Vampires Are Foreve(19)
The whole family would know by sunset, Thomas realized and rolled his eyes.
“Never mind,” the older immortal said apologetically. “I’m just tired and cranky. Congratulations.”
“Congratulations?” Thomas echoed with disbelief.
“Yes, congratulations, Thomas. You’ve just met your lifemate.”
“I’ve just bit my lifemate,” Thomas snapped. “And she’s now locked in the bathroom, probably fashioning a cross and a stake out of the soap bars and anything else she can find in there.”
“Oh crap.”
“Yes, oh crap.” Thomas snarled. “Bite her you said. Feed off of Inez so we don’t have to worry about you being tempted on the plane. Brilliant, Bastien.”
“Well, hell, Thomas, how was I supposed to know she would turn out to be your lifemate? Couldn’t you have tried to read her before you bit her?”
“Why the hell would I do that?” Thomas snapped. “I had no idea she was my lifemate.”
“Okay, okay,” Bastien said quickly. “Let me think.”
Thomas rolled his eyes, but remained silent.
“She’s locked in the bathroom?” Bastien asked finally.
“Yes.”
“Have you tried to talk to her?”
“What would you like me to say Bastien? Oh, I’m sorry, Inez. I didn’t mean to bite you, my fangs slipped.”
“You could try reassuring her. Maybe explain about what we are.”
“I think she’s realized what we are,” Thomas pointed out dryly. “And judging by the fact that she’s locked in the bathroom, she isn’t happy with the realization.”
“Give her the phone, maybe I can explain.”
“What part of locked in the bathroom aren’t you getting?” Thomas asked with exasperation. “I can’t give her the phone.”
“Okay…Just a minute,” He covered the phone again and conferred with Etienne.
Thomas shook his head and paced the small space of the little hallway between rooms.
“Thomas?”
“Yeah?” he turned his attention back to the phone.
“You’re going to have to try talking to her.”
“What do you suggest I say, Bastien?” Thomas asked wearily.
“Ask her if she’s all right.”
Shaking his head, Thomas lowered the phone and moved to the door, pressing his ear to it before speaking. All he heard was breathing, a fast, shallow panting. The woman was either on the verge of having an anxiety attack or she was jogging on the spot in there.
“Inez?” he called through the door, trying for a soothing tone. Judging by the scurrying sound of her shuffling away from the door, it didn’t have the desired effect. Grimacing, he asked, “Are you all right?”
A spate of Portuguese sounded through the door.
Frowning, Thomas lifted the phone to his ear. “Did you get that? What the hell did she just say?”
“I don’t know, I couldn’t hear,” Bastien admitted unhappily. “Put the phone to the door and ask her to repeat it.”
Muttering under his breath, Thomas moved the phone to the door, cleared his throat, and said, “Er…Inez, do you think you could repeat that? I don’t speak Portuguese and Bastien couldn’t hear you.”
“You bit me!!”
Thomas waited to see if there was more, but when silence followed, he lifted the phone back to his ear. “Hello?”
“That wasn’t Portuguese,” Bastien said at once.
“Well, hell, Bastien, I know that. It was Portuguese the first time.”
An exasperated sound came down the line and then Thomas heard Etienne say something in the background.
“What did he say?” Thomas asked with a frown.
“He said apologize and just keep apologizing. It’s the only way to handle a woman,” Bastien told him, and then added, “It works with Terri.”
“Apologize,” Thomas muttered, taking the phone away and moving it back to the door in case Inez responded in Portuguese again.
“Inez? I’m sorry I bit you,” he said with sincere regret, and then inspiration made him add, “Bastien made me do it.”
“What?” Inez screeched, and the word was echoed by Bastien on the phone.
“Well, you did,” Thomas pointed out, placing the phone back to his ear. “You told me to bite her. I didn’t want to do it but you were going on and on about flying while hungry. I never would have bit her otherwise. You made me.”
Thomas heard Bastien curse on the phone, but he was already moving the phone back to the door. Inez had started ranting again in Portuguese. It ended with English again, this time it was, “I work for the devil!”