Vampires Are Forever (8 page)

After her bath, Inez had gone out, looked down at his sleeping face and noticed just how handsome and sweet he looked in sleep. She’d wanted to touch his soft, dark hair and brush it away from his chiseled features softened in sleep. She hadn’t, but she also hadn’t had the heart to wake him, and had set up shop in the suite’s bedroom to avoid disturbing him as she made the calls, first arranging for the car to be brought into the city from the warehouse, then calling hotel after hotel, and then car rental agency after car rental agency, stopping only to walk out and moon over the pretty man asleep on the sofa and ponder how wonderful it would be to have a handsome, thoughtful man such as he in her life.

Every time she’d been placed on hold as she made her calls, Inez had found herself sitting there, fantasizing about what it would be like to have a man like him to come home to at the end of a long hard workday. She’d imagined him greeting her at the door with a kiss, the smells of scrumptious cooking drifting to her as he kissed her hello, his hands moving over her body, stripping away her clothes and then caressing every inch of skin revealed…

Oh, yes, Inez had woven a lovely little fantasy in her mind and had been happy when he’d woken up and come to join her…right up until he bit her.

“I won’t hurt you,” Thomas said solemnly through the door. “I could have broken down this door if I wanted, but I haven’t, have I? I don’t want to hurt or frighten you, Inez. Once we leave this suite, you’ll be surrounded by people in the hotel, the taxi driver in the car, the people at the airport and on the plane, and you’ll have your own room at the hotel. You only have to see me in public where you feel safe so I can explain everything. Surely you’re curious to know about us?”

Inez scowled at the door, cursing herself for being tempted by the promise of an explanation.

“Please,” he said quietly, and then added, “You’ve worked for Bastien for…how long now?”

“Eight years,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Right. Eight years. And he says you’re one of the best employees he’s ever had. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

“You just told me not five minutes ago that he told you to bite me,” she pointed out dryly.

“Yes, but he didn’t think it would hurt you, or that you’d even remember it. I was supposed to wipe it from your memory.”

She snorted at that.

“Look, Inez. If you don’t come with me and let me explain things, he’s going to send over someone to clean up this mess.”

Inez frowned at the door. “Clean up this mess?”

“Yes. He’ll send an immortal to come here and remove this incident from your memory.”

“Like you were supposed to do?” she asked dryly.

“Yes.”

She ignored the fear that quivered through her at the thought and said, “You couldn’t do it. What makes you think anyone else could?”

“I’ll explain that too, but we really don’t have time right this minute. I have to head to the airport. So make up your mind. Do we wait here for someone to come remove this whole incident from your memory, or do you come with me, memory intact and perfectly safe?”

Inez hesitated, considering her alternatives, and then Thomas added, “If they remove your memory, they’ll probably remove the memory of everything from the day you were promoted on. You’ll go back to being whatever you were before being promoted to vice president.”

“What?” she squawked with dismay. While Inez wasn’t completely sure she wanted the job anymore, she wasn’t sure she wanted to give it up either. This whole working for and with a nest of vampires rather sullied things. But Inez had worked for Argeneau Enterprises for eight years and enjoyed her greatest triumphs there. She’d also worked long and hard for that promotion. She’d neglected her own social life, forsaking dates for work and pouring all her energy and time into it, building a career and climbing the corporate ladder to her vice presidency. She’d worked too damned hard and given up too much to let anyone take it away.

“That’s the only alternative,” Thomas explained. “Either you come with me to Amsterdam and allow me to explain things, or we wait here for Wyatt to come wipe everything from your memory.”

“But just the memory of the bite,” she protested. “He wouldn’t—”

“He’ll wipe everything from the last few months,” Thomas responded firmly. “Bastien was supposed to explain about our people to you when you were promoted. In fact, you shouldn’t have been promoted without it. You were sent to New York to be told about us. If you’d been able to accept it and agreed to keep the secret, you would have been promoted. If you hadn’t, what he’d told you would have been wiped from your memory and you wouldn’t ever have been promoted.

“Unfortunately,” he added dryly, “Bastien was a bit distracted at the time. He’d just met his lifemate and there was a lot going on. He promoted you, but sent you back to England without doing the rest of it. Wyatt was supposed to keep you from any jobs or information that might give us away until Bastien could fly to England and take care of you. If you can’t accept us and our explanations, Wyatt will wipe everything from your memory, including your promotion.”

Thomas let that sink in and then said, “So what is it going to be? Are you going to fly to Amsterdam with me and allow me to explain? Or do we wait for Wyatt, let him wipe your memory and return you to whatever job you had before the promotion?” He waited a beat, and then added, “At least until they find another job for you and remove you from the company altogether.”

Inez didn’t have to think long. Her career had become her life. She wouldn’t give it up easily. In fact, they’d have to take the key to the vice president’s office from her dead, clutching fingers before she’d give it up. Still, she hesitated, her eyes on the doorknob, but her fingers refusing to reach for it.

Finally, she raised her hand to her throat. A golden cross hung from a fine gold chain around her neck. It had been blessed by the pope during a trip to Italy. It should have double power, but had been tucked inside her blouse when Thomas had bit her. Now, she pulled it out and held it up before her like a shield with her left hand as she unlocked the door and tugged it open with her right.

“Back up, Nosferatu!” Inez snapped, covering her fear with anger as she glared at Thomas. Much to her relief, he backed up at once.

His hands were raised—the cell phone in one—in a gesture that might be used to soothe a wild horse, but a smile tugged at his lips.

“I knew you’d come out,” Thomas said, and much to her amazement he sounded proud, as if she’d done something praiseworthy instead of incredibly stupid.

“Tell Bastien not to send Wyatt. We’re on our way to the airport,” she ordered, holding the cross higher.

Nodding, he raised the phone to his ear. “We’re on our way. Make sure there are tickets waiting for both of us.”

Thomas didn’t wait for Bastien to respond, but then snapped the phone closed and turned away to head through the dining room.

Inez hesitated, and then moved quickly back into the bedroom to snatch up her purse before moving more slowly—and cautiously—back through the hall and into the dining room, holding the cross out in front of her as she walked into the living room. Spotting him by the love seat, she positioned herself by the door of the suite and silently watched as he gathered his knapsack and shoved his binder and pen into a side pocket, then moved to join her. The moment he headed in her direction, she skittered backward, reaching behind her with her free hand to open the door. She then preceded him out into the hall, never turning her back to him.

“You can stop flashing that at me,” Thomas said calmly. “You’re kind of drawing attention holding it up like that.”

Inez quickly glanced in both directions to see that there was a maid and two couples in the hall, all staring at them curiously, and did lower the cross closer to her chest. She didn’t release it, however, but held it tightly in her sweaty hand in case he suddenly pounced.

Heaving out a sigh, Thomas gestured for her to precede him down the hall. “After you.”

“No,” Inez said, and then cleared her throat and said more firmly, “After you.”

Thomas shrugged and led the way to the elevator. She followed at a safe distance, watching narrow-eyed as he nodded at the first couple they passed in the hall. Inez hardly even glanced toward them herself, her attention wholly focused on Thomas as he led her to join the older couple waiting by the elevator.

“That’s a lovely cross, dear.”

Inez glanced nervously to the older woman who had spoken. She managed a weak smile and then glanced sharply back to Thomas as she said, “It was blessed by the pope.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow at the claim and asked with interest, “Which one? The new one or the one before him?”

Inez hesitated, wondering if one had been holier than the other, and then lied and covered her basis by saying, “Both.”

Thomas gave a little laugh and shook his head, murmuring, “It’s going to be a long trip,” as the doors opened and he followed the older couple on board the elevator.

Inez followed, thinking that he was right. She felt like she’d aged ten years in the last few minutes. It was going to be a long flight indeed.

They rode down to the main floor and crossed the lobby in silence. It wasn’t until Inez had followed Thomas into the back of a taxi that he spoke again, and then it was to mutter, “We’ll have to buy you some perfume when we get to the airport.”

Inez’s eyes sharpened on him suspiciously. “Why?”

“Because I can smell your fear, Inez, and it’s making me want to kiss and comfort you,” he admitted easily.

Inez’s eyes widened, her mind dragging up memories of his arms around her, his mouth on hers, the passion coursing through her as he’d kissed and caressed her and then the overwhelming pleasure and excitement as he’d bit her. She was hard-pressed not to slide across the seat and plaster herself to him as the memories assaulted her. She’d enjoyed his touch and even his bite until she’d realized he was biting her.

Shaking away the memories, Inez focused on him again, suspecting he was somehow putting those thoughts and sensations in her mind, somehow making her want him. This was a much more dangerous trip than she’d first realized.

“London Gatwick Airport,” Thomas instructed the driver and Inez watched him silently as she sank back in her seat. When she saw him inhale, his nose quivering slightly, she frowned and wondered if he still smelled fear, or if he could differentiate that from the desire that had shot through her as she recalled their earlier embrace. When she saw the small smile that tugged at his lips and noted that his eyes—normally a beautiful silver blue—now flared more silver, as if filled with fire, she felt herself blush, sure he had picked up on her desire.

Her eyes widened with alarm when Thomas eased a little closer on the seat until his hand brushed lightly against the side of her upper thigh. The light touch immediately sent up a clamoring in her body that was alarming in its strength.

“Get your soulless butt back on the other side of the seat,” she hissed, glancing nervously at the back of the driver’s head. Surely he wouldn’t try to bite her right here with the driver in front of them?

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I thought…”

Thomas didn’t finish the sentence, but moved away and turned his head to peer out the window, as if he was trying to ignore her presence in the car. She decided to wait until they reached the airport to ask for the explanations he’d promised her. For now she was content to let him ignore her. It was incredibly disturbing to realize she was lusting after a dead, soulless thing.

Frowning, Inez peered over him, taking in his strong, pale features. He wasn’t pale like the dead, but pale like a man who spent little time out in the sun. There was a healthy pink glow to his cheeks and she wondered grimly if it was her blood that had given it to him.

She stiffened as his nose quivered again and he glanced her way so that she caught a glimpse of the silver fire in his eyes. Inez shrank back into the cushioned seat, feeling like a cornered cat. Fortunately, he immediately turned his gaze away again and she was able to relax a little.

Watching him warily, she decided his idea hadn’t been a bad one. The first thing she was going to do when they reached the airport, was visit duty free and buy a bottle of perfume. Inez didn’t want him being able to tell what she was feeling. Especially when she was beginning to experience more desire than fear now that they were out in the relative safety of the public. Yes, she was definitely buying perfume. It would be easier to ignore her desire if he wasn’t so obviously aware of it.

Four

Thomas was twisted around in his seat, watching a group of rowdy Brits at the back of the plane with fascination. They were all men, but one of them was in a short nurse’s costume with pink fishnet nylons covering his hairy legs, a blond wig, high heels, and a very bad makeup job on his bearded face. He also wore a piece of paper taped to his back that read I’m getting married. Kick me.

The rest of the men in the group were all laughing and taunting the groom-to-be, and every one of them seemed to be three sheets to the wind. It was obviously a stag party on the way to Amsterdam to kick it up for the weekend, and Thomas shook his head, wondering why they didn’t do things like that in Canada. He’d have taken great enjoyment in seeing Lucern dressed like that. Not that he’d probably agree to do it.