Thomas and Inez both pulled apart slightly and then froze, their eyes locking on each other as his cell phone continued to ring.

When he didn't react, Inez slid her hand in the back pocket of his jeans, retrieved his phone and held it up between them.

Sighing, Thomas allowed her to slide to her feet and took the phone. Opening it, he barked, "h.e.l.lo."

Herb immediately began nattering in his ear, but Thomas wasn't paying attention. His gaze as well as all his focus was on Inez as she began to straighten her clothes. Thomas watched her tucking all that delectable flesh away, hard-pressed not to drop his phone and simply rip every st.i.tch of material off of her. That was foremost in his thoughts despite the fact that one very tiny part of his brain was telling him he should really drop to his knees, apologize, and beg her forgiveness. The Sweet Ecstasy in his system might be driving him wild with need, but there was still one portion of Thomas's brain functioning and it was enough to throw a bit of guilt on the mixture of hunger and desire presently swirling in his brain.

It was a very tiny portion of his brain, but it was telling him that he had pretty much dragged Inez into the alley and attacked her.

While he knew it was true and had even realized it as he'd done it, Thomas hadn't been able to help himself. A shock of excitement had gone through him the moment he'd taken her arm to steer her out of the path of the drunk and rowdy group moving toward them, and that was just from touching her elbow.

He'd fear that would happen. That's why he'd avoided touching her since the light brush of her arm against his on the tram. He'd known it would simply ramp up the need swirling through his body like a tornado. However, he might have resisted then, but when she'd stumbled and they crashed into the wall, their bodies briefly pressing together, he'd been lost, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of desire inside him.

A flash fire had gone through him, bursting to life at every point where their bodies had met and Thomas had attacked her. There was no other description for it and he knew it. He'd jumped her like a slavering animal, forcing himself on her despite her struggles.

It was only when she'd said his name and pulled at his hair that he'd regained any sense at all and then it had only been enough for him to drag her farther into the shadows and shift to a lower gear, switching from taking what he wanted to a determined coaxing.

But it had been determined. He would have taken her right there against the dark alley wall if not for Herb's phone call. Only the fact that she was wearing slacks instead of a skirt had slowed him down, and only the ring of the phone-a piercing reminder of the need to find Aunt Marguerite-had made him stop.

"Thomas? Did you get that?"

Blinking, Thomas forced himself to look away from Inez and concentrate on the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Herb. No, I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he asked.

"I said you were right. She appears to be on the move. The coordinates are different this time. Are you ready for them?"

"Yes," he a.s.sured him, forcing himself to attention. "Go ahead."

He had Herb repeat them twice to make sure he had them fixed in his memory and then thanked him and signed off. Thomas closed the phone with a sigh and slipped it in his back pocket, then quickly straightened his own clothes before retrieving the folded map in his other back pocket and heading for the light at the mouth of the alley.

As he'd expected, Inez quickly fell into step beside him. Trying to concentrate on what he had to do, Thomas found it difficult not to yell at her to go back to the hotel and leave him in peace. The only reason he managed to control that urge was because he wanted her there with him as much as he wanted her gone. He was trying to fight the effects of the Sweet Ecstasy, but they were fighting him right back.

"What are the new coordinates?" Inez asked as he stopped on the lit path and opened the map.

Thomas peered at the tentative smile she was offering and shook his head slightly, amazed that she wasn't railing at him for what he'd just done. The woman was very forgiving, but obviously had no idea how precarious his control-and therefore her position-was. If she did, he was sure she'd be heading for the airport and the first plane back to England, or at least back to the hotel to lock herself in her room. Not that a locked door was likely to stop him if he lost control completely.

Turning his gaze back to the map, Thomas glanced over it, finding the new coordinates and comparing them to where they presently were, then glanced around as he quickly refolded the map.

"This way." Back to avoiding touching her, he led the way up the street as he slid the street map back into his pocket. They were headed back the way they'd come, and he frowned as he wondered if they'd somehow pa.s.sed Marguerite on their way out without his noticing her, or if she'd already moved to where she now was before he'd headed out. That was more likely. He couldn't imagine Marguerite would have had any reason to be at the first spot. He just couldn't imagine her stopping in at a prost.i.tute's windowed room.

Unless it was to feed, Thomas thought suddenly, realizing that without knowing where she was, Bastien had no way to send her blood. It wouldn't be that big a problem for her over here. As Bastien had said, the council in Europe had some different laws than those in North America. Biting mortals was allowed over here, although most immortals he knew tended to prefer the safety offered by bagged blood. They simply didn't want to give up the choice of fresh, warm blood from the source on occasion.

Marguerite might very well have been visiting one of the prost.i.tutes in the window... to feed.

Thomas found the idea disturbing. He'd never known his aunt to choose people over bagged blood. But why hadn't she contacted Bastien and had blood shipped out? The longer she was missing the more worried he became. Something was obviously wrong, and he was the one in charge of finding out what that was. It was a task he couldn't fail, not just because he didn't want to let down the rest of the family, not because he himself needed her to be safe and well. She was the central focus of family to him. He loved Jeanne Louise and Lissianna as sisters, but Marguerite was stability and the very embodiment of home and family for Thomas. He had hardly cared that Jean Claude, Marguerite's husband, had died except that it meant he wouldn't be around to make the wonderful woman miserable, but losing Marguerite would be a crushing blow.

The red-lit windows had thinned out as they walked, separated more and more by bars and shops. When they reached the new coordinates, Thomas found they were standing on a walkway that was a little wider than the one they'd just left. On their right was a row of bars and restaurants, on their left was a row of outdoor tables with large outdoor umbrellas sporting various beer logos.

No doubt they had stopped here to eat. While Marguerite was over seven hundred years old and no longer ate, Tiny McGraw was mortal and did. If that was the case, they might still be here. Surely it would take some time to cook a meal and eat it.

"Is this the spot?" Inez asked, her gaze sliding over the tables.

Thomas nodded and they both began to move slowly along the walkway between the tables and buildings, their eyes moving carefully over the patrons seated outside.

"Maybe she's inside one of the restaurants or bars," Inez suggested as they drew near the end of the tables. Thomas nodded and frowned as he glanced toward the front of the buildings, unsure what to do. He was afraid that if they started going into the restaurants, Marguerite might come out of one while they were in another and leave without them seeing her.

"I could wait out here while you check the restaurants, that way we would be sure not to miss her," Inez suggested.

Thomas glanced at her, grateful for the suggestion his own brain was in no shape to come up with, but he asked, "Do you know what she looks like?"

"Yes. I met her when I was in New York."

Relieved to have the matter settled, he glanced around and then suggested, "Why don't you have a seat at one of the tables on the end here so that you can watch all the doors. I'll be as quick as I can."

Nodding, Inez moved to the nearest table, settling herself in a seat that put her back to the rest of the path but gave her a view of the entrances of the row of restaurants and bars.

The moment she was settled, Thomas headed for the door of the first bar.

Fifteen minutes later, Inez watched Thomas walk into the last bar in this little area and sighed to herself. Obviously, he hadn't spotted Marguerite in any of the other bars, and she suspected he wouldn't find her in this one either. No doubt they'd missed her again. She probably hadn't stopped here at all, but had been tracked in the area as she was pa.s.sing through again. They'd probably have to call his friend, Herb, and have him track her phone once more and Inez was beginning to fear they would spend the whole night hurrying from spot to spot chasing after her until near sunrise when she'd settle into whatever hotel she was stopping at. Inez was too tired for this nonsense.

A burst of laughter drew her gaze to a group of men seated at the tables of the next bar over, and she smiled faintly when she recognized the stag party group from Britain. They were laughing and having a good time, but the groom was looking a little the worse for wear. His wig was lopsided, he had several runs in his stockings, the makeup on his face-garish to begin with-was smudged as well as bleeding down his face with sweat. He still appeared to be having a good time, though; his smile was bright and beaming.

Shaking her head with amus.e.m.e.nt, Inez started to glance back toward the doors, but paused as her gaze landed on a man seated alone at a table two over from the stag party. He had short, spiky black hair above a thin face and looked vaguely familiar to her.

Inez only peered at him for a moment, and then decided he too must have been on the plane with them. Amsterdam was a small city and every one seemed to go to the red-light district at some point, if only to tour through and gawk. If she sat there long enough, she'd probably see every single person from their flight pa.s.s by, Inez thought as she glanced back toward the restaurants.

It should have been a boring business, sitting there watching people enter and exit and gambol by, but it really wasn't. It was a lovely night, with a clear sky, a light breeze, and the sound of gently lapping water to her side from the ca.n.a.l. Inez had always enjoyed people watching and it was hard not to in this setting.

"h.e.l.lo, beautiful lady."

Inez glanced around with a start as three men suddenly took up the extra seats at her table. She'd seen them approaching, but had a.s.sumed that they intended to claim a table of their own, not join her. Now, she glanced wide-eyed from man to man to man; a blonde, a brunette and a man with a shaved head. All of them were about her age and all of them wore a half-drunk, half-stoned, we're-here-to-have fun smiles.

"Can we buy you a drink?" the blonde asked in a rather slurred British accent.

"No, thank you, I've ordered one... and I'm waiting for someone," Inez added stiffly. This wasn't a situation she was used to dealing with. In fact, it had never happened to her before. Work kept her busy enough that she rarely went out socially, but when she did, it was with her girlfriends, Lisa and Sherry. They lived in the neighboring flat. She'd met them the day she'd moved from Portugal to London. Lisa wrote a column for a national magazine and Sherry worked in IT for the same magazine. They were both gorgeous model types; Lisa, a tall blond, and Sherry, a tall redhead, and always drew all the attention when the three of them were together, leaving Inez free of having to fend off advances.

That was part of the reason Inez did occasionally agree to go out with the pair. Going out with them was like going out with shields. In their presence, she disappeared into the surroundings and wasn't forced to socialize with the opposite s.e.x. While Inez had a lot of confidence at work, was excellent at what she did and could handle any crisis, in her personal life she was decidedly lacking in self-confidence.

Inez was short and-in her opinion-twenty pounds overweight. She was top heavy, her lips were too full, her hair too wild and unmanageable, insisting on curling in the damp English air. None of which was considered attractive by today's standards.

Hairstyles today were all nice, flat helmets, and no matter how many creams or hair flatteners she used, her glossy black curls would not be beaten into submission. As for the rest of her, unfortunately, there was no cream to make her shoot up about six inches and give her a svelte figure.

"Oh, don't be like that, love," the one with the shaved head said. "We're just trying to be friendly."

Inez had a sudden, overwhelming urge to tell them to b.u.g.g.e.r off. She had Thomas, a lifemate chosen by nanos or G.o.d or both and dropped into her life without any effort on her part and no need to try to pretend to a confidence, beauty, or social skills she didn't have. She didn't feel awkward or unsure around him, didn't feel the least uncomfortable...

Blinking at her own thoughts, Inez suddenly sagged back in her seat. It was true. She didn't feel self-conscious or out of place with Thomas as she did with most men. She felt completely comfortable with him, even at her worst as she was right now. And she was definitely at her worst. She was tired, hungry, and while she'd had a bath at the hotel in London, she was still wearing the wrinkled clothes she'd tugged on that morning, hadn't had even an elastic to pull back her unmanageable hair, or any makeup to put on afterward other than the lipstick she'd had in her purse, and yet it didn't seem to matter to Thomas. He'd still kissed her in the hotel, and then gone at her again just moments ago in the dark alley.

Of course, he was a bit horned up right now on account of the Immortal version of Spanish Fly, Inez reminded herself. Still, that didn't mean he had to jump her.

"Look, love, while its fascinating sitting here watching you nod and talk to yourself under your breath it might be more fun if you talked to us," the blonde said, forcing himself into her recollection again. "We'll buy you that drink and you talk to us, right?"

Knowing it wasn't advisable to be rude to sotted men, Inez was just opening her mouth to ask them politely to leave her alone when Thomas was suddenly there, looming beside her. She peered up at his face, surprised to see that his features were rigid and his eyes glowing silver. She'd seen his eyes turn that way before, both times when he'd kissed her, but somehow she didn't think it was pa.s.sion making them silver right now "She said 'no, thank you,'" Thomas said coldly and Inez bit her lip, her gaze sliding worriedly between the men. She'd lived in Britain for almost eight years and knew the last thing you did was p.i.s.s off a drunken Brit. They were considered all stiff upper lip and conservative by the world at large, and they were that, but she'd also never seen a group more likely to start swinging their fists than Brits when drinking. She suspected it had something to do with that very conservativeness that they were known for. All those emotions they bottled up so much of the time, had to come out at some point and when they were drinking seemed to be the point. She couldn't recall an evening out with Lisa and Sherry where a fight or absolute brawl hadn't broken out at the end of the night.

Inez knew Thomas wasn't your average guy, that he was faster, stronger, and could control minds, but she wasn't sure he could control three at once, or how much stronger and faster he actually was. Slinging her purse strap over her shoulder, she stood and murmured, "Thomas, I think we should move on and call Herb for another set of coord-"

"No, no, love. Sit down. We want to buy you a drink." The words were accompanied by a sudden sharp tug on her hand that sent her dropping back into her seat. Her eyes shot to the first man as he turned his attention to Thomas and said with a shrug, "I don't see a ring on her finger. She's free to sit with us."

Inez never saw Thomas move, but suddenly the blonde was dangling in the air, held there by Thomas's hand at his throat.

"Thomas," she said anxiously, standing up and catching his free arm with her hand. He jerked as if she branded him, his head whipping around, eyes blazing silver fire. Inez caught her breath and stared back for a moment and then glanced around sharply and cried out with surprise as she saw the brunette approaching Thomas from behind. Her warning came too late, even as the sound slipped from her lips, the man flicked open a knife and plunged it into Thomas's lower back.

He stiffened, his back arching slightly, then dropped the blond and whirled on his attacker, baring his teeth and hissing. Inez saw the brunette's eyes widen incredulously as he shrank back, but she was already stepping between the two men.

"Thomas," she said in low warning.

For a minute, Inez thought he'd knock her aside and go after the brown-haired Brit, but a shout and the sound of pounding feet made them both glance around to see two uniformed members of the Amsterdam police force rushing toward them. Thomas growled at the sight of them, and then Inez suddenly found herself caught under one arm like a football as he charged up the walkway away from the police.

Inez was aware of their pa.s.sing from light to darkness to light once more, and thought they were on the main street again. She heard people gasping and exclaiming in surprise as he whizzed up the street, dodging the crowds of pedestrians and knew this couldn't be a good thing. That was when Inez realized just how much the Sweet Ecstasy was affecting Thomas. She'd a.s.sumed that the concentrate would just affect his body, but now she knew it had to be affecting his mind as well. He'd bared his teeth in public, for heaven's sake and now was drawing attention to them with this superhuman rush up the road.

The good thing was that at the speed he was moving, it was doubtful anyone was getting enough of a look at either of them to be able to describe them later. Still, staying hidden was a creed among his people. They spent most of their lives trying not to draw attention to themselves. She knew he shouldn't be doing this. Inez had barely realized this when Thomas turned a corner and slowed so abruptly her stomach lurched. In the next moment she found herself upright and able to breathe again as he set her on her feet.

Inez stumbled, her legs not quite ready to support her, but Thomas simply held her upright with a hand under her arm and urged her forward, and into a building. They were halfway across the lobby before she realized they were back at the hotel. Inez supposed she shouldn't be so surprised, he'd certainly moved faster than the tram and it really hadn't been that long a ride on the tram in the first place.

They were on the elevator and the doors were closing before she glanced out and noticed the startled looks the few people in the lobby were giving them. Frowning, she glanced to Thomas, afraid he was still flashing his teeth, but he wasn't and then she glanced down and noticed the knife still sticking out of his lower back.

"Oh G.o.d," she breathed, feeling the blood rush out of her head.

Thomas didn't even look her way. His eyes remained fixed on the lighted numbers over the elevator doors Biting her lip, Inez reached toward the knife, thinking to pull it out without warning so that it would-hopefully-hurt less, but let her hand fall back before she touched the handle. She simply couldn't bring herself to do it and didn't think she'd be able to do it even with his knowing.

The elevator dinged as it came to a halt, and she glanced around as the doors opened, then followed quickly when Thomas stepped out and started up the hall. She was so distracted staring at the knife sticking out of his back that Inez didn't notice that his steps were unsteady until they'd nearly reached their suite.

"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously, moving up to his side to peer at his face. Her alarm only increased when she saw how pale he was. "Thomas?"

"No, Inez, I'm not all right. I have a knife in my back. Unlock the door, please. I can't reach into my back pocket to get my card key."

"Oh." Realizing it would probably cause him excruciating pain to even attempt to retrieve the card key, Inez quickly dug hers out of her purse and unlocked the door, then rushed in and held it open for him, her concern deepening as he lurched through the door.

She pushed the door closed and slid the chain on so they wouldn't be disturbed, and then turned in time to see Thomas sink to his knees and then fall flat on his face."Thomas'." she cried, hurrying to his side and dropping to her knees to peer at his face. He was as white as a sheet and unconscious.

Inez sat back on her heels, her gaze sliding reluctantly to his back and the knife protruding there. He had said that the nanos repaired all injuries, but supposed they couldn't do that while the knife was still in him. She'd have to remove it. The very idea made her groan and close her eyes, but they popped open again when a m.u.f.fled chirping sound caught her ear.

In the state she was in, it took Inez a moment to realize that it was his cell phone. She glanced at the back pockets of Thomas's jeans, but while his wallet was in one and the map was in the other, there was no sign of the phone. The fact that the sound was m.u.f.fled and very faint told her that Thomas must have put it in his front pocket since the last time she'd seen him use it.

There was no way she was going to turn him over to answer it, the man had a knife in his back. Obviously, she had to get it out.

Ignoring the constant buzz of his phone, she considered the knife, noting now that his T-shirt was glistening with blood and that it had made a large, dark patch starting at his waste directly below the wound and spreading out and down to almost his knees.

He'd lost a lot of blood.

She had to get the knife out, and then fetch the blood from the cooler and somehow feed it to him. Inez didn't know how she was going to do that, but she could only handle one problem at a time.

She leaned forward and reached for the handle of the knife, then suddenly straightened and launched to her feet instead. Towels.

She had to have towels. She couldn't have him bleeding all over the floor. She was in the bathroom, grabbing up every towel there was in the room when her own phone began to ring.

Inez glanced down at her purse with surprise, only now realizing she still had it slung over her shoulder. Dropping the towels, she dug out her phone, and flipped it open.

"Is this Inez?"

She frowned at the clipped voice, not recognizing it. "I... er... yes. Who is-?"

"This is Herb Longford," the man answered, his English accent very thick. "Thomas gave me your number when he last called. He said his battery on his cell phone was running low and if I couldn't reach him to try your mobile."

"Oh," she murmured with a little sigh, thinking that at least she knew who the caller had been.

There was a moment of silence, and then a pointed, "I'm calling to give Thomas the new coordinates."

"New coordinates?" Inez stalled, wondering what to do. She had a feeling Thomas wouldn't want anyone knowing about the incident at the restaurants, feared he might even be in trouble if anyone found out about it. She suspected flashing his teeth in public and then exhibiting his incredible speed might be big no-nos among his people.

"Yes," Herb said impatiently. "He said he was checking the bars in the area of the last coordinates but there was no sign of his aunt. He wanted me to track her cell again. I have and if you'll put him on the phone I'll give them to him."

"Oh, I-he's... er... in the bathroom," she lied finally. "If you give them to me, I'll pa.s.s them along."

"Right. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Yes." Inez dug in her purse one-handed in search of the small notepad and pen she always carried with her, and then lifted the phone back to her ear. "Okay, go ahead."

Herb rattled off the information, and then said, "Give those to Thomas and I'll go ahead and track her again in case she's still on the move. I'll call back if she's at a different location."

"Yes, thank you," Inez finished the last word on a sigh as he hung up. Shaking her head, she put the phone away and then knelt to scoop up the towels. She had to remove the knife from Thomas's back, feed him blood, and then go out and find the latest location and search for Marguerite on her own. It was what she was here for, to help find Thomas's aunt, and it was what she would do, just as soon as she'd made sure that he was all right.

"You can do it," Inez told herself as she walked back out to the living room, but her voice sounded doubtful even to herself.

Thomas still lay exactly where she'd left him. Inez set the towels on the floor beside him and then examined the knife in his back, trying to judge how deeply in it was. She decided it appeared to have gone into his back at least a couple inches and then realized her hands were trembling.

She peered at them with a frown and then moved to the bar fridge. Inez examined the contents, then pulled out one of the tiny bottles of alcohol and began to open it. She was in Amsterdam, about to pull a knife out of a man's back, Inez couldn't think of a better time to reach for Dutch courage.

She downed the bottle quickly, grimacing as it burned its way down her throat, then set it on top of the mini fridge and opened another. This one went down easier than the first, but didn't taste any better. Inez started to reach for another, but then changed her mind. She wasn't much of a drinker as a rule, and suspected the two would be more than enough. Three would probably have her unconscious on the floor next to Thomas.

Slamming the refrigerator door closed, Inez straightened and turned to approach Thomas, pleased to find that while the alcohol couldn't possibly have hit her blood stream yet, she at least felt a little steadier. It was psychological, she supposed.

She eased to her knees and surveyed the knife again. It still made her queasy just to think about pulling the knife out, but it had to be done.

Inez stared at it for the longest time, trying to come up with a way to avoid having to do it herself. Perhaps she could order more blood and make the delivery guy do it. It was all his fault Thomas was in this state to begin with. If he hadn't left the wrong blood here, Thomas never would have consumed a bag and been so out of control that he got himself stabbed. At least, Inez didn't think Thomas would have acted as he had if he hadn't been affected by the concentrated Sweet Ecstasy. He just didn't seem to be the jealous, head-banger type. He was too considerate and... well... sweet for her to believe he would have behaved like that under normal circ.u.mstances.