The Elemental Mysteries: Complete Series (118 page)

He had helped her to master her amnis so she could walk around the room without cringing from a gust of air. He stayed by her side as she saw her father and Tenzin again, supporting her through the roller coaster of intense emotions that seemed to be her constant companion. He had been quick to make sure she never had to wait when hunger struck her and made sure that all humans were kept at a safe distance. He had been the steady, quiet presence Beatrice had needed him to be.

But as the days passed and she grew more confident in her body, as she regained her composure and her control, Giovanni had drawn away, sinking into a shell of polite resentment. They slept in the same bed every night, but he had not touched her in weeks, and he refused to speak to Tenzin. He conversed only in the most polite way with Stephen and Baojia. And only when it was strictly necessary. He was most often in the library, still searching for the key to the elixir formula, or in the Great Hall, strategizing with Tenzin’s father and his allies.

“Do you think it will be five years before he forgives me?”

“Please, you’re his wife. He’ll get horny. You’ll fight. The two of you will make up. We won’t see you for a few days. You’ll be fine.”

She glared at Tenzin. “Thanks, that’s reassuring.”

Tenzin shrugged. “It should be. I’ve been alive for over five thousand years. If there’s one thing predictable about the male of the species, it’s their sex drive and their fascination with fire.”

Beatrice smiled. “That’s it, huh?”

“Most advances in technology occur because they’re either trying to impress women or blow things up. It’s as predictable as the sunrise.”

The two women stared at each other for a few seconds before they burst into laughter. Even Tenzin was wiping blood stained tears from her eyes.

“I’m being mostly serious, my girl. He really does adore you. He’s angry right now. He feels like you went behind his back. That we both did—”

“We
did
go behind his back.”

“But it was for the best.”

Beatrice fell silent, wiping new tears from her eyes. “You sure?”

“I’m positive.” Tenzin sighed. “Some things just have to happen a certain way. He will understand that in time. And he hates being angry with you, I can tell.”

“I’m not a big fan of it, either.”

Tenzin waved her concerns away. “You’ll both be fine. You love each other too much to be angry for long. Plus”—she held a finger up—“you didn’t kill anyone. That’s a definite point in your favor.”

Beatrice sighed and looked back up at the stars, gleaming and multi-colored in the night sky. How had she ever thought the night was black? It was a million shades, none of them as dense or unyielding as she’d thought.

Eternal night was a million swirling shades of grey.

She was drinking a large mug of warmed blood the next time she saw him. Giovanni passed in the hall, stopping when he saw Beatrice and Stephen at the large dining table.

“Good evening, Beatrice, Stephen. How are you tonight?”

The mouthful of blood stuck in her throat.

“We’re doing well,” Stephen said. “Thank you. Tenzin said Beatrice’s kung fu is becoming quite exceptional.”

“That’s excellent.”

She forced the blood down, almost choking on the thick liquid as it slid down her throat. He was wearing a pair of grey slacks and a white oxford shirt, open at the collar so she could see the rise of his chest. She tried to read his eyes, hoping that their brilliant green depths might have softened to her since she had risen that evening.

They had not.

“I… I’m practicing later with Baojia,” she said, looking down at the small plate of food in front of her. It looked even more unappetizing than it had a few minutes before. “You should come by. We’re doing weapons and water practice.”

“I’ll try.”

“Gio, are you hungry?” Stephen offered. “The cooks prepared a very mild—”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Giovanni glanced at her briefly. “I’ve already fed this evening.”

A thick spike of jealousy cut through her. Beatrice wondered who he had fed from. It was just as likely Giovanni was making use of the donated blood in the palace as she and her father were, but a small part of her wondered whether he would be spiteful enough to drink from a human without telling her.

Stephen was speechless, looking between the two of them awkwardly.

“I have a meeting with Zhang in a few minutes. I’ll see you both later.”

Her father said, “Have a good evening.”

“Bye,” she said, never looking up and holding in the tears that wanted to escape. She heard his steps retreat down the hall, and she gripped the mug so tightly that it cracked, leaking blood over the ebony table before it dripped to the floor.

Beatrice rose and rushed to her room, never having finished her meal.

She regretted skipping her ration of blood later that night when she sparred with Baojia.

“Shit!” she yelled as he sliced through her arm with the razor-sharp
dao
. She had been distracted by the burning in her throat.

“Pay attention before I put another slice in you,” he yelled. “Where is your head tonight?”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she spit at him as she walked to the wall to replace her
dao
in its scabbard. “Can we do water practice for a while?”

“Fine. But only because I’ll probably take your head off at some point for pissing me off. Then I’d have to deal with Giovanni trying to take mine.”

“Doubt he’d even care at this point,” she muttered as she took off her outer shirt to reveal the black tank underneath. It was skin tight, but since water practice usually involved both of them getting soaked from head to toe, the last thing she needed was to have wet practice robes flapping around while she tried to move.

“Let me count the ways I’m completely uninterested in your lover’s spat with your husband, Mrs. Vecchio,” Baojia sneered. “Don’t waste my time.”

She swung an arm at him, reaching out with her amnis to fling the water from the stream to his face. “Don’t call me ‘Mrs. Vecchio.’”

“Fine.” He spat out the water from behind bared fangs. “Let’s play.”

With a quick flick of his hand, she was soaked by a thin wall of water that materialized behind her. She rolled closer to the flowing stream, avoiding the charged air he aimed at her face. Since her change, Beatrice could sense the amnis in the air almost like floating currents that filled the room. And on each floating current, she could send her element. While she was only beginning to understand the force of it, Baojia was an expert.

The water vampire, though relatively young among his kind, was an expert fighter, and his mental control, along with his control over his amnis, was masterful. He could send a thin stream of energy anywhere in the large room, almost beyond her detection, and the water in the air was drawn to it. If the stream was solid enough, he could send a bolt of electricity through it, rendering her useless until she could manage to throw up a shield of her own to counter the attack. He had shocked her in this way countless times, though she was beginning to get a better handle on detecting the trace of his amnis brushing against hers.

“Now,” he lectured as they moved through the room, circling each other and trying to use the water in the room to their own advantage, “water tricks are a waste of time. That is Lorenzo’s problem; he’s too showy. Don’t bother with showing off. Over seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. It suffuses the air around you. It makes up a portion of every living being on the earth. And you are that element’s master. You can control it. You can manipulate it, Beatrice.”

“Does that mean I can manipulate bodies?” She had never even considered it.

“That’s more difficult, because there is muscle and will involved, but eventually, yes, you will.”

“Even vampires?”

“Only if they let you.” A whip of water wrapped around her legs, throwing her to the ground as he answered her. “Remember, we all have amnis. If a vampire is protecting himself, your amnis will not break through unless you are far, far more powerful. It’s almost unheard of. Humans, on the other hand, are your toys to play with.” She rolled away and climbed to her feet.

“That’s kind of creepy.” Beatrice attempted to trip him with a thin strand she drew from the tip of her bare foot. He caught it in the corner of his eye and jumped over it with ease.

“Clever one.”

“Thanks.”

They spent another half an hour trying to best each other with water, combining it with kicks or punches as it benefited the fight. Baojia dominated her, and she spent most of her time on the defensive, but slowly, Beatrice began to predict his movements.

“You’re a fast learner,” he said with a playful smile. She was embarrassed by how that smile affected her. It had been weeks since anyone looked at her with that kind of approval or admiration.

“That’s good to hear, considering how completely inept I feel most of the time.”

“You’re not inept,” he said with a sudden scowl, as he almost knocked her over from the right. The water splashed her eyes, and she struggled to blink it out. “You’re just young. And you’re far more powerful than I was at less than a month old.”

“Did you really leave China to work on the railroads?” She had been curious about the vampire’s history from the beginning, but he was even more secretive than Giovanni.

“What? You think because you are a vampire now, I will confide in you?”

If she could have blushed, she would have. He knocked her back with a punch to her shoulder. “No! I’m just… sorry, I was just curious.”

“Curiosity killed the little water vampire, you know.” He smiled and she wondered what, exactly, he was referring to.

“I may be immortal now, but I don’t think I changed
that
much.”

“I don’t think you did, either.” She was distracted by their conversation and blinked in surprise when she twisted instinctively to dodge a kick to her midsection. “Sadly, Mrs. Vecchio, you have lost none of your… unusual appeal.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His lips curled into a smile, but it wasn’t a lighthearted one. “You’ll give me a run for my money one of these days… Mrs. Vecchio.” His arms lifted, calling the water from the stream into a thick coil that wrapped around her torso and spun her before knocking her over.

“Stop.” She spat out the water that slapped her face as she fell. “Stop calling me that.”

“Stop calling you ‘Mrs. Vecchio?’ But that’s your name, isn’t it?” He circled her, and his dark eyes held a trace of bitterness.

“My name is Beatrice.”

“Not ‘B’ anymore, huh?” he said softly. She stood and they eyed each other, continuing to circle, each looking for any sign of weakness. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “You are what he calls you?”

She narrowed her eyes, confused by his shifting moods. “What the hell is your problem?”

She felt the thin brush of amnis stroke the small of her back a second before he sent the shock. She winced and instinctively blocked it with a surge of her shield.

“Didn’t fall over that time, did you?”

“No!”

“Stop thinking so damn much, B. You’re stronger when you’re angry.”

Suddenly, Baojia came at her, a fury of fists and kicks that she tried to block, but even with her new speed, his blows knocked the air from her lungs. She couldn’t keep up. He was aggressive; and, despite his iron control, she sensed an edge of anger in his blows.

“Hey—”

She was cut off by a fist.

“Defend yourself.”

“What—”

A slap hit her cheek.

“Don’t think about it. Hit me.”

She stepped back, shaking her head to clear it. It didn’t hurt the way it had as a human, but it still hurt. She could feel the cut on her lip closing even as he landed another blow.

“Hit me!”

“What are you—” A flurry of water pounded her. Beatrice tried to block each surge, but they soon knocked her to the ground. In a flash, Baojia had grabbed a sword and had the edge pressed against her neck.

“And you’re dead.”

She shoved the blade away, ignoring the bite of the blade against her skin, crawling to her knees and glaring at him as the blood rushed through her veins. Anger reared up and her fangs descended. “What do you want from me?” She felt her amnis swirl along her skin, out of control as her fists clenched. The water in the air quivered around her.

“You’re more powerful than they realize, but you’re not using it.”

“What?”

“Instinct,” he spat out. “You’re still a human in vampire skin. Your muscles know these patterns, but your mind hasn’t caught up. If Lorenzo attacked you tomorrow, he would kill you. Let your instincts take over and fight!”

“You want me to fight?”

“Yes!”

“Fine!” She hopped up and took a deep breath. She stood in her normal ready stance, but Baojia only sneered.

“Such a cute little girl, Mrs. Vecchio.”

A thin red veil fell over her eyes, the fangs grew long in her mouth, and she felt her amnis pulse. Her heart beat its own unique rhythm, no longer bound by the trappings of biology. She felt the water in the air around her. Beatrice stopped concentrating on moving her limbs deliberately, as she had in
tai chi,
and just felt.