Authors: Elizabeth Hunter
A few minutes later, they landed with a soft thud at the gates of Castello Furio. Beatrice could hear the sounds of a party going on in the house.
Tenzin’s eyes swept the grounds. “She’s thinking more defensively.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, two guards rushed them. They came to a halt a few meters away, but Tenzin kept walking at a steady and determined pace.
A guard spoke. “Stop, both of you! You may not enter the castle with weapons.”
Tenzin drew her sword in the space of a heartbeat, sliced off the head of the guard who spoke, and kept walking as the body crumbled to the ground. “Oh, really?”
The other guard immediately snarled and drew his weapon, but Beatrice reached back for the
shuang gou
, drew them, and cut off the head of the vampire in one smooth movement. She hooked the swords in front of her and kept walking.
Four guards came at them next. Tenzin took to the air and swiftly killed two as Beatrice reached out to either side and hooked her blades around the necks of her attackers. She pulled both of them toward her, feeling the cold blood spatter on her face as their spines were severed and their heads fell at her feet.
By the time they were halfway across the garden, more guards had gathered but had stopped attacking them. They walked up the stairs, and Tenzin sent a great gust of wind to slam against the doors, pushing them open.
The two vampires entered the grand entryway and halted as every eye in the room turned toward them. Beatrice walked to the fountain and tore off a sleeve, flicking her fingers to spray a sheen of water over her blood-splattered face. She patted it dry, staring at the gaping immortals in formal wear that watched them. The music had died, and a path opened through the crowd, guiding them forward.
Beatrice bared her gleaming white fangs and let her amnis churn the water in the fountain until it splashed over the edges of the stone basin.
“Sorry about that.” She sniffed and flicked the water back in. “We left a bit of a mess on the front lawn, too.”
Tenzin hushed her as they walked to the right and into the great banquet hall of Castello Furio. It looked like the party the night before had not stopped with Giovanni’s arrest. Beatrice could see Livia sitting on a plush chaise with a group of admirers in one corner. The noblewoman was dressed in another rich amethyst gown, her hair piled in a tower of curls. She looked up, and the smile fell from her face. She stood as Tenzin came to a halt and sniffed the air.
Out of the corner of her eye, Beatrice saw Lorenzo emerge from a doorway to the right with a company of guards. The guards spread along the edges of the room and Lorenzo stood behind Livia. His smiling eyes never left Beatrice. She glanced at him, then turned back to Tenzin, who stood quietly in front of the Roman. No one spoke until Tenzin opened her mouth.
“Livia.”
“Tenzin.”
“Give me Giovanni Vecchio.”
Livia curled a red-painted lip. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“In thousands of years, I’ve been called many things, but ‘ridiculous’ is not one of them, Roman dog.”
Livia narrowed her eyes and scanned the two vampires, noting their bloody clothes. “Why do you come to my house to insult me, barbarian? To kill my guards? What kind of civilized person comes to a party with bloody weapons?”
“You will give me my friend.”
“Why? Giovanni di Spada killed my husband and mate, Niccolo Andros, his own sire. I have every right to keep him as my prisoner. He is a murderer, a liar, and a thief. His own son confirms it.”
Even though the accusation had been made before, Beatrice could still feel the shock roll through the room, and her own rage mount. She glanced around at the crowd, all of whom were keeping a safe distance. No one seemed to be able to take their eyes off of Tenzin and Livia.
“I do not know the truth of this accusation, nor do I care.” Tenzin lifted her bloody saber and pointed it toward Lorenzo. “I know that
you
harbor a vampire who has defied a judgment of the immortal elders of Penglai Island. What have you to say to that?”
Livia shrugged. “I have received no official correspondence from that court. Who are you to speak for them?”
Beatrice could hear a few gasps around the room. Apparently, Livia was surprising even the jaded Roman population with her arrogance. From the corner of her eye, she saw Emil Conti approach with watchful eyes.
“Who am
I
?” Tenzin bared her fangs. Beatrice could hear the rustle of alarm spread through the room, but Livia remained still. “I am Tenzin. That is all the explanation you require.”
Livia lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? And who makes these ridiculous accusations of my associate?”
Beatrice forced back the angry words that wanted to burst from her mouth. Her fangs grew long, and she tasted blood. She glanced over at Tenzin, but the small vampire looked eerily calm as she turned her back on Livia and addressed the Roman crowd.
“This vampire who Livia favors, Lorenzo, defied an official judgment of the Eight Immortals when he stole a manuscript from their scribe, Beatrice De Novo. Further, he and his vampires slaughtered the learned monks of Elder Lu Dongbin in the Wuyi Mountains. They killed humans under immortal aegis, none of whom had provoked such an attack.”
A growing wind built in the room, lifting Tenzin as she surveyed the crowd. Beatrice looked on, unable to tear her eyes from the frightening specter of her friend wielding her power. Tenzin turned to Livia, but her voice echoed off the stone walls.
“The vampire
you
shelter defied the Elders, slaughtered the monks, and then...” Tenzin swooped down and grabbed Lorenzo by the throat, lifting him in the air and beyond the reach of his patroness. “Then, this bastard killed
my
mate.”
The reaction was instantaneous. The Roman vampires, still even in the face of Tenzin’s frightening power, began to whisper and scuttle to the edges of the room. The black-clad guards stepped forward, surrounding Beatrice, but keeping their distance from her drawn weapons.
Livia calmly walked down the steps and came to stand in front of Beatrice. She looked up with haughty eyes. “And what immortal accuses Lorenzo of this murder?”
Beatrice made sure she spoke loud enough to be heard over the rushing wind.
“I do. He killed my father and my sire, Stephen De Novo.”
Livia was silent for a moment before she burst into laughter. “Lorenzo killed your father? How predictable. And why should we believe the accusations of an angry child?”
Beatrice let a satisfied smile curve her lips when she realized the trap that Tenzin had so carefully laid. Lorenzo dropped from Tenzin’s grasp a moment before the wind vampire landed next to Beatrice. Tenzin kicked the blond vampire to the corner and stepped between Beatrice and Livia.
“Quite right, Livia.” The Roman inched back as Tenzin crowded her. “You are
quite
right. Who would believe the angry accusations of a grieving child? Even more”—Tenzin aimed a glare at Lorenzo—“who would believe the accusations of a
spiteful
child? One who has always coveted his father’s wealth? Why, to believe something like that without question, would be... madness.”
The air was suddenly still and not a whisper could be heard. Livia took a step back. Anger churned in her eyes, but her face was otherwise placid. Finally, she turned and sat on the brocade sofa where she had been holding court. Lorenzo brushed his clothes off and came to sit next to her. She placed her hand in his.
“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.