“At the monastery, Mahina’s reception, in the forest, or at the murder scene?”
Ben was silent for a long moment. “This was a fucking busy night.”
“I am still processing most of it.” Tenzin looked up and met his eyes. “What did I say earlier?”
“That you remember life before all this. That diplomacy is better than conquest and I need to remember what I might unmake in the process of trying to make something better.”
“Hmm.” She’d almost forgotten about that. She’d said it more to assuage Ben’s feelings than to guide him. He was powerful, but he wasn’t as powerful as the Eight. And if the elders wanted to keep island society the same as it had been for thousands of years?
Ben wasn’t going to change that.
“I’m not talking about remaking the islands. I really do think that the majority of the people here are happy and content. You’re right; they’re not complaining.”
“I do love it when you say I’m right.”
“Ha ha.” He pinched the delicate skin where her thigh met her buttock. “I know what you’re saying, but I still think I’m right too.”
“How so?”
“Choices.” He tipped her chin up to look at him. “Think of it this way: the humans on the island are people, but the elders see them as resources, don’t they?”
“That may sound cold, but you are correct.”
“Many of those people are fisherman and farmers and seamstresses and artisans who make this place run. They’re happy and successful. In fact, in the outside world, the skills many of them have wouldn’t be nearly as important as they are here.”
She nodded. “You’re correct again.”
“But there are others who are unhappy. I guarantee it. And what if there are some of those people—those resources—who might be exceptional businesspeople or computer scientists or doctors, working in immortal organizations on the mainland? If you think of it that way, those are resources that aren’t being used well or wisely.”
Her eyebrows rose. “This is an argument that could be persuasive.”
“I thought so.”
She turned her head and kissed him. “You’re really quite clever. I’m very impressed with myself that I chose you as a mate.”
Ben smiled. “That was the weirdest self-centered compliment I’ve ever received. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter Seventeen
The following night, Ben and Jae planned to return to Penglai town and the murder scene while Tenzin and her father discreetly inspected the treasury. Ben didn’t notice how cold the night was until he arrived at the front gate to see Jae wearing an extra layer beneath a heavy canvas jacket.
“It’s cold.” Ben saw Jae’s breath steaming in the air. “We can take a carriage if you wish.”
“No, the walk will warm me up.” Jae turned and headed out the gate, walking under a brilliant gold dragon seal surrounded by carved jade and intricate wooden fretwork.
Ben looked up at the golden seal. “Was the Pearl Seal like this?”
Jae glanced at the Dragon Gate. “A little. A dragon, but not as elaborate as this one. Older design, and with the pearl for the eye instead of a ruby.”
Ben blinked when he realized that was the large stone that glinted black in the darkness. “And it’s just here. Out in the open. No alarms. No guards. Nothing.”
“Other than the palace guards, no.” Jae raised an eyebrow. “Before the Pearl Seal was taken, I would have asked you, ‘Who would steal from the Eight Immortals?’ But obviously someone would.” He turned and started down the cobblestone road while Ben had to constrain the urge to take to the sky and jump down the hill toward the village to speed things up.
“I’m getting as impatient as Tenzin these days,” he muttered.
Jae turned and smiled, clearly understanding Ben’s frustration. “You may fly ahead if you wish. I will walk quickly to catch up.”
“No, this is good for me.” He took a deep, needless breath. “Sometimes I think I’ve forgotten too quickly what it means to be human.”
“Do you miss it?” Jae quickly added, “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine.” Ben cocked his head. “I miss things about being human, but I was living with vampires for so long before my change it was a… natural transition. Other than missing the sun, my life isn’t that much different.”
Except for mating with Tenzin. That was definitely different.
And craving the taste of blood.
And smelling everything on earth, the good and the bad. Ben was still getting accustomed to that not-usually-pleasant surprise. Life could really stink. Literally stink.
So maybe it wasn’t as smooth as he’d expressed, but in the past year, Ben had felt as if he was settling into immortal life and getting over the shock of his transition.
He didn’t always turn in shock at the stranger in the mirror with the inhuman eyes. He’d grown to love the caress of the wind through his hair and the utter adoration and rightness he felt when he was at one with his element. Then there was the passage of time.
The winter holidays had arrived with such speed this year it was as if six months had passed in the blink of an eye. He was learning to plan—not in months but in years.
“I’ve become more and less patient at the same time,” Ben said to Jae. “If Tenzin and I are planning a job, I find myself thinking it could be this year or next, but as long as it gets done, that’s all that’s important. And yet the slowness of walking does begin to irritate me.” He smiled. “But not when I have company.”
Jae nodded. “I have never had a desire for immortality. I find myself content with the idea of growing older. I’d like to marry and have a family if the elders bless me to do so.” He smiled. “That said, I do see the appeal of flying.”
“I can’t lie. Flying is very cool. Except for the bugs.”
Jae frowned. “I’ve never thought about the bugs.”
“It’s one of the reasons we wear black.”
They reached the outskirts of Penglai town and saw the extra palace guards strolling through the city, roughly half human and half vampire.
The mood was hushed as Ben and Jae walked through the town, and Ben could see the usual peace and joviality of Penglai had been bruised by the death of the harness maker.
“It’s a shock to them,” Jae said. “Murders don’t happen here. Fights sometimes. And I remember once, when my father was young, two brothers got into a horrible fistfight and one accidentally killed the other. It was a tragedy that people spoke of for decades.”
“But other than that?”
Jae looked around the town and nodded at the passing humans. “Violence of any kind is a sign that something is out of balance, and Penglai prides itself on balance. Everyone has their role on the islands. Everyone has a place to live, food to eat, and a job to do. Why would violence appear here?”
They arrived at Haitao’s house where two human guards wearing Myung’s deep blue uniform were standing. They nodded to Jae and bowed to Ben as they stepped aside to clear the door.