Page 63 of Blood Mosaic

“That’s why you hired me.”

“No,” Mika said. “He hired you because Zara will want to kill you when she hears that you’re working for us.” He glanced at Tatyana. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you die. He’ll be annoyed if I do.”

Oleg barked something at Mika in a language Tatyana didn’t understand, and the other vampire muttered something, set his book down, and closed his eyes.

“Forgive Mika,” Oleg said. “He has no manners. He will protect you though. All of my people will protect you.”

“Why?”

“As I told you last night, you’re an asset to me. And you are very bright. I fully expect you to find my money.”

Tatyana swallowed. “If I can’t?”

“Given enough time and resources, I have every confidence in you.” He lifted his glass. “I will give you everything you need.”

“But until then I’m a captive?”

Oleg took a long drink of wine, and Tatyana saw the corner of his fangs peek out from behind his lips. “I suppose that depends on how you define captive.”

Oleg’s driverdropped her off at the Admiral Hotel, and Tatyana collapsed in a room that felt at least a little bit familiar even if it didn’t feel safe. She dragged pillows and blankets over to the window and fell asleep with a guard outside her door.

When she woke, she felt the warmth of the late-morning sun bathing her skin.

She rolled over and closed her eyes, reveling in the security of the light.

She hadn’t asked anyone directly, but judging by the fact that she’d only seen Oleg and Zara at night, she suspected the stories about sunlight burning vampires was based on fact. In the sunlight, she was safe. During the day, she didn’t have to worry about monsters lurking.

A tap at her door. “Miss Vorona?”

The voice was familiar, and when Tatyana went to open the door, she was pleased to see Lorala’s bright smile.

The woman was also holding another rack of garment bags. “Coats,” she said. “Mr. Sokolov said you needed a coat.”

Tatyana looked down at her sweatpants and her favorite black hoodie. The coat she’d been wearing that fateful night in Sevastopol had stayed in her bedroom, stained by mud and vomit from her traumatic night.

“Come on in.” She opened the door. “It’s been a rough few days.”

“It’s nice to see you again.” The woman bustled into the room and immediately went to the kitchenette to turn on the coffeemaker. “Marina tells me that you are aware of Mr. Sokolov’s nature. How are you feeling?”

Tatyana gaped. “You mean… You know Mr. Sokolov is…”

“Vampire.” Lorala smiled politely. “Of course. This hotel is actually a converted mansion that once belonged to a vampire. It’s owned by the Wallace Conglomerate and caters to all guests but specifically those in the immortal world—vampires and their day people.”

“Oh my God.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re everywhere, aren’t they?”

“Take a moment and breathe.” Lorala brought her over a cup of strong black coffee. “I can see that you’re still processing all this. I put two sugars in your coffee. If you’d prefer something with milk or tea?—”

“No, this is good.” Tatyana sipped the coffee and immediately felt better. “This is great.” She looked at Lorala with new eyes. “Are you a vampire?” Tatyana shook her head. “No, of course not. It’s daylight, so unless I’m wrong about?—”

“No, you are correct.” The woman nodded. “Vampires cannot be in sunlight without damage, and most of them sleep very deeply during the day. Almost as if they’re dead.”

She took another long drink of coffee. “But there are a lot of them, aren’t there?”

Lorala walked to the table and angled a chair toward Tatyana. “Not as many as you probably think but more than you knew before. If you have questions, I’m happy to answer them.”

Tatyana blinked. “Uh… how do you know about all this?”

“My father worked for an immortal. I’ve known since I was quite young. There is a whole community of day people in most large cities.”

---