Vampires Are Forever

"What happened?" she asked worriedly as he settled in the chair next to hers.

Thomas put his own phone away, even as he set a second one on the tabletop. "I got Marguerite's phone back."

Inez stared at it blankly and then glanced to Thomas to ask, "What about your aunt?"

"Good question," he said wearily and then explained, "The mortal and a friend mugged Aunt Marguerite outside the Dorchester a couple days ago. Apparently, there were two cell phones in the purse, a sizeable bit of money, and credit cards. He took one phone, the buddy took the other, and they split the cash."

"What about the credit cards?" Inez asked.

Thomas grimaced. "They're just small-time thieves. They had no idea what to do with them. They tried to get their girlfriends to go out and run them up, but they're obviously Canadian credit cards and both women are British, with British accents, and were afraid of getting caught. When they refused, the cards were tossed.

"Aunt Marguerite had about three thousand pounds in her purse," he added dryly and cursed. "I'm forever warning her about carrying around large sums of money, but she just laughs and says, who could rob her? Well now she knows."

"How did they rob her?" Inez asked. "Your people are supposed to be stronger and faster."

Thomas shifted impatiently. "We're stronger and faster, but even we can't outrun motorcycles. He and the buddy apparently had a good thing going, riding along the street until they saw a woman who looked like she had money and appeared distracted. His buddy would steer the bike up onto the sidewalk, he'd hook his arm through the strap, and away they'd go."

Inez stared at him wide-eyed.

"I gather they hurt one of the tourists they mugged, though," Thomas went on. "She either got tangled up in, or wouldn't let go of, the purse and got badly burned when they dragged her for a block or so before he had the sense to let go of it himself. A hurt tourist is a bad thing in London, a city where tourism is so lucrative. The police started hunting for them, so it seemed to him like a good idea to take the little windfall he'd got courtesy of Aunt Marguerite and split to Amsterdam for a while to mug tourists here."

Inez sat back in her seat with dismay. "You mean we came here for--"

"Nothing," he finished with a weary nod. "This whole trip to Amsterdam and playing hop-scotch across town tracking and chasing her cell phone has been a complete waste of time."

Inez shook her head in slow dismay, but glanced to the side and sat back as the waitress appeared with their cappuccinos and breakfasts.

"Thank you," she murmured, peering down at the breakfast before her. It looked and smelled delicious and despite her upset over what she'd just learned, Inez was positively starved. She hadn't eaten since the airport the day before, which really wasn't so long ago, but it felt like it was. A lot had happened in that time and between one thing and another, she'd used up a lot of energy since then as well.

Thomas closed his hand over hers and Inez glanced at him with surprise.

"Eat," he murmured giving her hand a squeeze. "Bastien is arranging a flight back to London for us."

Inez nodded and picked up her fork, relaxing a little when he picked up his own and dug in. Eating was also a sign of finding a lifemate, she recalled the delivery guy telling her, and Thomas was eating. He had also had a meal with her in the pub at the airport the day before; though, he'd only ordered breakfast for her when he'd arrived at the Dorchester-but, then, that had been an apology of sorts, she recalled and was amazed to realize this whole adventure had started little more than twenty-four hours ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed, Inez thought and then changed her mind. No, not really. It was strange, this day and a bit had passed quickly enough, but she felt like she'd known Thomas a lifetime.

"I take it you like cats."

Thomas glanced up from the black cat and two tabbies he was alternately petting, and smiled faintly. "I love them."

Inez nodded with amusement and said, "And they seem to love you in return. We've picked up a new cat to trail us in each room."

"Jealous?" Thomas asked with a grin.

Inez chuckled as he straightened and the three cats immediately began to twine around his legs, meowing plaintively at being abandoned. Shrugging mildly, she raised her gaze back to his face. Arching one eyebrow, she asked lightly, "Why would I care if you enjoy playing with pussy? I've only known you a day."

Thomas's eyes widened incredulously at the sally. When she then turned away and headed out of the room, he stepped carefully over the still-complaining cats and hurried after her. Thomas found Inez standing just inside the door of the next room, gaping up at the painted ceiling. Thomas didn't even glance up. He'd been to the Kattenkabinet before and thought it was charming, that was why when he'd learned that Bastien hadn't managed to book them on a flight until that evening, he'd suggested he and Inez tour around Amsterdam while they were here. He wanted to show her a bit of one of his favorite cities.

A night tour would have been better, of course. It wasn't really in his best interests to stay out in the sun long, but Bastien had had enough blood delivered to the hotel to last for several days in the normal course of things. Thomas suspected he'd use up most of it in this one day and was now carrying a black collapsible cooler filled with several bags, enough to keep him going until they had to go back to the hotel to collect their things and head to the airport. They'd headed back to the hotel after their breakfast, stopping in a luggage shop on the way when Inez realized she had nothing in which to pack away all the things Bastien had ordered, purchased, and delivered to the hotel for her.

Thomas had spotted the collapsible cooler while in the shop and had purchased it, as well as a good-sized suitcase for Inez. Thomas had consumed several more bags of blood while he waited for Inez to pack, then had put the rest in the cooler and slung it over his shoulder before setting out.

He'd considered taking Inez to the Rijksmuseum, but one could easily spend a whole day there and he'd wanted her to see more of the city than just a museum. So they'd utilized the shadier areas and walked here to the offbeat and much smaller Kattenkabinet in a leisurely fashion, enjoying the sights and sounds of this most unique city. Inez had peered around at the seventeenth-century houses with wide eyes and Thomas had been a little wide-eyed as well since he'd never actually walked the streets here in daylight. It had been nice.

"You didn't ask why I love cats," he commented finally when she continued to ignore him and began to move toward the window to peer into the gardens behind the house, dedicated to anything and everything to do with cats.

"Why do you love cats?" she asked indulgently.

"Because they're intelligent, independent, graceful, subtle, and mysterious..." Thomas tilted his head slightly and commented, "Rather like you in fact."

"Me?" Inez asked, glancing at him with surprise and then chuckled softly and shook her head. "I'm not the least mysterious."

"You are to me," he countered solemnly. "And I like it."

Inez met his gaze, and then glanced toward the window as one of the cats leapt up onto the sill and lay down in the sunshine. Reaching out, she petted the cat and said, "Well, I'm not subtle either."

"You are," he assured her.

She chuckled wryly, "I hardly think my berating you wildly when I arrived at the hotel was subtle behavior."

"No?" Thomas grinned. "You berated me in Portuguese. For all I knew you were telling me I was the sexiest thing you'd seen in your life."

"In your dreams," Inez chuckled.

"Yes," he agreed and, when she glanced at him in surprise, added, "And much about you is subtle. You are intelligent, but don't flaunt it, quietly confident in your business abilities, you're able to make refined distinctions and judgments, and then there is your beauty and sex appeal."

Her lips had parted slightly with surprised pleasure at his words until the last one, and then they pressed together firmly and Inez shook her head and assured him, "I am no beauty and sex appeal is not even in my vocabulary."

"You have both," Thomas responded solemnly. "But both are delicate and understated, not the bold brassy stuff some women flaunt. For instance, you have lovely, wild hair."

Inez grimaced with distaste. "I have wild hair, all right. I can't do a thing with it."

"But it's soft and sexy and makes you look like you've just climbed from bed after making love for hours...and it makes a man think of making love to you for hours."

Inez stilled, her head bowed, her hand unmoving on the cat.

"And your lips are full and soft and slightly swollen as if you've just been kissed. It makes a man think of kissing you," Thomas continued, and then reached out to run his fingers lightly over the sleeve of the blouse she'd changed into for the flight home when they were back at the hotel. "And you favor silk blouses, wearing them buttoned higher than most so that just the barest hint of cleavage shows, enough to make a man wish he could see more."

Thomas let his hand drop away, brushing it lightly over her derrière as he added, "And well-cut slacks in a draping material that fall over the curve of your behind, making a man wish to follow that curve with his hand."

Inez finally turned marveling eyes to him and whispered, "Boy, you're good at this seduction business. A girl could fall in love with a guy like you."

Thomas caught her face in his hands and assured her sincerely, "Every word I've spoken is true, Inez. That's how I see you and how I'm going to make you see yourself. I promise."

Seeing the soft sheen of tears in her eyes, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to first one brow, then the other. He was about to press a kiss to her lips as well, when the tabby on the window sill suddenly stood and decided to join the party. Launching itself onto its back legs, it rested a front paw on his arm and head-butted his chin as if to say, "Hey, buddy! What about me?"

Thomas and Inez both chuckled at the demanding behavior and then she broke free with a laugh and said, "What was that you were asking me about jealousy? It looks to me like you were asking the wrong feline."

He grinned and collected the cat into his arms to scratch it under the chin.

Inez shook her head at his indulgence and said, "Now, it's behavior like that that has always made me a dog person."

Thomas glanced after her with surprise, following when he realized she was leaving to head into the next room. "Are you really a dog person?"

"Of course," she answered idly, running one hand along the built-in buffet in the dining room. "Dogs are loyal, affectionate, direct, kind, helpful, and playful. What's not to love?"

"I'm loyal," he informed her, watching her move around the room. "Affectionate too."

"You're also direct and kind," she agreed. "And even helpful and playful."

Thomas smiled as she walked to the door and then she glanced back and teased lightly, "You're definitely a dog."

Grinning, Thomas set the cat down on the floor and trailed her out of the room.

"Are you following me, mister?" she teased lightly when he entered the next room.

"Of course, it's what dogs do," he pointed and then added with awicked grin, "They chase pussy."

Inez burst out laughing. "Oh, you're bad."

"You started it," Thomas said promptly and caught her hand to draw her against his side and steer her toward the door. "Come on. Let's go find a cafe, I'm hungry again."

"But there are two more rooms," she protested.

"I'll bring you another time," he assured her, urging her to the stairs leading to the main level.

"Promise?" Inez asked quietly.

"Most definitely." He hugged her to his side and then released her to descend the stairs.

They found a cafe with a few tables outdoors. Thomas settled Inez at one in the shade, took a quick glance at the menu, and waited for the waitress to take his order before excusing himself. He slipped inside to find the men's room, then fed on a couple of bags of blood.

Inez was smiling faintly when he returned. When he raised his eyebrows in question, she gestured vaguely to the people passing by and said with a shrug, "People watching is just so interesting here."

Thomas glanced around at the people walking and biking by.

"Like, look at that," Inez said, pointing to a family riding by; mother and father, both with child seats on the back, occupied by young children. "And that."

Thomas followed her gesture to an approaching couple. A smile curled his own lips as a woman appearing to be in her early twenties pedaled passed, craning her head slightly to see around a man of about the same age perched on the handlebars.

"Definitely a modern couple," Inez murmured. "And look! A girls' day shopping."

Thomas turned his head again, his eyes twinkling as he saw three women riding together, shopping bags bristling from hands grasping their handlebars.

He glanced back to Inez to see her shaking her head in wonder as she said, "I think I love this city."

I think I love you. The thought ran through Thomas's head, startling him because it was true. He'd never met anyone like Inez before and while he hadn't known her long, he'd come to know her well because of the circumstances.

The woman was fearless; standing up for herself and berating him when she'd thought he'd ignored her at the airport after her rush to collect him. Then there was her removing the knife from his back, tending his wound and heading out alone in the middle of the night, in a strange city to hunt down his aunt when he couldn't accompany her. He admired that courage.

Inez was intelligent too. It shone in her eyes and slipped from her lips every time she spoke to make a suggestion or observation.

And while she could be businesslike and commanding, she also had a good sense of humor, and a quick wit.