Dawn Caravan

by Elizabeth Hunter

  “She gave us the pictures, but we don’t have a name,” Juvan said. “Only a bank number and a voice on the phone.”

  “Voice?”

  “Female,” Alcide said. “Immortal. The accent wasn’t recognizable.”

  Which was often the case with older immortals. They usually traveled too much and lived in too many places for their accents to be classifiable. Added to that, they often spoke versions of languages that had long ago become extinct.

  “A guess?” Ben asked. “Even a region would be helpful.”

  “I would say…” Juvan pursed his lips. “Eastern Europe. Perhaps Austria or Hungary.”

  Wildly different languages, but it gave them a place to start, and they did have a Hungarian lead.

  “How did the pictures come?” Ben asked.

  “Delivered by courier. A man.”

  “Age?”

  Juvan muttered, “I am shit with human ages, but he was experienced. I would say forties or fifties.”

  “Language?”

  “English.” Alcide was catching on. “But he did have an accent.”

  “Was it familiar?”

  “Russian but not Russian,” Alcide said. “If you know what I mean. He sounded like he learned English from a Russian.”

  So the courier was a man in his forties or fifties who learned English from a Russian and worked for a vampire in either Hungary or Austria. Since Hungary was in the former Soviet Bloc, Ben guessed the Hungarian connection was the next one to follow.

  “This has all been so interesting.” Tenzin picked up her blood-wine again. “And the concert was excellent.”

  Juvan glanced at Ben. “I like him. He’s not the best, but he respects the microphone.”

  “Thanks,” Ben said. “I think.”

  “You’re welcome.” Alcide slapped his shoulder. “It is all about respect.”

  14

  Ben and Tenzin were silent on the flight back to the mainland. Ben ran through every piece of information he’d gathered along with all the new revelations from the brothers.

  The Hungarian connection. That was the one. He’d been thinking they should go to Ankara next to explore the lead in Turkey, but after their meeting with Juvan and Alcide, Ben was definitely thinking Hungary was the lead to follow.

  “They liked you,” Tenzin said.

  They were flying above the clouds, an oddly silent and peaceful place over the twisting wind currents that rose from the heated surface of the sea.

  “They didn’t like me,” Ben said. “They like you. They tolerated me.”

  She appeared to think for a moment. “That is possible.”

  “Probable.” He flew silently for a few minutes. “How did you earn a favor from them?”

  “I spared their lives.”

  Ben glanced to the side. “Who wanted you to kill them?”

  “Your uncle.”

  Okay, he hadn’t been expecting that. “Giovanni? Why?”

  Tenzin narrowed her eyes. “You do realize they’re very horrible criminals, don’t you? They traffic in drugs, guns, even in humans.”

  And I just serenaded them with Louis Armstrong classics. “Okay, better question, why didn’t you kill them?”

  “I thought your uncle was overreacting. And he’ll admit he was now. Juvan helped Lorenzo kidnap Beatrice years ago. He lent some of his men to Lorenzo when they went to Houston.”

  “I can see why Giovanni would be kind of pissed about that.”

  “But they never had anything to do with Lorenzo’s little schemes,” Tenzin said. “They were work for hire. Your uncle sees that now.”

  “And that made a difference to him?”

  “Of course. Don’t forget that your uncle was an assassin too. For many years, he didn’t have much of a conscience. He had rules, but not a conscience.”

  Ben tasted bitterness in the back of his throat. “So that’s going to be me eventually?”

  Tenzin looked genuinely baffled. “Why would that happen to you?”

  “Don’t you lose your human morals after a while? Justify things you normally wouldn’t because you’re so… above humanity?”

  Tenzin raced in front of him, stopping him on his flight path. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because—”

  “I do not understand this about you, Benjamin. I truly do not. Your uncle’s sire was a madman who actively killed Giovanni’s empathy for others, but he still retained a core of humanity. My early immortal life was horrible, and I…” She stared at a spot over his shoulder, her eyes piercing the darkness. “I cut off parts of myself to survive it. But that was us.”

  Ben stared at her. What was she saying? Tenzin never talked about her past like this. She didn’t look back. He couldn’t remember how many times she’d told him: If I look back, I will go truly mad.

  “You cut off parts of yourself to survive?” He swallowed hard. “What does that mean, Tenzin?”

  She shook her head. “It means that you are not me. And you haven’t had to do that. I would never have let him take you unless I knew he had evolved. I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

  “Tenzin—”

  “This isn’t about Zhang. Or me. You are yourself. And I know you are angry with me, but you have to think past that now.”

  “No, this is about you.” I don’t want to talk about me. “You want me to reveal everything when you give me nothing. What do you mean, Tenzin?”

  She ignored him. “Does Carwyn have a conscience? Does Beatrice?” Her face was twisted with an anger Ben had never seen before. “Think of the countless men and women of honor whom you know. Baojia. Brigid. Lucien Thrax.” She seemed to stumble a little on Lucien’s name. “Your friends, Benjamin.”

  He felt a burning in his chest. “You were my friend.”

  She looked him straight in the eyes. “I am still your friend. I will always be your friend whether you want me or not.”

  She turned and flew toward shore, leaving him alone in the dark clouds, the wind cutting through his clothes and lashing his skin as a light rain began to fall around him.

  Tenzin landed on the balcony of Gavin’s house in Monte Carlo. He had a top-floor apartment in a historic building with updated amenities and vampire security. It would have cost him millions and millions of dollars, or many favors.

  Did Gavin have a conscience? It was slightly grey, but yes. He definitely did. He had a code of honor that he stuck to. Immortals could depend on him. And while some high-minded philosophers like Carwyn didn’t approve of Gavin’s policies, his safe spaces allowed many disputes to be resolved without blood or collateral damage. That was a valuable service to vampires and humans both.

  Gavin Wallace wasn’t pure of heart, but he’d earned the love of a pure-hearted woman. That had to mean something.

  Chloe was sitting on a lounge chair reading a book. She glanced up when Tenzin landed on the ledge. “Hey, how was your night?”

  “Ben is brooding again.” Tenzin hopped down. “I do not understand him.”

  “You’d be bored if you did.” Chloe turned a page. “What now?”

  “Why does he think becoming a vampire is a recipe for inhumanity? Why does he think he’s going to become some kind of monster?”

  Chloe looked up with wide eyes. “You know, you really need to work on the small talk. ‘Hey, how was your night? Is the casino nice? How much did Gavin drop in frightening fashion on games with ridiculously large cards?’”

  “I do not have time for small talk.” She walked over to Chloe and dragged a lounge chair next to hers. “I have until the end of this job to make this man see reason. Why does he think he’s going to become some kind of monster now that he is a vampire?”

  Chloe set down her book. “You know what he did to my ex-boyfriend, right?”

  Tenzin stared blankly at her. “Do you?”

  “Yes. He eventually told me. He broke Tom’s fingers and his knee. Some… other stuff. He basically got a list of the injuries Tom gave to me and systemat
ically, over a period of months, inflicted every single one on my ex. Not in anger. It was pure, cold revenge.”

  Tenzin said nothing.

  “You know it’s in him,” Chloe said quietly. “That cruelty—the capacity for it—it’s there. He plays at being light and funny, but you’ve seen it. You recognize it too.”

  Tenzin knew it was there. She’d sat next to him through some of the darkest times. “But it is not in his heart,” she said. “That’s why he eventually told you about Tom. That’s why he could never become like me.”

  “You’re very hard on yourself.”

  “You don’t know all the things I’ve done.” And you never will. “I’m being honest.”

  Chloe let out a long breath. “So… his parents were awful. He’ll never tell you how much, but they were really awful. Those scars on his arms are not from goofing around with friends when he was a kid.” Chloe pulled her knees up to her chest. “When Giovanni adopted him, I think Ben decided that he was going to be perfect. The best nephew. The best friend. The perfect student. Everything under control. Because he was never going to be like them.”

  “And becoming a vampire puts some things out of his control.”

  “Yes.” Chloe cleared her throat. “You’re so brilliant and wise. Don’t you see how scared he is?”

  Scared? Ben was frightened?

  “But he’s not supposed to be afraid anymore. That was the point.” Tenzin rose and began to pace. “That was the whole point.”

  “I wish I could snap my fingers and make it different, but people don’t work that way.”

  Tenzin walked toward Chloe and knelt in front of her. “No one can manipulate him now. His mind is his own. He was sired by one of the most powerful vampires on the planet. That was the point, Chloe. For Ben to not be afraid.”

  Chloe brushed back a piece of Tenzin’s hair. “I know that’s what you wanted. But fear is one of the things that keeps us humble. It makes us human.”

  “It can also make you dead.”

  Seeing Ben afraid had broken something in Tenzin. His fear broke open a rage she had not felt in thousands of years. That rage had burned her from the inside out, hollowing her out until something new was forced to grow.

  Chloe smiled, but it was sad. “I can’t force him to see your perspective. And neither can you. He’s going to be angry for a while, and he’s probably going to do a lot of things you don’t understand.”

  * * *

  I love you. I love you so much. And I’m dying, so you need to know that.

  * * *

  Tenzin turned away from Chloe and watched the waves rise and fall in the midnight sea. “I am trying.”

  “You mean your New Year’s resolutions?”

  Tenzin—in her new spirit of openness—had tried to explain to Chloe that she was becoming something new, but most of it hadn’t translated very well.

  “Yes. My resolutions.”

  When Ben’s human body had died, a part of Tenzin had died with it. The mercy he’d demanded of her had forced Tenzin to look inward.

  Which she hated.

  She was a weapon, a blade in her sire’s hand. A creature created to be used by others.

  Over millennia, she had sheared away the parts of herself that could be hurt. If she was a weapon, she would be a weapon only for herself. She wouldn’t only be feared, she would be worshipped.

  Now Tenzin wanted to be more.

  She had humbled herself before her father. She’d crawled across cobblestones on her knees. She’d pledged fidelity to a sire she hated in order to save the life of the one human who had never seen her as a weapon or a goddess.

  He had only seen her.

  You’re lovely. Lovable. You’re worthy of that.

  She was trying to awaken parts of herself that had been strangled by the past. It was irritating as shit.

  “Humans are so infuriating.”

  Chloe said, “He’s not human anymore.”

  “Then vampires are so infuriating! I don’t know what he wants from me.”

  Chloe sighed. “The problem is, he may not want anything from you. Not for a long time.”

  She tapped her foot on the marble tiles. “I can be patient.”

  Chloe nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  Tenzin turned to Chloe and narrowed her eyes. “You said something that means yes, but your face says the opposite.”

  “You’re just… not the best at waiting for things you want.”

  Tenzin flopped back on the lounger and scowled at the stars. “Why should I wait for something to happen when I can make it happen faster?”

  Chloe reached down and stroked Tenzin’s hair. “Because you can’t change someone’s heart.”

  “I can try.”

  “Well, yeah. I guess that’s the whole point, right? Just remember, hearts can be stubborn things.”

  Ben had loved her once, so Tenzin was counting on his heart being very stubborn. Stubborn enough to keep loving her even when he was angry.

  Chloe kept stroking her hair.

  “You’re petting me like your cat.”

  “I know. I really miss Pete. I kind of wish we’d brought him with us.”

  “Glad I could help.”

  15

  Ben landed on the roof of Gavin’s club in Monte Carlo, absently noting the muffled noise of the casino in the building below.

  Vampires, Ben had learned, enjoyed gambling as much or more than humans did. There must be something about centuries of life, vast amounts of money, and boredom that caused them to dabble in games.

  Go figure.

  He walked to the hostess, who hadn’t batted an eye as he landed on the balcony. She was human, though Ben could see more than one vampire working in the club. Unusual, but then not all vampires were rich.

  “Bonsoir, monsieur.”

  “Bonsoir,” he replied, also in French. “Is Mr. Wallace in the club tonight?”

  “May I tell him who is inquiring about him?”

  “Ben Vecchio.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Vecchio. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  There was no use trying to be anonymous in Europe. He’d already spotted several vampires he knew from Rome and more than one he’d seen in New York and London.

  Come to think of it, most of the vampires he spotted hadn’t seen Ben since he’d turned. He’d been more than a bit of a hermit in Asia. He was attracting a few looks, and he hadn’t even thought about it.

  Oh well.

  Gavin walked out from the interior of the club and onto the open-air patio where Ben was waiting. “I see we’re not being circumspect anymore.”

  Ben shrugged and kept his hands in his pockets. “Let them stare.”

  Gavin glanced at the open stares many vampires in the club were sporting before he led Ben to a smaller alcove with a table and two deep benches. “The stares used to drive you crazy.”

  “People are going to look their fill whether I want them to or not,” he said under his breath. “Better to let them get a good eyeful, smother the rumors, and be done with it.”

  Gavin was clearly amused. He leaned back and stretched an arm across the back of the bench. “You picked a fairly prominent location for your coming-out party, my friend.”

  Ben assessed the club with a critical eye. “It’s fancy.”

  “I like the weather.”

  “Gotta love the Mediterranean nights. They’re never too hot.”

  “Very true.” Gavin nodded. “So, any developments?”

  Ben glanced around. “Is talking in the club—”

  “We worked sound masking into the audio system.” Gavin kept his voice low and even. “I mean, don’t shout, but you haven’t been hearing everyone’s gossip, have you?”

  “I can’t really concentrate on much over the casino noise.”

  “Exactly.” Gavin tipped his glass toward a speaker embedded in the wall next to him.

  Huh. Clever. Ben nodded. “Cool.” He was craving a drink. “As for developments,
it’s looking like Hungary.”

  “Are you sure?” Gavin waved over a server and ordered a very expensive bottle of champagne.

  “Fairly sure.”

  “Looking at it, I was leaning toward Turkey.”

  “Hungary definitely seems higher on the list.”

  “And you’re sure they’ve seen the original?”

  “No, but they’ve seen photographs.”

  Gavin’s eyebrows went up. “That is notable.”

  “Tenzin thought so too.”

  “How did things go with her?”

  The server brought back crystal champagne glasses and a cut crystal glacette with ice and a bottle of Dom Pérignon. She opened the bottle and poured two glasses, setting them in front of Ben and Gavin.

  “Santé.”

  “Santé.”

  They clinked glasses, and Ben sipped the dry, sparkling wine.

  “To your immortality,” Gavin said. “May you not waste it as long as I did.”

  Ben’s eyebrow went up. “Oh?”

  “Yes, Tenzin gave me quite a lecture a few years ago about all the dawdling I was doing. Apparently creating an international club and entertainment empire was a bit of a waste. Who knew?”

  “She did apparently.” He drank his glass and poured another. “Fuck, I hate not being able to get drunk.”

  Gavin raised an eyebrow.

  “What?” Ben said. “It just took the edge off sometimes, you know?”

  “I know. What did you think of the Corsicans?”

  “They’re interesting. They really love Tenzin.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me; she saved their hides from your uncle.”

  “She told me. So Hungary. Can you leave tomorrow night?”

  “I can. This visit was more of a check-in than a real work trip. My manager here is very good.”

  “He or she would have to be.”

  “She, and yes.” He looked around the club. “This club has seen more than its share of immortal summits.”

  “Not that you can tell me about them.”