Vampires Are Foreve(95)

“Because we want to talk to you before he comes down,” Bastien said quietly. “In fact, I’m afraid if you hadn’t come below when you did, I would have slipped into your thoughts and brought you down.”

Inez sat back in her seat, her eyes widening with distinct dislike at what she considered to be a threat. Having experienced being controlled, she wasn’t likely to look kindly on anyone who suggested they might do it.

“It wouldn’t have been anything like what happened to you last night,” Bastien said quietly. “I would have eased your thoughts so you weren’t frightened.”

“It still would have been forcing me to do something against my will,” she pointed out coldly.

“Yes, I know,” Bastien admitted apologetically. “And we generally don’t do it unless it’s necessary. With most mortals that constitutes keeping them from learning something that could endanger our people or themselves.”

“And with me?” she asked, her accent a little thicker with her upset.

“Because we needed to talk to you without Thomas,” he said simply.

“Why?” Inez snapped the word, her wariness leaping back to full throttle.

“Last night Bastien and I came up with a way to find Mother,” Etienne announced from the doorway. Walking into the room as they all glanced his way, he moved to the teakettle and began to make himself a tea with the just-boiled water as he continued, “But we knew Thomas wouldn’t even consider it and we wanted to see what you thought of it without him there bellowing ‘No!’ and drowning us out.”

“And before you ask, yes, we are certain he won’t be pleased with our idea, because we wouldn’t be pleased if it were Terri or Rachel we were asking to do this,” Bastien said, his voice quiet. “In fact, I’m not too happy to ask you to do it, but we couldn’t think of any other way.”

Inez glanced slowly over each person in the room, noting their grim expressions and thinking that they rather sucked as salesmen. All they’d managed to do so far was scare her silly, and they hadn’t even yet said what they wanted her to do.

“You’re right, of course, we aren’t selling the idea well,” Bastien said, a small wry smile briefly twisting his lips. “First of all, before we even mention it, I want you to know that you are completely free to say no. We won’t be angry or upset and neither your job nor your acceptance into the family will be affected. We’d just have to brainstorm and hopefully come up with something else.”

“It’s just that this seems like the way most likely to succeed,” Etienne added, joining them at the table with his tea.

“Oh boy, this gets better and better,” Inez said dryly. “Please, just tell me what you want.”

There was silence as Etienne and Bastien exchanged a glance and then Bastien faced her solemnly and said, “From what I understand, you’ve been controlled and mind-wiped twice and then controlled and nearly killed last night?”

Inez nodded slowly, that creeping feeling of trepidation turning into a fast march of all-out fear.

“He seems to have focused on you,” Etienne pointed out.

“Probably because I’m the only vulnerable one,” Inez said dryly. “He can’t control Thomas or any of you.”

“We’re hoping he doesn’t know the rest of us are here,” Etienne said. “He was presumably trailing you and Thomas around when Rachel and I showed up, and it was daylight when Bastien and Terri arrived.” He shook his head. “He won’t know we’re here…which is to our benefit.”

Before Inez could ask why, Bastien continued, “The point is that he’s focused on you, and we’re hoping to use that focus to trap him so that we can ask questions and get answers out of him. We hope to find out where Mother is.”

“You want me to be bait in this trap,” she said slowly.

“I’m afraid so,” Bastien acknowledged. “And we need to do it right away, before he realizes the rest of us are here, which means you can’t be turned until afterward…which leaves you somewhat vulnerable.”

“Will you do it?” Etienne asked.

“No, she damned well won’t!” Thomas said coldly from the door.

Fifteen





“I can’t believe you talked her into this,” Thomas growled, his eyes fastened on Inez in the coffee shop across the street. He’d walked her there from the townhouse, stopping in a bookshop along the way to pick up a couple of books to make it look like a normal outing, and then had escorted her to the coffee shop, ordered two cappuccinos, and sat with her for about ten minutes before looking at his watch as if just thinking of something he had to do or someone he had to meet. He’d then got up and hurried out of the shop.#p#分页标题#e#