Dawn Caravan: Elemental Legacy Book Four (Elemental Legacy Novels 4) Page 17

  “Tenzin…” Radu frowned. “Tenzin is the last suspect.”

  Ben barked a laugh. Then he closed his eyes. “Of course she is.”

  Could she have done it? Was Tenzin capable of stealing a fabulous carved-emerald goblet that was probably worth millions and had a cool legend attached to it? Of course she was. In fact, she was probably the most likely suspect.

  Ben strode through the campsite, following Radu’s instructions and the pulsing beat of his elemental energy, which was coursing over his skin in giant horny waves. His amnis knew she was close, and it craved her like a drug.

  He was going to kiss—no, kill—her. He was going to kill her. She had to have known something was up in all this. That’s what she’d been holding back last week at Farkas’s mansion. That’s what she hadn’t told him. She’d been cryptic and evasive and this was why, because she must have figured out that the icon job was only a ruse.

  He pounded on the door and felt every rap in his erection.

  How was he supposed to function like this? His body was betraying him. The moment he’d smelled her scent, he’d gone hard.

  You are not a teenager. He imagined glaring holes through her body. She’d shout at him and deflect, then refuse to apologize for being stubborn and cryptic and withholding important infor—

  “Come in. It’s unlocked.”

  Ben yanked at the door and it swung open, only to be met with Tenzin hanging upside down from a bed mounted from the ceiling.

  She was insane. And adorable. And he’d missed her like crazy, even after only a few days apart. Seeing her in Bucharest had been like an alcoholic getting a sip of whiskey when he wanted to down the whole bottle.

  “Aren’t these buses cool?” She grinned, and her adorable fangs gleamed in the low lamplight. “We need to get one of them in America.”

  Ben slammed the door shut and marched over to her. “This is what you were hiding?”

  “The bus?”

  “No!” He kept his voice low. “This thing with Radu. Did you know he was going to kidnap me? Is this what you weren’t telling me in Hungary?”

  “Hmmm.” She stayed hanging upside down. “Sort of.”

  “What kind of answer is that?”

  “The only one I’m going to give you right now.”

  Ben grabbed Tenzin’s cheeks and kissed her hard, giving in to the instinct that had been scraping at him since he’d seen her at the club in Bucharest. He’d thought she was gone, and now she was back.

  He wanted her. Fuck, he wanted her so much. Every cell in his body was hungry for the taste of her. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, nicking the end so her blood flooded his mouth and his senses.

  She groaned and reached for his neck, dragging him closer.

  Ben slid his hands down her neck and across her shoulders until he cupped her small breasts in his hands and squeezed. He wanted to pull her shirt up and feel her skin. He needed the contact. He ran a hand down to her waist and slid his fingers beneath her leggings, tracing the rise of her pelvis and the smooth skin of her hip.

  The sound she made in her throat was halfway between a purr and a snarl.

  He dragged his hands up her body again and broke their kiss, keeping both his hands on her cheeks. Her mouth was open and her lips were red. A drop of her blood lingered at the corner of her mouth, and he licked out and captured it.

  The smell of her desire nearly buckled his knees. “You drive me absolutely fucking crazy.”

  “I missed you too.” She brushed her thumb over his lower lip. “Did Radu tell you I was here? Is that why you came with him? He couldn’t take you if you didn’t want to be taken.”

  “I came for the job. I came because of the goblet that René probably stole.”

  “Goblet?” She rolled over, and her hair fell in her eyes. She puffed her breath up and the hair tucked itself behind her ear.

  “Don’t pretend like you don’t know.”

  “I didn’t know they were missing one of the goblets.” Her eyes gleamed. “Which one? Is it Kezia’s or Radu’s? It wouldn’t be Vano’s; he wouldn’t ask for help.”

  “Was it you?”

  She shook her head. “What kind of question is that to ask someone you just kissed? Quite well, I will add. That was nice.”

  “Because it’s you, it’s necessary.”

  “The kiss?”

  “The question, Tenzin.”

  She ran a finger along his bottom lip. “You’re so stern right now. Is this because René is here? It’s not René this time.”

  “You’re pissing me off.”

  She floated down from the hanging bed and planted her feet in front of him. “You don’t really think I stole this.”

  “If you did, just give it to me and I’ll get it back to Radu. You can take off and we’ll never speak of it again.”

  “I can’t take off. I’ve agreed to be here for three weeks. You can’t leave the Dawn Caravan before your stay is over, not if you ever want to come back. Those are the rules, Benjamin. Didn’t they tell you?”

  “You’re here for three weeks?”

  She smiled. “You know what’s happening in three weeks, don’t you? The Vashana Zata is a big deal. A giant festival where they choose the future terrin. That’s why Radu, Kezia, and Vano are all here.”

  “How did you know about the festival?”

  She ignored him. “You don’t want me to take off.” She whispered, “You need me to help you find the goblet.”

  The fact that he’d been thinking about that no more than half an hour before didn’t assuage his anger at all.

  “I know all the vampires here better than you,” she continued. “Well, except for Tatyana, but I’m figuring her out. I can tell you when they’re lying. Even more, I can tell you all the things that Radu won’t.”

  “Radu’s not telling me everything?”

  “Of course he’s not.” Tenzin tapped his lower lip, and Ben let his fangs fall. “Do you want to have sex?”

  “That’s not why I came to your caravan.”

  “That’s not a yes or no.”

  “Then no.”

  “Liar.” She glanced down at the tent in his pants. “But we can pretend you came to tell me I was annoying you.”

  “Driving me crazy.”

  “Right.” She held up a finger. “Yes. Driving you crazy.”

  He was going to have to do it. They were going to have to have a giant fight in front of God and a dozen strange vampires before this was over. There was no way he could work with her on something in such close quarters without exploding eventually.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” His voice was rough.

  “Was there anything else now that you’ve told me I drive you crazy?” She floated up to him until they were eye to eye. “I am here to listen. I’m not going to say I am ‘all ears.’ That is a horrible saying that creates a grotesque mental picture.”

  Everything Ben wanted to say was caught in his throat.

  I still love you.

  I also hate you.

  I miss you too.

  I dream about you.

  You are the only one I want, and that makes me unbearably sad.

  The last thought killed the remnants of Ben’s desire. “I’m going to investigate this,” he said. “And I’m not going to play favorites.”

  She looked disappointed. “Fine. I don’t have anything to hide. Once you eliminate me as a suspect, we can work together.”

  “That’s not how this is going to go.”

  “On the contrary,” Tenzin said. “According to the deal we struck, we were going to work together through the end of Radu’s job. Since Radu’s job never really finished, then here we are. Business partners again.”

  Dammit, she was right.

  “I don’t think Radu invited you here because he wanted us working together.”

  “Radu didn’t invite me at all,” Tenzin said. “Kezia did.” She reached for a colorful copy of a magazine entitled Bird
s & Blooms on the kitchenette table. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s an article about creating bee-friendly urban gardens I wanted to read.”

  Ben backed out of the caravan, and Tenzin blew the door shut with a flick of her tiny hand.

  22

  “Where are you?” Chloe was practically yelling at him. “You were supposed to be in Rome two days ago. Do not do this to me again, Ben! Do I need to send Gavin after you?”

  Ben put a hand over her mouth on the screen, but that just made the screen wobble. He pulled his hand away. “Chloe—”

  “She told you not to go without Gavin, but did you listen? No! ‘She’s being dramatic, Chloe. She likes the attention.’ Do I need to call Giovanni?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course you don’t.”

  She held her hand up to her forehead. “Because I’ve had it up to here with both of you! It’s been two fucking years! The two of you love each other, and I know you have issues, but you refuse to talk. You just passive-aggressively lash out at everyone around you, and I’m sick—”

  “Chloe!”

  “What?”

  Ben couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this pissed off. “Tenzin is here. We’re stuck in this very small camp together for three weeks. So your wish has been granted. We’ll either figure things out or we’ll kill each other. Happy?”

  “I’m honestly fine with either outcome at this point.” She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sick of it.”

  “Up to here.” He held his fingers to his forehead. “I got it. I’m fine. She’s fine. Neither of us is in any danger, and we’re still working with Radu.”

  “But the icon—”

  “I can’t tell you all the details, but think of the icon as a kind of dry run. Now we’re working on the real deal.”

  “The real deal? And you can’t tell me anything?”

  “I can’t tell you what we’re after, but I can ask you to look into some names for me.”

  Chloe pulled out a notebook. “You’re going to figure things out with Tenzin?”

  “Yes. I can’t promise you it’s going to work out the way you want it to, but—”

  “I don’t really care— No, that’s a lie. I want our happy family back in New York. I want my friends back. I want both of you to be happy. But I’m a big girl and I realize I don’t always get what I want.” She picked up a pen. “What do you need?”

  He stared at her, the girl who’d been his first friend in high school, his first girlfriend, his first love, and then one of his best friends. “Chloe?”

  “What?” She looked tired.

  “I’m sorry we put you in the middle of our shit. I really love you and appreciate everything you do.”

  She blinked hard. “You were gone for two years. And I know you glossed over a lot of the hard parts during that time. I don’t know if you’ve talked to Gavin or if you’ve talked with anyone—”

  “I have. I promise.”

  She nodded. “I love you both. I want you to be happy, and I just don’t understand…” She cleared her throat. “I don’t understand why you think you’re so different now, when to me you’re still the Ben Vecchio I always knew. You have fangs now, but you’re still you.”

  “Thanks for saying that.” He didn’t feel the same. Not even close.

  A tear slipped down Chloe’s cheek. “None of us could stand living without you. Is that so wrong?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.” She swiped at her eyes. “Give me names and as much background as you have and I’ll start searching.”

  “Thanks.”

  She probably wouldn’t find much, but she’d ask Gavin, who might give him more. He gave her the names and tasks to keep her busy and to make her feel like she was helping.

  Chloe did help. She helped every time she called him Benny or teased him or reminded him he wasn’t the monster he saw in the mirror anytime he could bear to look at his reflection. She helped every time she prodded Ben and Tenzin to figure things out.

  “You offered your love to me, then you demanded that I watch you die.”

  Tenzin was right.

  And she was wrong.

  She was both those things at exactly the same time, and how did he reconcile that? How did he forgive a human impulse when the results were eternal?

  He checked the time in Los Angeles and called Sadia.

  Dema answered the video request. “It’s you.”

  “Yes, it’s me. Is she there?”

  “It’s almost dinnertime.”

  “I won’t keep her on the screen too long.”

  Dema nodded and stepped away. “Sadia, Ben is on the screen for you!”

  Ben heard the thunder of miniature elephants; then Sadia was leaning on the little desk where her screen lived. “Ben!”

  “Ciao, sorellina.”

  “Ciao bello.” She rested her chubby little chin on her hand. “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know exactly, but I’m very safe, so don’t worry.”

  “Are you coming home soon? Baba said you were going to Rome. We can go to Rome and see you there if you want.”

  He touched her flyaway hair on the screen, but just like with Chloe, the picture wobbled. “I’m working for the next three weeks.”

  “Three weeks is long.”

  “I know. I didn’t think it would be so long either. After that, I’ll try to come for a visit, okay?”

  She sighed. “Okay. Is Tenzin with you?”

  “Yeah, actually she is.”

  “Where?” Sadia’s eyes lit up. “She didn’t call me back, but I sent her a picture of me on my bike.”

  “She’s not here, here, but—”

  “Can you get her?” Sadia stood and danced at her desk. “I want to see her.”

  Of course you do.

  “Okay,” he said. “How about tomorrow night? Would that work?”

  She nodded, then looked over her shoulder. “I have to go.”

  “Dinnertime?”

  She threw her head back and groaned. “I think I smell broccoli.”

  Ben stifled a smile. “Listen, when I was your age, I had to eat a lot of broccoli.”

  “Does it help you become a vampire?”

  “Uh… yes. Because it makes your body really strong.”

  She nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. “I’ll eat the broccoli.”

  “Good. It’s really important.”

  “Okay.” She raised her hand to touch the button; then she stopped and held her little finger up. “Tomorrow night with Tenzin?”

  If he didn’t deliver, he’d never hear the end of it. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Okay.” She looked over her shoulder. “I’m coming.” She looked back to the screen. “I love you. Bye.”

  Sadia hung up without waiting for Ben to respond. It was one of those little things she did that reassured him.

  She didn’t wait for Ben to respond because she knew he loved her. Sadia knew she was loved. She knew he’d do anything for her. There was not a doubt in her mind.

  Ben had never had that assurance when he was five. Not even close. But Sadia did, and he was a part of that. On nights where he felt especially bitter about never seeing the sun again, he reminded himself of that.

  “Completely wrong and completely right,” Brigid mused over the phone. “Yes, that sounds like roughly half the decisions you have to make as an immortal.”

  “Tanks.” He mimicked her accent as he moved a pawn on the chessboard, playing both sides. “Tat’s so helpful.”

  “Feck off.” She laughed at him. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. We don’t live in a black-and-white world. Sometimes there aren’t any good answers to a problem.”

  Ben tapped the white knight on the chessboard. “If Carwyn was human and dying, would you—?”

  “Faster than you can fecking blink.”

  The words tumbled out of Brigid’s mouth at such rapid speed, Ben had to rewind to catch her meaning. “You woul
d?”

  “Without a second thought.”

  “Even if he didn’t want to be a vampire?”

  “I think even if he hated me forever, I’d do it,” she said quietly. “Even if I had to do it myself and it killed the love between us, I’d do it. I’m not proud for saying it, but God’s truth, I can’t give you another answer.”

  Hearing her answer brought a bitter taste to his mouth, so Ben was surprised when the spike in his heart eased just a little. “Why? How are you so sure?”

  Brigid took a long time to reply. “My life was very dark for a long time. And then… this man came into it. This infuriating, glorious madman came into my life, and it was like seeing the sun break over the horizon—to put it in human terms.” She cleared her throat. “So it’s just to say I’d do anything to keep that sunshine, Benny. Anything. Because thinking about a world where Carwyn ap Bryn didn’t exist at all takes me to such a dark place in my soul that I wouldn’t emerge from it.”

  Ben had nothing to say.

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” Brigid’s voice was intensely quiet. “Those of us who have been wounded cling to what gives us light or peace. Even if it’s not the right thing. Even if it hurts. Because the other option is not an option.”

  “She did the only thing she could think to do when someone she loved was dying. How do you not fucking see that?”

  “I get you.” Ben picked up the black queen and held the piece to his lips.

  “Do you?”

  “Yes.” He set the queen down on the board, moving her into position next to the black knight. “I understand what you’re saying.”

  He walked across the camp and knocked on her door an hour before dawn. The fire had burned down to embers, and the immortals had retired to their day chambers. The only movement he saw in the blue predawn light was from the scattered figures of the humans on the edges of the encampment and a cat slinking through the long grass.

  This time Ben waited for Tenzin to come to the door.

  When she opened it, Ben’s body had the exact same reaction it always did, but something in his amnis had settled. The frantic, desperate feeling she’d provoked earlier was gone.