He said nothing.
“The birds are fine!” She rolled her eyes. “One of the men tried to hide in the dovecote, but they made too much noise, so I killed him.”
Oleg was simultaneously proud and furious. “Who was it?”
She cocked her head. “Who do you think?”
“Ivan’s men?” Oleg frowned. That was surprisingly direct for his brother. If he hadn’t already decided to kill him, this would have been the final nail in his coffin.
“Not directly, but Sándor suspects from examining the bodies that they belong to a clan of wind vampires from some place Sándor called Bashkiria. I’ve never heard of it.”
“Old name,” Oleg said. “They’re in Ivan’s region. I know the clan of which you speak. They work closely with the Sokholov Organization. Old, old alliance. If the Bashkiri were the ones responsible for this attack, Ivan ordered it. They have no direct grievance with the Poshani.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Tell me why Sándor is hearing that Ivan is out of favor. It has already reached his ears from three people in the past twenty-four hours.”
“Hmm.” So she did have spies. Or Sándor did. Oleg approved. “That’s curious.”
“But you’re not going to tell me more.” She shifted away from him, and he felt a cold snap between them, like ice kissing glass.“Even though I was open with you about what happened in my own territory.”
“What do you want to know?”
She snapped, “What are you going to do about your brother?”
He didn’t want to tell her. It was going to get bloody, and she didn’t need to be involved. “I haven’t decided yet.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “Hmm.”
“What does that mean?”
She shook her head. “At one point I thought it might be difficult to present this marriage as a purely political arrangement, but every night you make it easier, Oleg Sokolov.”
He said nothing, staring at her profile as the snow spattered against the windows of the car. “You have secrets of your own, Tatyana Vorona.”
The corner of her mouth turned up. “It’s good that you know that.”
The car came to a halt, and within seconds, she had shoved her door open and was out of the car.
Tatyana satin Kezia’s theater box that night, surrounded by Poshani vampires and humans. They whispered into her ear, sharing secrets, making his wife smile. The warmth of the Poshani box, their camaraderie and affection, was so obvious that it caused a twisting ache in Oleg’s chest.
He looked over his shoulder at the military precision of the rows beside and behind him. On Oleg’s left was Rudov. Next to Rudov, Ivan and Pavel. Then Lazlo and their brother Lev from the far eastern post of his empire. All of Truvor’s sons werelarge, striking men with strong features. Warriors of the ancient Kievan Rus with centuries of experience, battle-tested and stoic.
Behind Truvor’s sons, the next generation sat, slightly less formal but no less stoic. Askeli and Juliya. Polina and her daughter Yeva. There were two of Ivan’s many sons, all wearing the deep red kaftan with Truvor’s gold hawk crest embroidered into the collar. The third row consisted of lieutenants of the Kievan Rus, most of them male, all of them wearing black kaftans with black fur trim and a gold hawk pin on the lapel.
These were Pavel’s guards.
There was no joking or affection or laughter among his people, not even as the Poshani production on stage performed the biting comedy about a rude Russian noblewoman trying to maneuver her disastrous son into an advantageous marriage.
Were the Poshani trying to send him a message?
Oleg glanced at Tatyana again, only to see her looking at him as well.
He inclined his head.
She inclined hers. Then she turned her face back to the stage, a smile lighting her expression as a character took a tumble.
“It is a good match,” Rudov said. “If a bit…”
“A bit what?”
