“But not that you took an arrow through your belly?”
“What would be the point of it?” She gestured to her stomach. “The wound has almost healed. A couple more days and it will be like it was never there.”
Sándor shrugged. “It is up to you, but if I had a mate and she did not tell me she was injured, I would be angry with her.”
“Why?”
He frowned. “Because that is something that you share with your blood mate.”
“Why?” Tatyana refused to feel that she was in the wrong for this. “If you could do nothing to help, and she knew that it would only make you angry that you had not protected her, why?”
Sándor grunted but said nothing else.
A few moments later, Kezia arrived in her office, breezing in as if it was her own office. “How long do we think this will take?”
“Killing Ivan?” Tatyana muttered. “Or plotting to kill Ivan? Ideally the actual murder will be quite quick.”
Kezia situated herself on an embroidered sofa. “So human of you to call it a murder. So quaint.”
“Assassination?”
“Precaution,” Kezia said. “And justice. Since your husband-to-be seems reluctant to sacrifice his own brother as we sacrificed ours.”
“You were happy to get rid of Vano. No one liked him.”
“I don’t think any of Oleg’s clan are particularly fond of Ivan.”
“Wrong,” Tatyana said. “The Muscovite vampires adore him. I saw it myself in Moscow.”
Sándor was looking between the two of them as if watching a particularly amusing tennis match. “Since whatever we call it, we are planning to deal with Ivan Sokholov ourselves, perhaps we should continue this meeting.”
“Right.” Kezia grinned. “The chaugan match is tomorrow night. Perhaps we can assassinate him there.”
“That is not advisable,” Sándor said. “Rudov’s estate, unlike Pavel’s, is heavily guarded, and in the speed and confusion of the match, there is too great a chance that the wrong person or one of the animals could get hurt.”
Poshani could be casual about harming vampires or humans outside the clan, but horses? Horses and dogs were always protected. Only a true monster would harm a companion animal.
“Ivan is staying at Pavel’s house.” Sándor tried to direct the meeting. “This would normally be ideal because Pavel’s security tends to be quite light, but something must have happened because tonight he has doubled the guards.”
“And during the day?” Kezia proposed. “There are very adept darigan guards who can take on the job.”
“Ivan has human guards who are often more skilled than his vampire ones,” Sándor said. “But there are not as many of them here in Saint Petersburg for the wedding. A daylight attack might be the better option.”
“I don’t like putting human Poshani at risk,” Tatyana said. “Ivan has already gotten too many of our people killed.”
“Which would motivate the darigan to our cause,” Kezia said. “Do not underestimate the Poshani desire for revenge. We can choose the right people.”
“Pavel’s house is not known for its fortifications. He relies too much on his electronic monitoring. He has seismic sensors under his house and only cameras on the roof.”
“Earth vampire,” Kezia muttered.
That little detail told Tatyana that the greatest threat Pavel perceived was not from outsiders but from his own clan, most of whom were earth vampires as he was.
Sándor nodded. “If we infiltrated the house during the day, the darigan can rid the human guards, which are not extensive, and then all they would have to contend with would be Ivan’s human guards and getting through whatever security Pavel has for his day chambers.”
“I don’t like this idea.” Tatyana knew just how many precautions she took in her own day rest, and Ivan was likely more paranoid than her. “I think a night attack would be better. When he’s away from his home or Pavel’s. Somewhere out in the open with less fortification.”
“Perhaps Tatyana le Tala wants to make more snowmen,” Kezia smirked. “I would enjoy seeing Ivan wrapped in snow. One quick slice with the axe…” She made a rolling motion with her two hands. “Delightful.”
