The Elemental Mysteries: Complete Series (151 page)

“So, Tenzin, what do you want? We all know your power, but you are in
my
court now, not an island in the sea. You know I will not release your friend, and you cannot have Lorenzo. There is obviously some investigation to be done in this matter, which I trust you will allow me to pursue. I’m a very fair person. Are you?”

“Not particularly.”

Beatrice heard a few laughs in the crowd. One of them, she was almost certain, belonged to Emil Conti. Tenzin continued watching Livia with cold, calculating eyes.

“You know what I want, Livia. I want Giovanni Vecchio returned to his wife, the daughter of my mate. I want the head of the vampire on your left. I’ve considered killing you, as well, but I’m willing to let you live as long as you meet my demands.”

“I could kill Giovanni with a snap of my fingers.” Livia raised a hand and Beatrice could not stop the snarl that left her lips. Livia smirked. “But I won’t, of course. Some of us aren’t barbarians.”

“And some of us are.” Tenzin stepped closer and pointed at Lorenzo. “He exists at my pleasure. I could kill him quite easily; I’m sure you know this. If any harm comes to my friend, I will.”

“As I said, I’m not—”

“And if that is not enough incentive to keep Giovanni Vecchio safe...” Tenzin again raised a swirling wind that lifted her in the air as she faced the Roman immortals. She lifted her arms, raising her bloody sword. “Vampires of Rome, I am the only child of Zhuang Guo, warrior king of the ancient steppes. I am the daughter of the Northern Wind. It has been many years since the hordes from the East have descended on your land, but make no mistake, we can and will raise them again.”

Faster than the eye could follow, Tenzin darted down to twist the neck from the guard who stood next to Livia, splattering blood across her purple gown. A group of guards rushed toward them, but Beatrice raised her swords, twisting them in a razor-sharp whirl until they fell back.

Tenzin snatched the head of the guard and flew to the top of the room, then dropped to the ground in a crouch and tossed the guard’s head at Livia’s feet. Then she stood up, smearing the blood across her cheek as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Make no mistake, Roman. I am not civilized. Giovanni Vecchio remains safe, or I will call the Golden Horde. And remember, no ancient power remains to guard your Eastern gate.”

Then Tenzin grasped Beatrice’s arm, and the two vampires flew from the room in a rush of wind.

A few miles outside of Rome, they suddenly dropped to the ground. Beatrice looked around at the small, deserted piazza with a fountain in the middle. Judging by the position of the moon, it was probably around ten o’clock.

Tenzin pointed toward the fountain. “Wash up. You don’t want to scare Dez or Ben. And you did well back there.”

“You know, I always thought you were scary, but if I were Livia, I’d be metaphorically shitting my pants right now.” Beatrice walked over and began washing. She was grateful for the deserted fountain and the moment to gather her thoughts. She took a calming breath and lay as much of her body in the water as she could, wrapping herself in the soft comfort of her element. Tenzin sat on the stone ledge.

After a few silent minutes, Beatrice spoke. “How did you leave him alive?”

She saw Tenzin look up at the moon. “I can be patient.”

“You’ll kill him soon enough.”

“Or you will.”

Beatrice shook her head. “He killed your mate. If it was Gio—”

“My girl, he killed your father. Your sire.” Tenzin blinked a few times. “If you have your opportunity, take it. I will not be angry.”

“Are you sure?”

Tenzin stood and held a hand out to Beatrice, lifting her out of the water. “There are more important things than my vengeance. That is why I could leave him alive. That is why you will kill him one day.”

Beatrice frowned. “But, Tenzin—”

“Come, we need to get back to Rome. Lucien will be awake now. You need to talk to him.”

Giovanni heard her approach. Livia swept into the room and shoved the guard back that tried to follow her. She paced, and he could see the water in the air drawn to her as her amnis swirled.

For a moment, Giovanni felt fear. He had not fed and was still weak from the injuries she had inflicted on him earlier in the night. But he braced himself against the stone pillar and remained silent, watching her stomp around the room.

Suddenly, Livia turned to him and screamed at the top of her lungs. Then she flew at him, stabbing him in the gut with a dagger she pulled from her bodice. She kicked his knees and slapped his face. She loosed her rage on Giovanni as he stood utterly still, not understanding what had caused the usually composed vampire to lose her temper.

Livia stabbed him over and over, until his leather jerkin hung in bloody strips, and he began to blink, lightheaded from the blood loss. Still, he said not a word and barely flinched, determined not to give her the reaction he knew she was looking for.

“Say something!” she screamed in his face, her fangs cutting her lips. He felt a spatter of her blood touch his face and she eyed his neck.

She paused, then a sick smile twisted her lips. She sprung on him and tried to latch onto his neck to drink, but Giovanni raised his arms and batted her away, throwing her as far across the room as his weakened body would allow.

He said only one word. “No.”

Livia stood again and screamed, stamping her foot. Giovanni began to think she would finally kill him, but as soon as he thought it, she took a deep breath, pushed the mangled hair from her face, and looked at him with her typical look of contempt. Then she turned her nose up and walked from the room.

Only when he heard her steps retreating down the hall did he allow his shoulders to slump. If he did not get blood soon, he would fall into sleep, his body shutting down to protect his mind.

A few moments later, Giovanni scrambled to his feet when he heard footsteps in the hall. The locks twisted and a human servant entered the room. The young man raised an arm, clearly indicating that Giovanni was allowed to drink. His fangs slid down and he grasped the man’s throat. Then he took a deep breath and backed away, clamping down his control so he did not drain the donor. He could see the fear evident in the young man’s frightened gaze.

Keeping one hand on the man’s throat and letting his amnis flow to calm him, Giovanni pressed his lips to the offered wrist. He took deep, slow draughts of the fresh blood until he felt his wounds begin to heal. Finally, he sealed up the man’s wrist and released him.

“Thank you.”

The young donor blinked, then said, “The mistress says to tell you another will be sent tomorrow.”

Giovanni narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Another will come to feed you, Master.”

He nodded slowly, then waved the man away. The guard opened the stone door and let the donor out before the locks clicked in place again. Giovanni took a deep breath as the strength began to flow through his limbs and his wounds began to knit together.

He thought about Livia’s strange fury as he healed. Her violence. Her attempts to drink from him. She had looked...

“What was that, Livia?” He paced his stone cell. “What was that in your eyes? What was—” He halted when the answer occurred to him. She hadn’t been angry. Livia had been... frustrated. Like a child whose mischief had been thwarted.

Giovanni began to smile. Then laugh. Soon, his deep laughter echoed off the stone walls that held him. Someone had spoiled Livia’s plans.

It appeared Tenzin was back in Rome.

Chapter Twelve

Residenza di Spada

Rome, Italy

June 2012

When Tenzin and Beatrice reached the house in Rome, they dropped into the courtyard to see an unfamiliar vampire sitting near the fountain talking to Carwyn and drinking a glass of golden wine. The immortal may have appeared to be young, but his long, angular face and deep-set eyes gave him an ancient stare.

Carwyn smiled and waved them over.

“Beatrice, meet Lucien Thrax.”

“Finally.” She smiled and held out a hand.

The vampire rose. He was lean and weathered. His shaggy brown hair fell over his forehead when he bent over Beatrice’s hand and clasped it with both his own. “Many thanks for your hospitality, Beatrice De Novo. I am sorry I retired before we could be introduced last night. Your household has been gracious to me.”

She found herself clasping his fingers, which were unusually warm for a vampire. His energy felt different from any she had ever sensed, but his eyes were open and honest.

“You’re very welcome. I understand you’re a friend of the family, in a manner of speaking.”

Lucien closed his eyes and smiled slightly. “I was honored to call Ioan ap Carwyn one of my dearest friends. Carwyn and I were taking a moment to catch up on news. I met your lovely friends Desiree and Ben earlier this evening while you were...” His smile broadened. “Otherwise engaged.”

Carwyn snorted as he rose, motioning Beatrice to his seat while he and Tenzin gathered more chairs from the other side of the courtyard. “Speaking of that,” Carwyn said, “I don’t suppose you saw Gio?”

Tenzin shook her head. “No, but we did get to kill some guards.”

Carwyn patted her small shoulder. “That’s my small, ferocious girl.”

Beatrice smiled. “You missed it, Father. She scared the proverbial shit out of Livia.”

“I miss
all
the fun.”

Tenzin only looked him up and down. “If you weren’t such a behemoth, I’d fly you, too.”

Carwyn just shuddered while Beatrice and Lucien laughed.

“We earth vampires,” Lucien said, “aren’t terribly fond of air travel, if you haven’t noticed yet, Ms. De Novo.”

“Please, call me Beatrice. And yes, I’ve noticed.”

“Horrid, unnatural way to travel,” Carwyn muttered.

“Yes, it’s far more pleasant to tunnel underground like a giant rat.”

Beatrice shook her head. “You two really do bicker like siblings.”

Lucien burst out laughing. “Beatrice, you haven’t seen half of it!”

“Both of you, stop.” Carwyn waved a hand at them and looked back to Tenzin, suddenly serious. “Really though, what is the mood in the court?”

“Livia knows she’s backed into a corner, which means anything is possible. We need to get him out of there. She’s become more unstable than the last time I saw her. She’s still frightened by me, but she’s keeping Lorenzo at her side like a favorite pet, which means that he’s valuable to her right now. We have to assume it’s because of the elixir.”

“Or something to do with Geber’s book,” Carwyn said.

“No doubt, but that’s not the point. We need to get Gio out, and we need to do it in a way that she’ll not be able to point to us. My introduction should be arriving any night now.”

Beatrice said, “Your introduction?”

“Yes. Despite the way I charged in today, I will be very properly received the next time we’re there. It should drive her crazy.” Tenzin grinned. “One of Elder Lu’s children is coming in the next week to discuss mutual textile interests in Southern China, and Livia will be forced to acknowledge him as they have business. He’s naming me as a member of his retinue as a favor.”

“What?” Beatrice looked around. “Really? And she’ll just have to welcome you back? Even after the stunt we pulled tonight?”

“You mean the stunt
I
pulled? Remember, B, you did nothing but defend yourself. She’ll have no excuse to keep you out of court. With their natural sympathy for Gio and the Roman fascination with the new girl, you might be our most valuable asset.”

She just shook her head. “This makes no sense.”

Carwyn said, “You have to remember, as powerful as Livia is, she’s not the only member of the Roman court. There are many others with their own interests, and she has to placate them, too. She can’t piss everyone off and remain in power. Tenzin, what did you think of Conti?”

Tenzin paused for a moment to think and Beatrice thought about the quietly confident water vampire. Like Carwyn, she was curious what Tenzin would think of him.

“Conti may be poised. With the right push, he could take power. He’d be far better than Livia and his connections are more consistent.”

Beatrice asked, “More consistent? What does that mean?”

Carwyn leaned forward. “Emil Conti is a bit older than Livia. He was born during the Republic, not the Empire, so he has more... democratic ideals. He’s an elitist, but he tends to keep the same friends over the years, unlike our favorite empress. He’s also a much better businessman, which means he likes stability and avoids drama. If Livia was pushed out of power, it would be best for everyone if someone was poised to take her place so there wasn’t a vacuum.”

Beatrice said, “And, Tenzin, you think he’s ready?”

She nodded. “He’s positioning himself in all this. He senses an opportunity. He could be an ally, so you should get to know him.”

Beatrice said, “But does that help us get Gio out?”

“Oh,” Tenzin said, “none of
us
can get Gio out. We’ll need to be in her presence when he escapes. That way, Livia can’t point to any of us.”