Causing someone pain was never in my plan; I’d been happy with my skills, allowing others to feel better. This was something different. Taking Cinder’s suffering away was one thing but giving it to someone else made me feel sick to my stomach.
“Donovan will be back in the morning to escort you. Get packed.”
I continued to nod to my mother, who clearly didn’t show up at my house on the evening of her glorious party to ask me if I minded the task at hand. This was a demand, and I was expected to jump for her and Ceci.
“What about Christmas? I’ll miss it. It’s next week.” It had always been my favorite time of year: the food, the songs, the wonderment.
“You will have Christmas next year.” Mama delivered that with a straight face as if her party wasn’t the focal point of her calendar.
“Sorry we disturbed you” was how Donovan left it. He turned back to stoke the fire, adding a log without even a glance my way.
“Thank you, Tuvy,” Ceci said, approaching and yanking me in for a hug, also without permission.
Cinder joined in the thanks, minus the touching. Mother gave me nothing, neither gratitude nor an embrace. In fact, she started walking toward the door, the other women in tow, Donovan rounding up the rear without even a good-bye.
“See you in the morning. Eight sharp” were his final words.
The door closed behind them, and the only bright spot was it would be warm in Miami. I could hide in the heat of the sun. Otherwise, I worried how many cold flashes I would have in my chaperone’s presence. My spoken-for supervisor. Funny, he didn’t mention it earlier when he said he liked my skin…
Maybe it was a new way of inducing pain?
Donovan
The door to my home office flung open, a dark and stormy Magnum prowling toward me like a lion after its prey. I was in no mood after working all day, attending the party, and now an unplanned trip to the States fast approaching. Thankfully, I wasn’t one bit afraid of my baby brother; at twelve months apart, we were almost twins.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Don? Dragging Tuvy to the States to go after V—”
That was how he referred to his American fling, Valerie.V.
He glared at me with identical green eyes, the same ones our father’s family was known for, and I ignored him.
“Donovan, fuck off,” he came back with, slamming his fist into my desk. “Mom let me in on your plan. What I can’t seem to figure out is if you want to ruin my life or avoid yours. You know, the one Mom is crafting for you?”
This got me to look up at my brother; after all, he knew how to push my buttons. “I wouldn’t talk about crafting to me. You couldn’t stand how much Mom adored Cinder, so you went and fucked around and got feelings, and now you want to rain hell down on us. I’m not going to allow you to tarnish our family name.”
He leaned on the desk, both palms flattened on the mahogany wood, and shot looks of venom at me. “You don’t know a damn thing what I did.”
If looks could kill, his would have taken me out in one glance.
He carried on. “Don’t you dare sit there at Dad’s desk and act like my father, ruling over me. Dad is gone and you’re hardly a year older than me, so shut it, Don.”
Our dad had passed away close to seven years ago, leaving me in charge of the family business. And my brother still wasn’t over it. Magnum was furious that he wasn’t named my equal in running our family’s real estate portfolio. It had always been the plan, me in first and Magnum as second-in-command. Dad had readied us in his own way; the Malachites had carved the path for decades in investing and property management, helping others maintain Rubian wealth.
Magnum kept at it. “I mean, you still live at home like a damn child.”
It was the truth. I resided in the north wing of the house, and despite it having a separate entrance and a good deal of privacy, I stayed with our mother.
“And you ran away like the petulant son,” I tossed back. I raised an eyebrow while waiting for a response.
“At least I’m independent and go after what I want. V and I are in love, and if you do this, I’ll never forgive you. Who is to say Tuvy will either?”
“Enough! You need to cut her loose,” I roared, standing up and approaching Magnum. “Get out,” I continued throughgritted teeth. “I am going to the States, and I will do what I need to do in order to protect this family and Rubia. It’s been a long-standing order from the Minister, no cohabitation with humans.”
“I am human,” Magnum protested, his fists clenched like a child about to have a tantrum.
“You arehumanlike,” I corrected. “Our powers make us unique, despite looking like a regular person. You know as well as I do that our DNA is different. And mixing human chromosomes with ours will water down the powers, bringing shame on our family.”
“You’re such a kiss-ass,” Magnum said while hitting the desk again, before turning and walking out, using his mind to slam the door on his way out.
