Page 126 of Blood Mosaic

Mika rolled his eyes. “The house is secured. We can move the treasure on the plane since you won’t need it for a while. I’m going to assume that you’re staying with the woman.”

“I promised to protect her.” Oleg set down his glass. “Call her mother. Arrange for a video call of some kind.”

“Good. That woman has been harassing my assistant anyway.” Mika was already headed toward the door. “What do we tell her mother?”

Oleg shrugged. “The truth.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Tatyana sat a meter away from the video screen, staring at her mother and feeling like she was ten years old again.

“Tanya.” Anna lifted her hand to the screen, touching it as her eyes went soft. “I thought they were lying to me. I thought you were dead.”

“I’m a vampire,” Tatyana whispered. “It would probably be better if I were dead.”

“Don’t say that.” Anna’s voice turned sharp. “Tatyana Vorona, you will banish that thought from your mind.”

She closed her eyes and felt hot tears track down her cheeks.

She’d woken earlier to another raging thirst and two more silver carafes of blood. Her body was stronger than the night before, and when she turned the lock in the door, it had nearly broken off in her hand.

“Tanya?”

She opened her eyes, brushed a hand over her cold cheeks, and lifted her chin. “Yes, Mama.”

“You will survive this. And you will come home.”

She nodded but said nothing. She stared at her mother, seeing her in a new light.

There were silver threads at her temples now, and the lines around her eyes and mouth made her look like Tatyana’s grandmother a little more every year.

Tatyana had once thought that looking at her mother and her grandmother gave her a photograph of her future selves. Middle age. Old age. She could see exactly how she would look at each stage of life.

“Look at you.” Anna’s mouth turned up at the corner. “You look so pale.”

“Even more than before.”

Her mother laughed a little bit. “Baboolya would be so happy. She’d never have to remind you to put on a hat so you don’t get freckles.”

Tatyana let out a hard breath. “I wish I had them. I look in the mirror and see a ghost.”

“Stop.” Anna waved a hand. “Just stop it. No more of this morbid talk. You could have died and you didn’t. You should be grateful; it could be worse.”

“Worse than being a vampire?” Listening to her mother’s voice, she felt the urge to sulk like a child. “I won’t be able to see you for months. Maybe longer. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me now. All these people are dangerous and?—”

“Hush.” Anna leaned closer to the screen. “Youthink, Tanya. You are a planner. You get that from your grandfather, don’t you?”

Tatyana pressed her lips together and nodded.

“Good.” Anna sat back. “You think. You listen and you plan. You’re smarter than all of them. You know that, don’t you?”

Tatyana didn’t know that, but she nodded to reassure her mother.

“For now you take what is offered,” Anna said. “You have people willing to help you, yes? To protect you and give you what you need?”

“Yes. My boss is here.”

“Is he still your boss? From what his people told me, your contract with him was completed and you’re going to be a wealthy woman.”

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