Page 14 of Crimson Oath (The Firebird and the Wolf #2)

Tatyana

S he was so angry.

Because not only had he tracked her down, threatened her friend, and maneuvered her into an intimate dinner in a beautiful restaurant that overlooked the river, the minute he appeared and she felt his amnis, something in Tatyana settled and sighed in relief.

She hated him. She hated what he did to her. She hated what he made her feel.

Oleg sat across from her, a white cloth napkin draped over his lap, sitting like an emperor in a charming, upscale restaurant serving traditional Georgian fare.

From what she’d seen at the other tables, it appeared to be a fish restaurant, and all the dishes smelled delicious.

A bit overpowering to her sensitive nose, but delicious.

Unlike the smaller hostels and bars that catered to backpackers and Western tourists, this menu was entirely written in Georgian, and as Tatyana didn’t read the language and spoke only a little, Oleg had ordered for both of them.

What a surprise.

“I’m not hungry,” Tatyana said. “I fed last night. ”

“You should still keep something in your stomach to be comfortable,” he said. “You’re a creature of the body, despite your power. I ordered caviar and some local smoked salmon.”

“I don’t like smoked salmon.” She loved smoked salmon and remembered preparing it with her grandfather after he went fishing in the summer months.

Oleg snapped his fingers, and in seconds, the server was at his side. He said something else in Georgian that was so quick Tatyana didn’t catch it, but the man nodded and ducked away with a small bow.

“Since you don’t like smoked salmon” —Oleg stared at her— “I ordered some fried chicken strips from the children’s menu. Perhaps those will suit your current mood.”

God damn him. She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t.

“Arosh is going to be angry with you,” Tatyana said. “Samson is his favorite son.”

“Is that why you are so cozy with him?” Oleg sipped the glass of white wine the server had poured for them. “Currying favor with the Fire King through his favorite child?”

“Samson is a friend,” Tatyana said. “He has protected me.”

“From what?” Oleg stared at her with cool grey eyes.

From you.

From too much attention.

From the whims of his father.

“Arosh won’t be happy with you,” she repeated.

Oleg set his glass down and folded his hands gracefully on the table. “Maybe, but he can say nothing. We’re not in his territory, and his son attacked me with no provocation.”

Tatyana couldn’t help but stare at Oleg’s hands. They were hands that had brought her pleasure so intense that she’d wept. They were hands that had wiped tears from her face and washed blood from her body.

“Tatyana.”

She blinked and looked up, striking the tender memories of this vampire from her mind.

“I’m here,” she said quietly. “As you mentioned, we’re in Alina’s territory. I have permission to be here. I’m assuming you do as well. What do you want?”

“I want you to come back with me,” he said softly. “I don’t care about the gold, if that is worrying you. And I was going to give you the jewelry anyway.”

“You were going to give me your dead mate’s jewelry?”

“ My jewelry,” Oleg emphasized. “Jewels I had collected that I wanted you to wear. The jewelry is not important.”

“Does anyone else know I stole from you?” She was guessing not. “Does Mika even know?”

“So you admit you stole from me?”

Dammit. She’d slipped up. “I admit nothing. Zara was my sire. The gold I took was hers. You yourself told me that a sire would send her children into the world with a settlement of gold. I took a very small percentage of what I was owed.” She dropped her voice to barely a whisper.

“Especially considering she murdered me and turned me into a vampire without my consent.”

Oleg smiled at her. “I have missed you.”

“I cannot say the same about you.”

He cocked his head. “So you intend to remain in the Fire King’s harem?”

“Don’t make it sound like something it’s not. He’s not keeping a harem of women to use for his sexual whims. It’s a refuge.”

“I can tell you haven’t had sex with him. I’d smell him on you.”

“Trust me, it has been suggested.”

“So why not indulge?” He leaned forward. “Do you miss me?”

Now she wished she had slept with Arosh just to keep the smug expression from his face.

Ugh. No. She didn’t want to sleep with anyone.

Except Oleg.

That irritating voice in her mind could shut the hell up .

“Taking a lover isn’t high on my list of priorities right now,” Tatyana said. “I’ve learned much in Arosh’s court.”

“Maybe, but it’s not where you belong.”

“And where do I belong?”

“With me,” he said. “In my organization.”

Tatyana blinked but said nothing.

“Let us be practical.” Oleg leaned back and ran his fingers along the edge of the table.

“Elene told me before she died that she wanted to hire you. She said you are brilliant, and I do not disagree. Amnis will have only improved your mind; you would be a tremendous asset to the Sokolov organization.”

Whatever strong-arming she’d expected from Oleg, she hadn’t expected him to offer her a job.

“Come back to Odesa,” Oleg said softly. “Whatever is between us, we have time to explore it. I have no desire to rush… whatever this might be.” He reached across the table, and the tips of his fingers stroked along the back of her hand.

There was an instant rush of desire, a feeling of comfort and peace.

Tatyana pulled her hand away. “Don’t use your amnis on me.”

“I’m not using amnis on you. I can’t do that now that you’re a vampire, remember?”

“You do something to me,” she whispered. “Don’t pretend you don’t.”

Oleg pulled his hand back, but he leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Whatever effect you might feel, it is coming from you as much as me.”

“No.” She refused to admit how much she wanted him.

She wanted to crawl into his lap, curl up with his arms around her, and sniff his neck.

He smelled of incense and cedar.

He smelled like her grandfather’s smokehouse.

He smelled like home.

“Tatyana.” Oleg’s voice was soft and tempting. “Come back with me. Tonight. We can be in my home in Tbilisi by dawn. We can be back in Odesa tomorrow night. Or at your mother’s farm. You know she misses you.”

“Don’t.” She raised a hand. “Don’t use my mother in this.”

“I’ve been taking care of her and?—”

“She doesn’t need you to take care of her.” Tatyana felt her temper rise. “ I am taking care of her. She needs you to leave her alone.”

“So she can grow old without her daughter?” Oleg’s voice grew harder. “So she can putter around her farm with her birds and her cat and her dog, with no family to comfort her? No company save for the trees and the ocean? What kind of life?—”

“Don’t talk to me about life ,” she hissed.

“Because no matter what gifts you give my mother or what promises you make to me, you and I both know that you are the reason that I no longer have mine. You are the reason she will never have grandchildren. That every hope she had for my future has turned to ash.”

Oleg sat back, and the blank expression that fell over his face like a mask told Tatyana he hadn’t forgotten. He hadn’t forgotten at all.

He would never admit fault because admitting anything meant admitting that he had failed. He’d failed to protect her from Zara. Failed to keep Elene alive.

“You say you want me to come back with you, but how can I trust you?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “How can I trust you when you told me yourself that you wanted me to give you the fangs out of my own mouth?”

Oleg sat back and blinked. The blank expression fled, and his eyes returned to their typical calculating expression. “Did I say that?”

“I remember it very clearly.” Tatyana’s voice grew harder. “You may want me defenseless against you, but no matter what I make of this life that is forced on me, I will never give up the little power I have.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I see.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and then his mouth twitched again. “This is… very interesting.”

“Is something funny to you?”

“Not at all.” His voice slid into his typical, seductive register. “I acknowledge what you are saying, Tatyana Vorona.” He nodded slowly. “And I respect it.”

She blinked. In a hundred years, she would not have expected Oleg Sokolov to tell her he respected her. “So you understand why I must develop my independence,” she said. “And you will leave my mother out of this.”

He lifted his wineglass and sipped the fragrant, golden wine. “Don’t be ridiculous—I’m still going to take care of your mother. She’s in my territory.”

“Oleg—”

“And while I respect your quest for… independence, volchitsa, you are still mine.” He set his wineglass down. “Oh look.” He turned to her and smiled. “Your fried chicken pieces have arrived.”

They walked along a bend of the river that ran through the heart of Gori, through small parks, past apartment buildings with lit-up windows, and across a bright red bridge.

Part of her wanted to walk back to Samson and fly away.

The bigger part of her understood that coming to some kind of peace with Oleg was a good step, one that might bring her more peace in the future. And meeting with him in Alina’s neutral territory was about as safe as she was going to get.

“Think about my offer,” he said. “You know how vital Elene was. I readily admit that her loss has left a huge void in my organization, and it’s one that you could help fill.”

“I will agree to think about it. ”

“You can call me.” He pulled a plastic-cased mobile phone from his pocket. “Do you want my phone number?”

“Oleg Sokolov doesn’t carry a phone.” She cocked her head. “Who are you? A body double?”

He smiled a little bit. “Mika was getting annoyed with me. He says he wastes time tracking me down or chasing my guards to find me when he wants to tell me something.” He shrugged. “So I relented and acquired a mobile phone.”

She narrowed her eyes. “But you love annoying Mika.”

“I know. I got the phone; I didn’t give him the number.”