Page 22 of Crimson Oath (The Firebird and the Wolf #2)

Tatyana

S amson flew Tatyana to a squat parking garage in the Georgian city of Zugdidi two nights later. She carried only one large backpack with two changes of clothing, the coat her mother had given her, and nothing else.

Kato was sending her computer and the rest of her belongings to her mother at the farm. She had no idea when she would see any of it again. She’d messaged Grimace about the job she had to cancel, but she hadn’t heard back.

She was heading into the wilderness with no computer. No mobile phone. Nothing.

Tatyana felt naked.

They landed in pitch-darkness, the cloudy sky overhead giving them cover in the middle of the night, and Samson’s face was grim as he took the backpack from her and started walking down to the second level where the instructions had told her to meet her Poshani transport.

“Can you please be kind?” Tatyana said softly. “I had very limited options at this point. ”

Samson spun and pounded his chest before he signed angrily. Me. You had me.

“We both agreed that me staying with you because I was desperate for shelter was a bad idea.”

Samson shook his head and started walking again.

“And when you’re not pissed off at me for leaving, you’re going to realize that I’m right.” She ran to catch up with him. “Samson.”

He flipped up his hand. Shut up.

“Fine,” she muttered. “What an excellent parting this is. You act as if I’m dying when I’m basically going on vacation for six months.”

He didn’t sign a word.

Tatyana followed him down to the next level where he abruptly stopped and stared ahead.

There was a black transport van waiting at the end of the garage with three people standing by its side.

Tatyana felt her stomach drop. This was it.

Samson reached out and took her hand, folding her cold fingers between his own.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Kato and Alexander say the kamvasa has never lost a guest. In a thousand years, not once.”

Samson nodded.

“So I’m safe with them.”

He let go of her hand. Did you pay them?

“Of course.”

Then you are safe, he signed. Poshani hospitality laws are considered sacred.

“Okay.” She let out a shaky breath and took his hand again. “I won’t know where I am, right?”

He shook his head.

“They said I’ll have a tablet though. So I can video-call you. Check your messaging app. I’ll try to call as soon as I can.”

He nodded.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “My entire vampire life has felt like I’m hopping from one knifepoint to another. I just want to find someplace to rest.”

Samson stopped, turned, and set her backpack down so he could wrap her in a firm embrace. He pressed her head to his chest, and though his heart was silent against her ear, it was comforting anyway.

After a few moments, he pulled away and signed, Let this be your rest. For six months, you will have nothing but time. No worries about your safety. No worries that Oleg will find you. No worries about my father being impatient. You will be safe in the kamvasa.

Tatyana nodded.

Use these months to look in your heart. Powerful people join the kamvasa. You might even find a vampire you would like to work for. Use this time to make connections and breathe.

“I will.”

And at the end of six months, if you want me to come and find you, I will. Samson rolled his eyes. I can piss off my father and get away with it.

“You are wise and kind,” she whispered. “And I’m probably a fool for passing up the chance to be with you.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. You’re in love with Oleg.

“I’m really not. He’s just in my head.”

Samson shrugged. Think about it.

“I’ll take your advice, but right now I better go to these people. They’re going to think I’m stalling.”

They work for you now. They can wait.

She took a deep breath.

Tatyana didn’t need to breathe. She could sink herself to the bottom of a lake and stay there for days if she wanted to. But the act centered her.

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Samson’s cheek. “I’m ready.”

Then we go. He picked up her backpack again, took her hand, and tugged her arm to get her walking.

As they approached, Tatyana saw that the three figures were two women and one man. One of the women was human, but the others were vampires.

“Miss Vorona?” The vampire woman stepped forward. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Carlotta, and this is David and Alissa.”

“Hello.” She glanced at Samson. “I only have one backpack. I don’t have many clothes or… anything.”

“That’s fine,” Carlotta said. “If you find that you need additional garments, there are seamstresses in the kamvasa.” She held out her hand. “May I?”

Samson passed her the backpack, and Carlotta handed it over to Alissa.

“Forgive me, but Alissa must check the bag for electronic signals or trackers,” Carlotta said. “This is for your safety and ours.”

“Of course.”

Much to Tatyana’s surprise, the sensor that Alissa waved over her backpack started to alert.

“What?” She looked at Carlotta with wide eyes. “I didn’t bring anything. I promise you.”

“It’s possible that someone placed a tracker in your luggage without your knowledge.” The woman glanced at Samson.

“Samson wouldn’t.” Tatyana took his hand. “He’s my friend.”

Alissa smiled. “If you could open your bag please?”

Tatyana moved to the open back of the van and noticed a tan-colored box that looked much like a large coffin in the cargo area.

“That is your transport box,” Alissa said. “To keep you secure until we reach the kamvasa. It locks from the inside, and we cannot access it once you lock it.”

“Okay.” It still looked like a coffin.

She looked over her shoulder at Samson and hated that a tiny part of her suspected Arosh had convinced him to plant something in her bag.

Alissa waved the sensor over her carefully rolled-up clothing, and the only thing that alerted was her old coat .

“What the…” Tatyana unrolled it and immediately searched the pockets, her hands finding the problem immediately.

She pulled out what looked like a burner phone in a hard plastic case.

“The last time I wore this was that night in Gori.” She pursed her lips and turned to Samson.

“This is Oleg. He must have put it in my coat and I didn’t notice.

” She turned to Carlotta. “I used to work for Oleg Sokolov. You should know he’s been trying to get me back.

This…” She held up the phone. “This was probably his attempt to track me without me knowing it.”

Carlotta held out her hand, and Tatyana put the phone in her palm. The vampire smiled as she closed her hand around the small phone. “Not even the knyaz of the Kievan Rus can find you once you enter the kamvasa,” Carlotta said. “I’ll take care of this.”

She handed the phone to Alissa, who put it in a grey bag with a metallic coating, and then she turned back to Tatyana. “Are you ready?”

Tatyana looked at Samson, who nodded. Go, he signed. Call me when you’re settled.

“Yes.” Tatyana smiled. “I’m ready.”

Tatyana woke in darkness and silence with a burn at the back of her throat.

The air smelled of moss and pine, but she saw nothing. She reached out and patted the side of her transport box, eventually finding the small keypad that was embedded in the side.

She quickly punched in the code she’d entered the night before, sighing with relief when the lock beeped and the lid of the box popped up and slid to the side.

Tatyana sat up and saw a faint light glowing somewhere like dawn peeking through curtains. The soft yellow light grew in strength, and within a minute, her surroundings became visible.

There were no windows, only a small, glowing lamp that simulated the dawn.

The transport box had been placed on a bed in a luxurious travel trailer that was bigger than her first student apartment in Kyiv.

The wide bed was on an elevated platform, and two sliding doors had been opened while she slept.

Down a short set of stairs there was a sitting area with a table, a leather couch, and a wall of books that was secured behind clear cabinets.

There was a chess set positioned on a built-in desk, and a silver carafe sat on the table with a crystal goblet next to it. There was also a beautiful arrangement of fresh wildflowers spilling over a ceramic bowl.

Past the small library, there was a large rack along one wall, filled with what Tatyana was guessing were bottles of blood-wine.

Beyond the living area, there was a small kitchenette, but it took up hardly any space in the trailer. Past that, another set of French doors that had been cracked open. She could see a tub and shower beyond.

There were no windows and only one door, though she could see a skylight over the kitchen with a sliding cover that could probably be used by wind vampires.

The floor was wooden, adorned with thick Persian rugs, and the caravan smelled like leather, wood oil, and lemon.

The scent reminded her of home.

Tatyana let out a small burst of laughter. If the Poshani had been trying to make her feel at home, there was nothing like that combination of scents, which reminded her of her grandparents’ farmhouse in Crimea.

She climbed out of the fiberglass box, which took up a good portion of the bed. “Where am I supposed to put it?” she muttered.

Perhaps her hosts would come and take the transport box away now that she was… wherever she was.

It was an odd sensation, not having any idea at all where she was in the world. Had she traveled out of Russia? Was she in Romania? Poland? Austria? Tatyana could be traveling in a place she’d never been before, and she would have no idea at all.

She was wearing the same clothes she’d been in the night before, which was reassuring. There were no unfamiliar scents on her skin. She walked down the stairs and toward the table with the carafe. She suspected there was fresh blood inside, and when she cracked the lid, she smelled it.

Her fangs grew long in her mouth, and she quickly poured the blood into the goblet, drinking it down to quench the burning sensation at the back of her throat.