Page 132 of Crimson Oath
“Vano killed some of your people?” Tatyana blinked. “Oleg, he?—”
“Ivan hired Vano to hijack our trucks. Paid him to hijack our trucks, and some of Ivan’s own people were killed in the process.”
Her eyes went wide. “Your brother would kill even hisownpeople?”
Oleg leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “Our sire did it all the time, milaya. Ivan learned from Truvor, but this is not a practice that I have continued. If my people are loyal to me, I take care of them. The Poshani are the same, which is why we have historically been allies.”
She pressed her lips together. Hard. “Radu and Kezia would be horrified by Vano doing things like that with Ivan.”
Oleg nodded. “Exactly. When I officially arrive for the Vashana tomorrow night, I plan to expose Vano’s and Ivan’s scheming when I meet with Radu. If I am guessing correctly, Radu will decide to stay in power, and he and Kezia will force Vano out.”
“And then what?”
“I will kill Vano” —Oleg shrugged— “if Radu and Kezia don’t do it first. But not until he tells me everything he knows about Ivan’s plans.”
She kept her voice soft. “And what will you do with Ivan?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Ivan has many who are loyal to him.”
She cocked her head. “They may not be as loyal when they discover that he was paying Vano to kill some of their brothers.”
“See?” He leaned forward and pinched her chin. “This is why I need you working for me. You see things quickly. You think politically, but you are not afraid of me.”
She was like Mika.
No, she was better than Mika. Tatyana had a fatalistic streak that Mika didn’t have. She didn’t fear death, which made her utterly fearless when he needed to hear the truth.
You’re going to fall in love with her. You’re half in love already.
Oleg hated when Lazlo was right, but he couldn’t deny it any longer.
“You think I came to this camp with ulterior motives?” Oleg said. “I cannot deny it. But you have things backward. I was looking for an excuse to hunt for you, Tatyana. Vano and Ivan only gave me the reason I needed.”
Oleg leftTatyana’s trailer an hour before dawn. He’d kissed her for so long he could still taste her, but he would not see her again until he was officially a guest of the kamvasa. It was better to be cautious at this point with so many of the Hazar gathered for theVashana.
The puzzle pieces were still on the floor when he left.
“What is that face?” Mika asked Oleg when he reached their camp.
Ludmila was smoking her pipe by the fire. “He is in love with her, and she kicked him out. Can’t you tell?”
Oksana’s eyes went wide. “You’re in love with Tatyana?” The water vampire nodded. “You know, I approve. She’s a bit young but?—”
“I do not need any of your opinions or your approval.” He glared at Ludmila as he sat across from her. “Tenzin of Penglai is mated now. To aman.”
Oksana burst into laughter, and Ludmila took her pipe out of her mouth. “Fuck you both.”
He couldn’t stop his smile, not even when Lazlo heard the commotion and came out of their cave. “Who is Tenzin?”
“That mean little thief who killed your friend Alfonso in Naples,” Mika said.
“Hmm.” Lazlo grunted. “He probably deserved it.”
“Why are there three thieves in the kamvasa?” Oleg asked. “René, Tenzin, and the Vecchio boy. As far as I can tell, Radu invited three thieves to the kamvasa. Why would he do that?”
Ludmila shrugged. “Do we care?”
“Maybe we need to.”
