“We will see you soon,” I said to Blake, unsure if it was true.
“This is for you,” she said, holding out the pink dragon drawing. “You’re a girlie too.” She ran back to Donovan and held on to his leg. “I don’t have a blue one for you, but I will make one next time.”’
Everything about this mission just became a million times more complicated, and I wasn’t sure whose mother would be more mad.
Tulya
It had been ten minutes since we’d walked out of Valerie’s house—without seeing her, but learning about the existence of Blake.
Donovan was busy white-knuckling the BMW’s steering wheel and focusing his venom on the road, while I wondered if I should say something, comfort the man in some way, or sit silently.
Unable to take the tension anymore, I had to ask. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I watched his hands grip the leather harder. “No,” he said through gritted teeth. “Actually, I do, but not to you,” he added.
Grateful he didn’t take his gaze off the road, I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. I knew Donovan was hurting, and it pained me that it wasn’t the kind of hurt I could take away. My powers were limited to affairs of the heart.
Before I could give it too much consideration, I caught the man in question slapping his hand on the dash, hitting the callbutton. And in a matter of seconds Magnum’s voice echoed in the car.
“Donovan, WHAT did you do? You’re playing with fire,” he roared.
“ME?” Don’s own anger radiated around me. “Magnum, you had a kid—” He paused and looked like he was going to spit, from what I could tell. “Years ago. You. Never. Told. Anyone.” He punctuated each word. “How could you do that? How dare you?”
“Dad was already dying, and he’d sent me to the States to take a class. I was young. She was naïve. We liked each other and fooled around. Dad would never want me to desert my daughter.”
It was the most heartfelt I’d ever heard Magnum.
“I’m not even going to say there were ways, things to do, ways to take care of this, because I just metyour daughterand she has fucking powers. And now…now, Magnum, not only do I need to take care of your human woman, but I need to take the kid. I’m pretty sure that’s called kidnapping, but you know Mom will never let her go with what she is capable of—”
“What? What are you doing, asshole? Abort this whole mission of yours. You’re not taking my daughter. That’s fucking kidnapping. And no way is fucking Tuvy getting her hands on V.”
“Abort? No goddamn way. It just got a million times more intricate, and you know it.”
My head hurt from Magnum mentioning me in such an awful way, but there wasn’t a bone in my body that believed my mom or Ceci would give up now. And clearly, Donovan planned to still go through with the pain transfer and figure out a means to get custody of Blake.
“You can’t justget a kid, Don. She is with her mother, and they should both come be with me.”
“Listen here, Magnum, I’m taking the kid. She is a Rubian. With one twitch of her nose, I knew it. And there is no way she is staying in the States, away from us, with that type of power. If I were you, I’d be ready to prep Mom about all this and figure out what you’re going to do with Blake when she gets to Rubia. And let Valerie know she is not welcome there—ever.”
I heard the gasp escape my chest.
“You can’t,” I whispered to no one.
Except Donovan heard me, and before I knew what was happening, he’d jerked the car to the side of the road. We were in some bougie neighborhood, lined with cafés and coffee shops, but I didn’t have time to study it.
At some point he’d disconnected the call on his final marching orders, and I now sat surrounded in silence, Donovan breathing fire at me.
“Tulya,” he said.
“Yes?”
“You do not get to judge me.” He looked at me, his green eyes penetrating my soul, waiting for me to respond. “You do not. I must do what my brother can’t.”
“I’m not,” I finally said. “But she’s just a kid. Her mother is all she’s ever known.” I couldn’t help but think of my broken childhood, thanks to my capabilities. And now Donovan wanted to take Blake from her mother. I didn’t dare spill all that… Not now, likely never.
“A KID who showed the emotions running through her soul with a twitch of her nose. With the second twitch, she showed me mine. Bright red anger and lavender confusion. A fucking child with that ability. Don’t pretend it doesn’t have to be protected, Tulya. She’s half human. We don’t know if this works on the other kids at school. And she cannot be running around the United fucking States of America doing that.”
Sadness washed over me at the sight of the man in front of me and the possibilities running through his brain. He had a poor way of showing it, but somewhere in there, Donovan was scared for Blake.
