Page 32 of Crimson Oath (The Firebird and the Wolf #2)

Tatyana

“ I saw him,” Rumi said. “And for that one, I might not care about the fangs.”

The women around the cooking wagon hooted with delight.

“I saw him too.” A woman named Desiree elbowed Tatyana while she was stirring a pot of beef and barley soup. “Tanya, did you see him? He’s your kind. You have to have met at the welcome dinner.”

“I met him.” She shrugged. “He’s nothing special.”

“Oh no.” Rumi pointed at her. “I don’t believe you for a moment. If you had a heartbeat, you’d be blushing.”

“She has a heartbeat, it’s just sloooooow.”

The three women around the cooking fire laughed out loud, and Tatyana felt like her cheeks would crack from smiling. She hadn’t felt like this… maybe ever.

Rumi was there, and Desiree, who was a little older than Tatyana. There was also an older woman in her forties named Katrina, whose quick wit and stories kept everyone in stitches.

“Okay, I would never ask a Poshani vampire this,” Katrina said. “ But blood flow is what makes the good times good if you know what I mean.” She motioned below her waist while Rumi and Desiree smirked. “So does it take forever to have an orgasm when you’re a vampire?”

“Katrina, what a question!” Rumi waved a hand at her. “Tanya, ignore her. So rude.”

“Okay, but I really am curious now.” Desiree cocked her head. “I’ve never thought about that before.”

Tatyana pushed through her embarrassment and forced herself to answer. “I think it’s the amnis.” She lifted a hand and pulled a wave of fog toward them, cooling down the cooking fire. “You know, our energy.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” Katrina wiggled her hips. “Now to try that out with the very fine Frenchman.”

Tatyana joined Rumi and Desiree as they laughed.

René DuPont, French vampire and guest of the kamvasa for the rest of the season, had arrived the night before, and rumors of his looks and charm were already spreading like wildfire through the ranks of the Poshani women.

“Seriously,” Rumi said. “I swore off vampire lovers years before I married Hanzi, but if I were single? I might consider letting that one bite me.”

“Do all Poshani girls have vampire boyfriends?” Tatyana asked. “Is it common?”

“We all go through a phase,” Katrina said. “I had immortal boyfriends and girlfriends when I was young, but I only ever loved one.”

Tatyana blurted out the question before she could stop herself. “What happened?”

Katrina smiled sadly. “I got grey hair.”

“Oh, what an asshole,” Rumi said. “You never told me that’s why you broke things off with Iza.”

“He didn’t say anything,” Katrina said. “But I could see it. He was drifting away and looking at younger women.” She shrugged. “ What can you do? I broke things off a year after I turned thirty-six. He’ll stay beautiful forever, like that Frenchman. I needed to move on.”

“Never try to have a real relationship with a vampire,” Desiree said. “Our mothers all tell us the same.” She looked at Tatyana. “Romantic relationships, I mean. Friendships are different.”

“Of course!” Rumi quickly added. “You know we’re only talking about the men.”

Tatyana said nothing, but her heart warmed at the idea that these women, mortal or immortal, actually considered her a friend. Or at least a possible one.

Tatyana shook her head. “I’m telling you, forget about René DuPont. I’ve met his kind before. He’s probably just another man, only looking out for himself. And you can’t see a pretty face in the dark.”

Rumi hooted. “Unless you’re a vampire.”

“Okay, you might have a point.” Tatyana smiled and started stirring the soup again.

“Have you met more handsome than him?” Desiree’s eyebrows went up. “Come on, Tanya. You don’t tell us anything about your past.”

“I have.” She’d been open with the Poshani women. Not about how she was turned, but where she grew up. “What didn’t I tell you?”

“She means your past boyfriends.” Katrina winked. “From the way you talk about men, I’m betting you were burned.”

Tatyana froze. “What?”

Radu knew about Oleg. Had he told others in the camp about her past with the fire vampire?

“Oh, come on,” Rumi said. “Who hasn’t been burned by a man?”

Oh.

Ohhh. She let out a silent breath. “Exactly. Who hasn’t been burned by a man? ”

“Come on.” Katrina nudged Desiree. “She said she was in the Fire King’s court. I bet she got burned by the best there.”

Rumi laughed. “We’ve all heard the stories about Arosh.”

“Every Poshani girl knows about Arosh,” Desiree said. “I spent a few years in the Fire Court myself.” She rubbed the tips of her fingers together. “How do you think I bought my van?”

“It’s a good thing as long as you’re smart about it.” Rumi nodded. “Not all of us go to university like Katrina and get office jobs.”

Tatyana hadn’t asked, but it sounded like Katrina had a remote job of some kind in technology, working in the business offices in Warsaw when she wasn’t on the road. She’d only joined the kamvasa in the past few weeks.

“Jobs are boring,” Katrina said. “I need to know more about Tanya’s past with sexy vampires.”

“I don’t…” She smiled. “I’m not going to tell you that.”

“Oh, it was serious then.” Desiree sidled closer to her. “Now we definitely need to know.”

“He wasn’t…” Was she actually going to talk about this? “He was very possessive. Very overwhelming.”

“In a bad way?” Rumi asked, not looking up from the carrots she was chopping. “Hanzi is possessive, but he’s a pussycat if I growl at him.”

“Ah, that was the problem then,” Tatyana said. “I didn’t try growling; I’ll remember that for next time.”

All of them laughed at her, and Tatyana was hoping they’d change the subject.

No such luck.

“A lover should be possessive,” Katrina said. “But they should also know they’re not the center of your world. We have lives, yes?”

“Exactly,” Tatyana said. “A person should have their own identity.”

“If you’re young, that’s harder,” Rumi said. “Give it time.” She looked at Tatyana. “You have a lot of that now.”