He chuckled. She was as quick mentally as she was physically.

She looked at him curiously. "You smell like beer."

"I've had a few." He noted her dubious look. "Okay, more than a few, but I was still able to beat you."

"If you drink beer, then that means you're not…"

"No' what?"

She looked at him, her eyes wide. He had a sinking feeling that she thought he was mortal. She wanted him to be mortal. And that meant she knew about Vamps.

He studied her lovely face—the high cheekbones, delicate jawline, and beguiling green eyes. Some Vamps claimed mortals had no power whatsoever. They were wrong.

Their eyes met, and he forgot to breathe. There was something hidden in those green depths. A loneliness. A wound that seemed too old for her tender age. For a moment, he felt like he was seeing a reflection of his own soul.

"Ye're no' a thief, are ye?" he whispered.

She shook her head slightly, still trapped in his gaze. Or maybe it was he who was trapped in hers.

"Ian." Footsteps approached them. "Ian, what the hell are you doing?"

He dragged his gaze away from her and saw Phineas standing beside them. "What?"

Phineas gave him a confused look. "Why are you beating up on Toni?"

He blinked and glanced at the woman he'd pinned to the floor. "Ye're…Toni?" Their new guard was a woman?

"You're Ian?" Disappointment flickered in her eyes before she looked away. "You're one of them."

That hurt. For centuries he'd been judged too young, and now, after all the pain he'd endured, he was still found wanting. His jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. "Ye have something against Vamps?"

Her eyes flared with anger. "Yes. I tend to get really pissed when they attack me."

"She's got a point, bro," Phineas muttered as he adjusted the tie around his purple satin bathrobe. "You shouldn't attack her. She's our friend."