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

“You think I’ve visited her when you haven’t?” Anna asked. “I have a phone now, don’t I? She has a computer. I may not know about computers like my daughter does, but I know how to video chat. My daughter is fine.”

So she was somewhere with internet access. Unfortunately, these days that could be anywhere. Even the Fire King might have entered the twenty-first century by now.

Or Tatyana could be heading into the nearest city to call her mother. Oleg would tell his operatives in coastal Georgia to watch the internet cafés and libraries for any sign of her.

He was grasping at straws.

“Tell me” —she took a bite of cake— “why do you care about my daughter? She got you your money, didn’t she?”

“Yes.” He followed Anna’s lead and cut into his cake. Vampires didn’t need human food, but it had been a day or so since he’d eaten anything, and his stomach was empty. If he went too long without consuming human food, it would cause discomfort.

The cake was too sweet, like most modern food, but he could tell it was baked well. “You’re a good baker,” he said. “Did you plant the garden too?”

“What are your intentions toward my daughter, Mr. Vampire?”

Oleg froze. “My… intentions?”

“Yes.” Anna stared at him. “You come to my farm—which she wasn’t happy about, I’ll have you know. When I told her I was moving back, it started a very big fight. And now you’re asking about her when she doesn’t work for you anymore. Are you in love with her? ”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Your daughter is my responsibility.”

“Are you the one who made her like this?”

Thank God, no. “Of course not.”

Anna shrugged again. “So you are not responsible for her. I am her mother. I am responsible for her. That Zara, the one who hurt my Tatyana, you are responsible for her , yes?”

“Zara is dead now. She won’t be bothering you.”

“Huh.” Anna blinked. “I thought that, but Tatyana wouldn’t tell me.”

Tatyana probably didn’t want to scare her mother, but Oleg thought all the Vorona women could use a little more fear in the back of their mind. They were remarkably fearless, and it could easily get them killed.

“Did you kill her?” Anna asked. “Or did Tatyana?”

So Anna thought her own daughter was capable of killing someone.

An interesting insight.

“She’s dead,” Oleg said. “That’s all you need to know.

But someone was helping her.” He glanced over his shoulder.

“So don’t let Dymka get too friendly.” He took the too-sweet cake that Anna had made and tossed a good chunk over toward the dog, who quickly gulped it down.

“Except for me. He can be friends with me.”

Anna muttered under her breath. “Maybe you two deserve each other for breaking my brain.”

“Will you give her a message?”

“No.” Anna snorted. “You want me to pass messages for you like you are schoolchildren?”

“What? No.” Oleg blinked. “Not schoolchildren, but there are things?—”

“I am not your messenger girl,” Anna said. “If you want to kill me, you’ll kill me, yes? I don’t get involved in my daughter’s love life. I’m not that kind of mother.”

“It’s not about her love life.” Oleg felt his skin heat.

“Well, it seems to me that you are very interested in Tatyana, and since she’s not working for you anymore, I don’t know what other reason?—”

“There are people who want to kill her.” Oleg didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t believe in raising his voice. He believed in others quieting down so they would listen.

Anna went quiet.

After a long moment, she asked, “Who? Who wants to kill my daughter?”

“My enemies.” It wasn’t a lie. Necessarily.

If Oleg’s enemies knew that Oleg had fixated on her, they would want to kill her, so the key to her future safety was for him to be as indifferent as possible.

“Why would they want to kill her?”

Because I care about her.

He wasn’t going to tell Anna that.

“She’s young,” he said quietly. “Zara bragged to the immortal world about her clever human bookkeeper, and now that bookkeeper is a vampire and she’s a vampire with connections so good that she was able to make her mother disappear.”

“Why is that anyone’s business but hers?”

“More than one of my kind is worried that if Tatyana could steal money from Zara and get away with it, she could steal money from them too.”

Another exaggeration, but it worked, because Anna’s eyes went wide.

“She wouldn’t,” Anna snapped. “Tatyana is an honest person.”

“Do you think so? She stole from me.”

“I don’t believe you.” Anna’s cheeks were red with indignation. “My daughter is not a thief.”

Oleg shrugged. “I didn’t want to believe it about my own daughter either.” But he had always known Zara was a thief. “Sometimes our children make unwise choices.”

The wheels were turning in Anna’s head. That was all he needed. He just needed Anna Asanova to reach out to her daughter so he could track Tatyana down.

Oleg finished his tea and stood. “I am trying to help your daughter. I’m trying to keep her from making more mistakes. Drawing more attention to herself.”

Anna stood, but she said nothing.

Oleg walked toward the door, patting Dymka’s head as he walked out. “The next time you speak to her, tell her that I’m looking for her and so are others. Tell her that whatever mountain cave she’s hiding in, she’s going to have to leave eventually.”

Anna lifted her chin. “And you’ll be waiting?”

“Yes.” Oleg nodded. “I’m immortal, Miss Asanova. I can wait a very long time.”