Page 173 of Blood Mosaic

Oleg was lying.Hewouldstart a war for her, but it would be stupid to start one with the Fire King over something as minor as a runaway newborn vampire.

“What are you doing?” Mika was irritated. “She wants to leave and take her chances with Arosh? Fine. Leave her to him. She’s caused enough trouble already.”

“Shut up.” Oleg glared at the truck in the distance and the thin woman clutching a backpack and a duffel bag. She was soaked to the skin, and her face was pale as the moon. “Tatyana, come back. We need to find shelter. Dawn is coming.”

He already had a safe house picked out within driving distance, but there wouldn’t be enough time if she kept walking.

“Tatyana!” Oleg’s patience snapped. “I command you to return to me!”

She lifted her chin and turned her back to him, facing the opposite bank of the river.

“How could that not have worked?” Mika muttered.

Tatyana started trudging over the rocks, and a moment later Oleg felt it.

“Fuck.”

Mika felt them too. “Oh good. Arosh’s children have arrived.”

Oleg watched as two wind vampires landed on either side of Tatyana.

They looked at Oleg, then at Tatyana. One had silver-grey hair and didn’t speak. The other was a beautiful dark-haired woman with flowing black clothes and a sword on her back.

Tatyana took a step backward even as the silver-haired wind vampire held up his hands.

“Hold,” the dark-haired woman said. “Are you in danger?”

Tatyana looked at Oleg, then back to the two vampires. She shook her head. “No. I mean… I don’t know.”

The silent wind vampire cocked his head and stared at Oleg.

“She is a vampire under my aegis.” Oleg raised his hands. “There has been a miscommunication, and she took a wrong turn. We mean no offense to your lord. She is a newborn, and this is a misunderstanding. Tatyana, come back to this side of the river.”

“If she is under your aegis,” the woman said, “she is trespassing on Arosh’s territory, Varangian.” She drew her sword. “That would be an act of war.”

“I’m not under his aegis!” Tatyana shouted, still clutching her duffel bag. “Please! I’m not. I’m…” She looked at Oleg, who held out his hand.

Come back.He pushed his longing through the thin bond he could feel tugging on her like a silken string.Please come back.

If she walked away from them, if she returned to him, nothing would happen.

“Tatyana, just stay calm and come back.”

Oleg knew that as dangerous as Arosh’s patrols were, they were not overly aggressive. He and the Fire King had lived without conflict for centuries.

“This is a misunderstanding,” he repeated. “This young vampire is mine. She will walk back to me now, and when she has returned to me, I will send a token to Arosh to apologize for this tres?—”

“I’m not his,” Tatyana said, clutching her duffel bag to her chest, her eyes darting between the silver-haired vampire and Oleg. “My sire is dead. I have no aegis. I was turned into a vampire against my will only a few weeks ago, and I don’t want to fight with anyone.”

Tatyana, what are you thinking?How could she trust them? She was taking a chance. Making a gamble.

Just as she had done with him.

Tatyana took a small step toward the dark-haired woman. “I have heard that the Fire King will protect human women. I was human less than a month ago. Will he still protect me?”

“Tatyana!” Oleg’s fire leaped at her words, and a burst of flames rose between them.

The dark-haired vampire kept her sword raised, but she turned it away from Tatyana and toward Oleg. “Are you telling me that you run from this vampire’s wrath? That you seek protection from him?”

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