Page 8 of Crimson Oath
“He said that he was waiting for you to come out of your cave,” Anna said. “But that others were waiting too.” Her mother’s voice got soft. “He said that other vampires want to find you. I think you might not be safe where you are.”
He’s waiting for you to come out of your cave, but others are waiting too.
A genuine warning?An attempt to flush her from her safe haven in the mountains? Or an empty threat?
With Oleg, any of those choices was a possibility.
The vampire could be mercurial to say the least. Tender and protective one moment, domineering and imperious in the next.
Tatyana closed her eyes against the wind that beat against her back as Samson carried her above the low-hanging clouds that bumped against the Caucasus Range in northern Georgia. She could see scattered lights in the distance and suspected there was a party in progress.
The Fire King loved a party.
Since Samson was one of her only friends, Tatyana had prioritized learning the sign language he used.
She took one hand out and braved the cold, whipping wind.Party tonight?
Samson nodded.
At the harem?she asked.
He shook his head.
Good. If it wasn’t at the harem, she wouldn’t have to attend.
Since Tatyana didn’t fall under Arosh’s aegis—his vampireauthority—she couldn’t work or stay in his castle. She didn’t fall under anyone else’s aegis either.
And it was starting to become a problem.
She was rootless and at loose ends in this complicated political world.
Since she didn’t belong to anyone or have any official role, once Tatyana had been able to control her bloodlust, she’d been moved to Arosh’s harem, which mostly consisted of human women and girls looking for refuge. There were a few vampires there, but mostly humans.
She didn’t have to have sex with Arosh just because she was staying in the harem—though many of the women highly recommended it—but shewasexpected to put in an appearance at any of his parties with vampire guests, of which there were many.
Arosh found Tatyana amusing, and he introduced her as his “clever little stray cat.”
Which sounded more affectionate in Farsi.
Most of the first few months in the mountains, Tatyana had to remain isolated, which gave her plenty of time to put her new vampire brain to use. She’d focused on learning Farsi first since that’s what most of the vampires around her spoke; then she’d started working on Greek, which was another widely spoken language in vampire circles.
While Tatyana had always had an easy time learning languages in school, the ability to pick them up even faster with an immortal brain was truly astonishing. She now had a thorough knowledge of Russian, Ukrainian, and English and a working knowledge of Farsi and Greek.
Georgian was still escaping her, but she knew enough to get around, and many local people spoke English or Russian, at least enough that Tatyana could get by.
Samson landed behind one of the brightly painted stone buildings that made up Arosh’s harem. The mountaintop compound was an oasis of gardens and fountains nestled in the mountains. Theywere surrounded by dense forests and alpine lakes, and the area was well and truly hidden from humans.
Samson set her down and lifted his hands to sign.Ambassadors from Alina’s court are visiting tonight.
Should I stay hidden?Tatyana signed.
Samson shook his head.He told me to bring you when we came back.
Samson was in Arosh’s line. Though the ancient king was a fire vampire, his blood came from the wind. Tatyana knew that if Arosh gave Samson a command, he could not ignore it.
She still tried. “They’re from Alina,” she whispered. “They could tell him I’m here.”
Samson frowned.Oleg already knows you’re here.
