Page 28 of Blood Mosaic

It had taken roughly forty years. The mosaic decorating the main wall of his armory was an expansive forest scene with riders chasing a white stag as a firebird perched in the trees overhead.

“This is stunning.” Her eyes were glued to the photograph. “It lookshundredsof years old.”

It was.

“I enjoy using historical elements and techniques in certain pieces.”

“This must have taken so long.”

He tried to take the photograph back, feeling oddly exposed with her keen blue eyes on his work.

She looked up, the gold light of the streetlamp casting a warm glow on her skin. She was verdantly alive, and her heart was beating quickly as her eyes met his.

“It’s incredible,” she whispered. “Thank you for showing me.”

He frowned. “Please don’t mention it to others. It’s not something I share outside of?—”

“Of course not. I’m honored that you showed me. Thank you.” She put her hand on his as he took the photograph back, her skin warm and violently alive against his cold hands.

Tatyana stared at his hand, then up into his eyes, and Oleg could see when the inhuman energy hit her.

Her eyes went wide and her pupils dilated. “What are you?”

Oleg sent a wave of amnis straight to her cerebral cortex, catching her as her knees went out and lifting her into his arms.

“Infuriating human,” he muttered. “Why does this keep happening?”

Chapter Eight

Tatyana blinked her eyes open to rays of warm morning sun touching her face. She sat up in a panic, realizing as soon as she did that once again, she was waking up in her clothes from the day before, shoes removed, in a bed at the Admiral Hotel.

“What the hell is going on?”

Why was this happening? She had a vague memory of Oleg walking her into the lobby last night and Lorala and Marina helping her to her room and getting her into bed, but why was her memory so cloudy?

She’d hadoneglass of wine. Why wasn’t she able to remember anything after the restaurant? Was it stress? Was she sick?

It had to be the stress.

She took a deep breath and swung her legs over the side of the bed, glancing at the clock and noting she had an hour and a half before she needed to be at the office. It was more than enough time to get ready.

At least she didn’t have a headache. And the bed in the hotel was so comfortable even sleeping in her suit didn’t seem to have bothered her.

Maybe once her mind adjusted to not having to count every penny and watch every word with her mother, Tatyana would sleep better. She hadn’t been sleeping well for months. Maybe her body had finally given up.

She rubbed a hand over her eyes and stood.

How embarrassing! What must Oleg Sokolov think of her when she’d passed out twice in front of him? Was that why he’d forced her into a steak dinner? The man probably thought she was malnourished.

She’d never eaten at a Western-style steak house before, and she had to admit, so far it was the most enjoyable aspect of the extravagantly wealthy world she’d stumbled into. The food had been delicious, the wine was better than any she’d had in college, and Oleg’s company had been surprisingly pleasant. She couldn’t remember much of their conversation, but she had a warm, positive feeling about it.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. As soon as she saw the screen, panic leaped into her throat.

Five missed calls from her mother and one from Karol.

“Oh God.” She unlocked her phone and hurriedly tapped on the button to return Anna’s call, ignoring the voicemail alerts. The phone rang twice before her mother picked up. “Mama?”

“Tanya.” Her mother sounded surprised. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

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