Ben was kneeling on the library floor, pointing his phone flashlight at the shelves when the light flipped on. He looked over his shoulder to see Tenzin walk in, holding a tray with two steaming cups on it.
“Light is helpful.”
“I forgot you had electric lights in here.” He switched off his flashlight.
“Lights.” She walked to the wall and used a stylus to punch a button. “And an air conditioner.”
“It’s not that hot.”
“Doesn’t matter.” She appeared to be fiddling with the settings. “It should always be on. This place isn’t like my library in the mountains. It’s humid here. The books and scrolls will mold if the air conditioner doesn’t run. I’ll have to make sure Jinpa is checking it.”
Ben whistled slowly. “I don’t want to know how much it costs to run AC all year round in this heat and humidity.”
She set the tray of tea on a low table. “That’s why I steal things, Benjamin. I have to take care of my books.”
“Are you making a joke?”
“It has been known to happen.”
Not often. Or at least not intentionally.
He turned back to the shelf, which he could now see definitely didn’t hold the book on the history of glass. “Why are we looking for a book about glass when the thing we’re looking for is a sword?”
“Because”—she picked up a cup and sipped her steaming tea—“I think it’s likely glass would have been on board the Qamar Jadid. Harun had a glassworks that exported colored glass for use around the world. He had colors no one else had developed. If he sent a ship full of gifts, he would have included glass.”
“Wouldn’t the glass have broken by now?”
“It depends on what he sent. If it was shipped in ingots—which would be likely—those are solid chunks of melted glass. More like rocks than anything breakable. Which means they would also be easy to see.” Tenzin looked up. “Do you see why I might want to learn more about glass?”
“Yes.” A single question had been plaguing him for days. “Tenzin, this sword is important, but why is it this important? Why is your sire bothering with all this after so many centuries?”
She opened another book but closed it quickly. “Those around both Arosh and my father have been increasing pressure on them. Some in Penglai think Arosh must have imperial ambitions after so long living quietly. They think the pushback about infrastructure in Central Asia has sparked antivampire sentiments among human authorities. Zhang’s people have been whispering about it. Arosh’s people probably have too.” She lifted her hands and pantomimed chatting motions with her fingers. “Blah, blah, blah. So much talking.”
He couldn’t stop his smile. “And you think finding the Laylat al Hisab would settle this conflict?” Ben shook his head. “I don’t know. I think every now and then, vampires just like a fight.”
“You’re not wrong.” She moved to another shelf. “But for once it appears I’m playing the peacemaker. A war serves no one right now, and it risks our exposure. The balance of powers has shifted since Saba razed Alitea and rebuilt it. We’re contending with a surge in human technology that threatens us.” She shook her head. “War would be disastrous right now.”
It was moments like this that reminded Ben she was thousands of years older than him. Half the time, he felt like the adult in the room, guiding Tenzin through one of her fits or confusion about the modern world.
But he hadn’t seen millennia. He hadn’t led soldiers into war or negotiated peace treaties. He hadn’t watched human empires rise and fall. Tenzin had.
She put one book back and reached for another. “Despite all the current risks, some of my kind would risk exposure to exert power. And history proves that it’s easier to start an old war than justify a new one. We need to make sure they can’t get a foothold in this if we want them to avoid bloodshed.”
“Do you?” Ben glanced at her. “Want to avoid bloodshed, I mean?”
Her voice was quiet. “I’ve had enough blood for some time.”
Ben closed a book and set it on the floor. “Speaking of blood—”
“I shouldn’t have bitten you, and I have already apologized for it. What more do you want?” Tenzin’s eyes pierced him. “Seriously, what do you want? I’ve been trying to figure it out for months.”
“What do I want?” Ben struggled to find words. “I want… I want you to acknowledge what’s there, Tenzin.”
“What’s where?”
“Between you and me!” He moved his hand back and forth. “This thing between us.”
“This thing?” She set down her book. “You mean what? Attraction?”
“Yes!”
“Fine.” She narrowed her eyes. “You and I are sexually attracted to each other. I am attracted to you. You are attracted to me.”
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “We are. And it didn’t happen because of one kiss in a cave when you lost control. The thing in the cave happened because that attraction was already there.”
“I agree. Chemical reactions between people occur. I am not immune to these. If anything, I am more susceptible to these forces because my senses are more responsive than yours.”
“Exactly.” Wait, what was she saying?
“So, I have acknowledged that we are sexually attracted to each other.” She had the nerve to look baffled. “That is what you want?”
“Not just that.” He stood and started pacing with his hands on his hips. “It’s more than attraction.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you have feelings for me!” He spat out the words. “And I have feelings for you.”
“Of course I do.”
Ben closed his eyes. Don’t say it. Just don’t say—
“You are my friend, Benjamin. I don’t grant that title lightly.”
And she said it.
“I know I’m your friend.” He took a deep breath. Fine. If she was going to go that patronizing direction… “You know, Giovanni is your friend.”
“He is.”
Ben walked closer to her. “Beatrice too.”
“Yes.”
He stood in front of her, his hands stuffed in his pockets so he couldn’t grab and shake her. “So, just out of curiosity, have you ever sucked on either of their necks so hard you wanted to rip their clothes off and have sex with them?” He lowered his voice. “Have they ever made you do that sexy-as-fuck grinding thing with your hips?” He bit the corner of his lower lip. “Just curious.”
“Enough.” She glared at him. Her lips were flushed and red. “We have discussed this enough. I think we should get back to looking for this book and focus on the job we agreed to perform.”
“Your opinion is noted. I think you should tell me whether you’ve ever wanted to have sex with Giovanni or Beatrice.”
“Does it amuse you to provoke me, Benjamin?”
“I haven’t even started. How about Chloe? Gavin?” He leaned down. “Caspar, for that matter?”
She turned her back to him and faced the bookshelves. “I am going to look for the book. I am finished with this conversation.”
Ben placed both hands on the bookshelf, caging her in, and leaned down to smell the delicate scent at her neck.
She growled his name in warning. “Benjamin.”
“Tell me.” He kept his voice low, watching as goose bumps rose on her skin. “Have you had that reaction to any of your friends? Or is it maybe just possible that something about me is different?”
He waited, his lips inches from her neck, watching her skin react to his presence. It was fascinating and sexy and infuriating.
“I told you I am done with this conversation,” she said quietly. “Help me or don’t. I told you what you wanted to hear.”
“You only answered part of the question, Tiny.”
“Back away.”
“Fine.” Ben straightened and took a step back. “Is the noodle place at the end of the block still open?”
If Tenzin was
startled by the abrupt change of topic, she didn’t show it. “It should be. This time of year, all the noodle shops stay open late.” She didn’t look up from the book she’d pulled off the shelf.
“Good.” He walked to the door. “I’m going to get some food. I’d ask you if you wanted anything, but God forbid you admit to being hungry.”
“I’m not.”
“Sure, Tenzin.” He walked out the door. “Whatever you say.”
Ben crossed the courtyard in long, impatient strides and grabbed a heavy key to the garden gate, not wanting to wake Jinpa or her daughters while they were sleeping.
God forbid she admit to being hungry. Or lonely. Or in need of anything she couldn’t provide herself. Her ego was so massive Ben wanted to scream. He also had to recognize that her massive ego had probably been part of what kept her alive for so long.
Letting himself out, he turned right and walked down to the main thoroughfare where food stands and restaurant boats operated late into the night. There was a noodle soup he loved that he’d only ever had in Tenzin’s village, and even if he wasn’t hungry, he got a bowl when he could.
Ben crossed the arched stone bridge and walked toward the line of restaurants. It was only when he was walking down the other side that he realized he was being followed.
13
Ben crossed the bridge and immediately ducked into an alley running parallel to the main canal, curious how obvious they were going to be about following him. He heard one turn in to the alley behind him, but not the other.
He knew they were vampires from the way they moved. Not wind vampires though. Something else.
Were they following Ben or Tenzin’s human? He walked to the end of the alley and turned left, joining the scattered crowds going home after late dinners and drinks.
The water town was a tourist attraction, not only for foreigners but Chinese tourists as well. He saw newlyweds in bright matching outfits, a few American backpackers, and slick Eastern Europeans wearing leather coats in the dense humidity.
The second vampire was back. Ben glanced over his shoulder, and both of them looked away quickly, but not before he caught their eyes.
Who do you belong to?
He crossed a series of stones laid carefully across a small canal and walked against pedestrian traffic, dodging slow-moving scooters and carts. He stopped and took a selfie in front of a shop, holding up his fingers in a V sign as he searched the area behind him.
There you are.
He snapped several pictures of them before they caught what he was doing.
Oh, you don’t look happy, do you?
Ben slipped the phone in his pocket and kept walking. He passed the cluster of restaurants and clubs. He walked past a small marina with bobbing dark vessels. He turned left into another alley and immediately looked up when he saw the dead end.
Excellent.
The walls of the shops were made of stone. With an ease born of hours of parkour training, he climbed the wall and waited for the vampires to turn the corner.
They walked around the corner casually, two friends out for a stroll. They didn’t hurry, but they did stop short when they realized the dead end was in front of them but no human was. One walked to the end of the alley and hopped up to peek over the old wall.
Nope.
The other side was nothing but water.
They exchanged a few quiet words that Ben didn’t catch before one of them looked up. He caught Ben’s eyes peeking over the edge of the building. Ben lifted his fingers and waved. Then he shot up and over the far side of the building.
He leaped from the roof of one building onto another. He could hear the vampires following him, and he didn’t stop.
Ben suddenly wished he’d spent more time exploring this town and less time napping and enjoying Jinpa’s cooking while they were there. The line of buildings ended in another waterway. He looped his arm around a rainspout and swung over the edge, bouncing from one wall to the other in the narrow alley until he landed on his feet.
He ran, dodging thinning traffic and leaping over narrow waterways. He quickly passed the business center of town and found himself in a deserted residential section with narrow canals and fewer pedestrians.
Shit.
The vampires were gaining on him, running just fast enough to pass for human while still outstripping him. As soon as there were no humans around, they’d drop all pretenses.
Which was… now. Shit.
Ben saw the blur to his left as one vampire raced in front of him and blocked his path.
He stopped in his tracks, panting. The vampire blocking the pavement in front of him stood calmly, his hands on his hips.
Ben looked over his shoulder. The one behind him stood with similar posture. Neither of them looked willing to budge or negotiate.
Ben nodded and turned his attention to the vampire in front of him while still keeping one ear attuned to the man behind him.
“How can I help you guys?” Ben had a knife in his boot. He always carried one there. Of course, a knife only took you so far with vampires.
Neither of them said a word.
“Great,” Ben said. “So you’re the silent types, I guess. Strong silent types? I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Kind of overrated, if you ask me.”
The vampire in front of him cocked his head.
Ben switched to Mandarin. “Who sent you?”
Nothing. It was like talking to two robots.
Were they robots?
Ben asked, “Have you been sent from the future to kill me or protect me?”
His breath was back. Stalling them had been good. He waited for the vampire in front of him to move, all while anticipating an attack from behind.
“I’m not here to make trouble,” he said. “I’m here with Ten—”
“We know who you’re here with.” The voice speaking Mandarin behind him was frighteningly close. “Vecchio.”
“That’s Ben Vecchio, by the way.” He lowered his voice. “Not Giovanni. Just in case you were pissed off at my uncle and not at me.”
“You think I cannot tell the difference between a human pest and a vampire assassin?”
“I wouldn’t want to presume.” Ben waited. The vampire was coming closer. Ben wasn’t a threat, so he wasn’t walking silently. “If you just tell me what you want, we can all save some time. What do you think about that idea?”
“What we want?” The vampire in front of him finally spoke. “That is simple, Mr. Vecchio. You need to leave China.”
Ben let his head fall back. “Shit. I hate it when you guys want something I can’t give you.” He looked back to the first vampire. “I mean, maybe that’s the people-pleasing thing Chloe gives me a hard time about. I like making people happy.”
“That’s good to hear.” That voice from behind him was awfully close. Just… very, very close. Too close. “You can make us happy right now. We might even… What’s the American phrase?”
The vampire in front of him grinned, and Ben saw his fangs were fully extended. “Grab a bite to eat?”
“Yes, that’s the—”
It happened too fast for the vampire to finish his sentence. Before either immortal realized it, Ben had ducked down and spun to the side of the vampire behind him, grabbed the ten-inch knife from his boot, and locked his arm around the immortal’s neck.
Without hesitation, Ben plunged the knife into the vampire’s neck, angling it through the soft tissue and stopping just short of the man’s spine. Arterial blood sprayed everywhere, but Ben didn’t flinch.
The vampire in front of Ben rushed toward them, but the vampire in his arms shouted in protest and raised both his hands.
“Think again.” Ben wiggled the blade. “I’m very close to making him as mortal as I am.”
The vampire stopped, keeping his fangs bared, but he came no closer.
“You know”—Ben spoke softly—“I really hate doing shit like this. One, it’s messy and I’m wearing light-colored pants. I kn
ow. Shortsighted of me. Two, I’m here working for kind of an important person, which means I’m going to have to report all this to him. And I really hate giving oral reports. Ever since ninth grade speech class. Did you ever have to take that?”
Both vampires were silent.
“I’m going to assume that’s a no.”
The vampire in his arms tensed.
“Ah.” Ben wiggled the knife. “Really bad idea, dude.”
The water in the canals around him started to churn.
“Water vampires,” Ben said. “Okay. That answers one question. Who sent you?”
Neither one of them said a word.
“Here’s the thing.” Ben spoke into the vampire’s ear. “I’m going to have to let you go at some point, or I’m going to have to kill you and take my chances with your friend. I’m guessing you’re super pissed off at me right now on several levels, so I’m leaning toward killing you. I don’t have a lot to lose.” He could feel the blood dripping from the vampire’s neck onto his hand and down the front of his shirt. “I’m Tenzin’s partner, and whoever your boss is, she can probably kill them. And she will. Also, I really don’t want to end up dead, which is likely going to happen if I let you go.”
Barely contained fury rolled off the man in his arms. It was one thing to have a knife through your throat and touching your spine, it was another to have that knife be wielded by a human.
Ben looked at the man’s partner. “I mean, you tell me. I’m guessing you don’t want me to kill him—or maybe you do. I don’t want to assume shit about your relationship. Just know that if I have to do that—”
Ben’s words cut off when a dark shadow swooped through the air. The vampire blocking the sidewalk wavered for a moment, his mouth gaping, before a line of blood appeared at his neck. His head fell to one side. His body to the other. His head rolled and then splashed with a solid thunk in the canal.
Shit.
Ben pulled his knife out and shoved his hostage away. “Seriously?” he yelled into the air.
The vampire he’d been holding spun and slapped a hand over his bleeding neck, lunging toward Ben. Ben kicked out and clipped the man in the head, snapping his neck and making the vampire crumple.
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