She winked at him. “Maybe a bit of both. Now, let’s go find your woman.”
He tensed, simultaneously nervous and desperate to see Beatrice again.
“She’s not my woman.”
The small vampire laughed. “She will be.”
Across the island, Carwyn and Beatrice pushed through the softer soil of the northern coast and emerged from the earth. Tunneling through the sheer rock of the southern cliffs, then the softer rock of the northern hills had been one of the strangest experiences of Beatrice’s life. They had moved as if they were in a small bubble, the rock and soil parting in front of them, only to form again behind them as they maneuvered north. Every now and then, Carwyn would change direction, telling her they needed to avoid tree roots, or an underground stream. She clung to him throughout the journey, often burying her face in the back of his neck to avoid falling debris.
She looked like a cross between a monkey and a miner when she emerged, still clinging to Carwyn’s back. Beatrice slipped to the ground and both of them brushed soil from their faces and cleared their throats.
“And that’s how you travel earth-vamp style, Beatrice. Ready for that seaside cave in Hawaii yet?” Carwyn said as he coughed out dust. They walked toward the water, sitting down on the slope of a hill that led to the ocean.
Suddenly, she burst into laughter, which quickly turned to tears, the weeks of tension and fear overflowing as he put a comforting arm around her. Carwyn didn’t tell her to stop or calm down, letting her release the horror of her captivity as he held her in his comforting embrace.
Eventually, he rubbed small circles on her back as she leaned into him, her tears creating small rivulets on his dust-covered skin.
“I thought I would die there. I thought you had forgotten about me.”
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Never, darling girl. We didn’t forget about you.”
She sat sniffing next to him, trying to compose herself. She wiped the tears from her eyes, smudging her face with streaks of salty mud.
“So, what’s happening? Where do we go from here?”
“We’re supposed to meet the destructive duo here, and we’ll swim out to that boat and sail away.” He pointed out into the water and she could barely make out the frame of a sailboat off in the distance. “How well do you swim?”
She snorted. “Not that well, but I guess I’ll manage.” She looked down at herself. “I might go wash some of this dust off. I’m filthy.”
“Good idea.” They walked down the hill, Beatrice enjoying the stretch of her legs and the beautiful sloping beach in front of her.
“So, B, what’s with the all-white makeover?”
“News flash: Lorenzo is a sick, creepy asshole.”
Carwyn halted and placed a hand on her shoulder. “He didn’t-”
“No,” she shook her head. “He didn’t touch me. Just lots of mind games.”
“Gio said he wouldn’t,” Carwyn muttered.
She clammed up at the mention of the vampire who had yet to arrive.
“I think,” she paused and looked around, “I needed to stretch my eyes more than anything. I thought that room would be the last thing I’d see.”
“Welcome back,” he said with a smile.
They splashed into the water, Carwyn leaping like a dog before he stood and shook, droplets flying everywhere as he gave a joyful roar. Beatrice closed her eyes and sank down into the warm Mediterranean, caressing the tiny pebbles beneath her, letting her head slip underwater as she floated in the surf. She stretched and twisted, enjoying the natural buoyancy the ocean provided her sore muscles. Finally, she walked back up the beach and sat next to Carwyn to wait for her other two rescuers.
“Did it take you a long time to find me?”
She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. “It took a while to narrow down the island. And then…it’s kind of complicated. You should probably ask Gio.”
She ignored his last statement. “How long has it been? I don’t even know.”
“Six weeks.”
She took a deep breath and frowned, trying to remember what day that would make it.
“It’s the last day of July.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Right. Is my grandma okay? Does she know what happened?”
“Isadora and Caspar are fine. Worried about you, but fine. Gio told them you had been taken, and-”
“But, I wasn’t taken.”
“What?”
She turned to him with hollow eyes. “I wasn’t taken, Carwyn, I was traded.”
His face fell. “Beatrice, you need to talk to Gio-”
“No, I don’t.” She shook her head. “I appreciate you coming to get me, but let’s not pretend it didn’t happen. Whatever his reasons, he traded me for what he thought was more important.” Her voice was hoarse as she stared into the water, but the set of her shoulders was fixed.
“Hey,” he said, leaning forward to try to catch her eyes. “I know you’re resentful, and I understand why, but you need to listen to me.”
She dragged her gaze to his, and she was reminded how ancient Carwyn ap Bryn was behind his boyish charm. His blue eyes bored into hers, and his voice was low and even.
“Whatever you may be feeling right now, you need to remember this: No one goes to war for a pawn.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks and she looked away. She saw him shake his head from the corner of her eye.
“You don’t know…he’s been wrecked with worry for you. The worst I’ve seen in three hundred years. Please believe that.”
She choked out, “I’m not saying you would lie to me-”
“I’d never-” he cleared his throat, “never lie to you.” He paused. “But he would. Gio would.” He ducked his head down and forced her to meet his eyes. “If he thought it was necessary. If he thought it would keep you safe, I think he’d lie to Saint Peter himself.”
It was too much. She shook her head, exhaustion beginning to creep up on her.
“I don’t understand, Carwyn. And I don’t want to talk about this…or about him.”
His eyes were pinched with worry. “Don’t you love him, B?”
The echo of the crashing waves tore at her. “Not anymore.”
Carwyn said nothing, sitting next to her as she stared at the small boat in the distance. Soon, she heard the whisper of voices in the wind, and she braced herself.
Tenzin and Giovanni dropped to the beach and he stepped toward her, his eyes guarded when she lifted her gaze. She squinted, barely recognizing him. The forbidding soldier in front of her, wearing charred black cargo pants and slick healing burns across his chest, bore little resemblance to the polite academic who had charmed her in the university library. His hair was shaved close to his skull and his eyes were wary. Beatrice thought he looked like one of the busts of the Roman generals she had seen in museums. He looked as if he had just come back from a war.
“No one goes to war for a pawn.”
He stood in front of her, waiting for a few moments before his composure cracked and he pulled her up and embraced her, clasping her to his chest as he buried his face in her neck and inhaled. His arms wrapped around her in an almost vice-like grip, and one hand cradled the back of her head.
Tears filled her eyes, but part of her wanted to grab onto him, and the other part wanted to strike him, so she stood confused and motionless in the circle of his arms.
He lingered for a few moments, but could not have missed the fact that she did not return his embrace. He took a step back, smoothing her limp hair from her face, brushing at the tears on her cheeks, and inspecting her from head to toe as Beatrice stared at the slowly healing burns on his chest.
“No problems getting here, Gio. Everything according to plan,” she heard Carwyn murmur.
Giovanni nodded, his eyes never leaving her, and motioned to the small woman behind him. “Beatrice, this is Tenzin. She will fly you out to the boat; Carwyn and I will swim to meet you. Will that be acceptable?” he asked gently.