"Well, yeah. We talked about the possibility that you might be a Dormant as well."
He shook his head. "There must be more. I just don't know what it is because I know you wouldn't want me even if I turned immortal."
She let out a breath. "We were not destined to be, Tony. Just accept it and move on. Your special someone is out there."
Tony nodded. "I'm going to take a walk. I need to clear my head. You should take that bath you were planning."
"Tony—"
"It's okay, Tula." He managed a watery smile. "I'm not angry with you. I'm just sad. And I need to process."
He took off the apron, threw it on the counter, and walked out the door.
Tula sat alone in the kitchen, staring at her half-eaten pasta, feeling wretched.
She'd hurt him. Again. Despite trying to be gentle, despite wanting to preserve his dignity, she'd still hurt him.
And the worst part?
She felt guilty because Tony was right. Her mind kept drifting to Esag, to those blue-green eyes and that sad smile and the way he'd looked at her like he understood things about her that she didn't understand herself.
"I hate him," she said aloud. "At least I'm supposed to."
But the words rang hollow, and Tula knew that hate wasn't what she felt when she thought about Esag.
It was something far more complicated and far more real than anything she'd ever felt for Tony or any other male.
33
ELUHEED
Eluheed held Tamira's hand as they walked through their new home, checking it out room by room, but for different reasons. Tamira was admiring the decor and imagining them living there, while he was looking for listening devices.
Not that he knew what to look for.
He wasn't technologically savvy, but he'd heard about cameras the size of a fly and listening devices the size of a mosquito. Those could be hiding anywhere.
"This is lovely." Tamira ran her hand along the back of a comfortable-looking sofa in the seating area of the bedroom. "I can read here. There is so much natural light. I wonder if they have a library in the village."
"Mm," Eluheed agreed, his attention focused on the large flat screen mounted on the wall above the fireplace. There was one in every room they'd checked so far.
Any of them could have a camera hidden behind the black glass or whatever material they were made from.
"Are you listening to me?" Tamira tugged on his hand.
"Sorry. I was distracted by the television. That's a large screen for a bedroom."
She followed his gaze. "It is. I guess it's so it can be viewed from the bed. This is a large room."
"Yeah, that makes sense." Eluheed looked around the frame for anything suspicious.
"Let's see what is in the closet," Tamira said. "I'm curious about the things Amanda ordered for us. I hope she got me better shoes because these are terrible." She looked down at the white tennis shoes that had been delivered to Safe Harbor with the jet, along with what she had on. "They are squashing my toes."
"Then we certainly need to check that out first." He walked into the closet.
It was full of clothes as promised, with practical things that people were wearing around there. There was nothing even remotely resembling the elegant gowns Tamira had worn in the harem.
His clothing occupied a small section, but he really didn't care what Amanda had gotten him. Instead, he kept looking for anything that seemed out of place.
