The Elemental Mysteries: Complete Series (178 page)

“God in Heaven,” Carwyn breathed out.

“He’s alive,” Tenzin said. “How could he be alive?”

“No,” Beatrice shook her head and pressed her hands to his temples. Every hair on Giovanni’s body had burned away. His skin was smooth and unmarred, but he was cold. Colder than she had ever felt. “I can’t feel him. I can’t feel his mind. What’s wrong? I can’t feel him!” Her voice rose in hysteria.

“Shhh,” Tenzin soothed her. “He must be alive. He is here. He is unmarked. He must be—”

“I can’t feel him!”
she screamed again, clutching him to her chest. She bit her wrist and held it to his lifeless lips. “Please. Please, Gio, please.”

A drop of red blood fell into his mouth, but he did not move to swallow it. She pressed on his throat, willing him to taste her blood. His blood. The blood that ran between them. But there was nothing.

Beatrice rocked him in her arms as the surviving vampires crowded around them. She felt Carwyn’s hand on her shoulder and flinched.

“Darling girl—”

“Get away! All of you!” She pulled Giovanni’s body toward the scorched stone steps and held him close, still rocking him back and forth and whispering in his ear.

“Come back to me, Jacopo,” she said. “Remember, you said you would always find me. I’m here, love. Come back to me. I need you to find me now.”

She could feel the eyes of the room on her. She could see the worried stares of her friends, but she ignored them and placed a hand over his heart. “They don’t understand. They don’t know. I can feel your blood in me. It
hasn’t
cried out, so I know you’re still there. You just need to come back to me. They don’t know. But you do.
Ubi amo; ibi patria.
Hundreds of years. Thousands of miles.” She choked back her tears. “Pain. Loss. It’s so clear to me now. You are my home. You just need to come back to me, Jacopo.”

He didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t make a single movement. He lay still and cold and lifeless in her arms. But a faint hum of energy sparked under Beatrice’s hands, and Giovanni’s heart gave a single thump.

“Anything yet?”

“She’s stayed with him all day, but no.”

Beatrice could hear the whispers outside her room, but she ignored them.

“No movement at all?”

“She says she can feel his mind, and his amnis is a little stronger, but he hasn’t moved or opened his eyes.”

The sun rose in the sky, she could feel the pull of the moon, but Beatrice lay still and silent next to her husband, willing him to return to her. Willing him to heal from whatever black void had taken over his mind.

“Blood?”

“She’s tried, but it just lays on his lips. She keeps trying to force it down his throat, but nothing.”

Beatrice and Giovanni lay in their bedroom of the house in Rome as the city continued its maddening march.

A day.

A week.

Emil Conti was slowly pulling the immortals of Rome back from the madness of Livia’s rule. The immediate and vocal support of Terrance Ramsay in London, Jean Desmarais in Marseilles, Oleg in Russia, and many other prominent immortal courts helped to ease the transition. Even more unexpected was the public support of the fabled Elders of Penglai Island.

“Any change?”

“No, and she told us to stop asking.”

Lorenzo had disappeared again. This time, no one claimed to support him. Whatever connections he might have held, whatever sneaking influence he’d clung to, had been severed by the knowledge that the devious vampire had willingly supported Livia’s quest for an elixir that could render even an ancient immortal helpless.

“She needs to drink. She hasn’t fed in over a week.”

“I know.”

Ziri, Arosh, and Kato had disappeared as if their presence had been a dream. Though rumors of the ancients’ appearance ran wild through Rome, the whole saga of Livia’s defeat, and all that had led up to it, was quickly becoming more vague speculation than actual knowledge. Wild tales rose up, but the Roman noblewoman was no more. Dwelling in the past was useless. Emil Conti was the power in Rome, and despite the loss of his wife, he had quickly gathered a strong group of allies around him. There was no question who had control of the city.

“Anything?”

“I think we need to stop asking.”

It was two weeks after Livia’s defeat that Beatrice found herself standing in the kitchen, looking around blankly. She couldn’t remember why she had come downstairs until the smell of a human reached her nose. She turned around with bared fangs.

“Whoa, B.” Ben held up his hands, quickly walked to the refrigerator, and pulled out a bag of blood. He tossed it to her, and she caught it, biting into the thick plastic and sucking the cold bag dry. Ben watched her, then reached in and pulled out another.

“Looks like someone’s hungry.” He tossed her the second bag.

She bit into it, ignoring the stale taste of the preserved blood. It was enough to take the edge off.

Beatrice asked in a hoarse voice, “Where is everyone?”

Ben took a deep breath. “Most of us are… around. Jean took off back to France for political stuff. Gavin and Carwyn cooked up something to do with the last of the elixir, so Gavin’s gone, but Carwyn stayed. And Angela’s here, of course. Tenzin’s even been staying here. All the family except for Dez and Matt. They’re back at the hospital.” She looked up in panic, but Ben was quick to continue. “The baby’s
fine
, but Dez had some bleeding again, so they think they’re going to do a C-section in the next couple of days. She’s a few weeks early, but the doctors think the baby’s big enough.”

“Lucien?” she asked.

Ben’s face fell. “He’s in his room. It’s not good. He’s mostly just sleeping. Though, I guess since we know that Kato survived… There’s still hope, you know?”

She nodded. “Okay. Good. Uh… you okay?”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah. I’m good. Just been worried about you guys. Is there any… never mind.”

She just shook her head. “No. Nothing so far. Everything’s the same with him.”

Beatrice turned when she heard a thump in the hall. “Who...”

Ben started toward the door. “It’s early, but the sun’s up; I thought everyone was asleep except for you.”

Her eyes narrowed and her senses went on alert, but she could detect no unfamiliar scent. In fact, she thought she smelled Lucien, but he wouldn’t be awake.

Then, she smelled the smoke.

She rushed toward the courtyard and pulled open the door, but reared back at the low light of dawn. No sunlight touched her, but she could still feel the agonizing heat from its glow.

Ben was right behind her. “What are you doing, B?”

“I think Lucien’s in the courtyard!”

Ben’s eyes grew wide. “Oh shit! I don’t know if I can—”

“You have to drag him in. You
have
to!”

Ben ran into the courtyard while Beatrice held the door open, aching with the proximity of the light. Her skin wasn’t burned yet, but she could feel the heat building. She heard a scuffling sound along with quiet curses, then Ben pulled a charred Lucien into the house, and Beatrice slammed the door shut.

His skin was blistered and smoking, and he clutched a letter to his chest.

“Ben, grab some blood from the fridge!”

Beatrice cradled him in her lap and rocked him back and forth. “Please, Lucien. Not you, too. I can’t handle this. It’s too much.”

She saw his lips move and put her ear down to his charred lips.

“Rada,” he whispered. “She is dead, Beatrice. The letter…”

She pulled the letter from his hand and smoothed it out. It was written in Bulgarian, and she could only read the date. It had been written the week before. She didn’t try to stop the tears that fell down her face.

“Too much,” he whispered. “I’m tired, B. I’m so tired.”

She pressed a kiss to his blistered forehead and closed her eyes. “Please, Lucien, don’t make me lose you. I’m so tired of losing.”

Ben held out the bag of blood and Beatrice held it to his lips, mouthing the word ‘
Please
’ again. Lucien’s eyes held hers for a moment; then he closed them and bit. She watched as he forced down the blood she knew he didn’t want. Lucien’s eyes closed after a few moments, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Beatrice was just stirring to lift and take him back to his room when she felt the pulse of energy coming from outside the house. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she crouched over Lucien, immediately on alert.

The sun may have been rising in the sky, but her instincts told her there was an immortal only steps away. It was the oldest amnis she had ever felt. She looked at Ben, and she could tell he felt the strange energy, too. It hummed as if the very dust in the air vibrated. The scent of dark earth came to her nose. The smell of green and living things. Of soil and leaves. Moss and flowers. Her ears pricked at the sound of a light step in the courtyard.

Ben placed his hand on the knife he wore at his waist and walked to the door, but before he reached it, the door opened and a tall figure wearing a heavy cloak stepped through. It closed behind her, as if moved by an invisible hand. The stranger lifted her hands and pushed back the hood of her cloak as Beatrice gasped.

She was Saba. Beatrice knew it without question. She was earth and life. Her dark brown eyes were round and thickly lashed. Her black skin pulsed with energy, and her wide lips spread in a gentle smile. She was the most beautiful woman Beatrice had ever seen.

Beatrice couldn’t stop the rush of joyful tears that came to her eyes as she looked up and whispered, “Mother.”

Ben stepped back, even his weak human senses telling him that this was a creature of immense power. Saba stepped farther into the room and knelt down, placing a hand on Lucien’s forehead.

“My son,” she said. “My lovely child, what have you done?”

Beatrice was frozen as Saba gently lifted Lucien from her arms. The vampire rose and spoke to Ben. “Boy, you will show me where he may rest.”

Ben looked at Beatrice, then back to Saba in confusion. “Um… yeah, okay. His room is up the stairs and down the hall.”

Saba turned her eyes to Beatrice. “Daughter, you will follow me.”

Beatrice rose without question, following them to Lucien’s room where she saw Saba lay Lucien down on the bed before she came back to the door.

“Daughter, you will wait.”

She shut the door, and Beatrice sat down in the hall just outside. Ben slid down to the floor next to her and asked, “B, who is that?”

“Saba,” she whispered.

“How can she be out during the day? She wasn’t burned at all.”

Beatrice only shook her head. “Because she’s Saba.”

Ben frowned at her, then turned back to stare at the wall. Beatrice relaxed. For the first time in months, she felt complete and utter peace.

An hour or two later, Ben was slumped against her shoulder, napping. She heard the crack of the door; then Saba entered the hall. Beatrice quickly stood. Ben roused when his pillow moved and looked around, blinking like an owl. Saba smiled at him in amusement.

“Boy, you are faithful. Few know such strength so young. Go to sleep. Your time is not now.”

Ben blinked again and stood up, stretching his lanky frame. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. “Okay. B, you need me?”

She shook her head and placed a hand on his cheek. “Not right now. Go to bed, Ben.”

He rubbed his eyes again, then turned and walked down the hall. Beatrice looked back at Saba, who was watching her.

“Daughter, where is your mate?”

Beatrice felt tears come to her eyes again, but she was not ashamed. Saba held out her hand and Beatrice took it, climbing the stairs to the third floor where Giovanni rested, cold and motionless in their bed.

The ancient healer entered the room and walked to him as Beatrice sat at the foot of the bed.

“Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

Saba stroked his face and placed a hand at his temple. “He is tired.”

Beatrice choked back a sob. “Will he wake up?”

“Do not be uneasy. He has earned this healing, Daughter.”

Beatrice blinked and wiped the tears from her eyes as Saba sat next to Giovanni. She bit her wrist and held it to his lips. Immediately, he latched on and began to drink. Beatrice had to stifle a joyful laugh.

“How—”

“I use my power to make him drink.”

“You can do that?”

Amusement colored the ancient’s eyes. “Oh yes.”

Beatrice stretched out next to him and put an arm around his waist, watching in fascination as Giovanni’s lips moved. “I didn’t think I would ever see him move again.”

Saba’s other hand stroked along her forehead. “Of course you will. I can feel your blood in him. Do not worry; he will come back to you, Daughter.”

Beatrice stared up into her beautiful face. “Am I your daughter?”

“Of course you are.”

“I’ve never had a mother.”