“Not really.”
“Okay.”
Ben stayed watching for Vano long after Tatyana abandoned him. He waited by the fire until Tenzin joined him to get an update.
“Have you broken into his caravan yet?”
“I don’t even know which one is his.” Ben scanned the ring of more traditional Poshani homes. “Kezia’s was fairly obvious, but I can’t pin this guy down.”
“He sleeps in a modern camper.” Tenzin nodded toward a sleek grey caravan on the far end of the guest caravans. “You haven’t seen him coming in and out of that one?”
“I’ve seen him near it.”
Tenzin held her hands out near the fire. “That’s his.”
Ben examined the trailer. “He’s a little different than his brother and sister.”
“Vano is the practical one.” Tenzin turned her hands to warm them. “He doesn’t have clubs; he owns factories. He owns a caravan company as a matter of fact. And two rather large horse ranches, but that is traditional. I believe Radu has horses as well.”
“How else is Vano practical?” Ben found himself leaning closer to her.
“He spends more time with the humans.” She spoke very softly. “Have you noticed that?”
“Yeah, I really did. Who are the Poshani who travel with us?”
“The darigan?” Tenzin glanced around at the ring of campers, trailers, and trucks that surrounded the central vampire camp. “They are humans of Radu’s clan, charged with protecting the vampire guests and moving the caravan during the day. You have one driving you around every day when you’re sleeping, just beyond that reinforced wall.”
“I knew that.” He frowned. “I don’t actually know who it is though.”
“Your driver? It could be any of them.” Tenzin waved a hand. “They don’t care. You’re cargo to them. Rich, precious cargo they’ll protect with their life, but cargo. The Poshani only care about their own.”
“Mercenary.”
“Practical.” Tenzin looked up at him. “Traditional human society has rejected their extended family over and over. Humans have taken their children, burned their camps, and treated them horribly. Why would they care about anyone who doesn’t belong to them?”
Ben’s vampire vision pierced the darkness, but he could detect no humans still wandering on the edges of the camp. The only humans awake were the ones currently serving the vampire guests. “I guess I can see your point.”
“The Eastern Poshani are Radu’s people. He was born to them, and he’ll choose a successor from among their ranks.”
“As long as we find the goblet for him.” Ben let out a long breath. “Are you sure René doesn’t have this thing and all his confiding in you was a big ruse to misdirect us?”
“He has no motivation to steal it,” Tenzin said. “There is no gain for him. I think Vano has it.”
“Why?
“He’s the sneakiest, and I think he hates Radu. René thinks Vano is the strongest, but he’s not.”
“No?
“Strong and sneaky are not the same thing,” Tenzin said. “René might think they are, but he is wrong.”
For the hundredth time, Ben wondered whether Tenzin and René had slept together. There was clearly chemistry between the two, and René quite obviously was fascinated with Tenzin. “Okay, I know this probably is none of my business, but did you and René—?”
“No.” Tenzin looked at him. “And why do you keep saying that my sexual partners—or possible sexual partners—are none of your business? They clearly are.”
“Are they?”
She huffed out a breath and turned to him. “Are you deciding if we can be together?”
Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know what I’m doing with you most of the time.”
Tenzin stared at him for a few long moments; then she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the nearest trailer, which was her own. She opened the door, pushed him inside, and followed him, shutting the door behind her.
Ben stood silently, waiting for her to speak.
“After I took you to Zhang, you sent me away.” She turned and faced him. “You said you were ‘done’—whatever that means—and that you weren’t going back to New York and you weren’t going to wait for me. But I said I would wait for you. And I have.” She spread her arms wide. “So what do you want, Benjamin?”
You!
No, that wasn’t it.
Okay, it was. But admitting that felt like defeat.
She asked, “Do you want me to wait longer?”
“No.”
“Very well.” She stood in front of him. “I dislike having to explain myself, but I am trying to… grow.”
“New Year’s resolutions?”
“Yes. I am here.” She stood perfectly still. “This is your choice.”
He didn’t know what to say. He knew it was his choice. He knew she was giving him time. He just didn’t know how to bridge the gap he felt between them. “Tenzin—”
“And to answer your persistent question, my sexual partners are your business because I assume you are feeling as territorial as I am. If you had sex with someone else right now when I am near, I would likely kill that person.”
Yes!
Wait. No. That wasn’t good.
He rubbed his temple. “That’s not okay.”
She stepped closer, and Ben felt the ripple of her power against his skin like a caress.
Tenzin spoke deliberately. “I am evolving, Benjamin, but I will never be human. I will never be tame, and it’s long past time you admitted to yourself that you never will be either.”
She left him in the trailer, staring at her empty bed.
Ben tried to keep his mind off Tenzin by keeping track of Vano the rest of the night, following him at a distance as he visited vampires, chatted with the cooks making dinner, and hovered around the bar where servers mixed drinks and carried wine.
Vano was among the vampire guests, but he wasn’t a part of them. In fact, if Ben hadn’t been paying attention, Vano would have melted into the background.
It was quite the skill, and Ben realized that Tenzin was right.
Vano was very, very sneaky.
An hour before sunrise as the nightly party wound down, Ben retreated to his secure caravan and called Chloe. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey.” She answered the video call on her phone. She was in the middle of a crowd, and the raucous sounds of a party surrounded her. “Where are you?”
“No idea. Ukraine maybe? Where are you?”
“We went back to Monte Carlo.” Chloe’s face glowed. She walked away from the crowd and found a quieter place with red velvet draperies behind her. “We’ve been so many places. Oh my God, Ben, you cannot even imagine. Nice, Capri, Portofino—that was probably my favorite.”
“Portofino is gorgeous.” Ben picked at his shirt, which had ashes from the bonfire on it. “The boats are amazing. You need to go to Rome though. You have Fabi’s number, right?”