"No!" Robby cried.

"It'll be all right," she assured him.

Something sharp poked her in the back, and she straightened with a jerk, glancing over her shoulder.

Sigismund stood behind her, his sword pressed into her back. "We meet again, Vanda. For the final time."

CHAPTER 23

Vanda glanced at her knife on the ground. She'd never get to it in time. And she couldn't unwind her whip in time either. She let her shirt drop to the ground, then she curled her hand around the pistol she'd wedged under the waistband of her jeans.

Sigismund grabbed her suddenly, pulling her back against his chest. He swung the sword around and pressed it to her neck. "I should have killed you years ago. Jedrek insisted on doing it himself, but he's gone now. You and your nasty friends will pay for his murder."

Vanda held her breath, afraid the sword would cut her throat if she so much as inhaled.

He pinched the sword tighter against her neck. "Maybe I'll have some fun with you first. I always did want to fuck you, you know."

He grunted in her ear. His sword clattered to the floor. Vanda spun around.

Sigismund was a pile of dust. Her sister stood there, staring at his remains, a sword trembling in her hand.

"Marta?" Vanda whispered.

"I-I'm finally free," Marta whispered in Polish. Her gaze lifted to Vanda. She dropped her sword with a clatter.

Vanda took a deep breath. "You saved my life."

Marta's eyes filled with tears. "I killed our little sister. I didn't mean to. I didn't want to." She looked at the pile of dust. "He controlled me for so long." With a sudden cry, she stomped on his dust. She stomped and stomped, crying, "I hate him! I hate him!"

"Marta." Vanda grabbed her by the shoulders. "It's okay. We're together now."

She blinked through her tears. "Can you forgive me?"

"Yes." Vanda pulled her tight and hugged her. Marta was trembling in her arms. "Can you help me get Robby out of here?" She released her sister and moved behind Robby to unfasten the chains around his wrists.

Marta stood still, staring at Robby with tears running down her face.

"Robby!"

Vanda heard Angus shouting in the cavern room. "We're in here!"

The Scotsman squeezed through the narrow opening. He halted when he saw Marta and lifted his sword.

"It's okay, Angus. She's with me." Vanda released the chain binding Robby's wrists, and he slumped forward.

Angus rushed forward to grab him. "Och, Robby, my lad."

"Hungry," Robby whispered.

"Of course." Angus fumbled in his sporran and pulled out a bottle of blood. He ripped off the top and put it up to Robby's mouth.

Robby guzzled it down.

"How is the battle going?" Vanda asked.

"'Tis over," Angus replied. "The Malcontents dinna like being skewered by us and mauled by wild animals. They teleported away. Where did those wolves come from?"

"I brought them," Vanda said. "They wanted to prove themselves to Phil."

"Och, they certainly proved their worth to me." Angus realized the bottle was empty. He pulled a flask from his sporran. "Here, lad. A little Blissky will help with the pain."

"I got it." Robby took the flask in a shaking, bloody hand. His grip faltered.

Angus grabbed the flask and held it to Robby's mouth. "We were so verra worried. I'll kill the bastards that did this to you."

"Robby!" More shouts came from the cavern next door.

"In here!" Angus yelled.

Jean-Luc, Connor, and Phil slipped inside. Vanda's heart leaped at the sight of Phil. He had a few cuts and scrapes, but otherwise, he looked absolutely wonderful.

He didn't seem surprised to see her. He must have realized she was here when the wolves had joined the battle. He grinned at her, then looked at Robby and his smile faded.

"Och, lad." Connor kneeled in front of Robby. "Let's get you back to Romatech and clean you up."

"Did ye find Casimir?" Angus asked.

"Nay," Connor said. "It looks like the bastard teleported away."

"I'll tell everyone we found Robby." Jean-Luc patted Robby on the shoulder, then left the small room.

"Hey, Robby." Phil touched his knee, then looked at Vanda. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and pointed at the dust scattered about the room. "Sigismund tried to kill me, but my sister saved me." She pulled Marta forward. "She's on our side now."

"Welcome." Phil shook Marta's hand. "Thank you for saving Vanda."

Marta nodded with tears still streaming down her face.

Vanda felt tears in her eyes, too. She had her sister back. And Phil had survived the battle. "I'm glad you're all right."

He nodded. "I'm glad you're all right, too." His eyes glimmered with love and longing.

"Och, go ahead and hug her, lad," Connor growled. "Ye're no' fooling us."

Phil grabbed Vanda and held her tight. "I was so scared when I realized you were here." He kissed her brow. "But thank you for coming. The boys and the Japanese were a great help."

"I'd like to talk to the Japanese," Angus said. "Phil, can ye ask them to come to Romatech with us?"

"Sure." Phil released Vanda. "I'd like to bring the boys there, too. They need a home and a school."

"Are they orphans?" Angus asked.

"Banished like I was," Phil replied. "They have no home."

"They do now." Angus helped Robby to his feet. "I'm taking him to Romatech. Bring the others." Angus wrapped an arm around Robby's shoulders, and they vanished.

"Let's go." Phil took Vanda's hand.

She pulled back. "I-I'm going to take Marta to Howard's cabin. We have some catching up to do. I'll see you later."

Phil tilted his head, looking a little worried. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. We'll be fine," Vanda insisted. She blinked back the tears in her eyes. "I'll always love you, Phil. I know you have a great future ahead of you."

His eyes narrowed.

She grabbed her sister and teleported away.

Two hours later Phil left the boys in a conference room at Romatech, filling out registration forms for Shanna's school. He headed down the hall to the clinic to see how Robby was doing. The room was full of people waiting for some news.

He sat next to Brynley. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Waiting for one of these Vamp friends of yours to give me a ride home. How are the boys?"

"They're getting registered for school. You sure you don't want to apply for a teaching job?"

She frowned. "I don't know. I have a good life back in Montana."

"You could live on campus, see the boys every day."

"And never see my parents again? Or Howell and Glynis?" She gave him an annoyed look. "You don't even want to see your younger brother and sister?"

Phil sighed. "This is my home now."

Brynley looked about the room. "Where's Vanda? I thought you two were inseparable."

"She wanted to be alone for a while with her sister. I tried calling her, but she didn't answer."

"Great. She finally saw the light."

Phil cocked his head. "What did you say to her?"

"I explained who you are. I told her you have a great future ahead of you."

"She said that to me twice."

Brynley shrugged. "I guess she understands where you belong now. You'll be an important leader someday."

"Maybe. In about three hundred years," Phil growled. "Did you tell her that?"

"You're better off without her. She can't even give you children."

"You think I care?" Phil shouted, then realized everyone in the waiting room was looking at him. He lowered his voice. "I love her, Bryn. I'm going to marry her. And there's not a damned thing you can do about it."

Brynley glowered at him. "You could have everything. Wealth, power, and prestige. You would give it up for a vampire woman - "

"With purple hair," Phil finished her sentence. "Yes, you bet I would."

He left the waiting room and paced around the hall. He could have Phineas teleport him to Howard's cabin. And then what would he do? How could he convince Vanda that she was the perfect woman for him?

She'd always been the one for him. Years ago, when he'd rebelled against his father and ended up at the townhouse, he'd met Vanda for the first time. With her purple hair and bat tattoo, he'd known right away that he'd met another rebel. Another outcast. They were two of a kind, both hiding a passionate, angry beast deep within.

"Phil, how are you?"

He turned to see Father Andrew coming down the hall. "I'm fine, Father. How are you?"

"Good. I've been meaning to talk to you." The priest pulled out his day-timer and thumbed through the pages. "I was researching Vanda's family to see if I could locate her sister."

"We found her. Vanda's with her now. They're working things out."

Father Andrew glanced up, smiling. "Excellent." He tore a page from his day-timer and handed it to Phil. "I thought you might find this interesting."

Phil read it, and his heart expanded in his chest. This was the perfect way to win Vanda back. "Thank you, Father."

"You're welcome, my son." He patted Phil on the back. "So will I be officiating another wedding soon?"

Phil gulped. "You knew?"

The priest's eyes twinkled. "That you were engaging in forbidden acts? Don't worry. I believe in forgiveness."

Forgiveness. If Vanda could forgive her sister, maybe it was time he forgave his father. After all, if his dad hadn't banished him, he wouldn't have ended up in the Vampire World. He wouldn't have found Vanda. "I believe in forgiveness, too. And love."

Father Andrew smiled. "Then you are truly blessed."

EPILOGUE

Three nights later...

Vanda looked up when Phineas teleported into the cabin with a box. "Oh, you brought us some food. Thank you." She'd called Connor a few hours before, asking him to please send some bottled blood.

She wasn't ready to return to the city yet. She and Marta had more than fifty years of memories to catch up on. And according to Connor, Casimir was still somewhere in America, and she was still on his hit list.

He would want Marta dead, too, so it was better for them to stay hidden at Howard's cabin. Besides, Vanda knew she wasn't ready to be seen in public. She still broke into tears at unexpected times. She still ached with loneliness for Phil.

He'd stopped calling after that first night. She could only think that he had realized he was better off without her.

"Hey, sweetness." Phineas grinned at her as he set the box down on the kitchen counter. "Hey, dudette." He nodded at Marta.

"Hi, Dr. Phang." Marta ran to look in the box. "Did you bring any Chocolood? I love that stuff."

Vanda smiled. Her sister seemed to be adapting well to synthetic blood and Vampire Fusion Cuisine.

"Here you go." Phineas handed a bottle of Chocolood to Marta. "Can you get the rest of this stuff put away? I have a top secret mission to go on."

"Really?" Marta unloaded bottles from the box. "What kind of mission?"

"The sort of mission that requires the expertise of the Love Doctor." Phineas sauntered over to Vanda. "Don't worry, dudette. I'll be right back."

"What?" Vanda started when Phineas grabbed her. "What are you doing?"

Everything went black.

Vanda stumbled, and Phineas steadied her.

"Okay, wolf-bro. Mission accomplished." Phineas gave Phil a knuckle pound, then teleported away.

"What is going on?" Vanda looked at Phil, then around them. "Where are we? In a closet?" She frowned at the shelves filled with antiseptic cleansers and dust cloths.

Phil touched her shoulder. "I had to see you, Vanda."

"In a closet?"

He grinned. "I had to tell you how much I adore you. I love you. I refuse to live one more night without you."

Her heart squeezed in her chest. "But you have a great future - "

"Yes, with you."

Vanda pressed a hand to her chest. "You're destined to be a great leader of your people."

"Maybe, in about three hundred years. My sister wasn't entirely up front about the timeline."

"Oh." Vanda's heart raced. He still loved her. He still wanted her. And he could live for hundreds of years.

He smiled. "I want to show you something."

"In a closet?"

With a chuckle, he opened the door. "I asked Phineas to teleport you to the closet so your arrival wouldn't look suspicious."

He led her down a plain white hall. Their footsteps echoed on the gleaming linoleum floor. The smell of cleansers was heavy in the air.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Cleveland." He led her toward some double swinging doors. "This is a retirement home."

"Sheesh, Phil, I'm not that old."

He chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I missed you."

She frowned at him. "You didn't call me."

"I was waiting for the perfect day. Today, they're having a party, and I wanted you to see it." He opened the double doors. "This is the recreation room."