Page 43 of Crimson Oath (The Firebird and the Wolf #2)

“I am not talking about this with you.” The last thing she wanted was for her human friends to know or even suspect that she had a lover, especially one who was sneaking into the kamvasa under the Hazars’ nose.

“Only three weeks more until the Vashana Zata,” Desiree said. “Do you think that’s why these new vampires have arrived?”

“I doubt it,” Rumi said. “It’s not like a former assassin or a vampire prince would be chosen by our people to take over as terrin.”

“You never know,” Desiree said. “There have been stranger vampires chosen to lead the clan.”

“But not outsiders!”

Tatyana walked over to Rumi’s table to help chop the onions. “What’s the Vashana Zata?”

Rumi frowned. “You mean Radu and Kezia didn’t tell you?”

Desiree waved at Tatyana to take over stirring the pot of paprikash and picked up the knife Tatyana had been using.

“They did not.” Tatyana started stirring the cooking pot as the pungent smell of chopped onions filled the air.

“Vashana happens every year,” Rumi said. “It’s like… the general meeting. You’ll see more Poshani come in—usually every family sends a representative—and disputes are settled, business is discussed, that sort of thing.”

“So what’s a Vashana Zata ?” Tatyana asked.

Desiree shoved a pile of onions into a bowl and started chopping more.

“That’s where the terrin are chosen. It only happens every hundred years, so it’s a very big deal.

Sometimes a vampire will retire— I’ve heard some people say Radu is ready to do something else—so if there’s a vacancy, someone new will be chosen.

It’s a big honor but a big responsibility too. ”

“So there might be a new leader this year?” For some reason, that disoriented Tatyana.

“It’s possible.” Rumi muttered, “If there is, I pray to Sara-la-Kali they take the ruby goblet.”

Tatyana looked at Desiree.

The older woman smiled. “The terrin carry three goblets that were gifts of the Persian emperor at the beginning of our people’s journey. One made of ruby, one of citrine, and one of emerald. Kezia carries the citrine, Radu the emerald, and the ruby one is Vano’s.”

Desiree whispered, “We’re not big fans of Vano.”

“I see.” She wanted to ask if anyone was a fan of Vano, but that would probably be rude. It wasn’t her place to say such things. She wasn’t Poshani.

Tatyana’s mind was whirling. She’d been halfway hoping until she met Vano that she might find some kind of job with the Poshani business even though she was an outsider.

And after she’d met Vano—and realized he was a bully—she considered asking Kezia or Radu if they needed someone with her skills.

She didn’t need the money right away, but she wanted a job. She hated being bored, and she was hoping to stay in touch with her new friends.

“I’ve been wondering if the guests this year think they might be chosen.” Desiree smiled. “Wouldn’t that be a surprise?”

“Would anyone outside the Poshani clan actually be chosen as a leader?” Tatyana asked. “That seems like it would disqualify you.”

“It’s never happened before,” Rumi said. “But it’s not a rule. Who knows? It could be a good thing to have an outside perspective on things.”

Desiree nodded. “I agree. A breath of fresh air. ”

“Kind of like having someone outside your industry on a corporate board.” Tatyana nodded. “That makes a lot of sense.”

Desiree smirked. “I heard Radu say he’d invited your old boss for the Vashana Zata this season.”

Her stomach dropped. “Oleg?”

Rumi nodded. “Now Oleg Sokolov is an outsider that I can see the Poshani choosing. He’s very well-known. People like him, and he’s richer than a czar.” She dropped her voice. “It seems like the clan might need an infusion of money.”

“You’re right,” Desiree said. “Oleg is the kind Poshani might vote for if they needed someone new. Very popular.”

Tatyana was frozen.

What was this?

What was he doing?

Was Oleg hunting her down in the kamvasa and making this proposal to “court” her simply a ploy to get closer and spy?—

No.

That was ridiculous. If Oleg wanted to spy on the Poshani to maneuver himself into a position of power, he would have sent Mika, not come himself. He wouldn’t have given Tatyana his blood.

Unless he wanted to make it harder for you to leave him.

“The Vashana sounds like an interesting party.” She tried to cover the turbulent boil of emotions in her gut. “And even more cooking for the rest of us.”

“You don’t have to help us.” Rumi smiled.

“I know you don’t trust me to chop onions, but at least I can stir a pot.” Tatyana smiled a little. “What else would I do? Drink wine and watch the dancers every night with the old people?”

Desiree said, “Our plan worked, Rumi. We finally recruited a minion for the kitchen, and we don’t even have to pay her.”

“Bwahahahaha!” Rumi pretended to let out an evil laugh, but she winked at Tatyana. “Who says vampires are the only ones who can scheme? ”

“Hello!” A tall vampire with curly black hair waved at her as he walked over and started speaking in English. “I’m Ben. I heard you’re from Russia.”

What an absolutely American thing to say. She examined the new vampire with careful eyes. His energy was hot and bright. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was a fire vampire.

Tatyana narrowed her eyes. “Did Oleg send you?”

The man frowned. “All I said was ‘hello, I’m Ben. I heard you’re from Russia.’”

She hadn’t realized she’d said that out loud. “You didn’t answer the question.”

She was stirring a large pot of goulash over the fire. She’d added the spices, but they needed low heat for some time before Rumi added the fish, which would cook quickly.

The caravan had moved during the day, and there had been no word from Oleg in three nights. She had that stupid vampire stuck in her mind and his blood in her veins.

Irritable didn’t begin to describe how she was feeling.

“Okay.” Ben Vecchio raised his hands as if in surrender. “Oleg did not send me.”

“Good.” With that answered, she turned back to the stew. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away.

She didn’t really want to get to know him. Most of the vampires in the kamvasa kept to themselves, and that was fine with Tatyana. This American seemed overly friendly and was trying to speak with her in English, which was not her best language.

“Tatyana!” Rumi called in Poshani. “Is that stew ready for the fish?”

She answered her friend in the same language. “No, I just added the ground pepper. It needs to cook more.”

“The fish is cleaned when you’re ready for it.” Rumi pointed to the table. “Just let me know.”

“Another half hour maybe?” She turned her attention back to the fire.

The American vampire spoke again. “You’re very good at languages. I’ve been trying to figure it out.”

“Poshani?”

“Yes.”

Tatyana looked up and sighed a little bit. He was not going away. “You’re probably trying to fit it into a Roman or Slavic paradigm.”

She might as well talk with him if he was going to insist. Maybe he wasn’t an aloof asshole like the others if he was truly interested in the Poshani.

She repeated what Rumi had told her about the language’s history.

“The Poshani language is primarily North Indian with borrowing from Hungarian, Turkish, and Farsi.”

Benjamin Vecchio smiled. Was he baring his fangs at her? His teeth reminded her of a crocodile.

He looked overly excited. “You’re a language nerd! How did you get to be a vampire?”

Her eyes went wide. What kind of immortal was he?

“None of your business.” Maybe he didn’t know he was being rude. He was from a different region of the world. “Do all Americans smile so much?”

“Probably.” He held his hand out as if he wanted the spoon. “Can I help?”

Absolutely not. “You’re a wind vampire?” If he was sired by Zhang Guo, he would have to be a wind vampire.

“I am.”

“Then cool the stew. It’s getting a little hot.”

When he summoned his element, that was when she saw it. The vampire was as young as she was and could barely control all the power that was packed into his body.

It was like watching a baby try to handle a shotgun.

The wind he called was so strong the base of the goulash bubbled up and blew out of the side of the pot, nearly burning a Poshani girl who had just walked by.

The girl yelped and darted away.

Tatyana waved her hands at him. “Stop. Just stop. ”

He stopped, thank God, or she would have had to remake everything.

The man had the grace to look apologetic. “So if you don’t want to talk about yourself?—”

“I don’t.” Tatyana poked at the coals to rearrange the heat under the pot. “I know who you are. You didn’t need to introduce yourself. Everyone knows who you are.”

It was true. The entire camp was buzzing with excitement, partly because of the nearness of the Vashana Zata, partly because more and more people were showing up, and partly because new vampires seemed to be appearing overnight.

Her peaceful sanctuary was disappearing.

The American didn’t look thrilled that he was the subject of curiosity. “That’s so annoying.”

“Your profile isn’t exactly low.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “Benjamin Vecchio, son of Giovanni Vecchio, immortal son of Zhang Guo, mate of Tenzin?—”

“Wait, what?”

Tatyana looked up. “She is not your mate?”

Everyone in the camp said they were mated but simply lived separately.

“It’s complicated.” The American looked flustered.

That felt familiar.

Could Oleg be considered her mate now? They had exchanged blood. Not at the same time, but he’d taken hers. Then she’d taken his.

He was entirely possessive, and his attention was unwavering.

The American leaned in and lowered his voice. “Oleg?”

She curled her lip. How did he know?

Vecchio kept his voice low. “Okay, level with me. Does everyone assume Tenzin is my mate?”

He was clearly more concerned with his own love life than with hers. Good.

“Yes,” Tatyana answered. “Is she not? ”

“Tell me about Oleg.”

His name coming out of this stranger’s mouth made her want to snarl. Why was he so curious about Oleg?

She changed the subject. “It’s difficult to remain hidden in this world, isn’t it?”

“Which is so weird because the humans aren’t supposed to know about us.”

She rolled her eyes. “Be serious. Don’t you think most of them know?” Tatyana was starting to feel like the entire world had to be aware of something so obvious. Maybe she’d just been walking through the world, oblivious, before she crashed into Zara.

“I think there are a lot of people who don’t know a thing.”

They trailed off into small talk about how he’d grown up and what they were both doing when they found out about vampires.

Did she lie? A little bit, but the American was far too nosy. He didn’t deserve to know her entire backstory.

Then the man brought up Oleg.

Again.

“So Oleg isn’t your sire?”

“What the hell business is it of yours? How rude do you have to be to ask questions like this?” It was like talking to a child. She only realized she’d spoken in Poshani when Rumi and Desiree laughed and the American looked confused.

“No.” Tatyana tried to speak calmly. “Praise God, he is not my sire.”

That would make all the sex extremely awkward. The sex she was dreaming about again.

“Asshole,” she muttered.

“Clearly you’re a big fan.”

And she was falling for him, which made her a new breed of idiot.

“He’s a… manipulative son of a bitch.” There. Maybe the man would stop asking about Oleg now. She could feel Rumi’s and Desiree’s eyes on her .

Vecchio’s voice was soft and sad. “Aren’t they all?”

Huh. She hadn’t expected that from someone who was raised in the court of a vampire assassin. “You tell me. You’ve known them longer than I have.”

He was staring at the pot when he spoke in a quiet voice. “You’ll find your people. Eventually you’ll find them.”

Now Tatyana felt like she’d stepped on a kitten who was following her around. The man didn’t look arrogant anymore—he looked sad.

She wanted to warn him about wearing his expressions on his face so everyone could see them, but she wasn’t his mother. “Yes, I hope so.”

“So what brings you to the Dawn Caravan?”

“What brings anyone? I heard about it. I needed to get away.”

They chatted back and forth a little longer, and Tatyana had to admit: he was an unusual vampire, and not only because of his abnormally strong amnis.

She wanted to ask Oleg about him. She wanted to know about Oleg’s involvement with the Vashana Zata.

And she wanted to know why the energy in the camp had changed so abruptly the moment these two new vampires showed up.

The place that had been her peaceful sanctuary was off-balance.

Something was very, very wrong.