“What is that?” she whispered.
He stared at her for a moment before he looked back to the atlas Stephen had left for them to find.
“That, tesoro, is Mount Penglai. That is the residence of the Eight Immortals.”
“Who?”
He sighed and closed the atlas.
“Tenzin is going to kill me.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Houston, Texas
May 2010
“Caspar, do you take Isadora to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
Giovanni felt his heart give a quiet thump as Caspar and Isadora exchanged the vows they had chosen for their ceremony. As it turned out, it was Stephen’s presence the two had been waiting for, but when Beatrice and he had returned from Brasilia and given them the news that Stephen remained out of reach, Isadora had nodded in understanding and called her friend Marta’s husband to perform the simple ceremony.
Judge Voorhies stood in the beautifully lit gardens of the house in River Oaks, standing under the gazebo with the bride and groom as a few of their closest friends watched the early evening ceremony.
Caspar wore his best charcoal grey suit, and Isadora looked stunning in a deep green dress that set off her beautiful eyes and silver-white hair. He glanced to his side to see Beatrice watching them both with a smile. She squeezed his hand, and he smiled before drawing her closer and kissing her temple. His eyes returned to the bride and groom in the garden. To say he was pleased for his old friend would be an understatement.
After a few more heartfelt words, Isadora and Caspar turned to the group with a smile.
“Caspar and Isadora chose a short reading from the Song of Songs, chapter four. ‘You have stolen my heart, my darling, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace…”
Giovanni leaned down, whispering the same sweet words into Beatrice’s ear in soft Italian.
“I still don’t speak Italian,” she whispered.
He only smirked. “You will.”
“‘How delightful is your love, my darling, my bride, how much more pleasing is your love than wine,’” the judge continued. “And I think we all know, as much as Caspar loves wine, what a truly bold statement that is.”
Giovanni smiled as their friends laughed around them and Isadora and Caspar met each other with a sweet kiss. The judge pronounced them husband and wife. Giovanni and Beatrice smiled, Ben gave a little whoop, and the group clapped before going inside to share a meal.
Ben raced in circles, almost knocking Beatrice over in his enthusiasm. The boy had been ecstatic to see them both when they returned from South America, though he’d tried to play it off nonchalantly. He was bouncing with excitement and chattering nonstop about getting back home. Giovanni realized it was going to be a rather complicated discussion.
He was almost sure that Stephen had gone to China. The more he and Beatrice studied the journals the vampire had left behind, the more he became convinced that Stephen had sought the help of one far more ancient. The knowledge was both a comfort and a concern.
He was also growing more certain that Lorenzo had somehow discovered Stephen’s plan. All indications from Jean Desmarais and his contacts seemed to indicate that the vampire was heading to the Far East. He was brought back to the present by Beatrice’s arm around his waist.
“Hold on to those deep thoughts, love. Not for tonight, okay?”
He looked down at the woman beside him. Beatrice had pulled herself up from the disappointment that ambushed her in Brazil and dove into research, trying to recreate her father’s library in the hopes that the books Stephen had chosen to study would give her insight into the manuscript Lorenzo was so keen to recover.
“What?” she asked with a frown.
“I love you very much, Beatrice. I’m very fortunate to have you.”
She blushed and bumped his arm with her shoulder.
“Yeah, you are. I love you, too.” She paused for a moment, then pulled him down for a quick kiss. “You’re getting sentimental in your old age, Gio.”
He chuckled and bent down to kiss the top of her head.
“Must be the weddings.”
“So-” She grinned as they walked toward the house. “-how are you feeling? Your oldest is finally married off. Soon Ben will be dating…”
He clutched his chest dramatically. “I shudder to think.”
“You’re going to be an empty-nester soon.”
He snorted. “They grow up so fast.”
“They do,” she said with solemn nod.
He could feel her laughing at him for a moment before they both started chuckling.
“Is Carwyn going to be pissed off they didn’t wait for him?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so. He’s fairly busy at the moment.”
“Back in Ireland?”
He nodded. “Deirdre is…coping. But he needs to be there right now.”
They walked in silence, strolling hand in hand through the gardens lit with tiny lights. Giovanni could see the gathering of friends through the French doors, spilling out across the patio. The scent of honeysuckle and roses hung in the air.
His eyes found Ben as the boy gave Isadora a hug and a sweet smile. Caspar leaned over them both to place a kiss on his new wife’s cheek. More than ever, Giovanni felt the weight of responsibility to keep them all safe. He wouldn’t be able to remain in Houston for long. He felt Beatrice squeeze his waist, and his heart thumped again. At least, he would no longer travel alone.
“‘You have stolen my heart, my darling, my bride,’” he whispered again as he pulled her closer.
Beatrice was also watching the group inside. Ben darted through the adults, who were all laughing and enjoying the plentiful wine that Caspar poured for the well-wishers.
“How are we going to keep them all safe?” she asked in a small voice.
“We’ll figure something out.”
She looked up at him, steely determination in her eyes. “We have to.”
He found her reading later that night, half asleep in the library as she studied one of Stephen’s journals in front of the cold fireplace. Their company had left hours before, but the house still hummed with quiet activity. Caspar and Isadora were in the kitchen, finishing the wine and enjoying their time together after a busy day. Ben had finally collapsed on the couch in the den, and Giovanni had carried him to his room before making a call to Carwyn on the phone in the study.
“Beatrice,” he whispered, picking her up and setting her on his lap. “Why don’t you go to bed?”
She looked at the clock over the mantle. “But it’s only one a.m.”
He smiled, amused by her convenient habit of keeping vampire hours. “It’s been a long day. You should get some rest.”
“Is Ben in bed?”
“Mmmhmm.” He ran his lips along her temple.
She paused, and he could feel her head nodding against his chest. “Maybe I will.”
“Or just stay here. I could probably find a way to distract you.”
He felt her shoulders shake with quiet laughter. “I’m sure you could. How is Carwyn?”
“Doing well. He says hello, and he won’t hold it against Isadora and Caspar for too long that they got married without him.”
“I’m sure they’re relieved.”
“He also said that we had better not pull something like that.”
She snorted and raised an eyebrow. Giovanni just shrugged. She snuggled back into his chest.
“Have we heard from Tenzin yet?”
“Not yet.”
“How about…what’s his name?”
“That could take some time. Zhang Guo and his court operate on their own timetable.”
“He’s older than Tenzin?”
He chuckled. “Oh yes.”
“Wow.”