldn't answer, he spoke softly.
"It's like slipping into a black hole, so black and deep there is no light, no feelings, no thoughts." He blinked slowly, the twinkle in his eyes fading. "I wish I could dream."
"What would a vampire dream about? Big vats of blood? A shiny, new coffin with leather upholstery?"
"Nay. I would have a lovely dream." A hint of a smile played on his lips as his eyes drifted shut. "About you." His face went lax.
Me? Toni's heart raced. He would dream of her? She leaned close to study him. "Are you dead yet?"
He didn't answer. He just lay there, the most gorgeous man she'd ever known. Her gaze settled on the dimple in his chin. She'd wanted to touch it the other day. She'd reached for it, but had lost her nerve.
She would have the nerve now. But not the opportunity. She glanced up at the surveillance camera. It wouldn't do for Howard to see her touching Ian's face.
She slipped under the covers and lay on her back beside him. God help her, she wanted to snuggle up to a dead body. This was wrong on so many levels.
She rolled over, putting her back to him. So wrong. And yet, it was starting to feel so right.
Thank God there was a different receptionist working at Shady Oaks Sunday evening. Toni had worried about Doris being there and recognizing her from her sex addict routine. She tried to look a little different by wearing her glasses instead of contacts and pulling a knit cap down low to cover her blonde hair.
Carlos had picked her up at Romatech. The sun had still been up, and all the Vamps still dead. Howard had assured her everything was under control, so she was free to go. Still, she felt that uneasy sensation of being pulled in two different directions. Ian had thought the Malcontents would attack again. She hated not being there to help.
"We're here to see Sabrina Vanderwerth," she told the receptionist.
"You'll need to sign in and fill out this form."
While Carlos signed them in, Toni quickly filled out the form, including Sabrina's name and ID number.
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The receptionist checked the form against her records, the same records Toni had snuck a peek at the night before. "I'll need your IDs." She examined their driver's licenses, then filled out name tags for them.
"I'll hold your licenses here until you return and sign out." She handed them the clip-on name tags. "Wear these at all times. You cannot bring any personal items or food or drinks into the wards. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Toni was directed toward the guard, who went through her handbag, then patted her and Carlos down.
He unlocked the door. "Follow the sidewalk across the courtyard, then turn right to Ward Three."
As they crossed the courtyard, Toni looked around. Inside each building, another guard was posted. She shivered. The place was like a prison.
Carlos opened the door to Ward Three and followed her into a small foyer. The guard checked their name tags and took their request form, which he placed in a sliding metal box. It slid into a nurses' station, all enclosed in glass.
"Put your coats and personal items in these bins." The guard motioned to some plastic bins on a table.
While they filled the bins, a brawny male nurse entered the nursing station and examined their request form. "Come to the door," he spoke through an intercom.
There was a buzzing sound, then the metal door opened.
The male nurse motioned for them to enter. Toni noted his name tag said Bradley. And the hall smelled of disinfectant and despair.
"Are there visitors for me?" a young man asked as he shuffled toward them in corduroy house shoes. His Spider-Man pajamas were crumpled, and the red color had faded to pink.
"They're not here for you, Teddy," Bradley growled. "Go back to the men's room."
"Okay." Teddy ran a hand through his dark hair that had a streak dyed white down the middle, making him resemble a skunk. He shuffled back down the hall.
"This way." Bradley led them to the right. "Sabrina will be in the women's rec room. We keep the men and women separated except at mealtime. It's better that way since we get the occasional sex addict."
Toni winced.
"Here you are." Bradley motioned to an open area, then strode back down the hallway.
A female nurse sat behind a counter, watching everyone. In the middle of the plain white room, there were two tables, surrounded by orange plastic chairs. More plastic chairs lined the three walls. A television, mounted high in a corner, played an animated movie with the volume turned down low. The air was stuffy and warm. Stifling.
Two middle-aged women sat along the wall, across from the television, staring dumbly at it. One's hand kept twitching, and the other one's mouth drooped open. Their eyes looked dead. Toni's heart squeezed in her chest.
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In the corner, a young female patient sat beside a male visitor, her husband perhaps? They were
both quiet, as if they no longer knew what to say to each other. Toni's heart was already breaking when she spotted Sabrina. She was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a blue T-shirt. Her hair, usually a bouncy and shiny blonde, was dull and frizzy. She sat at a table, swinging her feet back and forth as she studied a magazine. Her sneakers flopped loosely on her feet. The shoelaces had been removed.
As Toni moved closer, she realized it wasn't a magazine Sabrina was looking at, but a coloring book. She flipped through the pages, then stopped at a page that hadn't been colored yet. She removed a broken pink crayon from a plastic bin and started to color.
This was the ace student at NYU who had made the dean's list for the past six semesters? Toni squeezed her eyes shut. I will not cry in front of her. I'll be strong. "I could kill her uncle," Carlos whispered.
Toni took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. "Hi, Sabrina!" Bri turned toward them, her face blank, then she blinked. "Toni! Carlos!" She stood. "You came to see me."
"Of course we did." Toni gave her a hug. "We've been worried about you." "You're looking good, menina." Carlos hugged her, then sat across from her at the table. Toni sat next to her. "How have you been?" "I'm okay." Bri held up her arm to show them the blue plastic ID band around her wrist. "I got
promoted to blue today. I'm so glad not to be yellow anymore." "What's wrong with yellow?" Toni asked. "It's for suicidal patients." Bri selected a green crayon from the bin. "Not that I was suicidal." Toni swallowed hard. "That's good," she whispered. "They just put everyone on suicide watch when they first get here," Bri explained. "I wonder why," Carlos muttered as he glanced around the bleak room. "I was so lonely," Bri continued. "I had to eat all my meals alone, and I had to sit here by myself
