“For what?”
Ben swallowed hard. “Just to be alive.”
Chloe’s smile was incandescent. “Me too.”
He put a hand over his eyes until he could steady his wildly careening emotions. “You knew I’d get here.”
Her smile turned soft. “Yeah, I did. So did she.”
“But I’m still angry.” He cleared his throat. “And I don’t know… How do you forgive someone when they’re not sorry for what they did?”
Chloe blew out a long breath. “Okay, related question. How can someone be sorry for what they did if they truly believe they did the right thing?”
“Sometimes I really don’t like you much.”
“I know. I love you too.”
30
Ben rose from bed the following night after a restless day of sleep. Something had disturbed him all night—some itching, aching feeling in the pit of his stomach nagged him like a pebble in his shoe. He checked all the email he could access, grabbed a thermos of blood left in the trailer, and looked at his most recent to-do list from Chloe.
Nothing was out of sorts. Nothing was on metaphorical or actual fire. His family was fine. His business was as expected.
What was wrong?
He called Tenzin. She answered after three rings.
“What?”
“How are you?”
She was quiet for a long time. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m not trying to be complicated. I just have a weird feeling, and I’m checking on everyone.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Right.” Ben tried to think of the right words to tell Tenzin the realization he’d come to the night before with Chloe. That he was more than content with his immortal life. That he was glad to be alive. Glad that they had a chance to be more than they had been. That he wanted to find a way to forgive her. “Tenzin, I was thinking—”
“Wait.” She moved away from the speaker and her voice was muffled. “Not now.”
“Is that him?” René DuPont’s voice was unmistakable. “Tell him we’re busy.”
“What the fuck is René doing in your trailer at this hour?” Ben roared.
He threw his tablet across the room and rushed out the door, only to feel a hand throttling his throat as soon as he stepped outside.
The blow came without warning or preamble. A fist to the temple followed the hand at the throat. Ben felt himself lifted into the air and tossed into the side of the bus before he managed to speak a word.
His fangs fell and he caught himself from falling to the ground, but no sooner had he lifted his head than two burly vampires gripped his shoulders and locked their legs around his, forcing him back against the bus.
A pale, familiar face floated in front of him.
“Hello, Mr. Vecchio,” Vano said. “I thought it would be a good idea to speak to you.”
Ben bared his teeth. “Your men will let me go now,” he forced past the hands at his throat.
Vano looked at him, and Ben began gathering the air to himself. He could feel it, like a great waiting storm over his head. Vano’s men might have had the element of surprise, might even be faster, but Ben was elementally stronger than all three of them and Vano knew it, even if Ben’s control wasn’t ironclad.
Vano jerked his head to the side, and the Hazar guards released Ben. They floated to their master’s side, flanking him in the air while Vano considered Ben from the ground.
“This aggression,” Vano said. “It is unfortunate. But what could I do? When I see the hired help following me around my own brother’s camp like a gnat, it irritates me. I try to speak to a friend, I see you from the corner of my eye. I try to conduct some business, you are there. What do you want, Benjamin Vecchio?” Vano kept his hands in his pockets. “Or should I call you Benjamin Rios?”
“Do you think you’re shocking? I remember you from Kashgar.” Ben rubbed his throat. He cut his eyes at the two vampires. “I thought the Hazar protected guests of the kamvasa.”
“Ah, but you are not a guest,” Vano said. “As I said before, you are hired help. A servant. An errand boy for my brother.”
“Sure.” Ben knew Vano was trying to goad him by pricking his ego. “Whatever you say. I was also invited. Poshani hospitality doesn’t extend to those invited to travel with them?”
The vampires with Vano looked uncomfortable.
Vano ignored the question completely. “Why were you following me?”
Ben frowned. “I haven’t been following you.”
It was clear Vano hadn’t expected Ben to lie through his teeth.
The iron control on his face faltered. “You have been.”
Ben laughed a little. “I mean… it’s a pretty small camp. It’s hard not to run into people.”
“I saw you following me.”
“Dude, a few days ago I didn’t even know who you were.” Over many years of being bullied by stronger opponents, Ben had realized that antagonists who attacked his ego usually had the most fragile egos themselves. “Just ’cause you saw me around doesn’t mean I was following you.”
“I saw you last night.”
“I was around, but I wasn’t following you.” Ben glanced between the two vampires with Vano as if to say “Are you hearing this too?”
“When I was close by, you were watching,” he said. “Waiting.”
“For what?” Ben scratched the beard he’d been growing out. “I mean… wait, there’s a thing happening, right?”
“A thing?”
“The festival?” Ben stepped forward and leaned into his Southern California surfer voice a little. It nearly guaranteed whoever was talking with him would dismiss him and think he was an idiot. “Like, that’s why everyone is here, right?” Ben looked between all three of them. “You and Kezia and Radu. There’s like a party or something, right?”
Vano was clearly irritated. His smooth face was wrinkled into an expression that said he’d caught a whiff of something foul. “Stay out of my business and keep to the silly amusements my brother plans for his guests. The festival is not for you.”
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
Ben
