Carwyn said, “But he didn’t.”
Arosh cocked his head and stared at the fire. “No, he didn’t. I brought him here. I made sure he was safe and left him in Samson’s care along with a few trusted humans. When I went back to my home in Persia—this was after the word had spread that we had killed each other—” His eyes lifted to Giovanni’s. “My home, particularly my library, had been ransacked.”
Giovanni closed his eyes and clenched his hands in anger. “And that is how the book came to my father.”
Arosh nodded. “Saba left Jabir’s manuscript and notes in my library. I doubt your father had any idea what he took. Maybe he discovered it. Maybe he didn’t. He was always a bright child, however detestable his character was.”
Giovanni slumped back, exhausted by the revelations. Had his father known? Did it even matter? The damage had been done. The poison had already spread, and Arosh was staring at him.
“So now, Giovanni, son of Andreas, you will ask me for your favor again, and I will tell you what you must give me in exchange.”
Giovanni leaned forward and stared through the fire to meet the ancient immortal’s gaze. “Arosh, will you expose this truth, and my grand-sire, to stop this evil from spreading? Will you take Kato to Rome and show the immortal world the true price of this ‘cure?’”
Arosh’s gaze was guarded. “You ask me to expose my closest friend, Giovanni Vecchio. You ask me to show the world what he has become. To show them his weakness?”
“To stop this? Yes. I ask you to expose the dangerous secret that you, Kato, Saba, and Ziri hid.”
He could feel the heat from the other vampire roll from across the room. “Why do you not kill this vampire and take the city? Destroy the book. Destroy those who know of it. Why should I expose my friend to scrutiny? To spare you the inconvenience of battle? I fought many battles I didn’t choose because I had to. What makes you above me?”
The flames threatened to burst from his collar, and it was Carwyn who answered while Giovanni fought to maintain his control. “This elixir, Arosh, this secret, has been released into the world! Who knows whom Livia has told? Who knows if there have been copies of the book or the formula made? We don’t need to just stop the elixir, we need to tell the world the truth. Enough secrets! Expose the danger. That is the only way it will be stopped.”
Giovanni managed to push back his own anger as he rose to his feet. “You have warned us of the dangerous fire of pride. This secret that you and your friends created has remained hidden for too long. Others have been hurt. Killed. Saba’s own child has fallen ill from it. Do not let your pride blind you to what must be done to stop this.”
Arosh gave him a long, measuring look before he rose. “You are asking this of me?”
His heart gave a quick beat. “I am.”
“Then you know what I will want in return.”
“Yes.”
“Your blood, Giovanni, son of Andreas. Your blood to heal your grand-sire. For as long as he needs it. Your blood and the blood of your children. The blood of any and all of Kato’s line.” His eyes flared, and he stepped through the fire toward Giovanni. “Promise me your blood, and I will grant you your request.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Residenza di Spada, Rome
November 2012
Beatrice had spent most of the day in the bath. The house was quiet. Lucien was sleeping. Gavin and Jean were due back any night with the truck that held the ELIXIR shipment, but it was anyone’s guess when they would actually show. Dez remained in the hospital on bed rest per her doctor’s orders, so Ben and Matt spent their days there and Beatrice wandered the halls of Giovanni’s house with little to do.
She had kept away from Livia, letting Emil take the lead as more and more vampires flooded into Rome. News of the Roman noblewoman’s startling announcement had quickly spread through Europe, and the Roman court was suddenly the most active in the Old World. Most European leaders had either sent delegations to Rome to investigate Livia’s claims, or had issued statements praising her. Emil Conti could no longer pretend to be impartial. The lone voice of dissent, he had come out weeks before with a strong public statement, warning those who would listen about the unknown dangers of any formula that claimed to cure bloodlust.
Distinct lines were being drawn and, unfortunately for Beatrice, the personal grievance of a young American vampire received little notice to the major players of the European immortal community, no matter what her connections were.
She dabbed at her face with a towel as she walked back into the bedroom and saw Giovanni stretched out on the bed. He reached an arm out as she walked toward him.
“Come. Lay down and try to rest, Tesoro.”
She blinked back tears and dropped the towel before she went to lay next to him. “That’s it. I’ve finally lost it, haven’t I? I’m hallucinating.”
He tucked her into his side and wrapped a warm arm around her.
“Hush. You’re dreaming.”
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I don’t really sleep anymore.” She closed her eyes, resigned to the illusion if it let her imagine he was next to her again. “I haven’t slept at all since you’ve been gone. It’s okay. I’m okay with being crazy.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“I am,” she said. “I am, but that’s okay because you’re here.”
Warm fingers trailed up and down her arm as she reveled in his touch.
“Dreaming, I tell you. Not hallucinating.”
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “You’re not really here, are you?”
He gave a sad shake. “As much as I may wish it, no.”
“I guess I’m okay with crazy then.”
He tapped a finger against her forehead. “Not crazy.”
“I am, a little. Why do you love me like you do? I’ve never been able to figure it out. I’m really not that special.”
Giovanni smiled mischievously and tapped her forehead again. “Maybe I like crazy.”
“Told you.”
“No.” He breathed out. “I recognized you. Here.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then let his finger trail down her nose, over the slight bump and down around her lips. His fingertips danced across her bare skin until they rested lightly over her heart. “And here. I recognized you. Your mind. Your heart. We recognized each other.”
“Like Aristotle said.”
“One soul. Two bodies. My soul recognized its own. That is why I love you as I do. All the mysteries. All the secrets. That is the one truth we can hold to.”
She sighed and buried her face in the crook of his warm neck, inhaling the ghost of scent that covered him. “You are my balance in this life. In every life.”
He tangled his hand in her hair and held her closer. “In every life. Remember that, Tesoro mio.”
She took a deep breath and dug her fingers into his arms, desperate to hold him there. “I can’t do this without you. I’m so lost. Nothing is right without you.”
“You are exactly who you need to be.”
“Not without you. Never without you. Come back to me.” She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears that welled up. “What if you don’t come back to me?”
“Then you will go on.”
“I won’t want to.”
“But you will.”
She felt his lips on her forehead, softly pressing kisses along her hairline, down across her cheek until his face was buried in her neck and he could breathe in her scent. She twisted his hair around her fingers as their hearts beat together and they breathed in unison. In. Out. She inhaled the scent of sweet smoke and held it as long as she could.
“You can’t leave me.”
“I didn’t want to.”
“Please, Jacopo.”
“Why did you send me away?”
She choked on her cry. “Please… please come back.”
“Whatever happens, you will go on, Beatrice.”
“No.”
r /> “Yes.”
She closed her eyes and held him close, but when she opened them a pillow was crushed to her chest, and the ghost of his scent barely clung to it.
Night had fallen when Ben tapped on her door. “B?”
She was still holding the pillow and wrapped in the sheets that held the last of his scent. “Yeah?”
“Jean’s here. He’s in the library.”
“Gavin?”
“I guess he’s guarding the truck wherever they left it.”
She grabbed the dark handkerchief she kept by the bed and swiped at her eyes. “I’ll be down in a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” She heard him hesitate. “You all right?”
Beatrice sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m fine.”
She heard Ben walk back down the stairs, and she rose to walk into the closet. On impulse, she grabbed one of Giovanni’s black Oxford shirts and threw it over a black tank and a pair of jeans. She slipped her old boots on and pulled her hair back into a quick knot. Then she took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
She heard Jean’s deep voice as she approached the library. He was chatting with Angela and complimenting her on the wine. When Beatrice entered, he rose and offered a guarded smile. “Beatrice.”
“Hey, Jean. So, what’s the news?”
Angela slipped out of the room, probably to join Ben, who she could hear in the kitchen on the ground floor.
“Well, as they say, do you want the good news? Or the bad news?”
She sank into the couch and Jean took the seat across from her. Leaning forward, she tugged at her hair. “Can’t we get one, single break, Jean? Hit me with both. Whatever.”
“We have the truck. We have the boxes of ELIXIR. But we only have four of them.”
“And there were five in the shipment.”
“Oui. Whoever was holding the truck for us in Zagreb must have taken one off. Or Livia managed to get one of her people in.”
“So, there’s one box of this stuff floating around?”
He shrugged. “Chances are, she also had people watching, though she does not have as many interesting associates as Gavin and I do. Prior to this, the majority of her business has been legitimate.”
Beatrice bit her lip. “What’s your best guess? I’m bowing to the experts on this one. Do you and Gavin think she has it, or is this the kind of thing that was randomly stolen?”
Jean squinted and took another sip of his wine. “Honestly? If it was ordinary thieves stealing from a truck carrying what appeared to be high-end cosmetics... I suspect they would have taken all five boxes. Things like that are easily sold. Thieves would know this. I suspect that this was a single individual, one probably sent to fetch a box for Livia when she realized we had located and stopped the truck. A human who could only carry one before being detected. There was no scent of another immortal lingering in the area.”
“So, chances are good that she has a box of ELIXIR now.”
He nodded. “I would work from that assumption.”
A voice spoke from the hallway. “I’m going to Castello Furio.” Beatrice and Jean turned to see Lucien enter the library. He was paler than normal and appeared exhausted, but his voice was strong.
“Lucien, you can’t.”
“Yes, Beatrice, I can. I am no longer waiting for my mother. I don’t know when, or even if, she will show up. And I am through hiding the truth of my illness.”
Jean stood and held an arm out. Though Lucien was still strong, he often seemed to have strange sensitivities to light or sound. His balance was no longer reliable because the strange fugues that took him could hit at any time. Jean helped him to a chair and gave him his own glass of wine.
“My friend, may I send for some blood?”
The earth vampire only shrugged. “I am not hungry.”
He was never hungry.
Beatrice reached out a hand. “Lucien, please—”
“It’s been a year. I took the elixir a year ago and this is what it has done to me. I have lived thousands of years, and it is defeating me.” He shook his head. “I will probably die anyway; what use is my pride? My reputation? If any of my enemies wanted to take advantage of this to harm me, they will anyway.”
“Lucien, you know that we will take care of you, no matter what.” As much as she tried, Beatrice couldn’t help but feel like part of this was her father’s fault. If Stephen hadn’t shown interest in the manuscript, would it have drifted into obscurity? Would Lorenzo have damaged or destroyed it, ridding the world of its evil? It was useless speculation that still haunted her.
Lucien shook his head. “No. Enough. I spoke to Emil to let him know I am in town, and he told me the clamor of praise grows around her every day. The enthusiasm is boundless. I need to tell people the truth of what has happened to me.”
“Did Emil put you up to this?”
Lucien scoffed. “I’m not that far out of my own mind, Beatrice. I can make decisions for myself.”
Jean said, “Hold, my friend. We are only concerned that you may be endangering your—”
“I’m dying, Jean!” He clenched his jaw. “I am dying, and she would offer up this poison as a cure. Our kind must know the truth. Beatrice, take me to her. Take me to court. I will speak before I die. While I still have a voice, I will tell the truth.”
Beatrice couldn’t ignore him. “Okay, Lucien. If that’s what you want, I’ll take you.” She could see Jean begin to protest, so she held up her hand. “It’s his choice. Can you and Gavin guard the boxes of elixir until we get back and decide what to do with them?”
Jean nodded. “Of course. Should one of us stay here at the house with your humans?”
She nodded. “If you could. I don’t trust anyone in this city right now. Matt and Dez are at the hospital, and I’m pretty sure of the security there, but the house is too big to be left without at least one of us here.”
“I’ll let Gavin know. We won’t leave the residence unguarded.”
“Thanks, Jean. Now.” She rose and walked toward the door. “I better call a car if we’re going to make it there with enough time for some ass-kicking. Lucien, you need anything before we go?”
He took a deep breath, and she noticed that he looked peaceful for the first time in weeks. “Nope. Just point me in the direction of the asses. I may pass out, but I’ll try to get a few kicks in before I do.”
Beatrice wanted to laugh, but it stuck in her throat.
This wasn’t going to end well.
It took over an hour to reach the castle. When they pulled through the lavish gates, she noticed the number of uniformed drivers and luxury cars that crowded the lawn. Beatrice got out of the car and debated wearing her shuang gou. Unfortunately, there was no way she could carry the weapons inconspicuously. She tucked a few daggers into her boot and put the rest of her weapons away.
“Look at them all,” Lucien murmured as he looked around. “This is insane.”
“Well, Gio did say she loved it when people came to her.”
“He’s right.”
“He usually is. It’s very annoying.”
Lucien chuckled. “Let’s make sure we have an introduction. Do you think the party’s inside?”
“In this weather?” She looked around at the damp mist that was falling. “Yeah, they’re inside.”
“Does she still have that grand hall where she likes to sit like a queen?”
“Yup.”
“Lovely.”
They stopped inside the gates of the castle grounds and flagged down a servant. They asked for someone to give their names to Emil Conti while they waited under the watchful and plentiful eyes of Livia’s guards.
“When did she get so much security?” Lucien asked.
Beatrice looked around. Her back itched where her swords would usually hang, and she twisted her leg to the side, taking comfort in the solid press of metal against her ankle. “She really started piling them on after L
orenzo showed up and she arrested Gio.”
He frowned. “Where is she getting them? These do not look like young vampires.” He trailed off, muttering as she watched for a sign of Emil. Within a few minutes, she spotted a blur crossing the grounds and Emil stood before them. He nodded toward Lucien and bent to greet Beatrice with a kiss. He did not look pleased.
“My dear, this is unexpected. And probably quite foolish. Livia has taken advantage of this reception to announce what she is calling a ‘partnership’ with a few other vampires. I’m really not sure this is the proper place to—”
“Hey, don’t look at me.” She raised her hands, palms-out. “Lucien insisted.”
“Lucien, your call this afternoon was very unexpected. What do you have to do with all this mess?”
Lucien took a deep breath. “It’s the elixir, Emil. They found the truck, and there was a box of elixir missing. She has it. I know it—it…” He drifted off and Emil looked between Lucien and Beatrice in confusion.
“Lucien? What are you talking about?”
“He’s taken it, Emil.” Beatrice took Lucien’s hand and held it as he drifted.
Emil’s eyes grew wide. “The elixir? Lucien has taken the elixir?”
“He drank from a human who had taken it. Now, he is… ill. We’re not sure how or why, but that is where Gio and Carwyn have been. They’ve been trying to find more information from the vampires who helped develop it. And hopefully, they’ll find some kind of cure for Lucien, too.”
She was still reluctant to detail Giovanni and Carwyn’s attempts to find Arosh and Kato. For one thing, she had no idea whether they were having any success. They hadn’t heard any news from them in weeks. For another, the vampires they were looking for were supposed to be dead.
Emil was staring at Lucien in confusion. “So, Lucien drank from a human who had taken this drug and now he is… what?”
Lucien blinked and came back. “I’m still here. For now. But my mind is not right. I must tell the court what this elixir does. I must warn them.”