“What odd smell?” Beatrice and Dez asked at the same time. Funny, he’d almost forgotten they were there.

“The dead girls all smelled… sour. Not like a normal human at all. Their blood smelled fermented.”

“Hmm.” Giovanni leaned onto the table, eyes narrowing. “That fits with what Brigid has discovered about the smell of Elixir, too.”

“The smell?” Natalie asked.

Beatrice said, “It has a distinctive smell of pomegranates—”

“Yes, that’s what it was.” His heart pounded. “Pomegranates. The girls smelled like pomegranates.”

Beatrice and Giovanni exchanged a look. “Well, it’s definitely Elixir then. We’d better call Dublin.”

“Already have,” piped up a voice from the couch. Baojia turned. It was Tenzin. She was putting together a puzzle that was laid out on a low table. “I sent the plane last night.”

Giovanni said, “You just sent my plane to Dublin?”

She shrugged. “I sent a note.”

He saw the Italian smother a smile. “You know, we could have just used the telephone, Tenzin.”

Tenzin frowned. “Where’s the fun in that? I’d rather see Brigid.”

Baojia turned to Natalie, whose eyes were beginning to droop from exhaustion. “You might want to get some sleep. It appears there will be more vampires showing up tomorrow.”

She forced out a wobbly smile. “Goody.”

It was only an hour before dawn, and Baojia was paging through the notes Natalie had left out on the library table. The pieces were finally forming a clearer picture, but he still had no idea what theirdeafore dawn, plan of action needed to be. And there were still too many questions. If Ivan was doing this, what was his game? Did the cartel in Mexico City know? How many humans had been infected? Baojia had been the head of Ernesto Alvarez’s security and even he hadn’t known the details of this drug. Did Ivan? Was Ivan taking it?

He felt the presence at the door and a smoky smell filled the air.

“Hello,” Giovanni said. “She’s very smart.”

“Natalie? Yes, frighteningly so, at times. She rushes into things, following her brain with no thought to her physical safety.”

“Your relationship—”

“Is private,” he said quietly. “I’m sure you understand.”

Giovanni nodded. “I do.” He walked over and sat at the other end of the table. “Does she know what it all means? You leaving Ernesto? Being placed under your aegis?”

“No. Not entirely.”

“So she doesn’t know you’ll have to leave?”

“We haven’t talked about it.” He gave up and set down the notes. “I haven’t thought about it much myself, to be completely honest. I can’t stay here. I have resources, but few connections outside my clan. And I cannot ask for an official introduction from Ernesto at this point.” Vampire politics was tricky. In order to move to a new place, he’d need the tacit permission of whoever controlled the area, or he’d need to be in an isolated enough location that no one would pay him any mind. The problem was, he now had Natalie to consider, too.

As if reading his thoughts, Giovanni said, “Would she go with you willingly?”

“Her life is here.”

“Her old life is here. You have to make her realize she won’t be able to go back to that.”

“How…” Baojia’s voice was rough. “How did you tell Beatrice—?”

“I didn’t. Not for five years. She moved here, and I never told her the truth of it. Not completely.” The Italian gave him a rueful smile. “I wouldn’t recommend that course.”

“Understood.” It was too complicated to solve in one night. There were too many factors to consider and too many unknown variables. His thoughts were a jumble, and his feelings for the woman were no less tangled.

“Have you thought about San Francisco?” Giovanni asked.

“San Francisco? No. Why?”

A smug smile crossed the fire vampire’s lips. “You were turned there, were you not? While Katya was in power? Do you know if Ernesto had permission from her to take a human from her territory?”

“I don’t.” He’d never even thought about the ruler of the Pacific Northwest more than in passing or when talking with his peers on her security team when they’d arranged for business or political meetings. “You think I should reach out to her?”

“I think…” Giovanni smiled again. “I think she and Ernesto have had a friendly rivalry for many years. I think she might be more than happy to welcome home a former resident who has lived so long away from his mortal home. And I think she might be particularly welcoming to someone with your… unique résumé.”

For the first time since he’s left his sire’s home in disgrace, a ray of hope seemed to break through.

Giovanni rose and nodded toward him as he made his way to the door of the library. “Rest well. And think about it. I’d be happy to write a letter.”

“Finally get me out of your hair,” he called to the Italedt wlian.

Giovanni only answered back with a lazy laugh that echoed down the hall.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Wow,” she murmured.

Dez bounced a chattering baby on her knee and said, “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”