Free Legacy in Blood (Book 1 of The Begotten of Old Series) by Masha Dark Page B

uncomfortable.”
    Dalana turned slowly. The girl’s grey eyes gleamed brightly.
    So, about my proposition?
    Which one?
    “All I ask is that you think about it,” said Vasilisa, stoically ignoring the full meaning of Dalana’s reply.
    Beyond the window dawn had already broken, and a few birds were warbling sorrowfully, as if mourning the departing summer. Somewhere in the deserted forest a small forest godling roamed in solitude.
    “I will pay you ask much as you ask.”
    “And why do you think I could do such a thing?” asked Dalana.
    “You can do anything.”
    “By no means. My abilities are far from infinite.”
    “I seems to me that you can do anything,” insisted Vasilisa.
    What could one know about the true nature of things? Nothing, even if one lived for thousands of years like some of these transmogs.
    “That’s it, we’re done talking about this,” Dalana said rudely.
    “As you say,” Vasilisa conceded unwillingly.
    Then she reached out towards Dalana in an attempt to kiss her. Dalana intentionally remained indifferent. She did not try to evade the kiss; she simply looked past the girl as if she did not exist. The kiss came off quite poorly. Vasilisa was ready to burst into tears.
    “You really don’t like me, do you?”
    Dalana stretched. The unpleasant sensations in her back had almost disappeared.
    “You know, the problem is something else entirely,” she replied after a short interval. “You are very sweet, but what’s the use of having a dalliance with you?”
    “And do you search for utility in everything?” demanded Vasilisa. “What about simple pleasure? What about screwing just for the fun of it?”
    “Pardon me, but I think it’s highly unlikely that sleeping with an importunate transmog would give me pleasure,” Dalana snapped.
    “Get the hell out of my house!” Vasilisa commanded hysterically, and then she ran out of the bedroom.
    Dalana had no desire to recall the scene that had then commenced between the sisters. Fortunately for her, all of that – the vampire house, the nighttime pursuit, the spurned girl – was already behind her.
    Dalana looked out the window – the view was quite lovely. It never ceased to amaze her, modern Stockholm was a city built on islands, connected by bridges. Here you were, on a prestigious street in the center of the city, with solid, high-quality buildings, chic apartments, and then suddenly you encounter old courtyards and the remnants of a bohemian neighborhood. Interesting, diverse, very clean…and a nice place to hide from prying eyes. Nicholaus had suggested that she rent an apartment in a ‘deluxe’ building. According to him, these buildings had sprung up all over Stockholm in the last several years like mushrooms. Moreover, they were suited to every taste – from futuristic skyscrapers that looked like the background of a Japanese anime to low-rise penthouses. But Dalana would never allow herself to reside in such a place. The problem had nothing to do with money. All these ‘deluxe’ buildings shared one characteristic: quality security. Two levels, if not more. That implied dozens of unreasonably curious security guards who enjoyed tracking your every step. No, Dalana categorically refused to put up with such a state of affairs. Alas, it was always necessary to sacrifice something for the sake of the endgame. At the given moment the sacrifice consisted of Dalana having to give up luxury for safety.
    I wonder whether there is a Master of this building, thought Dalana. And in the same breath she realized there was. But Dalana could not discern what kind of a creature it was– too many floors divided them. Generally, the Masters who were in charge of houses and buildings, landfills and junkyards, and any other place that was in essence the work of human hands were extremely strange creatures. Even Dalana would prefer to avoid encountering such creatures. In the past she had run into a few of them. For example, a couple of