She looked at Ben. “But I have only three in your party.”
Ben looked at Gavin, then Chloe. “And?”
She offered him a strained smile. “I’m sorry. I am confused. Please, if you can wait. Please. Let me check with Radu.”
She wandered off, leaving Ben, Gavin, and Chloe waiting in the lounge.
“Maybe it’s a language thing?” Ben asked. “Do you speak Romanian?”
“No.” Gavin was sweeping his eyes around the club. “Not picking up anything suspicious,” he said under his breath.
“Neither am I.”
The hostess came back, all smiles. “Please. My apologies. Please follow me.” They followed her through the winding lounge. “It was a… missed understanding from me.”
“No problem.” Ben glanced at each booth they passed, taking note of faces and making mental notes to ask about a few who looked familiar.
Hello.
In the far corner he spotted the vampire guard he’d seen with the mysterious woman in Kashgar. The man was looking as nondescript as ever, but his eyes locked on Benjamin with clear recognition.
Ben knew the woman in Kashgar had been connected to Radu, but this obviously confirmed it. Ben nodded to the man as he passed, but the other vampire only observed him with a distant, unflinching stare.
Would his mystery woman appear from the shadows next? Ben wouldn’t be surprised.
“Please.” The hostess parted a curtain covering the corner booth. “It was my mistake. One of your party had already arrived.”
Fuck. Me.
“Mr. Vecchio.” Radu rose from the end of the booth, a handsome, dark-haired vampire with a barrel chest who was wearing a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. “Welcome. It is so good to finally meet you.”
Ben barely registered what Radu was saying. Sitting silently in the booth next to him, wearing a blood-red dress, was the one mysterious woman Ben hadn’t been expecting, though maybe he should have been.
After all, Tenzin did like surprising people.
10
Ben shook Radu’s hand, never taking his eyes off her. Tenzin was pleased; it had been too long since she’d been able to look him in the face.
The eyes bothered her. She’d known they might change, but a part of her mourned. She missed the dark brown with gold flecks that had once been so warm.
What did the humans say? Tall, dark, and lethal? Something like that. Ben was all of that. He said nothing, and his inhuman gaze never wavered.
You were born to be this.
Gavin was the first to greet her and smooth over any rough edges. “Tenzin, we didn’t realize you’d arrived in town already.”
“I wasn’t expecting to be here until tomorrow night.” She glanced at Radu. “My apologies for confusing your human.”
The confusion was completely part of the plan. She hadn’t wanted to give Benjamin time to prepare. She needed to see his genuine reaction to being in proximity to her, and she’d been successful.
“No apology necessary.” Radu sat and motioned Chloe, Gavin, and Ben to the other side of the booth. “I was making the acquaintance of your notorious partner, Mr. Vecchio.” Radu glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Such a fearsome reputation for such a delightful guest.”
Why Radu was acting like he and Tenzin had never met before, she didn’t know, but she decided not to challenge him in front of the others.
He was a disarming vampire, and that was the intention. Radu was a handsome man who’d been turned in the prime of his adult life. Not young enough to be a playboy and not old enough to be a mentor. He could be your friend, your partner, the one who had your best interests at heart. He was very good at his persona, mostly because Tenzin recognized that part of Radu actually believed it.
Ben finally spoke. “Tenzin likes to take people off guard.”
“Yes, I do.”
Radu laughed. “What do the Americans say, Mr. Vecchio? Mission accomplished?”
“Please call me Ben.” He leaned back in the booth, cool and smooth as ice water. “Mr. Vecchio is my uncle.”
Ben’s immortal grace was lethal, confident, and as natural for him as breathing.
You are so stunning.
She didn’t say it. He wouldn’t appreciate it—certainly not among vampires he didn’t know—but he was.
Tenzin felt her blood sing in his presence and wondered if Ben felt anything similar. Probably not. He was young and was likely flooded with far more sensation than she was. The sounds, scents, and sights of the club were meant to be overwhelming, and she could see that he was affected.
For Tenzin, the pulsing music and heavy scent of cedarwood and vetiver in Radu’s cologne barely registered. Their host’s power, carefully concealed as Gavin’s was, simmered beside her while Ben’s amnis was a roaring, incandescent flame. The fact that he did nothing to mute it marked him as a newborn, but one whom no one would confront rashly.
“Welcome to Bucharest, Ben.” Their host put his hand over his heart. “Thank you so much for coming from such a distance. I am honored that you and Tenzin would consider this little personal item of mine worthy of your notice. I know you are very busy.”
Flattery was Radu’s forte and his favorite tactic, but Tenzin wasn’t taken in. “Radu, this is our human assistant, Chloe.” She motioned in Chloe’s direction. “You cut your hair since the last time I saw you.”
She smiled. “So did you.”
Ben was sitting on the edge of the booth, staring at her openly. “New dress?”
Tenzin looked down at the dark red dress Arthur had made for her the previous month. It had nearly nowhere to put weapons, but her favorite tailor had managed to sneak at least one dagger in, which was difficult with the dress being very tight and very short.
“Yes. Do you like it?”
Ben stared at her. “Stunning.”
“I’ve ordered a bottle of ţuică,” Radu said. “It’s traditional here. My day manager’s mother makes it.” He turned to Chloe. “Don’t buy the bottles they sell at the market. They’re no good. The best ţuică must be made in the home.”
Chloe nodded. “I’ve heard that.”
The waitress brought a tray with a gold-trimmed decanter and five small glasses. She poured for the table and passed the drinks around.
“To our health.” Radu raised his glass. “Noroc!”
“Noroc,” they all repeated.
Chloe let out a hard breath, but Ben didn’t even flinch when he finished his shot of the overwhelmingly strong liquor.
Tenzin knew that with him being a newborn, Ben’s sense of taste would probably be blind for days after a drink that heavy, but Ben was savvy enough to know flinching wasn’t an option.
He stood and slid one hand in his pocket. “Radu, I hope you don’t mind, but can I steal Tenzin away for a dance?”
Radu grinned. “Of course!” He tapped his temple. “When partners have been separated, they must confer on strategy no doubt.”
Ben said nothing, but he smiled calmly as Radu slid out to allow Tenzin to exit the booth.
She was wearing the low heels Arthur had insisted on. Cat heels. No, kitten heels. She’d refused to wear the ridiculous icepick shoes he’d tried to shove her into, even though she was impressed by their lethal possibilities.
Ben wasted no time grabbing her hand and hustling her out the door that led from the vampire lounge to the cacophony of the dance floor.
She pushed the sound away as Ben spun her around and fixed his hands on her waist.
Though he kept his expression even, his voice cut her. “What the hell are you doing here?”
You sweet golden boy. “You asked me to stop following you.”
“And this is your idea of not following me?”
“I’m not following.” A human bumped into her and she allowed her body to press into Ben’s. He didn’t push her away. “I’m anticipating.”
He froze, but it was only for the space of a human heartbeat. “So Radu thinks you’re working
this job with me?”
“You didn’t think you could work this job alone, did you?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Okay, you could,” she said. “But it will be more fun with me. The Corsican mob owes me a few favors.”
His smile was tight.
“That smile is not fooling anyone watching us,” she said. “They can all see you are very angry.”
“I can’t imagine why.” He spun them around so his back was to the windows of the vampire lounge and the front of her body was plastered to his.
Bite him.
She wanted to. She really wanted to.
“Pay attention.” His voice was low and commanding. “We’re not doing this. You’re going to leave Bucharest, and I’ll find some excuse for Radu.”
Ben probably didn’t realize he was doing it, but his amnis was running over hers, twisting and pulsing with the music. An involuntary shiver ran down her back. “Stop lecturing me. It’s quite adorable that you think you can order me around. Especially when your amnis is telling me something entirely different than your mouth.”
A lick of his energy hit her right between her thighs. Tenzin didn’t try to stop the audible sigh of pleasure that that escaped her lips.
“Stop it,” he growled.
“I’m not doing a thing.” Her mouth felt swollen. “That is all you, Benjamin.”
Damn her, damn her, damn her!
He knew it was him—he knew it was his amnis—but he couldn’t seem to control it. His fangs ached in his mouth. The minute he’d seen her, felt her energy up close, Ben’s instincts had taken control. He wanted to push her against a wall and ravage her. He wanted to bend her neck to the side and sink his fangs into her vein.
He wanted to throw her across the room. He wanted to hit something.
“Careful.” Her small hands slid up his arms. “Be calm.”
He bit back a snarl. “It’s quite adorable,” he said, his voice hard, “that you think you can order me around.”
“I would not try. My attempts have never been very successful.”
“So why are you here?”
“Because Radu is a pain in the ass, but what you are walking into may be more than either one of us anticipated.”
“How well do you know him?”
“I know him.”
Ben swallowed hard and pushed past his craving for her. Think, think, think. “So why is he acting like you just met?”
“I don’t know. Just like I don’t know why Kezia was following you in Kashgar.”
“Were you seriously following me the whole time?” A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“No. You lost me in Cambodia, and I consider that an accomplishment. I could not find you until you got back to Xining.”
He slid his hand down her back, stroking the small of her back. He told himself it was to keep up appearances since they were definitely being watched.
It wasn’t. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to put his hands everywhere.
She looked up at him, all stormy grey eyes and luscious red lips. He hated her and he wanted her so badly.
“I’m really not trying to push it, Ben. I’ve been giving you space.”
A hard laugh burst out of him. “Your definition of space is unique.”
“I know you’re angry—”
He stared at the pulsing crowd of dancers over her shoulder. “Angry doesn’t begin to describe what I feel about you.”
Her hand slid up his neck and into the hair at his nape. She gripped it and forced his eyes to hers. “If you expect me to apologize for you being alive, you’re going to be disappointed.”
Ben kept his eyes locked on hers. “Why didn’t you kill Johari?”
She blinked. “You asked me not to.”
“When?”
She cocked her head. “You don’t remember?”
“No.” He really didn’t remember.
Wait…
You’re lovely.
Yes, he did.
“You’re lovely. Lovable. …don’t kill anyone, okay?”
She pushed against him, starting to dance again. “Ben?”
His body moved with hers whether he wanted it or not. He wasn’t dancing with her. It wasn’t him, it was the memory of what they had been. The same memory that made his throat thick with emotion.
She pulled his head down. “Whatever you may wish to think, we are not finished, my Benjamin.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“I will not. Blood does not lie.”
The song ended and Ben pulled away, keeping her hand firmly in his. “We need to get back and we need to be on the same page. You’re leaving Bucharest; I’ll make excuses to Radu.”
“Are you listening to me? None of this is right. That’s why I’m here, and I’m not leaving.” She wore a placid smile as they made their way back to the lounge. “I will make no excuses to Radu. If you want me gone, you’ll have to tell him everything.”
His caution recoiled at the thought. “I hate you so much right now.”
“If you think your hate will prevent me from doing what it takes to keep you safe, then you do not understand me at all.”
“You’re right.” He opened the door. “I don’t understand you at all.”
“Liar.” She held her hands out to Radu as they approached the booth. “Thank you for excusing us. It has been some time since we have been able to speak in private.”
Ben slid next to Chloe as Radu rose to let Tenzin into her seat. “Tenzin wanted me to tell you about the Corsican lead first. We’re quite optimistic.”
Radu looked between them. “So you are officially accepting this job?”
“Of course. You’ve presented us with an irresistible challenge.” Tenzin turned her smile toward Ben. “We’re both quite intrigued by the possibilities.”
Gavin and Chloe waited until they’d entered the soundproof car before they started on the questions.
“Oh my God!” Chloe was nearly shouting. “What was that? What is going on? I feel so lost right now!”
“The atmosphere was…” Gavin cleared his throat. “…noticeable.”
Ben stared into the sky where Tenzin had already disappeared. “Hopefully Radu thinks it was just repressed sexual tension or something.”
“Oh, it was definitely repressed sexual tension,” Chloe said. “Holy shit. I have to admit, I was still kind of wondering if you two had slept together before tonight—”
“I wasn’t sure either.” Gavin looked at Chloe. “They have.”
“They definitely have.” Chloe leaned back into the seat of the sedan. “Why is she here? How does she know Radu—because he definitely knows her—why is she here?”
Ben cut his eyes toward Chloe and Gavin. “She didn’t tell you she was coming?”
“No.” Gavin shook his head. “I would have warned you.”
“I know the three of you are pals.” Ben’s voice was bitter. “But if you—”
“Ben, we didn’t know.” Chloe’s eyes were wide. “I know you’re angry with her. And I even understand why, but—”
“But you’re not.” Ben knew that betrayal wasn’t the right emotion, but seeing Tenzin had tossed him completely upside down. “You don’t understand it, Chloe. Don’t pretend you do.”
“Watch your tone.” Gavin’s voice was a low warning. “What the hell do you expect, Vecchio? Were we supposed to be disappointed that she saved your life?”
“She took my life!” His fangs fell. “How am I the only one who sees that?”
Gavin leaned forward, blocking Chloe from Ben’s view. “Did she plan it, Ben? Was it her own blade in your back? Or did she react in the best way she could when everything went to shit?”
“Since Tenzin is the one who kept dragging me into her damn problems and apparently she didn’t want to let me die a normal death, she should have had a better plan when everything went to shit!”
Gavin laughed bitterly. “Dear God, I hope you never exp
ect me to be as omniscient as you expect her to be.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that you expect too damn much of her.” Gavin’s jaw was clenched. “She’s not a fucking god, Ben. She’s a vampire, but she’s human too. You’re too fucking close to see it, and it’s not bloody fair. She did the only thing she could think to do when someone she loved was dying. How do you not fucking see that?”
Ben rapped on the divider, and the driver rolled down the screen.
“Yes, sir?”
“Stop the car please.”
Ben opened the door as soon as the vehicle came to a halt and disappeared into the night.
11
Ben walked through the pitch-black streets of Bucharest, a spring drizzle falling on his shoulders and dampening his hair, which fell onto his forehead in dark wet curls. He couldn’t stop replaying Gavin’s words in his mind.
She’s a vampire, but she’s human too… She did the only thing she could think to do when someone she loved was dying.
No, no, no, no. She could have taken him to the hospital. She could have listened to him. He’d begged her so many times—
If you think your hate will prevent me from doing what it takes to keep you safe, then you do not understand me at all.
Ben heard human footsteps behind him, at least three sets. He smelled their breath tinged with vodka, and their blood.
Yes. A fight was exactly what he wanted.
Ben turned right into an alley and allowed the men to follow him closer. He slowed down, waiting for them to approach.
They shouted something in Romanian. He recognized a few words, but they were slurred. All three were very drunk. Ben turned, his hands shoved in his pockets, and the men came to a stop.
One of them, the stumbling one on the right, blinked slowly three times; then with the instincts of the truly drunk, he turned and walked back down the alley.
“Idioți,” he shouted.
Well, that didn’t need any translation.
Ben stood at the end of the alley, calmly waiting for the men to get tired of mumbling insults at him and laughing.
Dawn Caravan: Elemental Legacy Book Four (Elemental Legacy Novels 4) Page 8