Page 55 of Dawn Caravan
“Santé.”
They clinked glasses, and Ben sipped the dry, sparkling wine.
“To your immortality,” Gavin said. “May you not waste it as long as I did.”
Ben’s eyebrow went up. “Oh?”
“Yes, Tenzin gave me quite a lecture a few years ago about all the dawdling I was doing. Apparently creating an international club and entertainment empire was a bit of a waste. Who knew?”
“She did apparently.” He drank his glass and poured another. “Fuck, I hate not being able to get drunk.”
Gavin raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Ben said. “It just took the edge off sometimes, you know?”
“I know. What did you think of the Corsicans?”
“They’re interesting. They really love Tenzin.”
“That doesn’t surprise me; she saved their hides from your uncle.”
“She told me. So Hungary. Can you leave tomorrow night?”
“I can. This visit was more of a check-in than a real work trip. My manager here is very good.”
“He or she would have to be.”
“She, and yes.” He looked around the club. “This club has seen more than its share of immortal summits.”
“Not that you can tell me about them.”
“Of course not.”
“Does it bother you?” Ben saw a water vampire Emil Conti had been trying to track down in Italy for a few years. The man was a thief and had assaulted a human on Conti’s staff, nearly killing her. Yet here he sat in Monte Carlo, openly chatting with business associates and beautiful humans.
“I like who I like” —Gavin followed his eyes but said nothing about the Italian vampire— “but business is business. Safe haven is assumed in my clubs unless you cross me or those under my protection. Neutrality may not be palatable to some, but it’s necessary.”
Ben shook his head. “What does it say about me that it makes sense?”
“It says you appreciate disagreements being settled without bloodshed.”
“Right.”
“What has you in a mood?”
I am still your friend. I will always be your friend whether you want me or not.
“Tenzin thinks she did the right thing, doesn’t she? Not just the selfish thing” —he looked at Gavin directly— “the right thing. Therighteousthing.”
“Yes. And she’s right.”
“How can you say that, knowing how I feel?”
“Because look at you.” Gavin leaned forward and refilled his champagne glass. “Look at yourself, Ben.” His voice was low. “Your power fills this space like the bass thumping in Radu’s club the other night. That’s how big it is. Most vampires would walk in here with an attitude if they wore that much power. Even if they were young, they would flaunt it. And yet here you are, quietly drinking a glass of wine with me, speaking politely to the humans in my employ, nodding at immortals you only know socially and acknowledging everyone, not only those who can benefit you.”
“And?”
“You were born to be this.” Gavin sat back. “Don’t glare at me when you know it’s the truth. You—the man you were—has not been changed by immortality. If anything, it’s made you a little more humble. And that’s extraordinary.”
