Page 165 of Dawn Caravan
She felt a burgeoning energy approaching, and a familiar scent blew through the open windows like a gust of night jasmine in the air.
Tenzin picked up her head. “Zhang is here.”
Ben frowned. “What?”
It couldn’t be. But it was.
“Zhang. My sire.Oursire.” She sat up. “He is here.”What was he doing in New York?
“Has he ever been to New York before? Are you sure?”
“I smell him on the roof.”
She was about to fly out of the loft when Ben pulled her back threw a tunic at her.
“Clothing please. I know you don’t subscribe to traditional mores of modesty, but please don’t make me crazy, even if it is your father.”
She looked at him. “Is this another relationship parameter?”
He rubbed a small circle on his temple. “I can’t believe we have to spell that out, but yes, Tenzin. Please don’t randomly spend time naked in front of other people.”
“That’s a reasonable parameter.” As was monogamy. Very few vampires as old as Tenzin subscribed to monogamy, but since she had no interest in sexual intercourse with anyone other than Ben, that was an easy request to agree to. Understanding the complex dynamics of an emotional and sexual partnership with one person was complicated enough. She didn’t know how Arosh handled a harem, but he clearly had far more emotional depth than she could manage.
Tenzin pulled on a tunic and a loose pair of pants; then she flew down to the french doors that led to the roof. Ben was right behind her.
Just as she’d suspected, Zhang was sitting on a bench outside, his eyes roaming over the city.
“Extraordinary,” he said. “Truly, I begin to understand Lan’s fascination with the modern world.” Zhang looked over his shoulder. “It looks like another sky has fallen to the ground, spreading its stars across the land.”
Ben leaned against the doorway. “Yeah, it’s pretty spectacular.”
Tenzin didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “What are you doing here? What is wrong?”
“A piece of unexpected information came to me two weeks ago.” Zhang turned, and Tenzin was surprised by the tension she saw on her sire’s face. “It affects both of you.” He sniffed the air. “I see you have become sexual partners again.”
Ben covered his eyes with one hand. “God, you two are so strange. I will never understand your relationship.”
“That is none of your business,” Tenzin said. “And it has no bearing on our relationship with you.”
“Admittedly, this is true,” Zhang said, “but I do hope you are both happy with the arrangement.”
“Why are you in New York? I doubt it’s to check whether Ben and I are having sex.”
Ben groaned and sat on a bench. “You just keep saying it.”
She spun on him. “SoCatholic.” Tenzin turned back to her father. “What is this about?”
“It’s about Arosh,” Zhang said, keeping his voice low. “I have sources who say he has found the bone scroll in Axum.”
Tenzin felt as if her body had been hollowed out in an instant. “The bone scroll is a myth.”
“No,” Zhang said. “It is not.”
“Aabmen—”
“I have seen it with my own eyes.” Zhang’s face was like a grave. “It is not a myth.”
Zhang had seen it? It was as if she were seeing her father for the first time. How had he seen it? Where? If he had seen it, why had he not destroyed it?
