Page 46 of Night's Reckoning
“Yes.” A single question had been plaguing him for days. “Tenzin, this sword is important, but why is itthisimportant? Why is your sire bothering with all this after so many centuries?”
She opened another book but closed it quickly. “Those around both Arosh and my father have been increasing pressure on them. Some in Penglai think Arosh must have imperial ambitions after so long living quietly. They think the pushback about infrastructure in Central Asia has sparked antivampire sentiments among human authorities. Zhang’s people have been whispering about it. Arosh’s people probably have too.” She lifted her hands and pantomimed chatting motions with her fingers. “Blah, blah, blah. So much talking.”
He couldn’t stop his smile. “And you think finding the Laylat al Hisab would settle this conflict?” Ben shook his head. “I don’t know. I think every now and then, vampires just like a fight.”
“You’re not wrong.” She moved to another shelf. “But for once it appears I’m playing the peacemaker. A war serves no one right now, and it risks our exposure. The balance of powers has shifted since Saba razed Alitea and rebuilt it. We’re contending with a surge in human technology that threatens us.” She shook her head. “War would be disastrous right now.”
It was moments like this that reminded Ben she was thousands of years older than him. Half the time, he felt like the adult in the room, guiding Tenzin through one of her fits or confusion about the modern world.
But he hadn’t seen millennia. He hadn’t led soldiers into war or negotiated peace treaties. He hadn’t watched human empires rise and fall. Tenzin had.
She put one book back and reached for another. “Despite all the current risks, some of my kind would risk exposure to exert power. And history proves that it’s easier to start an old war than justify a new one. We need to make sure they can’t get a foothold in this if we want them to avoid bloodshed.”
“Do you?” Ben glanced at her. “Want to avoid bloodshed, I mean?”
Her voice was quiet. “I’ve had enough blood for some time.”
Ben closed a book and set it on the floor. “Speaking of blood—”
“I shouldn’t have bitten you, and I have already apologized for it. What more do you want?” Tenzin’s eyes pierced him. “Seriously,what do you want?I’ve been trying to figure it out for months.”
“What do I want?” Ben struggled to find words. “I want… I want you to acknowledge what’s there, Tenzin.”
“What’s where?”
“Between you and me!” He moved his hand back and forth. “This thing between us.”
“Thisthing?” She set down her book. “You mean what? Attraction?”
“Yes!”
“Fine.” She narrowed her eyes. “You and I are sexually attracted to each other. I am attracted to you. You are attracted to me.”
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “We are. And it didn’t happen because of one kiss in a cave when you lost control. The thing in the cave happened because that attraction was already there.”
“I agree. Chemical reactions between people occur. I am not immune to these. If anything, I am more susceptible to these forces because my senses are more responsive than yours.”
“Exactly.”Wait, what was she saying?
“So, I have acknowledged that we are sexually attracted to each other.” She had the nerve to look baffled. “That is what you want?”
“Not just that.” He stood and started pacing with his hands on his hips. “It’s more than attraction.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you have feelings for me!” He spat out the words. “And I have feelings for you.”
“Of course I do.”
Ben closed his eyes.Don’t say it. Just don’t say—
“You are myfriend, Benjamin. I don’t grant that title lightly.”
And she said it.
“I know I’m your friend.” He took a deep breath. Fine. If she was going to go that patronizing direction… “You know, Giovanni is your friend.”
“He is.”
