Page 52 of Tin God
“Because you lie.”
Tenzin nodded. “It’s good you accept that. Your mate usually gets deeply offended.”
“By lying? Can’t imagine why.”
“Neither can I. It’s not as if we don’t lie by our very natures.” Tenzin leaned back, propping herself up on the low bed. “What do you want?”
Brigid was still wrapping her brain around something. “What do ya mean that we lie by our very natures? Vampires don’t lie any more or less than humans do.”
“You heard Walter earlier.”
“Walter said a lot.” Brigid leaned against the doorjamb.
“It’s hard to tell us apart,” Tenzin said. “Humans and vampires.”
“Yeah.”
She almost smiled. “Yet the wolf will never be mistaken for the deer. What other predator mimics its prey so completely?”
“Humans.”
Tenzin nodded. “Fair point. The only thing that preys on humans more than vampires is other humans.”
“I don’t have a single iota of proof, but I’d guess more vampires are killed by other vampires than anything else.” Brigid crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re our own worst predators.”
“And I suspect you’re correct.” Tenzin stared at the wall. “I’m bored. When are we hunting Zasha?”
“We need to find a boat,” Brigid said.
“What boat?”
“Walter said they came in on a Zodiac, which means they’re on a larger vessel between these raids.”
Tenzin nodded. “That is a good insight. What do we need to do to find a boat?”
“It may require coordination with Katya’s people. I’m tryin’ to convince Oleg that she’s not working with Zasha in all this. He’s thinking deep thoughts and talking things over with Mika.”
How boring.
Tenzin sighed.
“I’m sorry we can’t satiate your bloodlust more quickly,” Brigid said. “But it’s a big ocean.”
“I suppose it is.” Tenzin had found a boat once, anchored in the middle of a storm in the Philippines, carrying the vampire who had ended Ben’s human life. She was probably dead now, but Tenzin had no way of knowing.
“What do you want me to tell the truth about?” Tenzin asked.
She wouldn’t get Brigid to leave until she’d vomited up the information the fire vampire was seeking, and Tenzin was considering the idea of calling Ben with her tablet, which she had turned off so Gavin couldn’t track her.
She missed her mate. Life was much more boring without Ben.
“What did you do to Zasha?”
Ah, so that was the question.
“I took something valuable from them.”
“You stole something?”