“I’m just offering.” Ludmila spread her hands. “If he wants.”
“I’m leaving you in Moscow with him,” Oleg said. “You and Oksana.”
“Ha!” Oksana laughed. “Oh, he will love that.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Mika didn’t look amused; he looked concerned. “Ivan hates powerful women.”
“I know.” Oleg raised an eyebrow and met Ludmila’s smirk with one of his own. “You ladies should drive him crazy.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Mika said.
Oleg made his voice like a blade. “I’m not playing a game at all.”
Mika was silent, and Oleg could see he was not pleased.
“It’s not a game,” Oleg said to Oksana. “And I fully realize how much danger you will be in while you remain in the city. Double whatever security protocols you have for now, and I’ll be sending some of our own people to watch you.”
“What are you planning?” Oksana asked. “Does it involve Tatyana?”
Mika, Ludmila, and Oksana were some of the few who knew that Oleg and Tatyana had married and mated. Oleg had kept that information even from much of his closest circle, his druzhina. No doubt he would have to make amends once the truth was known, but for now, it was too dangerous with Ivan still causing problems.
“Right now I don’t want to get Tatyana involved. The last thing I want is for my wife to think she has to split her loyalties between her mate and the clan she leads.”
“But she does,” Mika said. “This situation you have been living with is not sustainable. At some point?—”
“This is none of your business,” Oleg said. “Be careful what words you choose.”
“It is my business,” Mika said. “It’s all our business, because your attention is divided when anything related to the Poshani is in play.”
“I’m not saying he’s right,” Ludmila said. “But… he’s maybe not wrong.”
Mika rolled his eyes. “Thank you for that glowing support.”
“We’re worried about you,” Oksana said. “It can’t be easy to be apart from her.” She reached for Ludmila’s hand. “We can all see that you’re happier and sharper when she’s around. Not that you’re dull!” Oksana added quickly. “I’m not saying that.”
“I am maybe saying that a little bit,” Ludmila muttered.
Oleg stuck his hand out and flipped Ludmila off, which made the small woman smile.
“You won’t be seeing much of me at all for a while.” Oleg decided to change the subject. “So you won’t have to worry. While Ivan is at the Báthory Summit, use the time to gather information. Find out which of his sons are unhappiest, I’m going to guess it’s the ones who have more than half a brain. We need to find a way to use them because I don’t want Moscow to turn into another episode of mass bloodshed like the period after Truvor’s death.”
Oleg had paid assassins to kill his sire, knowing that his blood tie with Truvor was too strong even though he hated him.
But then he’d spent weeks killing off all those who challenged him, and the bloodshed had shaped his clan for centuries. Thoseleft had bowed to Oleg, but the cycle of violence continued, threatening the cohesion of his new empire.
If he wanted to keep his territory together, he would have to find a way to end Ivan without his sons resenting Oleg and thirsting for vengeance. There would be bloodshed, of that he had no doubt, but the blood of the immortal Kievan Rus was valuable. Oleg had no intention of wasting it needlessly.
“Be careful.” He watched his two favorites. “Tatyana would never forgive me if something happened to you.”
Oleg strodethrough the cold stone corridors of his castle in the Carpathian Mountains, ignoring the staff and keeping his mind focused on his mission now that the nasty business of dealing with Ivan was finished.
For now.
He’d have to think of another way to undermine his brother before they met in Budapest next month. Perhaps an embarrassing explosion in a factory? Truck sabotage? Luring all his girlfriends to new and more competent lovers?
He’d have to leave that job to Mika now. Tatyana required monogamy, which suited Oleg anyway. At his age, he found his appetites for sexual partners growing more and more narrow.
