Kerrelyn Sparks: Forbidden Nights with a Vampire

"Jesus broke bread with the tax collector and the prostitute. I'm fortunate to be able to follow His example."

Phil's mouth twitched. "In other words, with the Vamps, you've found the ultimate sinners. You must be thrilled."

"Everyone needs to know they're the children of God. That goes for shape shifters, too, I might add." He pulled a small day-timer from his coat pocket. "Now, I'd like to schedule a counseling session for you and Vanda. I may need your assistance to make sure she attends."

"No problem." It would definitely be a problem. Phil knew, from his psychology classes, that you couldn't force therapy on someone. A person couldn't change unless they really wanted to, and Vanda did not want it.

"All right." Father Andrew unhooked a small pen from the inside spine of the day-timer. "Let's see. I have a prayer meeting tomorrow night. Consultations on Thursday. Friday night is Jack and Lara's engagement party here."

"Let's do it then."

The priest glanced up. "During the party?"

"Why not? We could slip away to a conference room for fifteen minutes or so. It's the best way to get Vanda's cooperation. She'll know almost everyone in attendance, so I doubt she'll create a scene in front of them. Her sense of pride is bigger than her anger."

"She could simply refuse to attend the party."

Phil shrugged. "Then we won't tell her what we're planning to do."

"Young man, that is not how I normally do business."

"Vanda is not your normal customer."

Father Andrew winced. "That's true. But counseling should be based on trust. How will she ever trust us if we resort to trickery?"

"If we ask nicely, she'll refuse. Think of this as an intervention."

Father Andrew frowned as he considered. Then, with a sigh, he wrote in his day-timer. "All right, we'll try it your way. But I can't say I feel good about this maneuver. What if it triggers an extreme outburst of anger?"

"Then we'll help her learn how to manage it. That's the whole point, right?"

Father Andrew nodded slowly. "You're not afraid of her rage, then. That could be a good thing." He slid the day-timer back into his coat pocket. "That may be where Gregori and I went wrong the first time. I taught her relaxation exercises, and Gregori tried to keep everything very calm."

Phil shook his head. "You have to confront the beast in order to tame it. Believe me, I know."

"I see your point." Father Andrew extended a hand. "Thank you, Phil."

He shook the priest's hand. "You're welcome."

Father Andrew headed back to the meeting hall, then paused at the door. "There's one more thing. I…hesitate to even bring it up. You're probably already aware of the rules concerning sponsorship, and given the fact that you're two entirely different species…"

"What are you saying, Father?" Phil asked.

The priest removed his glasses and pocketed them. "I'm sure you don't need to hear it, but a sponsor should never get too…involved with his client."

Shit . Phil was careful to show no emotion, even though he was howling inside. Plan A had just gone down the tubes. So much for channeling Vanda's anger into a glorious eruption of lust. He'd have to resort to Plan B.

There was no Plan B. His thoughts had never progressed past the bedroom. The priest was right. He was an animal.

Father Andrew smiled apologetically. "I'm sure it won't be a problem for you. You've already shown that you can honor that rule when you were Vanda's guard. I'll see you Friday." He slipped back into the meeting room.

Phil stared at the closed double doors. Double shit . Once again he was overcome with lust for a beautiful Vamp woman. And once again she was forbidden.

His hands balled into fists. He was an Alpha wolf now, one of the most powerful supernatural creatures on earth. If he wanted a woman, no priest was going to stop him. No ridiculous rules would stop him.

He had always felt a connection to Vanda. She'd never really fit into Roman's harem, just as he'd never fit into his father's pack. While the other harem girls had scurried about, trying in vain to gain Roman's attention and favor, Vanda had made it clear from the start that she answered to no one. She was a loner like him.

With a sigh, he trudged down the hall. Father Andrew was right. She needed his understanding and compassion. Unfortunately, his strongest feelings for her right now were lust and anger.

He'd been a starving, nineteen-year-old student, desperately trying to pay his way through college, when Connor had hired him. He would have put up with anything to keep a job that paid well, gave him free room and board, and allowed him to finish school. And he had put up with a lot. All from Vanda. For five long years she'd tortured him with her "harmless flirtation."

He'd tried his best to ignore it. The Vamps were his friends—more like his family, actually, since his father had disowned him at the age of eighteen. There was no going back. And over time, Phil had come to realize how valuable he was to the Vamps and their struggle against the Malcontents. He was protecting not just his Vamp friends, but the entire world.

He swiped his ID card outside the door to the security office, then pressed his palm against the hand sensor. These were a newly added security measures, reminding him how much the Malcontent problem had worsened over the past few years. The indicator light turned green as the door unlocked, and he entered the office.

Howard Barr, head of daytime security, was seated behind the desk, watching the wall of monitors connected to surveillance cameras. Because of the Coven Meeting, Howard was working late. Seated in front of the desk was Phineas McKinney, a young black Vamp from the Bronx. He'd been making a round earlier, when Phil had first arrived, so Phil had missed him.

"What it is, wolf-bro?" Phineas stood and raised a hand for a high five. "Lay a furry paw on me."

Phil smacked his hand. "How's it going, Dr. Phang?"

"Can't complain," Phineas said.

"Want a doughnut?" Howard pushed the box across the desk.

"No thanks." Phil shook his head, smiling. Howard Barr always had a box of doughnuts on hand, and he never seemed to gain weight. It must have something to do with having the metabolism of a bear.

Phineas settled back in his chair. "So are you stationed here now?"

"Yep." Phil was glad to be back in New York, where he could be more useful in the war against the Malcontents. He'd come earlier in the summer to help another MacKay S&I employee, Jack, rescue his fiancée, who had been kidnapped by Malcontents.

For the last year Phil's official assignment had been in Texas, where he'd served on the security team protecting Coven Master and famous fashion designer, Jean-Luc Echarpe. "I had to go back to Jean-Luc's place for a few days to take care of a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Phineas asked. "Did you have fleas, man? They make collars for that, you know."

Howard chuckled.

Phil gave them both a bland look. "It wasn't fleas. It was Billy."

"Billy?" Howard selected a bear claw from the doughnut box. "Isn't he Jean-Luc's new day guard?"

"Yes. He was the local sheriff," Phil explained, "but he retired, so he could work for MacKay S & I. I had a little trouble training him. He was sorta angry with me."

Phineas snorted. "Well, you did bite him, you know."

"He shot me first," Phil muttered.

Phineas grinned. "You looked at him funny."

"So what's the problem with Billy?" Howard munched on his bear claw. "He doesn't like being a werewolf?"

"He was shocked at first," Phil began.

"I'm sure he was." Howard stuffed the last of the bear claw in his mouth. "It can be a tough adjustment for those who become shifters as adults. It's a lot easier for us who were born into were families."