Page 34 of Tin God

“I told you it’s probably the barking.” Brigid glanced at her. “What did you bring?”

“A gift.” She shrugged. “He’ll like it.”

They had already clanged the heavy bell by the door, so Tenzin took advantage of the view. “It’s beautiful here.”

“It’s Baltic cold.”

“Yes, and beautiful.” The broad river was frozen over on the edges but not in the center of the channel where the moon reflected in the black water. The snow refracted the lunar illumination, lighting up the world around them with an unearthly glow, and green lights danced in the night sky, waving like slow-moving banners across the velvet black.

The door opened behind them and Tenzin turned.

“Brigid.” A tall man with medium brown hair and moderately handsome features greeted Brigid like a friend. “It’s fucking cold out here. Get inside.”

“Cheers, Mika.”

Brigid walked in, and Tenzin approached the front door only to have the man step in front of her.

She stopped, looked up, and raised an eyebrow. “Mika Arakas.”

“Tenzin of Penglai.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“Who are you trying to kill at the moment? If it’s Zasha, you can come in.”

“I’m not going to kill Zasha.”

Mika’s blue eyes drilled into hers. “Then we will have a problem.”

“Ican’tkill Zasha because I made a promise a very long time ago.” She had no idea why she was telling this vampire anything save for the instinct that he was completely uninterested in her and would dismiss anything not pertinent to his master. “I am here to assist Brigid in killing Zasha,” she said graciously. “So I suppose, as you guard Oleg, I guard Brigid.”

Mika smirked. “You’re playing bodyguard?”

“For the moment, and right now I’m outside and she’s irritated. Can I come inside?”

“Fine.” He opened the door and stepped aside to let her in. “Don’t try anything.”

She crooked her finger at Mika. “Come here,” she whispered.

Mika indulged her and bent down since he was nearly a foot taller than Tenzin.

“If I wanted to kill you or Oleg,” she murmured, “you’d never see it coming. You’re welcome.”

Mika stood up straight, and he looked perversely amused. “I heard you mellowed when you took a mate. I’m pleased to see the rumors are untrue.”

“Oh no, this is me mellow.” Tenzin rose a little in the air, patted his shoulder, then floated over to Oleg. “Hail, Varangian.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Welcome, Khazar.”

Tenzin smiled and rested her feet on the ground before she nodded deeply. It was nice to meet a fellow immortal whose history the modern world had forgotten.

She dug into her pocket and brought out the bullet that had struck her thigh. She held it out to Oleg and dropped it into his outstretched palm. Brigid gasped and Mika cleared his throat.

“Oleg of Kiev, here is the lead and steel your people gave me on my arrival in your territory. I return it to you. This is theonlylead or steel that I will return while we remain friends.”

Mika released his breath, and Oleg nodded carefully. “Understood.” The corner of his mouth inched up. “An acceptable gift. Brigid usually brings cake.”

“If you wanted us to bring food, we were limited to pickled eggs.”

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