Page 27 of Crimson Oath
Samson’s eyes burned into her, and he stepped forward.Stay here,he signed.With me.
Tatyana felt her heart stumble. She lifted her eyes from Samson’s beautiful chest and to his ghostly, pale grey eyes. His features appeared carved out of the rocks that surrounded them, but his lips were full and gentle.
She knew he was prized as a lover in the harem, and women were quick to share his skills, but though Tatyana had felt a sexual pull, she had never acted on it. She was short on friends in the immortal world, and losing one for a sexual fling didn’t seem like a great idea.
Stay with me, and he won’t send you anywhere,Samson signed.We could be happy, Tatyana. You could be content with me.
He had given her a nickname in the language he used, aTsign that curved from his temple down his jaw, mimicking the way her long hair fell into her face sometimes.
“Do you…” Tatyana didn’t know what to think. “Do you really care for me, Samson? Or are you just worried that I’ve got nowhere else to go?”
He signed nothing else, but she saw the truth in his eyes.
Not love. No, it was nothing that passionate, but caring. Concern.And yes, desire. Who was to say what might happen in a year? In two? In a decade?
“You know, before I met him” —she felt tears threatening her eyes— “you were exactly the kind of man I was looking for. You’re kind. Thoughtful. You take care of people. You areveryhandsome.” She laughed a little bit. “And you make me feel peaceful.”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug.Those are good things.
“I know.” She nodded and forced a smile. “I’m not saying I don’t feel it.” She stepped closer and kept her voice low. “I could probably fall in love with you if I let myself.”
Samson pulled her into his room, closed the door, and bent down, cupping her cheeks with both hands and pressing his lips to hers in a velvet kiss.
His energy touched hers, then pulled back, glancing against her amnis in a delicate dance as his lips softly moved against her own.
It was gentle and tempting. Tatyana knew she was right. If she let herself, she could fall head over heels for this gently powerful man. She felt the elemental strength he wielded floating in the air around her, and the silken press of his lips against hers was mimicked by the brush of air against her skin.
It wasn’t a roar of passion. It wasn’t a roar at all. Samson’s kiss was a seductive whisper, and part of her yearned to cling to the safety he offered even if it wasn’t with her whole heart.
You are mine!Oleg’s voice roared in Tatyana’s mind.You belong to me only. Not to anyone else. Only to me.
Tatyana pressed her hand to Samson’s chest, and he immediately withdrew. “I can’t. I shouldn’t.”
The vampire heaved a deep sigh, cocked his head to the side, and signed,The Varangian?
Tatyana shook her head. “I don’t know how I feel about him. Does that make any sense? I hate him, but he’s in my blood. Until I get more distance from him, more time…” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You deserve someone who wants to stay here foryou, not because she’s on the run and only wants to be safe.”
The corner of Samson’s mouth turned up, and he stroked a hand over her shoulder.That’s not the only reason you’d be happy here. We could be very good together.
“Maybe someday we will be,” Tatyana whispered. “But if I stay right now, you’ll always wonder if I stayed for you or because I had no place else to go. You know I’m right.”
Samson dropped his hand from her shoulder and looked away, pursing his full lips. Then he bit his lip a little bit and shook his head.What do you want me to do?
“Can you tell Arosh I’m looking for a place to go?” Tatyana asked. “Can you tell him I need this time to find some options that don’t involve going back to Oleg?”
I’ll tell him—Samson stepped back and quickly buttoned his shirt—when we get back from calling your mother.He glanced at an old clock on the small table by the door.After all, it’s almost Omar Sharif’s birthday.
The creeping feelingthat someone was watching her never went away even when Tatyana hunkered down in a corner of the quiet bar. Samson remained near the door as he always did, and there were no visible security cameras, though that was no guarantee they weren’t there.
Cameras could masquerade as anything now, though most clubs and bars wanted the patrons to know they were being watched for security reasons.
She’d logged on, caught up with her mother, listened to her mother talk about the lavender border Oleg had planted on the narrow road leading to Anna’s house, and then she’d quickly logged into her accounts, left a message for Grimace, and flown back to Arosh’s compound with Samson.
She’d been looking over her shoulder all night, so returning to the tightly controlled compound felt like a relief. She still remembered the overwhelming feeling of safety the first time she’d flown in. The first night she felt secure.
Understanding more about vampire life now, Tatyana knew that it was an illusion. All of it was an illusion. There was no true safety in this world—there was only struggle, negotiation, and finding short seasons of reprieve before it all started over again.
This was not a restful life, but her mother was still alive. As long as Anna was alive, Tatyana would be too.
