Clever Lan. His eyes darted back to his wife, whose eyes were glowing with victory. She wore only a hint of a smile, and Stephen watched her proudly. Clever Beatrice.

Finally, Giovanni sought out his son, and he blinked in surprise. Far from the anger or bitterness he had expected, Lorenzo seemed placid. He wore a pleasant expression that revealed nothing of his thoughts. He whispered with the wind vampire closest to him, one of Zhongli’s guards. Giovanni narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Elder Lu stood. “Lorenzo, Giovanni Vecchio, are you amenable to this compromise? Will you abide by the terms set out by Elder Lan and agreed to by the scribe, Beatrice De Novo?”

Giovanni stepped forward. “I will, Elder Lu. I respect the will of the council.”

He looked at his son. Lorenzo looked at him and smiled for a second. A calculating glint came to his eye. “I will abide by the decision of this honored council, as well. I am most pleased by this resolution.” He bowed deeply, then stepped back, melting into the crowd of grey and black-clad vampires on the far side of the hall.

“Very well,” Lu continued, outlining the agreed-upon plan. Lu would send for the book by one of his guards, who would bring it to Mount Penglai to be given to Beatrice, who would then take the book back to her library in Los Angeles, where it would supposedly be accessible to Lorenzo and safely preserved.

Giovanni stepped back and motioned to Baojia. The vampire stepped toward him.

“See what you can find out. I don’t trust Lorenzo.”

“Agreed. This was too easy. He already has a plan to take it from her, I can almost guarantee it. I’ll call Ernesto and let him know what has happened.” Baojia’s eyes danced for a moment. “I’ll tell you right now, my father will be crowing about this honor to his granddaughter for a hundred years, at least.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “As will I.”

Baojia’s smile fell a fraction, and he leaned closer, speaking in Mandarin. “I hope you realize what a fortunate bastard you are, di Spada.”

“I do.”

“Feel free to piss her off, though.” Baojia smirked. “A lot can happen in eternity.”

Giovanni couldn’t stop the reluctant smile. “Go check in with Ernesto, then find out what the gossip is among the guards. I’ll take care of my wife.”

Baojia smiled and stepped back, vanishing into the crowd in a heartbeat. Giovanni turned to Beatrice, who was surrounded by Stephen and Tenzin. For a second, he saw Tenzin’s eyes examine Beatrice with a pride and care he had rarely seen. He wondered if Beatrice even realized how deep her connection to the wind vampire was. With the blood Tenzin and Stephen had shared, almost as much of Tenzin’s blood ran through Beatrice’s immortal veins as Stephen’s. If Beatrice had been sired to wind, it would have been unexpected, but not unheard of.

“Tesoro,” he murmured, and she immediately turned to him, reaching out a hand to grasp his own. “I am…” He smiled, at a loss for words, overwhelmed by love and pride.

“I guess I’m still a librarian, huh?” She gave a crooked smile. “Thanks for giving me the library, by the way.”

Giovanni shook his head. “It’s yours. Of course it’s yours.”

She pulled him closer, but only squeezed his hand, mindful of the attention of the milling vampires around them. “It’s ours.”

They both spoke to Lu Dongbin for a few minutes. The elder was sending a group of guards the next night to retrieve the book, which would then be given into Beatrice’s care. Giovanni urged him to send more guards than he thought necessary, but Lu seemed confident that, though Zhongli was disappointed, he would control Lorenzo while he remained on the island.

Beatrice was pulled away by one of Zhang’s administrators, as Giovanni tried to persuade Lu. “I have confidence in the excellence of your guard, Elder Lu, but I do not trust my son. I do not doubt the honor of the Elders, but it is not like Lorenzo to give up like this.”

Elder Lu only smiled. “I do not wish you to worry. I will send double the guards. The book will be quite safe.”

Giovanni was not satisfied, but knew he could not press the issue without offending the elder. He nodded and retreated to Beatrice’s side. She was still speaking with Zhang’s administrator.

“—a most excellent resolution, Miss De Novo. Elder Zhang considers it an honor that one so close to his aegis, and a close friend of his daughter, has been given this distinction.”

“Please tell Elder Zhang thank you for all the help. I’m really glad I could be part of the resolution in this situation. And I’m very pleased to assist the council.”

Ever the politician, Giovanni thought. Though it all seemed very casual, Beatrice continued to amaze him with her instincts. She seemed to have a gift for knowing exactly what people were looking for and how to offer them what they wanted while still getting her own way in the process. He congratulated himself again on persuading her to become his wife. He felt a tug on his arm and turned to speak to another administrator, this one belonging to the Immortal Woman, Elder He.

When Stephen, Tenzin, Beatrice and Giovanni finally returned to their quarters an hour later, all pretenses dropped.

“Shit! I am not happy about this.” Beatrice pulled at her collar. “I know he has a back-up plan. What the hell is Lorenzo up to?”

“Agreed,” Tenzin said. “That was far too easy; he is planning something.”

Giovanni said, “We all agree Lorenzo is going to try to steal the book, correct?”