Yeah, she couldn’t reconcile the rumors she’d heard with the man who’d risked one hell of a charmed life to jump into that deadly hole and calmly rescue her sister. She’d been expecting the kind of spoiled shit who whined over a hangnail and demanded three days of leave until it healed.
She was still contemplating that thought five hours later when she finally made it to the hospital to check on Alura.
Their other four sisters were already there, hovering and gossiping outside the room while their parents visited inside.
“So… you met the visir.…” Ashley’s voice was grating in its probing, teasing tone. Much taller than her, Ash had their mother’s light brown hair and vibrant blue eyes.
Ember growled at her. “What do you know?”
“Is that Ember?”
She peeked through the cracked door to see Alura sitting up in the bed. “Yeah, babe, it’s me.”
Even though it was against hospital regulations, Alura waved her in so that she could take her hand. Her dark blond hair was covered with a bandage, and her face was a bit scuffed, but only Alura could look that attractive in a surgical headdress and wearing bruises.
“Did you gethisnumber?” she asked excitedly.
Wow… can’t even ask if I’m okay after I saved your worthless ass…
Thanks, sis. Love you, too.
Ember scowled at her sister and her weird concern given the near-death experience they’d just gone through. Given the number of casualties they’d lost in the bombing. She, alone, would be attending the funerals of seven good friends. Two of them had been school and playmates both she and Alura had known the whole of their childhoods. “His?”
“The visir! Didn’t you hear what he said? He invited me to his palace at North Beach!”
Ember choked as she passed an annoyed smirk to their parents. “That’s not exactly what the man said. The invitation was for you and your boyfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.…” She gave their mother a sneaky, calculated wink. “Yet.”
And the self-serving harita was off and running…
Fury cut through Ember so fast that she was grateful her sister was in a hospital bed. It was the only thing that saved Alura, since Ember was still raw over the fact that Alura had been the one her ex had been in her bed with when she’d come home from maneuvers.
That betrayal and rage still burned her to the bone.
And Alura’s excuse? That she’d done it for Ember’s own good. After all, Ember didn’t need to be with someone who would cheat on her with her own sister.
Yeah… Let’s hear it for Alura logic.
Ember crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t get too excited. He’s already asked me out and I accepted.” A slight lie, but she fully intended to accept his offer now.
Just for spite.
Alura’s jaw dropped. “You? Don’t be silly, Lu-Lu. You know as well as I do that he didn’t mean it. Besides, I’m going to marry the visir. You’ll see.”
Oh, yeah… her sister’s ego was second only to Bastien’s. And she’d had enough of Alura thinking she owned the universe and could take anything she wanted. She wasn’t all that and a bag of friggles.
Ember cleared her throat. “I think Bastien has something to say about that.”
“Ember.” Her mother’s tone was sharp with warning. “We almost lost Alura today. Why don’t you go outside and wait with your sisters?”
“Fine.” Take her side. Her mom was good at that. Her father, too. It was what had made Alura so hard to deal with. If ever someone had been born more spoiled than Bastien—Alura would be her name. Why their parents had chosen to dote on that brat, no one knew.
Of course, their parents denied it. They didn’t see it. Laughably, they thought themselves fair and impartial.
Yeah, right. As if.
The rest of them had always known that in any dispute Alura won and they had to apologize and give the baby what she wanted. It was sickening, but there was nothing she could do. So she headed for the hallway and the sanity of her sisters who knew the bitter truth.
