and me to guard you?”
She took a deep breath. “Of course I do. That’s not the issue.”
“Then—”
“We should get out of bed.” She climbed off his lap. “I want to ask my dad a few questions tonight. I think I deserve some answers from him.”
He sighed when she made the obvious subject change, but smiled at the determined expression she wore as he rose to join her.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I am, thanks.” She squeaked as he scooped her into his arms and walked to the bathroom.
“Good. I think a nice, warm bath is in order, Miss De Novo. Just to be safe, I’ll join you.”
“Well,” she laughed. “If it’s for my own safety…”
“Oh yes,” he said with a pinch to her knee, which was thankfully not bruised. “Safety first.”
Giovanni was far more relaxed an hour later when they met with Tenzin and Stephen in the main room. Baojia was out hunting, no doubt informed that they had planned a private meeting. Stephen and Tenzin were already sitting at a table, sipping tea, when they walked in.
“Good, Nima had dinner prepared for you,” Tenzin said, nodding to one of the servants standing near the door. “Did I bruise you too much?”
“I’m fine,” Beatrice said with a wave.
Tenzin cocked an eyebrow at Giovanni, as if challenging his cool demeanor, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “She’s very good, you know. When she changes, she’ll be formidable. We should have Baojia give her weapons training while she is here. I have a full practice room with many options.”
“Oh?” Beatrice perked up. “What kind of weapons?”
He sat down and waited for Tenzin to stop teasing him. Though, really, it wasn’t a bad idea. Because he had such a ready weapon in his fire and rarely needed to behead an enemy, Giovanni wasn’t as well trained in swordsmanship as most vampires were. He was proficient in fencing and the older Greek and Roman forms of hand-to-hand combat, but he suspected that Beatrice would take to the Asian styles better, considering her background in martial arts. Baojia, despite Giovanni’s personal reservations, would be an excellent teacher.
“We’ll talk later; I’m sure she’ll consider it,” he said. “In the meantime, try not to bruise any internal organs on my woman, Tenzin.”
“Hey!” Beatrice scowled and smacked his arm. “Enough with the ‘my woman’ stuff already.”
“Really?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. She blushed and looked at the bowl of noodle soup the servant had just placed in front of her.
“Well,” Stephen said when the servant finally closed the door. “Speaking of awkward silences, let’s talk about what’s been keeping me running around the globe for the past thirteen years, shall we?”
Giovanni leaned forward. “First, do you know where Andros’s library is?”
Stephen shrugged. “When I escaped, it was in Lorenzo’s villa in Perugia, but who knows where it is now! I’m sure he moved it; it could be any number of places.”
Giovanni sat back, stunned into silence by the simple confirmation of the mystery he’d followed for so long. He felt Beatrice’s hand grasp his own, and he looked over at her. She had tears in her eyes as she stared at him, but he gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
He heard Stephen still speaking. “You knew about the library, right?”
Giovanni looked up, his voice a little hoarse when he finally spoke.
“No, Stephen. I have suspected for some time, but when Lorenzo and I parted many years ago, I thought my father’s and uncle’s collections had been lost or burned in Savaranola’s bonfires.”
Stephen’s mouth dropped in horror. “No wonder you were looking for me. Andros’s library was… magnificent! It would take a thousand years to detail it. The tablets. The scrolls.” Stephen turned to his daughter. “Beatrice, Andros had scrolls from Alexandria. Things from Baghdad that he’d rescued from the Mongols. Books humanity thought had been lost
She took a deep breath. “Of course I do. That’s not the issue.”
“Then—”
“We should get out of bed.” She climbed off his lap. “I want to ask my dad a few questions tonight. I think I deserve some answers from him.”
He sighed when she made the obvious subject change, but smiled at the determined expression she wore as he rose to join her.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I am, thanks.” She squeaked as he scooped her into his arms and walked to the bathroom.
“Good. I think a nice, warm bath is in order, Miss De Novo. Just to be safe, I’ll join you.”
“Well,” she laughed. “If it’s for my own safety…”
“Oh yes,” he said with a pinch to her knee, which was thankfully not bruised. “Safety first.”
Giovanni was far more relaxed an hour later when they met with Tenzin and Stephen in the main room. Baojia was out hunting, no doubt informed that they had planned a private meeting. Stephen and Tenzin were already sitting at a table, sipping tea, when they walked in.
“Good, Nima had dinner prepared for you,” Tenzin said, nodding to one of the servants standing near the door. “Did I bruise you too much?”
“I’m fine,” Beatrice said with a wave.
Tenzin cocked an eyebrow at Giovanni, as if challenging his cool demeanor, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “She’s very good, you know. When she changes, she’ll be formidable. We should have Baojia give her weapons training while she is here. I have a full practice room with many options.”
“Oh?” Beatrice perked up. “What kind of weapons?”
He sat down and waited for Tenzin to stop teasing him. Though, really, it wasn’t a bad idea. Because he had such a ready weapon in his fire and rarely needed to behead an enemy, Giovanni wasn’t as well trained in swordsmanship as most vampires were. He was proficient in fencing and the older Greek and Roman forms of hand-to-hand combat, but he suspected that Beatrice would take to the Asian styles better, considering her background in martial arts. Baojia, despite Giovanni’s personal reservations, would be an excellent teacher.
“We’ll talk later; I’m sure she’ll consider it,” he said. “In the meantime, try not to bruise any internal organs on my woman, Tenzin.”
“Hey!” Beatrice scowled and smacked his arm. “Enough with the ‘my woman’ stuff already.”
“Really?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. She blushed and looked at the bowl of noodle soup the servant had just placed in front of her.
“Well,” Stephen said when the servant finally closed the door. “Speaking of awkward silences, let’s talk about what’s been keeping me running around the globe for the past thirteen years, shall we?”
Giovanni leaned forward. “First, do you know where Andros’s library is?”
Stephen shrugged. “When I escaped, it was in Lorenzo’s villa in Perugia, but who knows where it is now! I’m sure he moved it; it could be any number of places.”
Giovanni sat back, stunned into silence by the simple confirmation of the mystery he’d followed for so long. He felt Beatrice’s hand grasp his own, and he looked over at her. She had tears in her eyes as she stared at him, but he gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
He heard Stephen still speaking. “You knew about the library, right?”
Giovanni looked up, his voice a little hoarse when he finally spoke.
“No, Stephen. I have suspected for some time, but when Lorenzo and I parted many years ago, I thought my father’s and uncle’s collections had been lost or burned in Savaranola’s bonfires.”
Stephen’s mouth dropped in horror. “No wonder you were looking for me. Andros’s library was… magnificent! It would take a thousand years to detail it. The tablets. The scrolls.” Stephen turned to his daughter. “Beatrice, Andros had scrolls from Alexandria. Things from Baghdad that he’d rescued from the Mongols. Books humanity thought had been lost
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