“Because you hate your wife’s boss?”
The corner of Carwyn’s lip curled up. “He’s just so…”
“Polite.”
“Fucking yes.” Carwyn slammed a hand on the bar. “A proper, polite dandy these days. The only time I like the man is when I’m throwing him around a room or we’re knocking seven shades of shite out of each other.”
Gavin smiled as he sipped his drink. “You sound quite Irish these days.”
“Don’t remind me.” He was far from his birthplace in South Wales and even farther from his last parish in North Wales where Welsh was the common tongue and life was far more subdued.
“I’m not craving quiet.” He glanced around the bar. “I wouldn’t be in this place if I was. I’m just craving… more. Something more meaningful than making sure rich, powerful vampires stay rich and powerful.”
Gavin leaned against the bar. “Aren’t you a rich, powerful vampire?”
“Please. I was a man of the cloth for centuries. The rumors of my wealth are greatly exaggerated.” They weren’t, but Carwyn also had a massive clan to support. He had ten vampire offspring, all their children, and assorted relatives around the world. It gave him great influence and great obligations, all at the same time.
Gavin nodded at Brigid in the corner booth. “I’m not the one you need to convince, Father. Sounds like you need to be taking your arguments elsewhere.”
Carwyn cut Gavin slack on referring to him by his old title since the barman had known him since long before he left the priesthood. He grabbed the bottle of scotch, refilled his glass, and walked to the table, dodging a pirate in Rollerblades on his way there.
Definitely hard to spot the vampires in this place.
He reached the table and slid into the booth next to Chloe before any of the women could speak.
“You are so large” —Tenzin narrowed her eyes at him— “and yet irritatingly quiet.” She looked like a small East Asian woman who could have been anywhere between sixteen and thirty. In reality, she was a multimillennial-old wind vampire from prehistoric Mongolia, daughter of immortal royalty, and occasionally an assassin.
Carwyn’s wife adored Tenzin and wanted to be her when she grew up, which was more than a little terrifying.
“Tenzin.” Carwyn leaned across the table. “I think Brigid should quit her job with Murphy and work for herself. What do you think?”
Brigid glared at him.
Tenzin said, “I have never willingly worked for another vampire who wasn’t my sire, so yes. Brigid should stop working for Murphy.”
Chloe raised her hand. “Uh, not everyone wants to be their own boss. Just saying. Brigid, you said you enjoy working for Murphy.”
“Well, I—”
“If she enjoys it, she shouldn’t quit.” Tenzin sipped her wine. “That would be illogical.”
“But Brigid is independent by nature,” Carwyn said. “It’s part of what makes her such an excellent investigator.”
Chloe said, “Weren’t you, like, a priest for ages and ages? You weren’t your own boss then.”
Chloe Reardon was Gavin’s partner, a vibrant woman with medium-brown skin and delightful curls that sprang wild all over her head. Normally Chloe enchanted Carwyn. Tonight she wasn’t being much help.
“Church hierarchy and vampire hierarchy are completely different things,” he said. “Whose side are you on?”
Chloe pointed at Brigid. “Hers. In whatever decision she makes as long as it’s a healthy choice for her.”
Carwyn muttered, “Kiss-up.”
Tenzin leaned forward. “I should tell you Carwyn was a priest, but he was very bad at being obedient to his church masters.”
“Thank you, Tenzin.”
Chloe frowned. “Was that a compliment?”
Brigid raised her hand. “Would you like to know what I want?”
“Absolutely,” Chloe said.
Carwyn and Tenzin exchanged a glance.
“Of course,” Carwyn said dutifully.
Tenzin said, “I suppose.”
“Yeah, you suppose,” Brigid muttered. “It’s not like it’s my own life or anything.”
Tenzin pointed at Carwyn. “But it’s also his life.”
“I know that, Tenzin. I married the fecker.”
Tenzin looked at Carwyn, then back to Brigid. “If you’re trying to make us respect your judgment, that might not be the thing to bring up.”
“Oi!”
“I think…” Brigid raised her voice. “That I don’t want to make this decision by committee. And I don’t want to make this decision right now.” She looked at Carwyn. “You brought this up in the car three hours ago and expected me to just jump for joy and say ‘Absolutely, you brilliant man, we should do whatever you want,’ and it’s not that simple, Carwyn. It’s not.” Brigid finished her wine, set the glass down, and stood up. “I’m going for a pee. Who’s coming with me?”
“You don’t need to pee,” Tenzin said.
“No, I really just want to move around and look at myself in the mirror to make sure my makeup isn’t smeared to hell the way I’m fairly sure it is.”
Chloe nudged Carwyn. “I’ll go with you. And I’m human, so I do actually have to pee.”
Brigid and Chloe departed for the female bonding ritual in the bar bathroom, leaving Carwyn and Tenzin alone at the table.
Tenzin stared at him. “Why do you really want her to quit?”
“I don’t think she’s happy.”
“She says she is.”
“And Ben never says he’s happy, but you know he’s really not?”
Tenzin had recently begun a relationship—an actual romantic relationship—with Ben Vecchio, a young vampire who was also the son of one of Carwyn’s oldest friends. It was an odd dynamic, but that was far from unusual in the immortal world. The fact that Tenzin had found companionship with anyone was a minor miracle in Carwyn’s eyes. She wasn’t the most well-adjusted vampire.
Tenzin said, “You’re right. Ben is still quite human in that sense.”
“Humans and vampires lie to themselves regularly,” Carwyn said. “I know she’s probably not going to jump at the change, but I want to put the idea in her mind. I think she stays with Murphy because he gave her a chance when she needed one, but obligation is a horrible reason to stay on in an organization. I did it too long with the church.”
Tenzin nodded. “I will agree with you on that.”
“Plus Brigid and I could be doing something more important than playing bodyguard for the rich and powerful. Murphy likes having her there—she adds to his reputation—but he doesn’t need her. Not like other people do.”
Tenzin glanced toward the corner where the women’s bathrooms were, then back to Carwyn. “You’re talking about finding people. Like Ben and I find treasure.”
“I mean finding people.” He finished his drink and leaned forward. “Returning them to their families. Helping them start new lives. Putting them on a safe path, whatever that means for them. Brigid couldn’t rescue herself when she was a child. But there are other ways to slay our dragons. I want her to know that.”