Page 139 of Blood Mosaic

Tatyana pulledher long ponytail over her shoulder and tugged it hard. Zara was her sire, she reminded herself. Oleg saidit was normal to feel this affection. It was a result of her amnis, not because she had gone insane or was suffering a mental breakdown.

There was a tapping at the door, and a woman’s voice roused Tatyana from her memories.

“Tatyana?”

It was Oksana.

It wasnotOleg, who had carried her back to her room before dawn and left her alone. She didn’t know how she felt about that. Maybe she didn’t feel anything.

Or maybe… a little bit of relief?

She was still processing what had happened in the Amber Room, and she wasn’t sorry that he’d left her on her own. Being anywhere near Oleg was consuming in a way that still frightened her. As much as she wanted him, that desire was tempered with caution.

Her body and her amnis were reckless for Oleg, hungry for him.

Her mind?

Eh, she could wait.

“Tatyana?” Oksana’s voice came again. “Are you well?”

“Yes.” She stood and threw on a robe. “I’m awake.”

“I have your blood. Oleg says you must drink at least a liter before you leave your quarters.”

Tatyana was undoubtedly thirsty, but even in two weeks of vampire life, the burning at the back of her throat had lessened. She felt more in control. More rational.

Except for the random longing for her homicidal maniac sire, of course.

Tatyana walked to the door and opened it to see Oksana standing with a silver carafe.

“You’re not snapping at my hands,” the other woman said. “Progress.”

Tatyana had to smile. “Thank you.” Suddenly she realized something. “Oksana, you’re a water vampire.”

“I am.” Oksana smiled. “Are you looking for a few pointers?”

“From someone who has the same element and isn’t always snapping his annoying fingers at me?” Tatyana raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

“Finally! It’s past time that you asked.” She pointed to the carafe. “Drink your blood and get dressed. We can work in the ballroom.”

Tatyana and Oksanaworked for hours, and while the older vampire’s lessons weren’t as explosive as Oleg’s, Tatyana’s analytical mind ate them up. It helped that while no one even came close to her when she was training with Oleg, the moment she started working with Oksana, a small crowd formed along the edge of the ballroom.

Far from being intimidating, the vampires who watched them often called out encouragement or clapped when Tatyana did something correctly.

“Well done!”

“She’s sharp.”

“Not terrible for a newborn.”

The last compliment came from a stocky man with a long beard who leaned in the doorway. He looked older than the others, and he was significantly shorter. His arms and legs looked powerful, and Tatyana didn’t know how she knew, but the man wasn’t a water vampire and he was far older than any other vampire in the room.

If Tatyana had to guess, she’d say he was an earth vampire, though she had no idea what instinct told her his element or his age.

“Explosions of amnis are powerful, and right now you have a lot of energy because you’re young,” Oksana explained, ignoring the audience around them. “Energy is good. Control is better.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Control.”

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