Page 18 of Crimson Oath
And if some women repaid that favor with blood, sex, or both, Tatyana was not going to judge.
Except Arosh. She could judge Arosh.
Tatyana waved at two women who were sitting near a fountain, reading a book between the two of them. She recognized the book as a popular romantic fantasy. Both girls looked up at Tatyana, then back at the book, letting out a little bit of laughter.
Had she been that carefree when she was their age? She didn’t think so. Tatyana felt like she’d been old for as long as she could remember.
The atmosphere in Arosh’s harem was much like the atmosphere within the dormitories at her university. It was not unpleasant, but then, she was one of the few vampires and she was given a good amount of space. Most of the women knew everything about each other, and gossip was a way of life.
But Cora and the older women kept the younger ones in check. Cora was in her forties, a stunning brunette with olive skin and dark eyes. Tatyana had heard she was born in Damascus, but she had no idea if it was the truth. Most of the women spoke Georgian, but the ones who’d been there the longest spoke Farsi like Arosh.
Tatyana tapped on Cora’s door.
“Come in.”
She entered the house to see the dark-haired woman in front of a mirror, spraying some kind of fragrant oil over her freshly washed curls.
She glanced at Tatyana from the corner of her eye. “Hello, Miss Vorona. How can I help you?”
“I’m bringing back the dress I borrowed. Thank you.”
“Of course you are welcome. That blue is an excellent color onyou.” Cora glanced at her, then back to the mirror. “There is a rack behind the door. You may hang it there.”
Tatyana turned and saw at least a dozen dresses in identical garment bags. “Thank you for the loan.”
“Of course, of course.” Cora carefully pitched her voice to be breezy, but Tatyana immediately sensed a thread of tension in her tone. “Since you are here, I need to speak to you about Lidi, Aisha, and Natia.”
Tatyana frowned and turned after she’d hung up the dress. “What about them?”
“You’re paying all of them for their blood.” Cora didn’t look away from the mirror. “And only them?”
“Kato told me a human should only give blood once every three months.” Tatyana was confused. “And that I need to feed from a living donor at least once a month.” She could pay for blood-wine and donated blood, but Tatyana had to admit that she felt stronger after feeding from live donors.
“Yes, of course you should buy blood from those willing to give it,” Cora said. “This is obvious.”
“So have Natia, Aisha, or Lidi complained? If I’ve done something wrong, I apologize. I don’t want to use the excuse that I am young, but some of the etiquette here?—”
“No, it’s not that.” Cora waved a hand at her.
“I do not understand what you’re trying to say.” Tatyana thought she’d perfected the balance of lulling humans into a relaxed and pleasant state without awakening their lust.
That had been a surprising and revelatory lesson the first few times Kato had overseen her feeding from a live donor. Multiple lessons were learned.
Cora continued, “According to the girls, you’re far more considerate than the men who visit the court.”
Were all humans this frustrating? Or had she simply become more impatient with doublespeak? “I continue to not understand the problem.”
Cora finally turned from the mirror, a slight frown resting between her eyes. “Are you doing it for economy? I know you are young. Is buying bagged blood less money than paying the girls?”
“No. It is more expensive.”
Cora’s eyes went wide. “So why are you feeding from only three of my girls?”
“Isn’t it slightly…” How could she explain? Paying for blood felt a little like paying for sex. “Isn’t it exploitive?”
“Why would you say that? We don’t force them to give their blood.” Cora appeared to be offended. “Most of these girls have no money. None. You are anicevampire. You have money. They don’t need a pleasant ear or a polite smile from you. They need money if they’re going to make some kind of life other than this.”
Tatyana was starting to see what Cora was getting at.
