“Give me a reason.” Ben’s voice was so eerily calm he barely recognized himself. “Shall I take an eye for a souvenir? Rip off an ear?”
Vano’s response was only a gurgle.
“I can smell your blood,” Ben said. “I hear it pooling in your mouth. Your lungs. How does it feel to swim in your own blood, you bastard?”
Vano’s blue eyes burned into Ben’s with so much hatred Ben was surprised he didn’t feel a burn.
“If I didn’t trust Radu and Kezia to do something far worse, I would rip your head from your shoulders with my two hands.” He nodded at the hovering Hazar and shoved Vano toward them, but not before he felt the crunch of Vano’s cheekbone as it collapsed under his grip.
Ben landed next to Tenzin on the stage and put an arm around her shoulders. “Radu, my friend, I believe I have met the terms of our arrangement.” He nodded at the emerald goblet in Radu’s hand. “Tenzin and I have protected the sacred goblet of the Poshani terrin.”
And I managed to hide the fact that it was stolen from you to begin with.
Radu’s eyes were glowing with satisfaction. “You have.” He turned to Tenzin. “My dear Tenzin, you are in an unusual position.”
Tenzin smiled a little. “That happens sometimes.”
“You possess the ruby goblet of the Poshani terrin.” Kezia stepped forward. “You are an old friend, known to the kamvasa.” Kezia turned to the crowd. “Tenzin of Penglai, commander of the Altan Wind, daughter of the Kali, protector and bearer of the ruby dishana!”
The Poshani crowd, vampire and human alike, cheered around them. Some began shouting her name. Others threw flowers on the stage.
Tenzin turned to Ben. “This could be a problem.”
“This was your plan, Tiny.” Ben looked around nervously. “Think fast. I don’t think we want to be stuck here for the next hundred years.”
“Ideas?” She glanced around the festival and tried to smile. It looked like she was baring her teeth; unfortunately, that only made the Poshani cheer harder.
“You want ideas to get out of this?” Ben muttered.
“Please.”
He racked his brain furiously for a way out.
Then he had it.
Ben bent and whispered in Tenzin’s ear. She perked up immediately and walked to the edge of the stage and lifted both her hands. The crowd fell quiet.
“Poshaniya,” Tenzin shouted. “You are kind and hospitable. You honor your guests and your history, and I would travel with you for a century if I could. But I am not suited for the honor of serving on the terrin.”
Murmurs of dissatisfaction spread like a gathering wave.
“But there is among the kamvasa guests a woman of honor and cunning, a vampire who respects your traditions and has learned your language and your history.” Tenzin turned toward the guests’ platform. “Tatyana Vorona.”
Tatyana stared at Tenzin with an expression Ben couldn’t classify. Her blue eyes were wide but not shocked. She looked at Kezia and Radu, then at the crowd of Poshani gathered around the stage. Then she looked at Oleg and raised a single eyebrow.
No one spoke when Tatyana rose to her feet. She stepped delicately down the stairs, helped by four of the Hazar. She walked through the crowd and stopped to let a woman Ben recognized as one of the camp cooks place a flower crown on her head. They exchanged a few words before Tatyana mounted the stage.
She didn’t look or speak to either Radu or Kezia but turned to the crowd and addressed the Poshani in their own language.
Ben leaned down. “Do you have any idea what she’s saying?”
“Not really.”
“Judging from her tone, I’m going to say she’s willing but wants their approval.”
“She’s smart,” Tenzin said. “She won’t take her power for granted.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Ben watched Oleg, a vampire known as much for his power and fiery temper as for his cunning and determination. “I think Oleg is in love with her.”
“Do you think so?”
Ben looked at the man watching Tatyana. “Yep. Pretty sure. He probably wouldn’t admit it though.”
“Well, that’s an interesting twist.” Tenzin looked at Oleg. “I don’t see it.”
“Maybe I’m wrong.” He wasn’t wrong.
He turned and saw Radu sidling up to them.
“Did you plan all this, Vecchio?”
“No,” Ben murmured. “But when your brother left us behind and tried to kill Tenzin, we had to improvise.”
“She’s going to accept,” Radu said. “It will be the first time in history that a terrin who is not Poshani holds one of the goblets.”
A roar came from the crowd, and the Poshani started chanting Tatyana’s name.
Ben slapped Radu’s shoulder. “I think they’re okay with it.”
Flowers were thrown toward the stage, and Tenzin walked forward.
“Tatyana.” Tenzin held out the ruby goblet. “I believe this is yours.”
Tatyana looked at Radu and Kezia. Then at Ben. “This was you.”
“Sometimes the wrong things happen to good people,” Ben said. “And sometimes the right things happen to the right people.”
Tatyana looked at Kezia and Radu. “I will never take this responsibility for granted. I will always look out for the most vulnerable.”
Kezia looked at her brother and then back to Tatyana. “Then sister, take your goblet.”
Tatyana took the ruby goblet from Tenzin’s hand and lifted it to the cheers of the Poshani. She turned to Ben. “I won’t forget this.”
Ben and Tenzin stepped to the back of the stage as Kezia and Radu walked to either side of their new sister in the terrin. The Hazar surrounded them as the crowd cheered and music began to play.
“I’m not sure if that was a threat or not,” Ben said quietly.
“Not a threat.” Tenzin nodded at the new terrin. “She was looking for a home. She found one.”
Ben looked around at the celebrating throngs of Poshani humans and vampires. “So, any idea where René got to?”
“Nope. None at all.”
39
Ben woke at nightfall, Tenzin curled into his side. One hand was playing with the hairs on his chest and the other was tucked under his armpit.
“Were you trying to tickle me?”
“Yes. And now you’re awake. It worked perfectly.” She stroked her fingernails along his side, and Ben nearly doubled up in laughter.
“Stop.” He’d always been ticklish, but he’d never slept with anyone who took advantage of it. “Don’t tickle me.”
“You’re much harder to wake now. I have to discover new tactics.”
He stretched up, throwing his arms over his head. “We’re leaving tonight, right?”
“Don’t you like our comfortable cave?”
“I want a proper bed, Tenzin. I’m taller than you and I actually sleep. I want to be comfortable and not cramped.” He slid his hand down her bare back. “And beds have other desirable features we both might enjoy.”
“Hmm.” She propped her chin on his chest. “How about Venice?”