Page 32 of Crimson Oath
Arosh smiled kindly. “Would you like to have sex with me now?”
And there it was. “No, but… thank you.”
“I am only offering because it would give you great physical pleasure.” He patted her shoulder. “I do not have an interest in your heart.”
“And I appreciate your offer, but Samson is very dear to me.”
And vampire morals were flexible, but maybe notthatflexible.
Arosh smiled. “Samson has the purest heart of any vampire I have ever known.”
“I agree,” Tatyana said. “Butmyheart isn’t pure. It’s twisted with worry for my mother and fear of how I am going to find my place in this world. Fear that I won’t be strong or smart enough to protect her. Fear that simply by being a vampire, I might be putting her in danger.”
“I hear that fear in your voice, but you also impress me, Tatyana Vorona.” Arosh leaned back. “I admire your loyalty to your family—even though they’re human—and I believe you have the potential to be a force in our world. I thought you would enjoy spending time in my court, but you seem to want to spend time with humans more than vampires.”
“I appreciate my time in the court, and I will be loyal to Kato for the rest of my life.” It was the absolute truth. “But I am also conscious of finding my place in the wider immortal world as you suggested.”
He raised one dark eyebrow and pierced her with his hawklike gaze. “By spending time in human bars and clubs?”
Tatyana felt surer now. This she could explain. “By sending messages through my computer to those I know. My own allies, if you will. I hide in bars and clubs to use their resources.”
Arosh frowned. “I am listening and learning.”
Surprisingly progressive of him. “I come from a generation that doesn’t send letters or use phones. We use our computers the same way you would send a messenger to a court.”
“I see more clearly now.” Arosh nodded thoughtfully. “I will tell you, Alina is not pleased that you dart in and out of her territory. She worries that it sends the wrong message to an ally that she must work closely with.”
“Oleg.”
Arosh nodded.
“I don’t want to attract his attention either, which is why I am looking at keeping a low profile, at least for another few months.”
“Not here?”
“Everyone knows that Oleg’s bookkeeper is in Arosh’s court,” Tatyana said. “How can I keep a low profile here?”
“And not in Alina’s territory?”
Tatyana shook her head. “I don’t want to put you or Alina in that position.”
Arosh leaned back. “Then where would you keep a low profile?”
“I don’t want to tell you exactly,” Tatyana said, “but it might be right under Oleg’s nose.”
Chapter 7
Oleg
“Track the wind vampire,” Oleg told Mika. “That is how she’s moving around Arosh’s and Alina’s territory. If we find him, we find her.”
“But don’t kill him?” Mika asked.
Oleg wanted to say yes. He still remembered the image of Tatyana’s delicate hand being held by the other man.
But that was an irrational and jealous reaction. It was beneath him.
“Do not kill him. It would create an international incident,” Oleg said. “But he should understand that Tatyana is mine.”
