Dawn Caravan
Elizabeth Hunter
After this night, dawn can’t come fast enough.
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Dawn Caravan
For Ben Vecchio, everything has changed. His eyes. His diet. His new aversion to sunlight. But after a long sojourn in China, Ben realizes that the world he left behind hasn’t changed as much as he feared. He wants to leave his old life in the past, there’s one job remaining that just won’t leave him alone.
Radu’s mystery is too interesting—and too profitable—to ignore. The problem? Taking on this commission puts Ben in the path of his old partner, the one woman he’s spent years avoiding.
Tenzin has been following Ben at a distance, hoping his ire might wane, but when he heads to Romania, her patience runs out. Ben is a new power in their world, and more than one vampire will be eager to test him.
Ben and Tenzin need to work together if they want to find the truth behind Radu, his mysterious clan, and the treasure at the heart of the Dawn Caravan. One last job, then it’s finished between them.
Right?
Dawn Caravan is the fourth book in the Elemental Legacy, a paranormal mystery series by USA Today bestselling author, Elizabeth Hunter.
Dawn Caravan
An Elemental Legacy Novel
Elizabeth Hunter
Dawn Caravan
Copyright © 2020
Elizabeth Hunter
ISBN: 978-1-941674-56-7
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
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Cover: Damonza
Content Editor: Amy Cissell, Cissell Ink
Line Editor: Anne Victory
Proofreader: Linda, Victory Editing
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If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, please delete it and purchase your own copy from an authorized retailer. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Contents
Character Guide
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Elizabeth Hunter
Character Guide
Arosh—fire vampire, age and origin unknown, ancient king in Eastern Europe/Central Asia, sits on Council of the Ancients, consort of Saba, former rival of Zhang Guo
Beatrice De Novo—water vampire, sired in last ten years, librarian and scribe of Penglai Island, resident of Los Angeles, blood-mate of Giovanni Vecchio, Ben’s adopted aunt
Benjamin Vecchio—vampire, newly turned, born in New York City, antiquities dealer, antiquities locator, adopted nephew of Giovanni Vecchio, sired by Zhang Guo
Cheng—water vampire, born late eighteenth century in Guangdong, current governor of Shanghai, entrepreneur, former pirate, Kadek’s sire
Chloe Reardon—human, midtwenties, born in Los Angeles, dancer, romantic partner of Gavin Wallace
Emil Conti—water vampire, born second century BC in Rome, governor of Rome, sire of Ronan
Fabia—human, Ben’s childhood friend and day assistant in Rome, keeper of the Vecchio household in Rome
Filomena—water vampire, born in Naples, age unknown, governor of Naples
Gavin Wallace—wind vampire, born in Scotland, age unknown, entrepreneur, currently based in New York City, romantic partner of Chloe Reardon
Giovanni Vecchio—fire vampire, over five hundred years old, born in rural Tuscany, former assassin and partner of Tenzin, rare books and manuscripts dealer
Johari—earth vampire (formerly a water vampire), born in Zanzibar, daughter of Saba
Kato—water vampire, born in Greece, age unknown, sits on Council of the Ancients, grandsire of Giovanni Vecchio
Kamvasa—a moving safe house run in Eastern Europe by the Poshani people, also known as the Dawn Caravan
Kezia—wind vampire, terrin of the Poshani, sister of Radu and Vano, acolyte of Kali and vampire in charge of the Hungarian Poshani
Penglai Island—immortal island in Bohai Sea, seat of the Eight Immortals, largest seat of power in Eastern Asia
Poshani—a branch of the greater Romani people consisting of both vampires and humans ruled by three terrin, the keepers and guardians of the Kamvasa
Radu—wind vampire, terrin of the Poshani, brother of Kezia and Vano, client of Ben Vecchio
René Du Pont—earth vampire of the clan of Carwyn ap Bryn, over three hundred years old, thief
Saba—earth vampire, born in Ethiopia, age unknown, eldest known immortal, “mother of vampires,” current queen of Alitea, Johari’s sire
Sadia—human, adopted daughter of Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo, sister of Ben, gelato critic, very high jumper
Tai—wind vampire, age and origin unknown, son of deceased Zhongli Quan, current servant of Zhang Guo
Tenzin—wind vampire, born approximately five thousand years ago in Central Asia, former assassin, former mercenary, former military commander, daughter of Zhang Guo
Vano—wind vampire, terrin of the Poshani people, brother to Kezia and Radu
Zhang Guo—wind vampire, born over five thousand years ago in Central Asia, eldest of the Eight Immortal Elders of Penglai Island, Tenzin’s sire
Prologue
Ben woke in pitch darkness.
He smelled vinyl and leather.
Pine and the scent of fresh water nearby.
Fresh blood.
He touched his head, but the blow at the base of his skull had already healed itself. Scattered memories of jostling in a vehicle and heavy, unfamiliar accents. Flashing lights and the sound of truck engines revving.
He stretched out, searching for anything familiar. On his right was a ledge of some kind. He reached over. He was on a bed and there was a wall next to him, but it felt hollow. False. He slapped the wall and felt the edge of a familiar plastic fixture. It was the flat paddle of a light switch.
He pushed it and a small lamp turned on next to him, nearly blinding him with its low light.
In the newly lit compartment, Ben looked around.
Bed.
Small kitchen.
Square cupboards and plastic-covered bookshelves lined the walls. Was he on a plane? No, it was silent. He stood motionless and allowed the fear and panic to rise up so he could examine them clearly.
He took a deep breath and put his hands on the wall again.
Space. Some kind of insulation was packed behind the surface, but beyond that there was vast openness just on the other side. He reached up and felt the low ceiling. He felt the other wal
l and sensed the same.
In every direction, he was surrounded by air.
His panic began to calm. Just beyond these thin walls, his element waited for him. He could escape anytime.
A simple door stood at the end of the compartment, and as he walked toward it, he felt the floor swaying beneath him. It creaked and bounced.
What was this place? A mobile home? It was too small. A parked bus? Ben cracked the door slowly, reaching his amnis outward to sense any threats, but he was met by one single familiar energy signature a short distance away.
He pushed the door open and saw Radu standing alone on a hill under the swiftly darkening sky. The sun had set in the distance, and a lone Romani wagon was next to him, parked at the end of a cracked asphalt road where Ben realized his caravan had come to rest. That was the compartment where he’d woken, not a mobile home but a travel bus.
Radu turned and smiled ruefully. “I apologize, Ben Vecchio. This was not how I wanted to introduce you to the Dawn Caravan, but you left me no other options.”
1
Kashgar
Four weeks earlier
A wood fire burned in the center of the courtyard, lighting the old stone house and the cobblestones that surrounded it, casting shadows on the brightly painted walls and throwing sparks into the cold night air. From the recessed loggia surrounding the central courtyard, vampires and humans lounged in the shadows. Some were feeding. Some were playing games of chance or discussing business matters.
Kashgar lived in the no-man’s-land between the iron rule of the Eight Immortals of Penglai Island in the east and the authority of Arosh the Fire King in the west. It attracted those who wanted to remain anonymous and those looking to escape immortal authority.
Ben Vecchio was both.
That night he wasn’t paying attention to the fire or the vampires around it. From his corner in the old house in Kashgar, he watched the woman on the far side of the courtyard.
Watched her as she watched him.
She could have been European or Central Asian. Her looks were ambiguous. Her eyes were large and dark. A crown of wild black curls surrounded a typically pale vampire face.
She clearly had some kind of status because behind her stood a guard who watched the courtyard with restless eyes. His hair was light brown and clipped short. He wore a plain black shirt and black pants. His height was average. His looks were average. Nothing about him stood out, but Ben’s sharp gaze noticed every detail.
“Your tea, sir.” A server set a pot in front of him, a glass vessel resting over a single flame. Saffron floated on the surface, its red petals bleeding gold into the simmering water.
The woman’s lips were full and red, and she watched him from afar with unveiled interest. Ben suspected she’d fed recently based on the flush in her pale cheeks and her lip color.
Thinking about the woman feeding made his empty stomach twinge. He poured a glass of tea and concentrated on pushing the feeling down. He was two years immortal, and blood-hunger pangs could still drive him to distraction. It was his greatest weakness and his greatest challenge. Vampire hunger wasn’t comparable to human hunger—or at least no hunger he’d known as a mortal. It was urgent and all-consuming.
Ben hadn’t fed in three nights, and he was starting to feel it. He’d been pushing himself, trying to stretch his control.
“Do not become slave to your physical needs.” It was a constant refrain from his sire. “If you are slave to your physical needs, others will be a master of you.”
Of course, Ben also remembered the simple advice his sire’s most loyal servant had given him. “Don’t push your luck,” Tai had said. “Vampire mistakes are messy.”
That night he felt Tai’s wisdom in his bones, but the woman wouldn’t take her eyes off him. It was hard to think about leaving the protected walls of the vampire safe house in the old city to hunt when he wasn’t sure if he would be followed.
“Sir, would you like anything else to drink tonight?” The servant would have been near silent to human ears, but Ben wasn’t human anymore.
Anything to drink? Ben scanned the compound. Several humans roamed around, the blood-red collar they wore a testament to their willingness to feed vampire guests. He wouldn’t need to leave the compound to feed unless he wanted to, not with so many donors present.
It wasn’t a hardship. There were women and men willing to offer their necks, especially when they were paid well. Many humans enjoyed the sensation of a vampire bite, which could range from excruciating to intoxicating.
Ben had spent the previous year learning how to feed with the least emotional transfer possible. He didn’t want his reactions leaking into random humans who fed him; it wouldn’t be fair to subject unsuspecting humans to his roller coaster of feelings. He might have gained control over his bloodlust, but his emotional highs and lows were enough to give even the steadiest human whiplash.
Most nights Ben felt like he existed in the world akin to an exposed nerve. He careened from ecstatic to angry to sullen in the space of an hour. Flying made him happy. Missing the sun made him angry. Silence gave him peace.
His stomach twisted, the server waited, and the mysterious vampire was still staring.
Saffron tea wasn’t going to sate him.
Ben pointed his chin in the direction of a woman on the far side of the courtyard. “Her.”
“Very well. I’ll send Mer—”
“Don’t need to know her name.” He glanced at the server. “Just send her over.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yes, sir.
No, sir.
It will only be a moment, sir.
Right away, sir.
My greatest apologies, sir.
Ben supposed there were immortals who reveled in the deference, but it made his skin crawl.
I was just like you. He felt like shouting it. I’m a nobody. A poor bastard who fell into the immortal world, constantly in debt to beings greater than myself.
In debt to his adopted uncle, Giovanni Vecchio, an immortal who plucked him off the street when Ben was twelve and gave him an education and a future. In debt to his Aunt Beatrice, a vampire who made sure he felt as loved as any natural child.
In debt to an immortal family who taught him how to protect himself and an ancient vampire who gave him vision.
Ben was in debt to vampire clients who put their faith in him despite his mortal status.
And now he was in debt to others: a friend who betrayed him to save his life and a sire who gave him status he never wanted.
The mortal woman walked silently through the courtyard, her feet making no noise as they crossed the cobblestones. Her skin was a smooth light brown and her black hair was twisted up in a neat chignon that showed off a delicate neck marked with numerous healed bites. Her expression was carefully blank, but her hands didn’t tremble.
She knelt on the plush carpet before him and looked up with hooded eyes. “Sir, do I meet your approval?”
Her lips were already flushed and her eyes were dilated. What had led her to this life? Why did she enjoy the feel of fangs in her neck and lifeblood being sucked from her vein? Her face told him nothing, but her lips told the story.
“Yes.”
She rose and moved toward him, this time kneeling on the low cushion. “Would you like to feed from the neck or the wrist, sir?”
“Wrist.” He kept his voice even, but he could feel her disappointment.
“Your wish, sir.” She raised her wrist politely.
Ben turned to her and met her gaze. “Be comfortable.”
Excitement flared in her eyes. “Of course, sir.” She folded her legs to the side and leaned against the large back cushion before she held out her right wrist.
Through the entire exchange, the woman across the courtyard never took her eyes off him, and her bodyguard never looked at Ben directly.
Was she following him? Spying on him? Was she reporting to his sire?
To someone else?
Ben took the woman’s wrist in his hand and warmed his skin to a nearly feverish degree. He saw goose bumps rise on the woman’s arm, and a slight shiver ran through her when he put his lips to her wrist.
Since his hurried and violent congress with Tenzin immediately after his turning, he hadn’t indulged his roaring sexual desires. Like his hunger, sex felt like a weakness. He’d never been a man led around by his dick, and immortality wasn’t the time to start.
He didn’t close his eyes when he bit into her wrist, but he sent a wave of amnis over her skin to give her the pleasure she wanted. The electrical current that controlled his amnis was powerful, far more so than what would be normal for a vampire his age.
