Page 89 of Crimson Oath
Lazlo grunted. “He’s always been too friendly with Ivan.”
“Exactly.” They had acquired a government map that estimated the roads, but it was only slightly accurate. “There is a fire road about half a kilometer ahead. Turn left on it.”
“Yes, boss.”
“And yes.”
“Yes, what?” Lazlo said.
“She’s worth it.” Oleg kept his eyes on the map, refusing to look at his brother. “I think she has the potential to be a very extraordinary vampire.”
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t want to collect pretty, bright things and fix them on the walls of your castle.”
Oleg frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve always been drawn to the unusual,” Lazlo said. “You collect women like that. That’s why you were drawn to Luana.” He looked to the side. “I’m not implying that this one is mentally unbalanced like Luana was, but…” Lazlo nodded. “She’s interesting.”
“I don’tcollectwomen.”
“Of course you do.” Lazlo slowed down and steered the Land Cruiser onto the narrow dirt road. “You like rescuing the birds with broken wings and fixing them. We all do it. That’s how we make amends.”
“For what?”
“You know for what, you idiot,” Lazlo grumbled. “We destroyed entire cultures under his command. We leveled towns and turned rivers red with blood.”
The haunting sound of human screams whispered in the back of Oleg’s mind. “We had no choice.”
“We did!” Lazlo barked. “We could have chosen death. We could have all chosen death, and some of us did.”
Oleg stared ahead. “What would our deaths have accomplished? Death would have beeneasy,” he spat out. “We could all become sadmartyrs weeping before our gods and begging forgiveness from our ancestors while the world we left behind burned to ashes.”
Lazlo nodded slowly. “You’re not wrong.”
“If you and I, Pavel and Rudov, and the rest of the decent ones had chosen death, all of the Kievan Rus would be ruled by Ivan and his kind.”
“Did I say we were wrong?” Lazlo shrugged. “I’m only saying we all choose our own way of making amends. Some of us try to keep the wretched mortals from destroying the earth, and you took the shattered remains of a monster’s empire and made it slightly less violent and brutal.”
There was nothing Oleg could say to that, so he kept quiet.
“So if you want to collect interesting and beautiful women to make your eternity slightly less horrible, I cannot blame you for it.”
“I am notcollectingTatyana Vorona,” Oleg muttered. “She’s infuriating. Headstrong. Dismissive. And so stubbornly independent I’m probably going to have to lock her up to keep her safe. I am beginning to believe she has a death wish.”
“And if she does?”
“That’sunacceptable.” Oleg felt his fire itching to break over his skin at the thought.
Lazlo was silent for a long moment, then burst into laughter.
The sound was so startling that Oleg could only stare.
“You fucking idiot.” Lazlo wiped bloody tears from his eyes. “She’s nothing you want and everything you need.” He burst into another peal of laughter, then slapped Oleg’s shoulder. “I love it.”
“You’re an idiot and you know nothing,” Oleg muttered.
“You’re going to fall in love with her. You’re half in love already.”
“Please shut up or I will kill you.”
