The old man burst into laughter. Giovanni only smiled as the immortal took another sip of wine.

“My son”—Ernesto curled his lip briefly—“says that her fighting skills are quite advanced.”

“They are. And she says Baojia is an excellent instructor.”

Ernesto’s shoulders straightened. “Baojia failed in his mission. He will be dealt with.”

Giovanni frowned. “He was a fierce ally in our battle. I would gladly fight at his side again.”

“My son had one job. To protect my granddaughter from harm. It was not to rescue some humans or retrieve a book. One task was required of him, and he failed. He will be dealt with.”

Giovanni’s instinctive reaction was to defend the water vampire, but he closed his mouth. Beatrice may have been under her own aegis, but Baojia was not. He still answered to his sire, and Giovanni knew he must respect that.

So he nodded and rose to his feet. “I hope you understand, but I must leave you. I have much to do to prepare for our journey.”

Ernesto rose and shook his hand. “Of course. I’ll call Kirby and go by the hanger to see my granddaughter tonight.”

“Of course.” Giovanni turned to go, but halted when he heard Ernesto’s voice.

“You will take care of her, di Spada. You may be her husband, but I am her kinsman. If any harm should come to her—”

Ernesto halted when Giovanni turned. The waft of smoke that drifted across the room matched the low growl of his voice when he finally spoke. “It would be wise of you not to finish that sentence, Don Ernesto Alvarez.”

The two vampires stood, measuring each other from a distance. Finally, it was Ernesto that let a smile touch his lips. “Welcome to the family.”

Giovanni turned and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. He had only taken a few steps when Baojia appeared out of a dark hallway.

“Di Spada.”

“Baojia.”

They stood in silence. When Baojia finally met his eyes, Giovanni saw the flash of quick grief the water vampire carefully smothered. Then, as before, his dark gaze revealed nothing.

“You will give my regards to your wife.”

“I’m sure she would return the sentiment.”

The shorter man offered a rueful smile and looked over Giovanni’s shoulder, down the dark hallway were he had emerged. “I’ll be going to San Diego for some time. I may not see you when you return.”

“San Diego?”

“As you may imagine, my father is displeased with me at the moment. I go where he chooses to send me.”

Another silence filled the hall until Giovanni finally spoke. “She does not blame you.”

Baojia only hummed a little and nodded. “She should.” He walked past Giovanni, toward the study where Ernesto waited. “She should blame me.”

Cochamó Valley, Chile

December 2010

“When will I be able to see her?”

“Probably not for some time. Around a year. But I put a radio at our house, so you’ll be able to call from the lodge.”

Ben sat silently for a few minutes, playing with a torn seam on Isabel and Gustavo’s couch.

Giovanni cleared his throat and knit his hands together. “How is your room here?”

The boy shrugged. “Good, I guess.”

“You realize that I’m only a few minutes away if you need me.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Gio, I’m not a little kid. Isabel and Gus are cool. And the Revertes are cool, too. I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll continue to study as we used to, and we’ll take a trip into Santiago after the New Year. I’ll show you some of the city.”

“Yeah,” Ben nodded. “Sounds fun.”

“And you can teach the Reverte boys how to play basketball.”

Ben snorted. “Really, I’m fine.”

Giovanni still felt guilty pulling the boy away from the friends he had made in his semester at school. Ben was a social child, and Dez said he had thrived at the private school he had been attending.

“It’s only for a year; it will be a good experience. Your Spanish will get much better. You can learn how to ride a horse, go mountain climbing. I’ll teach you to shoot, and we’ll start training soon, as well.”

“Gio,” Ben squirmed. “I really don’t think I have to learn all the sword stuff, you know? I mean, we’re not living in the dark ages, I—”

“It’s not an option, Benjamin.” He crossed his arms. “I will not have you unable to protect yourself.”

“It’s just, swords are kind of old, you know? I mean, the martial arts stuff is cool, and I’m excited about jujitsu with Gus. But swords…”

“Are very practical in our world. You need to learn how to used one, and you are fourteen now. By the time I was fourteen, I could already handle a blade. You’re more than capable. You’re strong now, and you’ll get stronger. It is important to train your muscles young.”

“I just mean, I’m already pretty good with a rifle, and if you teach me how to shoot better—”

“Do you think that any gun will kill a vampire?”

Ben reddened at Giovanni’s harsh tone. “No, I just—”

“It is not an option. We are taking this year to regroup, but that is all. You are old enough to know now. You are old enough to defend yourself and others.” Giovanni tried to soften his voice. “Do you know what it would do to her… to both of us if anything were to happen to you, Benjamin?”