Page 117 of Night's Reckoning
She didn’t stop. She marched straight to the bow of the ship and looked for him. She could already scent his amnis.
Cheng turned when she rounded the corner. He held out his arms and she walked straight into them. She allowed herself to feel, just a little bit, as he embraced her. Cheng knew not to push too far.
That was the difference between Cheng and Ben. Benalwayspushed too far.
“Cricket.”
She said nothing because there was nothing to say.
“You came back for the sword?”
She nodded.
“Very well.” He kept her wrapped in his arms. “We only have a few more nights of recovery. I am responsible for the human crew, but if you want me to send someone I trust—”
“I don’t need anyone,” she said. “I will need to see her quarters.”
“Done. I haven’t let anyone in.”
“And I need a place to rest.”
“Of course. The hold is waiting for you. The men already repaired the doors.”
Tenzin was tired. She couldn’t remember being tired before. Weary? Perhaps. But tired? It was a foreign sensation, one she hadn’t felt in millennia and one she did not care for.
You have taken his blood.
One night. One bite. It was hardly significant. She stepped away from Cheng and rubbed a hand over her neck. “Is Fabia still here?”
“Yes, but she’s leaving tomorrow.” Cheng looked confused. “Someone is coming from California to pick her up in Fuzhou. Who—?”
“Giovanni and Beatrice will be on their way to Penglai.”
Cheng’s eyes went wide. “She won’t be able to see him. She cannot see him.”
“She won’t. They’re not idiots. But after they see Ben, they’ll return her to Rome.”
“I would have assumed they’d be taking Ben back to Los Angeles or one of their other safe havens.”
Tenzin cocked her head. “Why?”
Cheng frowned. “He’s theirson, Tenzin.”
“No. He’s Zhang’s son now.”
“Is he?” Cheng took a step back. “You made whatever deal you made with your sire, Cricket. But Giovanni Vecchio is the son of an ancient, just as you are.”
She scoffed. “His sire is dead.”
“But his sire’s sire is not. And Kato is as old as you and Zhang. Perhaps older.”
“It doesn’t matter. Giovanni is a fire vampire who belongs to a water clan.”
“You think they don’t have wind vampires loyal to them?” Cheng said. “Of course they do.”
Tenzin thought about all of Giovanni’s connections. While he might not be as old as Tenzin, there was a reason she’d once chosen him as a partner when she’d been an assassin. What he lacked in power, he made up in political connections, discipline, and sheer ferocity.
“What are you trying to say, Cheng?”
