Page 90 of Tin God

She looked at him but didn’t speak.

Ben started to feel her stare like she was drilling into his brain. “What?”

“Should I have let Zasha live after I killed their mate?”

Ben drew his head back. “I’m not your conscience, Tenzin.”

“You should be. You’re better at it than I am.”

Ben took a deep breath. “You want to evolve, right? New Year’s resolutions? You can grow a conscience again. You already have a moral code.”

It was shaky and prone to flexibility, but she did have a code.

“Yes.” Tenzin nodded. “But I also think my conscience was broken long ago while yours was not. You are a better judge of these things.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think?—”

“It’s an excellent idea.” She leaned forward and repeated her question. “Should I have let Zasha live after I killed their mate?”

Ben cocked his head to the side. “Were they stealing people, feeding on them, and killing them?”

“Yes.”

As a human, Ben had never believed in capital punishment. He thought it was useless and outdated. But vampires couldn’t be kept in prisons for the rest of their life.

Vampires needed tofeardoing evil. They were predators who fed on the innocent because they were easy. Vampire killers had to be stopped, and usually the only way to do that was by executing them.

“Yes.” His voice was firm. “You should have killed both of them, Tenzin. If you feel guilty about anything, it should be letting Zasha roam free for centuries.”

She nodded. “See? You’re much better at this than I am.”

“Are you going to kill Zasha now?”

“It would be better if Brigid killed them,” Tenzin muttered. “But if the chance comes, I won’t pass it up.”

ChapterTwenty-One

Carwyn heard something rustle and break in the forest, as if a tree had fallen, but before he could ask Clovis if the old man had heard the same thing, he heard a soft whistle from the port side of the boat.

He looked over the edge to see what looked like a young man with the unmistakable energy of a water vampire, standing in a long canoe that curved up at the bow. It was smooth and silent in the choppy water, as if the vampire in the boat was holding the water still with his presence.

He stood at medium height, his legs spread wide in the belly of the canoe, a slick leather cape hanging over his shoulders. His hair was buzz-cut, and his cheekbones were high, his face showing the planes typical of Native humans in the area.

“Hey, Clovis.”

The old man nodded. “Ey-ah, Gus. This is the one Jennie was talkin’ about.”

Gus shifted his eyes to Carwyn. “You the digger who found our elder?”

“If you’re talking about the old one who was injured, I am.”

“Cool.” Gus nodded. “Happy to help you out. You good on boats? Most of your kind ain’t.”

“It’s not my favorite form of travel.” He glanced at the rocking canoe no wider than a Volkswagen Beetle. “But I’ll manage.”

“I’ll keep the boat easy,” Gus said. “Head over to the stern and Clovis has a ladder.”

Without a sound, Gus crouched down, stuck his hand in the water, and the canoe began to move to the back of the boat.

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