Page 120 of Crimson Oath
A muscle near Oleg’s eye twitched.
“You know him?”
“I knowofhim. He’s very young and very powerful.”
“I could tell. I was thinking he felt like a baby holding a shotgun.”
Oleg chuckled. “You are not wrong. I do know his uncle.”
“The horrible assassin uncle?” She sighed. “Are you friends with an assassin? Why am I not surprised you are friends with an assassin?”
“Not friends. But not enemies either. And he’s a book dealer now.”
“Nowthat’sa change of career.”
“His life and my life were not so different. Our sires both wanted a weapon, so that is what we became.” Oleg finished the wooden pier and started on the shoreline, ignoring any sense of symmetry andletting the picture form organically. “That is usually the fate of fire vampires, milaya. You become a weapon or you become a king.”
“You became a king.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I became a knyaz. It’s different. I’m a king who is a weapon.” He continued putting the puzzle together, enjoying her delicate weight on his side. “If the weapon loses his edge, my druzhina will choose a new leader. No one is invincible.”
“Do you ever think of leaving it? Like the book dealer?”
He paused and looked at her. “No. It is my responsibility to protect them.”
She nodded.
“You must understand this,” he said quietly. “I am not the book dealer. I will never leave my people.”
She stared at the puzzle, her fingers curling around one piece. “I understand.”
“Good.” If she was going to be his mate, she needed to understand his role. “Why were you asking about Benjamin Vecchio?”
“He was asking about you.”
Oleg’s mind went on alert. “Why?”
“He thinks I am on the run from you.”
“Why does he care? That is none of his business.”
“I thought the same thing.”
“Ignore him.” He kissed her forehead again. “Ignore every man except for me.”
She laughed a little bit. “Asshole.”
“Tell me a new one.” Oleg decided Tatyana’s laughter was his favorite sound in the entire world.
No, it was the breathy moan of pleasure she let out when she orgasmed. That was his favorite. But her laughter came second.
“I hope you have another puzzle.” The picture was over halfway complete. “I’m going to finishthis one soon.”
Oleg was standingon the edge of the forest that overlooked the kamvasa after he and Tatyana had finished two more puzzles and dawn was threatening the horizon.
He was watching the twinkling lights of the Poshani fires when he saw a fall of white flower petals drifting from a pine tree, dancing in the air until they settled on his shoulder.
He looked up and met the eyes of an assassin he’d known for centuries.
