The Bone Scroll: An Elemental Legacy Novel

by Hunter, Elizabeth

  “Do you see him?” he asked in quiet Mandarin.

  “He’s impossible to miss. By design, of course.”

  “It won’t be tonight, but he may make a first move.”

  “I’ll draw it out.”

  “Play it cool. Maybe agree to a drink only.”

  “Tomorrow night.”

  “Agreed.”

  Ben stood and walked to the bar to order another soda water from the pretty redhead behind the bar. It seemed to be the rule at the club that the majority of the patrons were male but most of the staff was young, attractive, and female.

  “How’s it going?” the girl asked.

  Ben shrugged. “Same as always.” He leaned on the bar a little, keeping Tenzin in his sights but playing the part of the world-weary security guard. “How’s it going with you? Is this the late shift for you or—?”

  “Oh no. I just clocked in about an hour ago. This place is private, so it goes pretty much all night.” She filled a fresh glass with ice and added soda water. “You sure you don’t want anything stronger?”

  Ben nodded toward Tenzin. “Working.”

  Her eyebrows went up, and she added a wedge of lime to his drink. “Oh wow. Okay. She’s pretty important, huh?”

  “Her family…” He pursed his lips. “They’re protective. She doesn’t go anywhere alone, if you know what I mean.”

  “Got it.” She glanced at his arms, his lips. “So… are you based here in the city?”

  “Shanghai.” Ben sipped the soda. “I travel where she does.”

  “No kidding? I’ve never been to China.”

  “It’s an interesting place. Lots of work for someone like me. Unfortunately, I don’t have backup for this job.”

  “So no time off for you, huh?”

  Ben let his eyes warm and offered her a flirtatious smile. It was always good to have an ally on staff. “I wish, but no.”

  The girl’s eyes moved back to Tenzin. “Oh, I see TBB is already making a move.”

  Ben managed not to laugh as his eyes moved back to Tenzin. TBB. He was going to remember that. “Who is he?”

  Trevor Blythe-Bickman was indeed making his move. He’d walked over to Tenzin’s table and was making small talk. Despite the hushed atmosphere of the bar, it was all audible to Ben’s vampire hearing.

  “Have we met?”

  Tenzin looked up. “I don’t believe so.”

  “Are you sure?” The man put a hand disarmingly on his chest. “You look so familiar. Trevor Blythe-Bickman,” he said. “I’m in finance here in the city.”

  And technology. And imports. And stolen antiquities and manuscripts.

  “Is that so?”

  This was the tricky part. Tenzin was going to have to walk the edge between being too aloof and putting the man off and being too eager to draw his interest. It was an operation that needed a scalpel when Tenzin was generally more of a sledgehammer.

  Don’t be rude. Don’t be rude.

  Tenzin cocked her head, and her shoulders relaxed a fraction. She put her phone facedown on the table. “Maybe you are familiar.” She held out her hand. “Ming.”

  “Trevor.”

  “He’s harmless really.” The pretty bartender was speaking again. “I mean, he’s rich and arrogant, but that’s par for the course around here. Of the lot of them, he’s pretty decent, all in all. Of course, he’s a good tipper.” She smiled and a dimple peeked out. “So I may be biased.”

  “Hey, you can tell a lot about a person by how they tip.” Ben made a mental note to leave her a hundred. “So no security threat, huh?” He glanced over his shoulder, splitting his attention between the two women.

  “Oh no. There’s a lot of security here at the club you don’t even see. You’d be surprised. We have important people here a lot, like for lectures and stuff. Nothing ever happens.”

  Tenzin and TBB were exchanging mild pleasantries. Tenzin looked polite but a little bored. She was stringing him along. She picked up her phone and checked the time.

  TBB caught the hint.

  “I think you’ve just arrived, haven’t you?” His tone turned solicitous. “You must be exhausted. Maybe we could meet tomorrow for dinner.”

  “I have commitments for dinner tomorrow night.” Tenzin pretended to consider him. “Maybe a drink after?”

  “That would be fantastic. You’re staying here at the club?”

  “I am.”

  Ben made no attempt to hide his surveillance of the two, which was in keeping with his role as a bodyguard.

  TBB offered to make reservations in the even more exclusive Chairman’s Room for the following night at ten.

  Perfect.

  “I think I’d enjoy that,” Tenzin said.

  “—must be pretty tiring,” the bartender said.

  “My job?” Ben turned to the bartender and shrugged. “I’ve been doing personal security for the Zhang family for six years now. I was assigned to Ming when she left for university in the UK, so I’m pretty familiar with her routine. All in all, she’s not too bad.” He leaned on the bar and lowered his voice. “I have some friends who have clients… They’re constantly posting from their hotel rooms, broadcasting where they are and what they’re doing twenty-four seven, you know?”

  The girl’s eyebrows went up. “Oh yeah, that’s probably a huge risk, right?”

  “Ming, she’s private. Not like that at all, so I can’t complain.”

  “It looks like she and Trevor hit it off.” The girl nodded at their table. “Maybe you’ll get a night off.”

  Ben smiled. “I wish. Doesn’t work that way.” He saw Tenzin rise, and Trevor stood too. “That’s my cue,” Ben said. “I better go. Nice meeting you…?”

  “Alexis.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “Amir.” He put his hand over his heart. “It’s been a pleasure.”

  “How long is she here?”

  “Four nights, unless something changes.” He shrugged. “You never know.”

  “Hopefully I’ll see you again.”

  “That would be great.” He took out his wallet and she tried to stop him.

  “Oh no, you don’t have to pay. It’s included—”

  “It’s not for the drink.” He placed a hundred on the bar and winked. “Don’t want to be a bad tipper.”

  The girl was all smiles. “You are too sweet. Thank you.”

  He saw Tenzin start walking out and hurried to catch up with her, grabbing the door to the club before she could reach it. “Ming.”

  “Amir.” She nodded slightly. “I think I’m ready to retire for the night.”

  “Of course.” He followed her, walking just behind her right side. “Are there any plans I need to be aware of for tomorrow?”

  “Drinks in the Chairman’s Room.”

  “I’ll make sure to adjust the schedule.”

  They didn’t let go of their facades until they’d reached the door to Tenzin’s room, locked it, and placed an additional electronic alarm at the base of the door.

  Ben turned and hooked Tenzin around the waist. “Ming.”

  “Amir.” She allowed him to pull her into his body while she floated up and out of her shoes. “Women’s dress shoes are torture devices created by sadists.”

  Ben planted a hand on the ass he’d been staring at all night. “Clothes in general are highly overrated.” He slid his fingers up her thigh, under her dress, and into a hidden pocket. Then he tossed one of her daggers onto the bed as he captured her mouth in a fierce kiss. “Good job tonight.”

  “I saw you flirting with that woman.” She nipped his lip.

  “Playing the game, Tiny.” He nipped back, careful not to break the skin. “Just playing the game.”

  They arrived at the Chairman’s Room five minutes after Ming was scheduled to meet Trevor Blythe-Bickman. But while Ming was on the guest list, Amir was not.

  “I am with Ms. Zhang,” Ben said. “This is not negotiable.”

  The host for the Chairman�
�s Room was not young, female, and sweet; he was an arrogant pain in the ass with a superiority complex and a patronizing smile.

  “I am sorry, but only guests of the board are permitted in the Chairman’s Room, and Ms. Zhang’s name is the only one listed. I can’t let you in.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Tenzin murmured in Mandarin.

  Ben responded in kind. “Ming, you know the rules.”

  “I’m not in Shanghai, Amir.”

  “It’s not permitted. Please don’t force me to call your father.”

  Tenzin huffed out an impatient breath and turned to the host. “It is impossible for me to enter without my guard. If you could give Mr. Blythe-Bickman my apologies—”

  “Ming?” The door opened and Trevor popped his head out of the lounge. “What’s the problem, Joss?”

  “Ms. Zhang’s companion—”

  “Guard,” Ben said. “Amir Rios, Mr. Blythe-Bickman.” He held his hand out, and the Englishman shook it. He kept his voice low and confiding. “I’m sure you understand that the Zhang family is protective of Ming. I cannot allow her to enter an unknown environment without me. Perhaps there is another location—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Trevor waved a hand. “Mr. Rios is also my guest, Joss. Please see that he has a table near ours.” The Englishman crooked his arm for Ming. “Please, Ming, I’m so sorry about the oversight. I’ll make sure it’s not an issue in the future.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced at Amir. “Keep your distance,” she murmured in Mandarin. “You know my rules.”

  “Of course.” Ben followed them into a round room with a large fireplace burning in the center of the room, wooden paneling on the walls, and giant plate glass windows that overlooked the lights of the city.

  He didn’t wait to be seated but positioned himself at a table halfway between Trevor’s and the entrance, which gave him an excellent view of the whole room. If he was playing bodyguard, he’d play it to the hilt. Tenzin had this. The Englishman was completely into her.

  Ben could tell good old TBB liked the idea of being with a woman valuable enough to have a full-time bodyguard. There was an element not only of exclusivity but of danger. The thrill buzzed around the man, who watched Tenzin with a greedy gaze.

  A quiet server appeared at his elbow. “Welcome to the Chairman’s Room, Mr. Rios. Can I offer you a drink this evening?”

  “Soda water with a slice of lime,” he said. “Is there food here?” He wanted to project the image of a weary employee, not a pampered guest.

  “There is,” the server said. “Let me get you a menu.”

  Ben unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat back, watching Tenzin and trying not to stare as the Englishman mentally undressed her.

  Don’t kill the mark. Don’t kill the mark.

  He was going to have to bite her soon. He needed her blood in him. He needed to claim her, needed to feel her amnis twisting with his. The urge to stalk over to her, yank her body-hugging dress up, and sink his teeth into her thigh was nearly overwhelming.

  If Ben could get through another night of this, it was going to be a miracle.

  8

  She could feel his jealousy permeating the room, clawing at her skin and snarling for her attention. Tenzin couldn’t let it distract her.

  “I love history,” she responded to the Englishman. “I studied in the UK, and I think my favorite place to wander was the British Museum. It was like… traveling the world all in one building.”

  “Yes, exactly,” Trevor responded in his precise English accent. “All the hubbub you hear these days about taking things out of museums and sending them back God knows where. Why not keep them safe in a museum where they belong? A short trip to London and everyone can enjoy them.”

  Tenzin wanted to stab him. “Exactly.” You hypocrite. She wasn’t going to be satisfied with breaking into his house and taking the manuscript Ben wanted. She wanted his safe. “Someone was telling me you have a personal art collection that’s quite remarkable.”

  The corner of his mouth turned up. “So you’ve been asking about me?”

  Pig. “What can I say?” She lifted her chin. “I like to know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

  “I wish I could say the same about you, Ming. You’re a very hard woman to read. And it’s admirable how you’ve managed to keep your life so private.”

  “My family works very hard to make sure our privacy is respected.” She sipped cognac from a cut crystal glass. “Your family has a much more public profile, I think.”

  He nodded deeply. “The Blythe-Bickman family prides itself on service to queen and country. Yes, my family has quite a history in the foreign service. In fact, my father was ambassador to Ethiopia when I was young.”

  “That must have been quite an experience.”

  “It was. An extraordinary way to grow up.”

  In reality, Tenzin knew that Blythe-Bickman had attended boarding school for most of his childhood and only visited Addis Ababa sporadically in his teen years.

  “Do you ever loan pieces in your collection out?” Tenzin asked. “My father has an extensive jade collection he’s amassed over many years.”

  “How fascinating.” The man’s eyes lit with greed.

  “I’ve told him he should consider loaning it out, as you mentioned, so the public could enjoy it.”

  “I know I’d love to see it.”

  The corner of her mouth turned up. Gotcha. “As I’d love to see your collection. I wish I had more time in San Francisco.”

  Not one to let an opportunity pass, Blythe-Bickman’s next question was predictable. “When are you leaving?”

  “On Sunday evening.” She sipped her drink. “This trip is short.”

  “That’s plenty of time,” he said. “It’s only Friday. Come by tomorrow afternoon.”

  “The afternoon?” She shook her head. “I am so sorry. My days are completely filled by family and business obligations. But thank you. It’s a kind offer.”

  “How about your nights?” he fired off. Then he caught himself and smiled. “I’m sorry, was that forward?”

  She kept her smile small and demure. “You’re inviting me to visit your private residence tomorrow night?”

  “To see my art collection,” he said. “No ulterior motive, I promise you.”

  Tenzin made a show of looking at her bodyguard. “I suppose as long as Amir clears it, my family couldn’t have an objection.”

  “Of course,” he said. “I understand the security concerns, of course.” He leaned closer. “Though… it’s a large house. I’m hoping we might find a few minutes of privacy. If that’s something you’d like.”

  Tenzin raised an eyebrow. “My employees understand boundaries.”

  “Excellent.”

  “Amir” was nearly ready to explode. She could feel his amnis licking at her neck. A faint breeze gusted through the room, causing everyone to turn.

  “How strange…” Trevor looked around. “Is there a window open?”

  Distract the human, Tenzin. “What time would work for you tomorrow? I’m busy until nearly nine.” That covered her until sundown.

  “That’s perfect. I’m free at eight—why don’t I meet you here with a car at nine and we’ll head to the house. I’ll have my housekeeper prepare dinner if you’d like.”

  “Something light,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll have eaten my weight in food by the end of the day. You know how business dinners are.”

  He raised his glass. “It’s a date.”

  Tenzin smiled coyly. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Ben roused her the next night in the most pleasurable way possible. She’d been meditating in one bedroom while he slept in the other. The blackout shades provided by the club were surprisingly good at lightproofing the rooms, and he hadn’t needed to hide in the closet.

  She was contemplating the wood grain in the wall paneling and imagining the age of the tree when she felt him behind her. He slid a single finger down her spin
e, causing her to shiver and come back into her body.

  Tenzin blinked. “Have you ever contemplated the immortality of trees?”

  “Trees are not immortal.” His lips touched her neck. “We are.” His fangs scraped along her skin, teasing blood to the surface but not releasing it.

  “How old must this tree have been when it was cut? Now it is preserved in this way, living but frozen. Like Mithra’s bones.”

  His hands slid from stroking her back to cupping her breasts. “I don’t want to talk about trees. Or bones.”

  She pressed back and felt his erection at her back. “Are you sure? What about that one?”

  His chuckle was low and wicked. “But Ming, your father would not approve.”

  She twisted in his arms and pulled him over her. “I do not care. Ravish me, Amir.”

  “As you command, Ms. Zhang.” He was already naked and aroused. “After all, you need to look like you’ve put in a very hard day’s work.” He rocked his hips between her thighs. “Let’s see if I can make you look appropriately ruffled.”

  They left the room through the window when it was dark outside, dressed in business suits, and flew several blocks until they could hire a car to take them back to the club. When they arrived, Trevor Blythe-Bickman was already in the lobby.

  “Trevor.” Tenzin gave him a small wave. “I am sorry we’re late. If you give us a half an hour, we’ll be ready.”

  “No problem.”

  Ben smiled, still scenting his amnis all over Tenzin’s skin. “We’ll freshen up and be right with you. Do you have a car waiting?”

  “It’s my personal vehicle if that’s all right.”

  Ben took a moment to consider. “If you can let me look it over—”

  “Amir, don’t be silly.” Tenzin attempted to look exasperated. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

  “Protocol.” He looked at Trevor. “You understand.”

  “Of course.” The glint of excitement was back. Ming was dangerous. Desirable. “That’s absolutely fine.”