Page 28 of Tin God

He whispered her name. “Tenzin.”

Tenzin, holder of wisdom.

Guardian of secrets.

The ancient girl. The newly mated. Blood of his blood. His mate and his destiny.

She was the darkness and he called to her.

Carwyn could feelthe young vampire’s restless energy in the light sleep where he drifted. He was over a thousand years old, and the only time he slept deeply anymore was after a full meal and a thorough fuck.

The agitated vampire was keeping him awake, and it was annoying. The moment night fell, he opened the door to his room to find Ben already in the middle of the living room.

“They’re in Alaska. Somewhere near the ocean.”

“Brilliant.” Carwyn’s voice was dry. “So exactly where Katya suspects Zasha is causing trouble? Truly a deduction for the ages.” The young one looked deflated, so Carwyn took pity on him. “Katya told me yesterday evening that she thinks Oleg has been trying to expand his territory and push her out. Boats have gone missing, both pleasure yachts and fishing boats the same. There have been violent confrontations and attacks on compounds. She asked me to look into it.”

Ben frowned. “I thought you were looking for Brigid.”

“I am.” The young man truly didn’t know how these things worked. He went bounding through life like a giant, lethal puppy. “But Brigid is working with Oleg. Do you think she’d be working with Oleg if he was behind a bunch of violent attacks on the Alaskan coast?”

Ben’s eyes went wide. “It’s not Oleg—it’s Zasha.”

“Of course it’s Zasha, but try telling Katya that. Oleg is her nemesis at the moment, but if we’re going hunting for bad fire vampires and we want Katya’s help, then we agree to look for Oleg. We can’t just roam around in another vampire’s territory; we need some kind of permission to be here.” He muttered, “Especially you.”

“And if Katya tells me to get out?”

“I’ll tell her to fuck off and create an international incident.” Carwyn forced a toothy grin. “But since she knows that would be a bad idea, she won’t say no.”

“So we’re looking for Oleg, but we’re really looking for Zasha?” Ben lifted one shoulder. “No offense, but I came looking for Tenzin so I could help her kill this vampire. I want to find Tenzin first.”

“Before she goes on a vampire-killing spree and pulls my wife into her madness? That’s an excellent idea.” He pulled a flannel over his shirt before he reached for his heavy jacket. “But there’s an order to these things, Benjamin. An order to our world that your mate often ignores because it annoys her, but protocolmatters. Territories matter.” He shrugged into his jacket. “I hate being cold. Why couldn’t they go hunting for a vampire who was causing mayhem in Rio?”

“I don’t even notice the cold anymore.”

Of course he didn’t. The boy was a wind vampire.

“Also? You travel with me, you’re not flying,” Carwyn grabbed his keys from the dish on the counter. “I’m not following along after you like the tail on a dog.”

“That’s fine. How do we get north? How do we get to that part of Alaska without flying? Driving could take days.”

Carwyn waited for Ben to pull on a black jacket he’d dried the night before. He’d need to get the boy?—

Man.

The vampire was in his thirties at this point. Wouldn’t do to call his best friend’s child a boy anymore. Not when he’d gone and gotten himself turned into a vampire and then mated with a small and unpredictable monster.

“We’re going to meet Katya, and then we’re going shopping.” Carwyn eyed him up and down. “You’re never going to blend in, Tall, Dark, and Pale, but you could stand out a little less.”

Ben stared at Carwyn. “You’re wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt.”

“But I have a flannel over all that.” Carwyn plucked at the well-worn plaid. “You look like a vampire from New York City.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “Can’t imagine why.”

“City boy.” He walked toward the door. “Come on. You think Tenzin is on the Alaskan coast, and that matches where Katya thinks Zasha is. Let’s go introduce you and get you permission to be in her territory. Then we’ll get you some proper clothes.”

“Benjamin Vecchio.”Katya was curled up in front of a roaring fire, but she didn’t look cozy and she wasn’t pleased to see him. “So now I have to assume your mate is also in my territory.”

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