A few times, Tulya moaned, and it gave me some sort of hope she’d be okay.
Carrying her into the hotel, I ignored all side looks and went straight to the elevator bank. My phone buzzed in my pocket and sweat soaked through my dress shirt—both of which I also disregarded.
It took some careful finessing, but I made it into the room without dropping Tulya, delicately laying her on the sofa.
“Tulya,” I managed to whisper.
Nothing—
“Sweet Tulya,” I said, trying again to wake her, running my palm along her forehead.
Silence—
My phone started buzzing again as I slid down to the floor, my ass hitting the carpet with a thud.
I answered, seeing who it was. “Ezza.” Her name tasted like poison on my tongue and rang venomous through the line.
“I understand the transfer worked.”
That was what she led with. My blood boiled over in my veins. “Seriously? You don’t want to know about your daughter?” I couldn’t help myself. I was sick of Rubian rules and formality.
“I have our medic here. After we finish speaking, he will ask you some questions regarding Tuvy and help you get her settled.”
Sweat dampened the collar of my shirt. “After? Settled? Ezza, your daughter is unconscious.”
“You know how this works,dear Donovan. Serve Rubia first. The Minister is awaiting a full report, including information regarding Cinder returning happily with the child in tow. I can’t be worried about the pain left in her wake.”
I stood and padded toward the balcony, never more unsure in my life. Should I bitch Ezza out? Or take Tulya for help? Both choices went against what I’d been taught yet were equally warranted.
“What about your daughter?” I repeated my earlier question through gritted teeth, choosing what was behind Door A.
“She will be fine. She’s never been pushed to the limit. Basically a cream puff, that one. Spinning her stories, helping me only when I request. Never testing her powers. A lucky lass, the pain has seeped out of her veins up to this point. Now, she asked it to really work for her. Frankly, I should have demanded more from her.”
“I hardly think this is the time to diminish Tulya’s work or contributions to Rubia.” I defended the woman lying listless inside the hotel room. With the ocean lapping in the background, I told myself to get my shit together or my mother and Ezza would get their pitchforks out for me.
“Exactly. Now tell me, do you plan to go back and get your brother and the kid? Now is the time with the birth mother being down and out—”
If I’d exposed any of my feelings for Tulya, Ezza wasn’t picking up on it. She was wholly focused on her own mission. “Do I need to? Wouldn’t it be best for them to just leave? Valerie can be dramatic, and she was on one about her coming to Rubia with the kid. Whose name is Blake, by the way.”
“You need to make sure everything runs smoothly. I’ve sent the jet.”
“Wait, why are you doing all this? Where is my mother?” All of a sudden this was taking a darker turn. I’d been in a haze over Tulya’s spell and hadn’t thought this through clearly.
“I’m in charge. Your mom is indisposed.”
“What?” My voice was rising at an alarming rate. Any minute, I was going to get tossed out of the hotel. “Indisposed?”
Ezza cleared her throat. “Your mom didn’t handle your brother spending the night with the woman. Cinder really let her have it, and the Minister and I had to take over. We are making sure this is all resolved, and your mom is resting.”
“Serves her right,” I mumbled.
“What did you just say?” Ezza took a sinister tone with me, but I wasn’t Tulya.
“I said it serves her right. If there is one thing I’ve learned on this adventure, it’s that you—the proverbial you—are way too controlling when it comes to us, all of us adult kids.”
“Listen, Donovan, it’s not your place to decide how things work in Rubia, so stick to what you’re good at. And before that, make sure your brother gets on the jet withBlakeand Cinder, and not the human woman.”
She disconnected the call without asking after Tulya or connecting me with the medic, but at least she called Blake by her name rather thanthe kid. As for Valerie, she would always bethe woman.
