He looked back at Livia as the hall reached a standstill. The once beautiful woman had never appeared more animalistic. Her fangs had pierced her lips and blood dripped from her mouth and down her chin, staining her intricate gown. He stepped forward, the fire moving with him as Tenzin tracked his pace.

Livia pulled back her rage and spoke to him in a low voice. “Why are you here?”

To kill you. Giovanni whispered to Beatrice. “Conti?”

“He’s ready,” she whispered. She held the water almost effortlessly above them.

Giovanni looked at Emil Conti, who stood at the edge of the crowd, eyeing Giovanni with suspicion. No doubt, the vampire was wondering if the fire vampire was there to take his place.

“Signore Conti,” he asked in a respectful voice. “I would like to address the immortals of Rome.”

Emil straightened his shoulders and nodded with a smile. “Please, Dottore Vecchio, the Roman court will listen.”

Giovanni looked back at Livia, who was curling her lips in anger. “Step aside, Livia.”

She bared her fangs. Giovanni could see black-clad guards pouring into the room from the two doors behind her. “Never,” she said. “This city is mine.”

“Admit that this ‘elixir of life’ is a poison.”

“You are as ridiculous and delusional as the Thracian. I seek only the good of my people; you seek to deceive. No one will believe your lies, murderer.” She raised her voice. “Murderer!”

Giovanni turned back to Emil. “Signore Conti, if you would send the humans out of the room?”

Emil nodded. “Immortals of Rome, this is a conflict among our own kind. Send your humans away. They are not welcome here.”

Giovanni could see eyes darting around the room. Many of the older vampires looked to Livia for confirmation, but she ignored them. Then the few humans left in the room were herded toward the doors near the back.

“Oleg!” Giovanni addressed the Russian. “I have had no quarrel with you.”

The Russian responded with caution. “Nor I with you, di Spada.”

“This water vampire has deceived you.”

Giovanni saw Oleg eyeing Livia with suspicion. The Russian had been sired from earth. He usually minded his own business and had never been the trusting kind. He had also been an associate of Lucien Thrax, who Tenzin had flown out of the hall earlier. The vampire was obviously reconsidering his alliance with the Roman aristocrat after seeing his ailing friend. Oleg looked up at Tenzin, then at Carwyn, and then over Giovanni’s shoulder where Beatrice stood holding back Livia’s water. Oleg looked to Emil Conti and nodded. “I seek no quarrel with Rome or those who dwell here.”

Oleg stepped away from Livia, and Emil called out, “Depart in peace, and consider yourself a friend of Rome.”

“Traitor!” Livia screamed. “I will have your head for this, Russian.”

Oleg only looked amused as he and his retinue headed toward the doors. “We shall see, Livia.” The doors opened one last time as the fire vampire headed out the doors, then they slammed shut and a low murmur began to fill the room. Livia’s guards surrounded them. Bomeni and Matilda guarded their leader. Swirling amnis charged the air, and Giovanni lowered the flames that surrounded him as he looked over the nearby vampires.

There were immortals from all over the Old World. Romans, but also those from the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe and Asia. Familiar, friendly faces and unfamiliar, suspicious expressions combined. Some of them had obviously cast their lot with Livia, and he could almost feel their anger floating in the air around him.

“Immortal brothers and sisters,” he said. “I am not your enemy! I come here as one of you. Not to lead. Not to conquer. I come seeking the truth. I am the only son of the great scholar, Niccolo Andros, and I am here to warn you of a great danger.” He reached over and grasped Beatrice’s hand and her amnis met his again. “One that could affect all of us and all those under our aegis.”

Emil Conti spoke. “Dottore Vecchio, your skills as a scholar are as renowned as your skills as a fighter. Please, tell us what you know of the elixir of life.”

Giovanni nodded. “I learned of this elixir years ago. I know that Livia has told you it is a cure for the bloodlust that stalks us. That it is an answer to humanity’s ills, as well. It is not.”

His eyes swung back to Livia. “Step down now, Livia.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed.

Beatrice squeezed his hand as he continued to address the crowd. “The vampire who leads Rome tells you that with this elixir, you will no longer be a slave to your hunger. She tells you that any humans you may care for will live forever, without pain or illness. We have all suffered from bloodlust. We have all lost human companions or friends that were useful or even loved. But I tell you now, this is no cure.”

Livia began to laugh as more guards entered the room. They lined the walls, and he could see the vampires around him start to tense. Some with anticipation. Some with fear. The guards blocked the door. All of them were armed with swords, though none of the crowd appeared to carry any weapons.

“Last chance, Livia.” Giovanni still wouldn’t let her live, but he might kill her in a more private location if she complied. The problem was, she knew it, too.

Livia said, “You are a murderer, a liar, and a thief. No one believes you, Giovanni di Spada.”

“You are right,” he said. “I am a murderer.” He heard the gasp that swept the room, but he continued. “I will hold back no truth! I admit that I killed my sire, Niccolo Andros, with the help of my son, Lorenzo, who stands behind you.”