“Yes, surati?”
“What do you think of Pavel and Rudov?”
“I think they’re very old.”
She glanced at him. “That is all?”
“I don’t know enough to form a true opinion. Pavel seems…”
“Awkward for a vampire.”
“Brilliant but troubled. He’s afraid of Oleg. Rudov is not.”
“Hmm.” Tatyana didn’t know if that made Pavel more or less of a threat.
“Animals that are scared can often be the most vicious,” Sándor said softly.
“True.”
Moments later, they pulled through the gates of a large country house in Pushkin, and Tatyana pushed thoughts of Oleg’s brothers to the back of her mind.
The estate felt secluded even though the city surrounded it. The drive was lined by a large allée of bare-branched trees dusted in a thin layer of snow.
“I heard a rumor that Ludmila is from this area,” Sándor said.
“That would explain why they keep a home here.”
He was silent as they passed the sentry of snowy birches. “Oksana is not Russian, nor is she part of Oleg’s clan.”
“No, I have not asked about her background,” Tatyana said. “She is a water vampire. And when I was newly turned, she was my first real teacher.”
“Ah.”
She smiled. Sándor liked classifying everyone in Tatyana’s orbit, and Oksana was a bit of an anomaly—under Oleg’s aegis but not related.
“Oleg trusts her,” Tatyana said. “And she is mated to one of his druzhina.”
“And you consider her a personal friend.”
“Yes.”
“I trust your judgment, surati.”
“Thank you.”
Oksana was waiting in front of the house when they pulled up, and Tatyana could see her bright smile in the darkness.
Sándor’s eyes were locked on her. “She is… tall.”
“She is.”
If the toy manufacturers had wanted to make a Powerlifting Barbie, they might have modeled her on Oksana. She had grown her curly hair to her shoulders, and she had started to wear makeup more often, as if challenging anyone to question the femininity of a tall, broad-shouldered warrior who could likely toss them across a football field as easily as she might hug them.
“You’re here!” Oksana walked over and embraced Tatyana. “I am so glad.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Are you going to Rudov’s party later? We have to go. We can all ride together maybe?”
