Page 95 of Tin God
He lifted an eyebrow. “Like the hair, baldy.”
She flipped him off. “It’s practical.”
“And cold.”
“Because I had such a mane before.” She walked over and held still as Ben enveloped her in a hug. He was such a touchy-feely person, and she tried not to mind.
She didn’t find it easy to touch people save for her mate. “Where is he?”
“Last I saw, he was climbing back on an old fishing boat and heading to Ketchikan.”
“Which is where we’re going,” Tenzin said. “You should come too.”
“Did you find Zasha?” Brigid asked. “Is that where they are? Ketchikan?”
“Not exactly, but?—”
“Then it’s premature.” Brigid was quick to correct them. “I can’t fly. Juneau is centrally located. Until we know where Zasha is, I don’t need to be wastin’ time moving round.”
Ben frowned. “But Carwyn is headed back to Ketchikan.”
And the pull for him was a tangle in her gut. “Until we know where Zasha is, I’m stayin’ put. The last thing we need is for all of us to relocate south and then be stuck there when Zasha attacks farther north.”
Ben leaned against the wall. “Katya thinks Oleg is working with Zasha.”
“Go foirfe.”Brigid threw up her hands. “Because Oleg thinksKatyais working with Zasha. This is perfect.” She knew someone had to be pulling strings behind the scenes, but this was getting ridiculous.
Ben walked over to the refrigerator. “Do you have any blood here?”
“Scourge of the refrigerator,” Tenzin muttered. “So fitting.”
“I’m hungry.” Ben flashed his mate a grin. “Someone wore me out.”
Brigid held up a hand. “And I don’t need to hear about it, so hold yer whist!”
She wasn’t jealous but…
Who was she kidding? She was jealous as hell.
Ben grabbed for a bottle of blood-wine in the refrigerator door. “Right now Katya’s people have identified four different raids on compounds in her territory. Only one survivor so far.”
“There were three in Oleg’s…not-territory,” Brigid said. “Maybe more we don’t know about because it’s all shadows and rumors in that part of the state.”
“And there are boats missing,” Ben added. “And billionaire vampires.”
Brigid frowned. “Are you talkin’ about Paulson? What’s his role in all this? Victim or ally?”
“We don’t know for certain,” Ben said, “but he’s looking suspicious. Did you ask Oleg about him?”
“No, but I asked Gavin. He said that Paulson was a fringe thinker who wants to make vampires into emperors again or some such shite. No conscience, according to Gavin, but he didn’t sound like he liked the fella, so he might be unreliable.”
“Gavin can be very judgmental.” Tenzin sat down at the table. “We need to put all of our information together. Right now there are too many threads, and they’re all frayed. Brigid, we have three hours before light. That’s enough time to take you to Ketchikan with us.”
Brigid blinked. “As in… carry me? While you’re flyin’?”
“That has to be how Zasha is moving around so quickly,” Tenzin said. “Didn’t you say they were picked up in the desert by a wind vampire? They clearly have allies.”
“We’re not going to drop you,” Ben said. “And even if we did, you’d survive. It would hurt like hell, but you’d survive.”