Page 53 of Dawn Caravan
Now Tenzin wanted to be more.
She had humbled herself before her father. She’d crawled across cobblestones on her knees. She’d pledged fidelity to a sire she hated in order to save the life of the one human who had never seen her as a weapon or a goddess.
He had only seen her.
You’re lovely. Lovable. You’re worthy of that.
She was trying to awaken parts of herself that had been strangled by the past. It was irritating as shit.
“Humans are so infuriating.”
Chloe said, “He’s not human anymore.”
“Then vampires are so infuriating! I don’t know what he wants from me.”
Chloe sighed. “The problem is, he may not want anything from you. Not for a long time.”
She tapped her foot on the marble tiles. “I can be patient.”
Chloe nodded. “Uh-huh.”
Tenzin turned to Chloe and narrowed her eyes. “You said something that means yes, but your face says the opposite.”
“You’re just… not the best at waiting for things you want.”
Tenzin flopped back on the lounger and scowled at the stars. “Why should I wait for something to happen when I can make it happen faster?”
Chloe reached down and stroked Tenzin’s hair. “Because you can’t change someone’s heart.”
“I can try.”
“Well, yeah. I guess that’s the whole point, right? Just remember, hearts can be stubborn things.”
Ben had loved her once, so Tenzin was counting on his heart being very stubborn. Stubborn enough to keep loving her even when he was angry.
Chloe kept stroking her hair.
“You’re petting me like your cat.”
“I know. I really miss Pete. I kind of wish we’d brought him with us.”
“Glad I could help.”
15
Ben landed on the roof of Gavin’s club in Monte Carlo, absently noting the muffled noise of the casino in the building below.
Vampires, Ben had learned, enjoyed gambling as much or more than humans did. There must be something about centuries of life, vast amounts of money, and boredom that caused them to dabble in games.
Go figure.
He walked to the hostess, who hadn’t batted an eye as he landed on the balcony. She was human, though Ben could see more than one vampire working in the club. Unusual, but then not all vampires were rich.
“Bonsoir, monsieur.”
“Bonsoir,” he replied, also in French. “Is Mr. Wallace in the club tonight?”
“May I tell him who is inquiring about him?”
