Page 128 of Blood Mosaic

Why would her mother send her any of her precious carrier pigeons?

Oh, you idiot, Tanya.Because they werecarrierpigeons.

Tatyana sat down again. “You know how much I love the birds, Mama.”

Birds that her mother had trained over many years to fly back to her with a surety few animals possessed. Birds that could carry messages. Birds that maybe a vampire lord would not suspect.

“You’ll be lonely there,” Anna said, “don’t you think? For a whole year I won’t be able to see you. I’ll send you a few sweet pets to remind you of home.”

Pets, not carrier pigeons. The message was clear. The birds’ skills were not to be spoken of, but if Tatyana needed to contact her mother, they would be there.

“There’s a beautiful garden here,” Tatyana said. “I’m sure I can build them a nice dovecote. That way they’ll feel right at home.”

“Good.” Anna touched the screen. “Maybe they can help you think, Tanya. Help you… plan a new future, huh? You have a long time to live now.” Anna’s eyes narrowed a little bit. “It would be a good thing to think about what you want to do now that you have so much time.”

“Yes, Mama.” She swallowed the burn in her throat. “I’ll remember what you said.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Oleg had cleared the covered furniture from the ballroom and taken everything to storage. Until he was ready to entertain again, this room would be used to train the newborn.

The expansive hall had marble tile floors and a large fountain set into the floor of the room with a water channel that ran out to the series of fountains in the garden outside.

Oleg was circling the fountain, and Tatyana was on the other side of the room, watching him with suspicion.

“Ideally,” he said, “your sire should be teaching you all this, but that’s not possible for obvious reasons. Mika is a water vampire though. When he gets back?—”

“Not him.”

She was wearing a pair of overly long leggings and a loose shirt with a sports bra underneath. They were the only things Oksana had that fit Tatyana. Until her clothes arrived from Odesa, it was the best they could do.

Tatyana crossed her arms under her breasts. “Are there other water vampires besides Mika who can help me? I don’t trust Mika.”

“That’s probably smart,” Oleg said. “He suggested that I kill you.”

Tatyana bared her fangs, and Oleg felt his cock stiffen.

His reaction to this woman was getting out of hand. He needed to fuck her. Soon.

“It’s nothing personal,” Oleg continued. “He’s thinking strategically, and you’re a possible asset for Zara. Right now all Mika can think about is killing Zara.”

“Why?”

Oleg had no qualms telling her Mika’s secrets when she already knew the man wanted to kill her. “He loved Elene. For decades. If she hadn’t been happy with her husband and family, he would have pursued her, but he had too much respect for her choices.”

Tatyana said nothing for a long time, but she eventually moved closer to Oleg. “I’m sorry about Elene. Zara was interrogating her, and Elene was trying to calm her down.”

“That never goes well,” Oleg muttered.

“She lost control. I think she just… snapped. I don’t think she meant to do it. Zara knocked her over and the fall?—”

“Her neck was broken. She would have died instantly.” Oleg closed his eyes. “At least there was that.”

“Yes.” Tatyana’s hands curled around her belly. “I think…” She frowned. “I think I was bleeding. I think Zara was trying to ask me questions and she kicked me and I was bleeding internally, but I have no real idea how I died.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember much after that.”

Oleg snapped his fingers and motioned to the fountain. “Come.”

Tatyana curled her lip. “I don’t like the snapping thing any more now than I did when I was alive.”

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