Page 17 of Tin God

Brigid frowned. “It’s notthatbad.”

Ugh. These people were disgusting. “Where is my room?” She looked down. “I need to mend my pants.”

“We’ll get you a new pair,” Brigid said. “They don’t look very heavy.”

“I don’t need a new pair. I made these and I’ll wear them. I just need to mend them.” She didn’t like most clothes. The only ones she liked were the ones she made and the ones that her designer friend Arthur made specifically for her.

Arthur had perfected the art of hiding dagger sheaths in formal dresses. He was a genius.

Tenzin took a dagger from her tunic and jabbed the tip into the wound in her thigh, prying the bullet the last inch out of her skin.

Brigid sucked in a breath. “Oh my God.”

Tenzin showed the bullet to Lev. “I don’t know what it’s made of, but it itches.” She reached over, wiped the tip of her dagger on his sleeve to clean it, and stuck it back in her tunic along with the spent bullet. “Where is my room?”

Brigid and Lev exchanged a look.

“Come with me,” Brigid said. “I’ll get you settled in.”

Tenzin followed her, wishing there was some way to irritate the woman again.

She didn’t like the way Brigid Connor had ambushed her in New York. She didn’t like being pulled away from the very curated life she’d built with her new mate.

She didn’t like thinking about Zasha Sokholov.

They walked down a long hallway that circled the outer wall of the building, and Tenzin realized itwasa yurt, just a very large one with permanent rooms. There was a hallway that ran along the outside wall, which meant all the interior rooms were windowless and light safe. The ceilings were quite tall, and the floor was sunk three feet into the ground, meaning it was accessible for earth vampires too.

“This reminds me of something.”

“One of Oleg’s men said it was designed to mimic the houses the native people built here. That’s why it’s set into the ground and doesn’t have windows.”

“It will be easier to heat as well.”

A low tent, vampires buried in the earth.

The taste of dirt in her mouth.

Tenzin blinked out of the reverie. “It’s smart to build houses like native people do. They know the seasons best.”

“I’m sure that was the thinking, yes.” Brigid paused by one of the doors, then turned and handed Tenzin a key. “Old fashioned locks. Nothing electronic for us to mess up. Dead bolts inside.”

“The nights are long here.”

“And you don’t sleep.”

Tenzin leaned against the outer wall and examined her. “You should be glad to see me. These men are Oleg’s. They are not your allies. They could be working with Zasha.”

“I know that. I also know that you caused this. I don’t know how or why, but somehow you did. Tell me I’m wrong.”

The little fire vampire was smarter than Tenzin remembered.

Tenzin said nothing in response, and Brigid pushed away and started walking down the hall.

“I’ll help you kill Zasha.”

Brigid stopped and turned. “Why?”

“Why not? I’ll teach you to hunt them, and then you can kill them and go home to your big, loud earth-vampire mate.”

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