Page 126 of Night's Reckoning
“It does if you’re her.” Tenzin rose and started for the door. “I’m flying to Taipei tonight. Find me a place to sleep. I’ll call you before dawn.”
“Good luck,” he said quietly. “And be careful.”
* * *
Ben waitedin his room while Zhang greeted Giovanni and Beatrice in the Hall. The arrival of two world-renowned scholars meant that every elder was in the Hall, particularly when those scholars were the adoptive parents of Zhang’s newly sired son.
The drama and tension on the island were palpable.
He heard footsteps approaching and rose just as Beatrice opened the door to his room.
“Ben?”
He couldn’t say a word. He rushed to his aunt, who opened her arms to embrace him. Ben fell on her, wrapped her in his arms, and held on tight. He could feel the silent tears running down his face, but he didn’t think about them. He didn’t think about anything but the comfort of her embrace, her familiar scent, and the sure and steady sound of her voice.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay, Ben. You’re going to be okay.”
Ben hid his face in her neck and allowed a wave of carefully repressed sorrow to break free. He heard the door slide closed, and something fell off a table. Wind whipped around the room, and Giovanni’s hand brushed over Ben’s head and neck, soothing him.
“Calm down,” his uncle said. “Be calm, Benjamin.”
The wind died down and Ben lifted his head, wiping red-tinted tears from his face.
Beatrice put her hand on his cheek and forced his eyes to hers. She froze for a second, then her thumb brushed his cheek. “I figured you’d be even more handsome after. Look at those eyes, Gio.” She smiled. “See? Now he’ll never get the girls to leave him alone.”
Ben let out a laugh that was halfway to a sob. “Everything is so weird, B. I can’t even look at my face anymore.”
“I know, kiddo.” She took a breath. “But you’re gonna get through this.”
“Come here.” Giovanni took Ben by the shoulder and drew him into an embrace. “We love you so much. You will master this. You are going to be fine.”
“Have you talked to her?” Ben didn’t know how Giovanni reacted to the question, but he saw Beatrice’s mouth flatten to a tight line.
“No,” she said. “Our priority was getting to you.”
“You are the only thing on our schedule right now,” Giovanni said. “We’re here for as long as you want.”
“Fabi? Wait— Sadia!” It suddenly hit Ben that he wasn’t going to be able to see his adopted sister for at least a year. She was human. He wasn’t going to be able to play hide-and-seek with her or push her on the swings. “Where’s Sadia if you’re here?”
“Sadia is fine,” Beatrice said. “Don’t worry about her. She and the nanny are at the hangar with Fabia. The pilot can take them all on to Rome if we need to stay here. But Fabi wanted to hear from us about how you’re doing before she left. Everyone knows they can’t see you right now.
“Let’s sit.” Giovanni kept his arm around Ben’s shoulders and led him to a low sitting area in the corner. “Would you like tea?” he asked. “I think tea is an excellent idea.”
“Sure.” Ben sat next to Beatrice, keeping her hand in his. “Tea sounds good.”
Giovanni went to look for a servant, leaving Ben with Beatrice. He felt an instinctive pull toward her, while also an instinctive caution. He supposed it was because he was a predator now. He could sense her amnis in an entirely new way. He felt how powerful she was. He could feel his amnis poking and prodding hers like a child testing its limits.
“You don’t know what you’re doing yet,” she said quietly. “So I should tell you that it’s quite aggressive.”
He drew his hand back. “What?”
“It’s okay.” She grabbed his hand and didn’t let go. “You have very little control right now. Just be aware that the way your amnis is testing mine, if I didn’t know you, I’d consider it aggressive.”
“I don’t know anything,” Ben whispered. “I am so confused right now.”
“And you aren’t a man accustomed to being confused, which makes it harder. You’ve probably counted on knowing how things work since you were old enough to tie your own shoes.”
Ben thought back to a childhood running around the sidewalks and alleys of the Bowery, pulling petty cons on unsuspecting tourists. He could read a mark. He could read a room. And he knew the streets of his neighborhood like the back of his hand. “Pretty much, yes.”
