“Maybe it’s time for a change,” Beatrice said. She could hear the chatter around them drop off and she was fairly certain Livia, Lorenzo, or both were listening as well.

The smile fell from Emil’s face and he glanced around. “Change can be dangerous. Disruptive.”

“Change can also be healthy.”

“If done for the right reasons, I suppose so.”

Beatrice looked up at Donatella, who was watching her with narrowed eyes. “For instance, Donatella, I saw a similar dress on an actress last year. She looked like a little girl playing dress-up. You, however…” She trailed off, hoping that the vampire had picked up her cue.

As if she had orchestrated it, Donatella slid into Emil’s lap. A smile flirted at the corner of her mouth. “It’s all about finding the right person, isn’t it, Beatrice? The right person can wear the boldest colors.”

“They can. It’s good to shake things up every now and then.”

Emil stroked his wife’s hair while Donatella and Beatrice exchanged a private smile. “You ladies,” Emil murmured. “Always talking about the newest trends.”

Beatrice cast her eyes around the club at their silent audience. “Emil, I am all about new trends.”

She was on the street, waiting for her car to pick her up, when Emil caught up with her.

“Beatrice, please, allow me to offer you a ride home.”

She looked around. Livia’s guards watched them from the front of the club. Her driver pulled up, but she waved him away and turned back to Emil. “That would be nice, thanks. Where’s Donatella?”

He shrugged. “I believe that she is seeing her companion home. Mine brought her own driver.”

They slid into the dark blue luxury sedan, and Emil immediately raised the privacy screen, encasing them in silence. He swung his eyes toward her and bared his teeth.

“You play a dangerous game, Beatrice De Novo. No one is sure how you got him out, but we know that Giovanni did not escape on his own. There was no way it could have happened. I saw his cell myself. I don’t know what he has planned, but—”

“Neither my husband nor I have any interest in ruling Rome.” Her fangs had slid down in reaction to his aggressive stance, but Beatrice curbed her natural instincts and tried to relax. This was their potential ally, she reminded herself, and he had every reason to be suspicious.

“Then what are you insinuating? Surely you must have noticed that others were listening to you tonight.”

“I think you know exactly what I’m insinuating.”

“Assistance only?”

“Let’s just say, we like to help our friends.”

Emil sat back and relaxed his stance. “What you’re talking about has many risks.”

“Like I said, change always does.”

“We’re not talking about fashion crimes anymore, Beatrice.”

“I never was, Emil.” She tapped her finger on her knee and watched him. “She can’t remain in power. It will not be allowed. If there is no other option, Giovanni will remove her. But we’re hoping there are other options.”

Emil watched her with a measuring stare. “Other options would prove to be far less trouble for you. But I don’t know that you’re aware of how much power she really has.”

“You’re talking about these rumors circulating. About her cure for bloodlust?”

He shifted in his seat. “It’s never been stated quite that succinctly, but everyone knows she has ties to the pharmaceutical industry. If that is something she has attained, the cure could bring her immense wealth and influence. Every vampire in the world would pay to be free of the one thing that controls us. Only a shield against the sun would be more valuable.” He cleared his throat. “Some of us may have tried to discover the truth of these claims, but so far it’s been rather—”

“It’s a cosmetics factory in Bulgaria.” Beatrice took a chance. If Emil was going to risk his neck, she had to give him something. “They started production earlier this year.”

He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know this?”

“Put it this way, I’m very good at research.”

She saw him deflate in his seat, but still, his eyes flared. “So, it is true? She has discovered a cure?”

“Not exactly.”

He frowned. “Please, continue.”

“This formula was given to me by the Elders of Penglai Island. They wanted it protected. Not even their most skilled alchemists really understood it. And then Lorenzo stole it. And make no mistake, Emil. He did steal it. He did kill my father. He almost killed me.”

Emil snorted. “I doubt he’d kill you. Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

“Please, he’d want anyone that Giovanni had. That has nothing to do with me.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, but tell me more about this. As much as I dislike Livia, this does sound like something that could be good for our kind, Beatrice. Whatever our personal rivalries, we should think of the greater good of all—”

“See that!” she interrupted. “That right there? That’s why you’re the best person to lead Rome. You really do care about the city. You care about the vampires who live here. You feel a responsibility to them.”

He drew himself up, almost as if she had insulted him. “It is my belief that those who have power have a responsibility to—”