Page 64 of Dawn Caravan
“Why are you sorry?”
Tenzin thought. “I do not know.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I did not deserve your love.”
Nima’s smile turned soft. “My love for you was a gift. It required nothing in return.”
“You deserved more.”
Her eyes teased. “I know I did.”
She stroked the soft, smooth skin of Nima’s cheek. “I am sorry I was not who I am now.”
“You couldn’t be,” Nima said. “You needed to remember that you are human.”
“I am not human.”
“Oh, my lovely Tenzin.” Nima’s hand cupped Tenzin’s cheek, and her thumb brushed over her skin with a featherlight touch. “I was angry and I was wrong. You are the most human of them all, for you have known weakness. If you remember, it will only make you stronger.”
“I miss you.”
“He misses you.”
“But I missyou.”
“You miss him.”
Tenzin closed her eyes. “I wish I had been more for you.”
“You were only who you could be in that moment. Now you are someone else, and he loves who you are.”
“Sometimes I think he only loved an idea of me.”
“What are any of us but the idea of a person in someone else’s mind?” Nima pressed her forehead to Tenzin’s. “Don’t forget: ideas are powerful things.”
* * *
They flewunder the clouds on a moonless night, their black clothes invisible in the night sky. If anyone saw them from below, they would only see a shadow passing over the stars as they flew southwest of the capital.
The mansion where Gergo Farkas made his home was a restored baroque castle that sprawled across a hilltop overlooking Lake Balaton. Lush forests covered the hill behind the house while gracious vineyards blanketed the slopes in front. All the fields draped down toward the emerald-green water of the lake, one of the most cherished tourist spots in Hungary.
The house was fully restored with bright yellow and cream plasterwork arches and intricate wrought iron running along numerous balconies.
Ben and Tenzin floated at a distance. Ben was looking through a pair of binoculars while Tenzin surveyed the land around the house.
“The north balcony,” Ben said. “The windows don’t look secure.”
“We’ll see,” Tenzin said. “I’ve heard that Farkas knows about our kind.”
“But how much?” It was one thing to know vampires existed. It was a whole other matter to know the intricacies of vampire life along with their strengths and weaknesses. “For now it doesn’t look like he’s expecting any thieves.”
“That could be a clever trap to lure us in.”
“Or it could be he’s an overconfident old man convinced of his own security.” Ben tucked the binoculars away. “North balcony.”
Tenzin spread her arms out. “You lead, and I shall follow.”
