Her eyes moved to her arm where she caught sight of what was happening, and she began to cry in earnest. “What is wrong with me? Did you call my mother?”
I didn’t have the heart or the fortitude to share the truth.
“She didn’t care, did she?” Her voice, already weak, was barely a murmur. “Call Caro, please. She and I don’t always see the same way, but she will get help.”
My phone was somewhere on the dining table, but I didn’t want to get up. My head was pinging between Tulya and the large piece of mahogany.
“Go, get your phone,” she grumbled, picking up what was happening. “Please, call Caro.”
I nodded and stood up, noting I’d turned my phone all the way off. As soon as it came to life, it began humming and buzzing with notifications.
My mom, Ezza, Magnum, my mom again. None of them mattered in this moment.
“I don’t have her contact info,” I said to Tulya, who was now covered in hives anywhere her skin was visible.
She rattled off some numbers—I had no clue how she did this—and then closed her eyes.
Caro picked up the call. “Hello?”
“Caro, this is Donovan Malachite. I’m here with your sister—”
“Oh, thank God, I’ve been calling her over and over. Is she okay? The jet is back…without you two…and… Never mind. What is going on? Mother is on a bender and your mom is staying in one of our guest rooms, Donovan, and no one will tell me what is happening. We have our differences—Tuvy is quiet and I’m not—but we are still close.”
“Caro.” I said her name, trying to interrupt her monologue or therapy session or whatever was happening on the other end of the line. “Your sister is here, still in the States. She’s not doing well. The transfer of emotions took a physical toll on her, and she is asking to speak with you.”
That was all I said before handing the phone to Tulya, who was lying on the sofa, covered in head-to-toe red splotches, eyes damp and missing her usual fiery smile. She took the phone, sliding it to her ear, exposing a welt the size of a grapefruit on her elbow.
“Car—yes, I’m still here. No, I don’t know, I passed out or maybe was in some sort of coma, I’m not sure. I don’t even know how I got back here.” She was talking to her sister but looking at me.
With my thumb, I pointed to myself. She rewarded me with a nod and a smallish smile.
“I’ve been at the hotel. Donovan didn’t leave. What?”
I imagined Caro rapid firing questions and information on the other side of the call, Tulya trying to keep up.
“Magnum is there with Valerie?” This time Tulya sat up, keeping her eyes locked with mine.
It was my turn to nod, but I didn’t smile.
“And Cinder? What is going on? Does Mother even care about me? I’m breaking out in some sort of rash. Car, can you get the medic?”
I didn’t even want to witness this part of the call, knowing he probably wasn’t on his way to see Tulya. Swallowing the many regrets I harbored—after all, I’d witnessed Magnum doing exactly what they told me not to permit—I excused myself to use the bathroom.
Not following their orders? They would make sure I regretted it, I was certain.
Tulya
My throat was as dry and barren as the desert, and my skin felt as if bedbugs had lodged in there permanently—I wanted to claw it off. I should drink, but I couldn’t stand the thought. My stomach hurt, but I couldn’t tell if that was because I had to pee or I was hungry, or it was part of the overall sickness I was experiencing. My dress stuck to my legs, and I rubbed my thighs together, using it to scratch the welts I assumed were there. I was a writhing mess on the couch and not for a good reason.
Clearly, Donovan had stayed to care for me. I wondered at what expense as he made his way out of the room, leaving me on the phone with Caro. He looked like he hadn’t showered, shaved, or eaten in a day or two, not to mention he smelled as if he took a deep dive into a bottle of scotch. Judging by the nearly empty bottle on the end table, he had.
“What? The medic won’t come?” I couldn’t fully grasp what Caro was saying.
“I told you, he was only allowed to come if Donovan fulfilled the task.”
“We did the transfer.” I argued with my sister as if she had any control. “We did the task. Blake is back in Rubia.”
“With the human woman,” Caro added.
