Kezia quickly challenged her. “Why not? Do you underestimate an ancient like Arosh?”
“No.” Tatyana lifted her chin. “You know Oleg’s and my history, but the fact is, he has numbers. Oleg is a warrior at heart, and those who fight for him love battle as much as he does. He commands massive numbers of vampire soldiers that Alina and Arosh do not. It would be a numbers game in the end. Oleg has them. Arosh does not.”
Kezia nodded with a slight smile. “Now that is a useful calculation, little sister.”
There was a surge of happy satisfaction that Tatyana tried to hide. Would she never grow out of her need for approval?
Twenty-seven years of human life and nearly seven years of vampire life, and she still sat up straighter when the teacher gave her a gold star.
“A good insight,” Radu said. “I agree with both of you: Arosh may chafe, but I don’t think he has any interest in the administration of an empire as vast as Oleg’s, especially when you have personalities like Ivan to manage.”
“Ivan.” Kezia grimaced. “Someone needs to kill him. Can I do it?”
“No.” Tatyana and Radu spoke at the same time, and Kezia laughed.
“You’ve both thought about it,” she said. “Don’t lie. Especially after Vano.”
“Why don’t you fill us in on the events you’re planning for the summit?” Radu very obviously was changing the subject.
Tatyana smiled with total sincerity. “I’m very much looking forward to attending the traditional dance. I’ve heard a lot about it.”
“I see what you’re doing, brother, but that’s fine.” Kezia reached for a massive binder.
Tatyana’s anticipation was genuine. Kezia was a brilliant hostess, and any event she planned made Tatyana feel like a movie star.
When it came to that kind of planning, Kezia didn’t mind details at all. In fact, she reveled in them. She flipped through the binder and settled on a page, spreading her hands dramatically before she spoke. “There will be a series of events at the house in town. Small receptions—invite only—we want to create a sense of exclusivity, much like the kamvasa.”
“You will piss some people off,” Radu said.
Tatyana added, “Perhaps many people.”
Kezia smiled wickedly. “I know. Let me tell you about the art and jewelry exhibits first, then the dance and musical presentation at the end of the week before the grand ball. And Tatyana?”
“Hmm?” Tatyana looked up. She’d been organizing the files she wanted to hand to Darek so he could continue the meeting with Radu’s and Kezia’s assistants in the morning.
“Make sure your stylist contacts me so you’ll be dressed appropriately. Oleg is invited to every single one of these events, and I am going to make it my personal mission that he will rue the day he let you slip from his aegis.”
You have no idea.
Tatyana nodded slowly. “Thank you, Kezia. I’ll make sure Diana gets in touch with your people.”
“We’re going this year?”Diana clasped her hands together the following night. “We’re going to Budapest? Really and truly?”
Tatyana had called her three closest staff members into her office in Warsaw. There was Diana, the dramatically enthusiastic stylist; Rumi, her right hand; and Sándor, her chief Hazar.
Sándor was standing at ease in her office in his usual posture, hands clasped behind his back, dressed entirely in trim black clothing most suitable for night flight.
“I’ll begin preparations for your security immediately,” he said. “I would have liked to have more time to prepare.”
“I know, but this was a last-minute change, and I think it’s an important one.” Tatyana respected Sándor, and he had earned her trust. “Kezia pointed out that if I do not attend this year, it could be seen as a weakness.”
“Immortal courts need to see your face,” Diana said. “You’ve cultivated a mysterious persona as the woman behind the Poshani economic renaissance—which I love so much—but even the most private leader must reveal themselves a little. It only adds to their mystique when they disappear from the public again.”
Diana was really selling this, but Sándor was not buying.
Rumi, as always, stepped in. “She needs to go, Sándor. If she doesn’t, people will think she’s afraid, or that she doesn’t trust her security to keep her safe, which is ridiculous, of course.”
A muscle in Sándor’s face twitched, but Rumi’s words had the intended effect. “You will be safe. I will make sure of it.”
