The Force of Wind

by Elizabeth Hunter

  It didn’t matter, he thought, as they moved together.

  They were eternal.

  “I feel… drunk.”

  Giovanni chuckled as she lay boneless across his chest, her arm draped across his waist in their bed. The steam had finally dissipated in the room. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Beatrice blinked, but didn’t make a characteristic smart remark. He smiled. She did sound drunk.

  She asked, “Is it the blood?”

  “I have no idea. I’ve never shared blood with anyone before. It’s probably a combination of that and our amnis combining.”

  She stretched out next to him, and her energy flowed over his body, touching each corner of his skin like a feather.

  “You feel so good,” he breathed out, shivering at her touch. “Is that what my amnis always felt like to you? Soft? Like feathers or silk?”

  “Hmm,” she mused. “Kind of, but hot. Your energy is always hot, even when your skin isn’t.”

  He frowned. “Not painful?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Just warm. I’ve always loved to feel you. From the beginning, I’ve loved that.”

  “I love it, too,” he whispered, brushing the hair from her face, in awe of the startling creature next to him. It was Beatrice, but stronger. Delicate, but not breakable as she had been.

  “Beatrice?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I understand.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide at his quiet declaration.

  “You—you do?”

  He gave her a small nod. “It still hurts that you chose to go through that without me. And I still think there are reasons you should have waited, but I understand why you did it. And I understand why you wanted to do it here.”

  She shook her head. “I never wanted to hurt you, Gio, but you’re so stubborn. And I was so worried—”

  “Shhh,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss her. “I know I can be stubborn.” He lifted an eyebrow. “But so can you.”

  She smiled. “You’re stuck with me now.”

  “And I am eternally grateful,” he whispered.

  Her hand began brushing over him again, combining with the current to arouse him. Giovanni had little hair on his body, most of it burning off when the fire took over, but what little there was lifted and followed her fingers, as if pleading for attention.

  “I had no idea you liked biting so much,” she murmured as her lips trailed down his chest.

  He took a deep breath, releasing it as he enjoyed the feel of her mouth and the scrape of her teeth. “I had no idea I did, either. Maybe I didn’t until it was you doing the biting.”

  She gave a throaty laugh and looked up, her fangs gleaming in the candlelight. “I like it.”

  “Good,” Giovanni said with a hoarse voice as she bent her head, sinking her fangs into the V of muscle that ran from his waist. He arched his back and gave a low hum of pleasure. “What do I taste like, Beatrice?”

  “Your blood?”

  “Yes.”

  Her tongue lapped at the punctures in his skin, licking the blood before the wounds closed.

  “Like smoke. Spicy. Rich.”

  He smiled. “Like your favorite foods.”

  She cocked her head, smiling at him. “Yeah, I guess so. That’s convenient.” She grinned, then leaned down to taste again. “You’re like… my own hot sauce.”

  He burst into laughter. “That’s what I get for marrying a Texan.”

  Giovanni pulled her up to kiss her lips and taste his blood on her tongue. It was startlingly arousing.

  “And I think I discovered why the food here is so bland.”

  “Yes,” he brushed a hand through her hair. “When they cook for vampires, it’s very mild. Your taste buds will be heightened for quite some time. I think it was ten years before I tasted any food that didn’t seem too strong. Like everything else, you will adapt.”

  “Gio?”

  “Hmm?” His lips moved along her neck, nipping and testing the soft skin.

  “What do I taste like? Is it different now?”

  “The same,” he breathed out, “except perhaps a little stronger, sweeter.”

  Giovanni had always loved the flavor of her blood and had worried about taking too much for that reason alone when she was human. Now, it wasn’t an issue. What they took from each other couldn’t harm them when they were exchanging blood. He could already feel his energy swirling inside his mate, heightening their connection and their pleasure.

  Beatrice slid down and nibbled across his waist before she sank her teeth in the other side of his waist, her fang marks mirror images in his perfect, sculpted body.

  He pulled her up to meet his mouth again, as his fingers fluttered along the crease of her thigh.

  “I’m keeping you locked in our room for the next several nights. Just in case you had any plans, cancel them. No working. No training. You’re mine.”

  “Oh?” she gasped as he rolled her onto her back. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Yes. I’ll have them deliver some blood to us. That’s all we need.”

  Her fingers traced the arch of his brow. “I just need you.”

  Giovanni pressed his hips into hers, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed leisurely for what could have been minutes or hours. Time had lost all meaning to him.

  “I want to stay with you forever,” he whispered, looking into her eyes. “I want the world to go away.”

  Beatrice lifted a hand to his cheek, stroking it and igniting another surge of desire. “I do, too.” She closed her eyes and arched up. “Love me now.”

  “I will love you always.”

  It was a quiet knock on the door some days later that finally roused them out of their safe cocoon. Tenzin stood in the hall with a solemn look on her face. Giovanni wrapped himself in a sheet and stood silent in the doorway, listening, but still refusing to speak to her.

  “I have a message from the Elders.”

  He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Lan is on the way home.”

  His heart dropped in his chest, and he finally spoke.

  “How long?”

  “Two weeks.”

  Giovanni nodded and shut the door. He walked back to the bedroom, wrapping Beatrice in his arms as she drifted in her daytime rest.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Penglai Mountain, China

  November 2010

  “I need to talk to you about something.”

  Beatrice looked up from the bowl of noodles. She was eating a light meal after rising for the evening. “What’s up?”

  She had discovered she was better able to eat some mild foods and was more comfortable with a little in her stomach. Between that and all the blood she had been drinking, both his own and human, Giovanni was satisfied Beatrice was as strong as she could be. Her control was impressive, her amnis was surprisingly powerful, but she was still young. He only hoped she could avoid any sort of serious physical confrontation for some time, though her intense training with Tenzin and Baojia seemed to be paying off.

  “Tenzin came to the door as you were falling asleep this morning. Elder Lan will be back in two weeks.”

  She didn’t look frightened, only resigned. “I guess we have two more weeks of what I’m considering our honeymoon, then.”

  Giovanni laughed. “This is our honeymoon?”

  She shrugged. “Well, we did spend time in Cochamó, but that just feels like home. And with the move and everything, we didn’t really get to take one after we came back. Then we came here and I started training so much… so, yeah.”

  “I would like to point out that if you had let me tell anyone we were married, they might have been more understanding and allowed us some time away.”

  “You did tell a few ‘someones’ we were married.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently when I was unconscious. I haven’t heard the end of it.”

  Giovanni only laughed and came to sit next to her on the chaise. He pulled her
feet into his lap. “I want to take you to Italy when all this is over. I’d like to take you there for a long trip. Maybe that can be our real honeymoon.”

  “Can’t be too long. Ben’s going to forget about us one of these days. We are the worst fake aunt and uncle in history.”

  “I very much doubt that he’ll forget us. He’ll be fine. Maybe…” He cocked his head. “Maybe if we go, we could take him with us.”

  “Huh?” She curled her lip.

  He laughed. “Not as much of a honeymoon, but we could make it a group trip. Maybe Kirby and Dez would want to come with us and help with Ben. I don’t know that Caspar and your grandmother would want to leave home for that long, but if Kirby and Dez come, we could go for the summer. They could look after the boy during the day. We’d still get plenty of time to ourselves, but we’d be able to spend time with them, too.”

  Her face suddenly fell, and tears sprang to her eyes. “I’m not gonna be able to see any of them for a while, am I?”

  Giovanni shook his head when one of the harsher realities of her new life struck her. She set her food down and crawled into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “My grandma,” she whispered. “Caspar.”

  “They are both in very good health. And you’re very strong for a new vampire. Very strong, Beatrice. After a year or so…”

  She nodded her head, still tucking herself into his chest.

  “I need to talk to you about something else. Something I should have spoken to you about years ago.” Giovanni took a deep breath. “Speaking of Italy… of Rome, that is, I need to tell you about Livia.”

  “Livia? Your friend in Rome?”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t call her a friend. Livia is… well, it’s complicated. You remember”—his voice dropped to a whisper and he murmured in her ear—“you remember about my father. Don’t say anything, remember there are many sensitive ears in the palace.”

  Beatrice nodded again, pressing closer.

  “You must know, you and my son are the only beings on earth that know the truth about Andros. And it must stay that way.”

  She drew back and looked at him, the question evident in her frown.

  “What we did… what I did… it is a very grave crime. To kill your own sire is a very grave crime.”

  “So, everyone thinks—”

  “Lorenzo and I told Livia that the villa was burned by marauders. That Andros was killed in the fire.”

  They were still speaking in whispers, but his ears were alert to the sound of any passerby in the hallway. They had been left alone, for the most part, but he could take no chances.

  “But really, Lorenzo killed him, right?”

  “He sent all the servants away and dragged Andros into the sunlight when he was in the depths of daytime rest. I saw the ashes in the courtyard when I woke. Paulo was sitting in the corner, weeping and shaking. I took him to Crotone the next night and turned him. We burned the villa before we left.”

  “And the library?”

  “That is more complicated. And I don’t know what happened to all of it, only Lorenzo does. It’s one of the reasons I’d like to take him alive, if possible.”

  “But your uncle’s books were safe, so your father’s—”

  “Paulo told me that after my uncle’s collection was burned in Florence, Andros became paranoid. He kept some of his books in Crotone. Some of them at the villa my uncle left me near Ferrara. Some at the property in Perugia. It was scattered, and since Lorenzo was the one who oversaw the property and the human servants, I did not keep track of it as I should have. When he told me later that most things had been lost, destroyed or stolen, I believed him. He must have been planning for some time.

  “Wouldn’t Andros have noticed?”

  “I don’t know what he told Andros. After he died, I was focused on survival, and I foolishly trusted that my father would have kept track of Paulo. He had been with Andros since he was a child and my father trusted him, possibly even more than me.”

  “Why?”

  “Andros thought he could control Paulo. He thought… my father had little respect for humans, Beatrice. He didn’t really understand them anymore. He thought Paulo adored him. He couldn’t see the resentment because he didn’t really look. And Paulo was very good at presenting a front, just like Andros.”

  “So, everyone in the vampire world thinks your father was… a good guy?”

  Giovanni shrugged. “Define ‘good.’ Andros was highly respected. Feared. Admired. Most never saw his madness or his cruelty. He was the consummate politician, a master manipulator. Even adored in some circles as the highest example of learning and culture. If it was ever known that we killed him…”

  “What would happen? And why hasn’t Lorenzo told anyone in all these years?”

  Giovanni snorted. “Paulo would be killed first. He was human when he killed Andros.”

  “But you—”

  “My life would also be forfeit.”

  She spoke in an angry whisper. “To who? You’re the one he tortured. You’re the one he kidnapped and held captive for ten years. Who has the right—”

  “Livia,” he whispered, leaning so his lips brushed her ear, “is not just one of the most powerful vampires in the Old World. Not just the vampire who helped me to get you back. Who spoke for me with the council in Athens. They never would have allowed me to attack Lorenzo the night I took you unless she had intervened on my behalf. But Livia has always had a strange sort of affection for me, because Livia…” His breath caught for a moment, and he pressed Beatrice closer. “Livia was my father’s wife.”

  A few nights later, Tenzin, Stephen, and Baojia joined them in the living area to talk about Lan’s return and what it would mean when the council met.

  “It’s a sort of trial, but not one you would recognize, Beatrice.” Tenzin was sipping tea and looked bored. “They do it mostly for their own amusement. Everyone knows how they will decide before they go in; it’s all worked out ahead of time in private negotiations.”

  “Well,” Stephen added, “except for Lan. In this matter…” He only gave a shrug.

  Beatrice looked around, confused. “What? What does that mean?”

  Giovanni leaned forward. “No one knows how Lan will vote, and he’s the most unpredictable.”

  “Or she,” Beatrice whispered. The whole table laughed. “Really?” she asked. “No one knows?”

  Tenzin smirked at Giovanni. “Have you ever seen Lan get angry?”

  “Only once,” he grimaced. “Not pleasant.”

  “It doesn’t happen often.” Tenzin’s eyes danced toward Beatrice. “Try to imagine an extremely old and powerful fire vampire having a temper tantrum. It takes a lot to get Lan truly angry, but when she does, numerous vampires usually end up dead. Lots of humans, too.”

  Giovanni saw Beatrice’s eyes grow wide. “But that doesn’t happen often, right?”

  “No, Tesoro, it takes much to provoke Lan. Despite his playful appearance, he’s one of the canniest vampires on the council.”

  “I’m not going to lie, the whole he or she thing is kind of annoying.”

  “Agreed,” Stephen added quietly.

  “He,” Baojia smiled, “or she doesn’t feel the need to inform anyone. Are you going to be the one to ask?”

  “No,” Stephen and Beatrice said together.

  “Getting back to the trial,” Tenzin said, “the council is fairly evenly split. My father and Elder Lu are firmly our allies. The Immortal Woman will side with Giovanni, because he’s a fire vampire, and she’s like that. Royal Uncle Cao will go along with Lu because he doesn’t want to disagree.”

  “What about Elder Li?” Stephen asked.

  Giovanni shook his head. “You know how the earth vampires tend to be. It seems that he will most likely follow Zhongli Quan since they are typically allies and he won’t want to disrupt that. Since Zhongli is the one who invited Lorenzo to Penglai, we can assume he’ll vote with him.”
/>   “Han Xiang?” Baojia asked after the second water vampire on the council.

  “He’ll vote with Zhongli,” Tenzin said. “He always does, just to spite Lu.”

  “But,” Stephen directed himself to Beatrice, “Earth vampires also tend to be the ones most amenable to compromise, so if a reasonable one is offered, Iron Crutch Li and Royal Uncle Cao would probably go in that direction.”

  “What kind of compromise could there be?” Beatrice asked. “Lu’s monks have the books. Lorenzo wants it. Giovanni wants it. Someone has to win.” No one spoke, and Beatrice looked around the table. “So, by my calculation, that leaves four elders on our voting side and three on theirs. And no one knows what Lan will do.”

  Giovanni said, “He could vote for us.”

  “She could vote for Lorenzo, too.” Tenzin shrugged. “I’ve known Lan for years and I don’t even know how she’ll vote.”

  “Again with the he and she thing…” Beatrice muttered under her breath. “So, if Lan votes against us, that leaves it at a tie. What happens then?”

  Giovanni’s eyes darted to Tenzin’s and both of them smiled.

  “What was that look?” Beatrice asked. “That was a look.”

  “A tie means that your husband could challenge Lorenzo,” Baojia said.

  “I don’t like that option!”

  “Neither would Lorenzo,” Tenzin snorted. “Giovanni would put an end to him quite easily. It’s really the best thing that could happen.”

  Beatrice leaned forward. “But then we’ll never know what happened to the books. Or why he wants the elixir. I think we need to know that stuff, don’t you guys?”

  “You aren’t worried, are you?” Tenzin looked scornful. “Have you ever really seen your mate fight? He’s ruthless. Lorenzo wouldn’t have a chance. I trained him myself.”

  “And he has that irritating habit of bursting into flames,” Baojia said.

  Stephen raised a hand. “I have to agree with Beatrice on this. As much as I’d like to see my sire dead, I think he has information we need. Lorenzo wants this elixir for a reason, and I think it’s obvious at this point that there are others involved in his scheme. We need to know who they are, or we’re back in the same boat of not knowing who may be after us.”