“Nope.” She looked up with hooded eyes. “You should. It would be...” He took a finger, running it down her spine as she curled over the body of the instrument.

“What would it be?”

He heard her heart begin to pulse. “Relaxing.”

“Do you need to be relaxed?” He knelt beside her, placing soft kisses along her side. Her shoulder, the crook of her arm. Her hip. Her knee. His fingers trailed up from her ankle.

“Maybe,” she gasped. “But not just yet.”

His hand gripped her knee as he pulled the instrument from her, propping it against the wall before he lifted her and sat in the chair, letting her naked body straddle him as he sat fully clothed.

“I love you,” she said as his mouth began exploring her skin. He rubbed his lips along the rise of her breasts and let his fangs scrape her delicate collarbones. His fingers trailed down her spine, over her hips and down her thighs.

She gripped his hair hard, but Giovanni remained silent, watching her in the low light as his fingers slowly brought her to release. She gasped his name into the silence of their bedroom before he bent his head and let his fangs pierce her skin, just above the delicate scars on her breast.

“More.” She panted as her back arched and he drew harder on the small wound.

More? It would never be enough.

He did play for her, hours later as the sun rose in the sky and Beatrice drifted in a haze, awake, but sated and quiet. He could feel her energy level out to a hum that told him she was meditating in the way that allowed her mind to rest, even if her body could not.

Giovanni did not envy her waking days. Even though his recent dreams had plagued him, he still took comfort in the sweet oblivion that rest brought. Though he needed less now that they shared blood, he fervently hoped that sleep would never abandon him completely.

The next evening, Beatrice and Giovanni, Matt and Dez, Carwyn, Ben, and even Angela gathered in the large kitchen of the house. Ben had slept until past noon before wandering out of the house with Dez as they explored the neighborhood and ate copious amounts of gelato. Angela was feeding them another full dinner. Giovanni smiled as he watched her enjoy the humans in the house with normal appetites.

“I can’t believe how much I’m eating,” Dez said, as she shoveled more pasta in her mouth.

“Neither can I.” Beatrice stared at her in amazement.

“Hey.” Dez glared. “I’m growing a human here. What’s your superpower?”

“Speed. Strength. Night vision. Lightning fast reflexes. Water manipulation—”

“Okay, stupid question.”

Ben piped up, “Don’t forget allergy to electronics and sunlight.”

Carwyn looked amused. “How have you managed to remain unbitten, boy?”

“It’s been close a couple times with Tenzin.”

Giovanni examined Dez, knowing that Beatrice worried about her friend. He knew she had been experiencing some morning sickness. “Dez, how are you? Did Angela point you toward a pharmacy? I know you’re not very familiar with the city.”

Dez smiled. “I’m great! And Ben gets around in Italy a lot better than me. We found a drug store the other day that has the stuff I forgot at home. But thanks for that basket in my room, too. That make-up is so nice.”

He waved a hand. “Thank Livia. She has some sort of cosmetics company that makes all those things. She always sends over baskets when she knows I’m bringing guests.

“Well, please tell her I said thank you. B, did you get one, too?”

Beatrice looked up. “Get what?”

“The basket of make-up, perfume, lotions...” Dez rolled her eyes when Beatrice looked back in confusion. “Am I the only girl here? I swear, you and Tenzin are hopeless.”

The priest looked around the house. “Where is she, by the way?”

Beatrice shrugged. “Not here yet. You know Tenzin.”

“Okay,” Giovanni said. “We met with Livia last night and met many vampires. Beatrice, who do you want to know about? Matt, this might be beneficial to you, too.”

She leaned forward. “First off, why isn’t that place humming the way Penglai does?”

Carwyn burst into laughter, but Beatrice shook her head. “Really, it’s so weird! There were at least as many vampires at Livia’s little party last night, but it didn’t have half the energy of a ‘low hum’ day at Penglai.”

Giovanni nodded. “I’m glad you noticed. Did you notice what else is missing from Castello Furio?”

She thought for a minute before her eyes lit up. “Water.”

Dez looked around. “What? She doesn’t have plumbing there? Even the Romans had aqueducts, right?”

Giovanni shook his head. “No, what Beatrice noticed, and I’m glad she did, is that for a water vampire, Livia does not surround herself with her element. It’s an odd quirk for an immortal, because most of us draw strength from our elements. In Penglai, there’s a careful balance of the elements. Many fountains and streams, gardens and rocks, most of the palace complex is open air, they even have torches lit at all times for those of the fire element. The idea being a kind of balanced threat.”

“Ah.” Dez nodded. “Got it. So if everyone has easy access to their element, no one’s going to go crazy and try to take over.”

“Like mutually assured destruction,” Ben said with a full mouth. “I learned about that in school.”