Chapter Thirty
Tulya
“There, yes, there,” I murmured, sliding my hand down to touch his cheek while his tongue devoured me…below. I was pushing him to go harder, deeper. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I only wanted and wanted…
He turned his head to the side, leaving my most sensitive spot barren and aching, while he took my finger in his mouth, using the most perfect amount of suction.
My eyes were closed, but I felt them roll back in my head. Every nerve in my body pounded and throbbed. Desperation and neediness left me moaning.
I wanted his tongue back on me, and my hips wiggled and thrust in his face, neck, anywhere I could try and send the message.
I was right there, ready to explode and come apart.
I’d never wanted anything this badly as he swept his tongue over my already primed areas, my body arching off the bed.
Somewhere in the distance I heard the fire crackling as Donovan went to work, taking me there, my mangled hand on the couch and my working fingers now pulling on his hair, pushing him closer.
I couldn’t get enough. I felt my whole-body gyrating, grinding—
And then poof, he was gone. My body froze, back lifted, sweat running down my spine, yet goose bumps littered my skin.
It was a dream. My phone’s blaring ring had woken me up.
“Shit,” I mumbled, sitting up on the sofa, my entire body now ice-cold, despite the fire crackling in the middle of springtime.
I noted that thinking about Donovan now brought back the chills, which to the average Rubian would be strange, but not me.
Heat was a negative vibe for me, and freezing was my pleasure center.
My phone, which I had forgotten about, started ringing again, knocking me out of my hazy state.
“Hello,” I said, seeing it was my mother.
“Tulya, it’s time to get back to what you do. And not the easy version you have been practicing. It’s time to test your outer limits, moving forward.”
It was a direct order, and one that brought an elephant-sized amount of tension to my neck. I knew better than to think my mother meant get back to my writing, which I was desperate to return to. “I don’t know…”
“You will do what you were gifted. The Minister would not have it any other way, and you know when I’m in that position, I will be even less tolerant of disobedience. It’s time to practice for my reign and this is a snapshot of how I will be.”
I wanted to argue or get back to my sex dream, but I knew neither would serve me well.
Inside, I prayed to never have to do a transfer or work with humans again. Speaking of humans, I thought about Valerie. Blake had told me yesterday that her dad—Magnum—said her Uncle Don was going to see her mother. I tried not to beg Blake for information; she was just a little kid.
“Ceci needs you again. Her sons give her more trouble than any duo I’ve ever witnessed.”
I smoothed my hair at the mention of Cici’s sons and wondered if it was Magnum or Donovan she was speaking about.
“They may have gobs of money and brilliant business minds, but they are a shit pair of children.”
Now fully alert, I asked, “What does Ceci need?” I tried to calm my voice, but if I was honest, anything to do with that woman made me anxious.
I imagined Blake. Somehow, the child had almost become a meditative thought to me. So caring and innocent. For whatever reason, she didn’t hate me for what happened with her mother.
“Donovan,” my mom said with authority.
My body went limp. There was no way I could touch Donovan and take pain from him; I was certain it would kill me. I wasn’t sure how or why, but it would.
I thought about when we were intimate, our abilities lying dormant while we only made one another feel good. In this case, our innermost workings would be at war—I’d be pushing, and he would be pulling, or vice-versa.
“That witch, Emelee, lied to Ceci. That’s all you need to know. The arrangement is over and it’s not my business to share why, but she’s back and she needs to move on to another love interest. Take her pain and send her on her way.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it. What else do you need to know?”
For starters, I didn’t have to touch Donovan. Second, I needed to know if Donovan was back. I didn’t dare mention either to my mother.
“Nothing else. I haven’t used my powers in months. I hope it works.”
“Don’t breathe a word of that to anyone. Emelee is on her way over with Ceci. Take care of business. Then, Prim is coming over with some dresses for the Spring Ball. Or did you forget about the occasion?”
I had wanted to forget, but clearly that wasn’t an option, and now all I wanted to know was where Donovan was.
“Thank you. I will look forward to the ball.” That was all I could come up with.
I decided I looked a mess and needed to make myself presentable for Ceci, so I scurried off the couch and willed myself to not think about her son for ten minutes.
There was a soft rap on my door, and I didn’t have to ask who it was. When I opened it, Ceci stormed through, dragging Emelee. For a quick moment, I prayed this was the last time Ceci barged into my place with another female in tow.
“Tulya!” She barked my name and then looked at Emelee. “She lied to my son, and now she is banished from my house.”
A tear rolled down Emelee’s cheek, taking some dark mascara with it. Her wavy black hair was down, shielding her face from more inspection, but judging by her wrinkled white blouse, she was tired and not happy.
I only knew Emelee to recognize her. We weren’t friends. She was a year older and ran with a popular crowd.
“I’m sorry,” she seemed to say to Ceci.
“I don’t care. You should not have lied,” Ceci answered in return.
“I wanted us to be happy, and there were other choices. Using Donovan’s—”
“Cut it,” Ceci interrupted, seemingly with zero fucks left. I didn’t know what was going on but it felt heavy.
The nape of my neck was on fire, and I couldn’t help feeling badly for Emelee—it was in my genetic makeup. Much like Cinder, Emelee, who I didn’t know well, trusted Ceci to do right by her. But Donovan and Magnum could not be told what to do.
I tightened my cardigan around my body, keeping my lesser-than hand by my side, hoping no one noticed it.
Moving toward Emelee, I didn’t ask any questions.
Partly because I didn’t want to know—maybe I couldn’t handle it—and I wanted to get this over.
It would be a test of my abilities, and I needed to make sure everything worked.
Stopping by her side, I wondered what her power was.
I knew most of everyone’s capabilities as a result of being my mother’s daughter, but not Emelee’s.
It was my assumption that whatever she could do matched up better with Donovan’s skills.
Otherwise, they would not have been promised to one another.
Forbidding myself from asking, I brought my strong palm to the side of her cheek and let my body do its thing.
The floodgates opened and I felt her vitriol and sadness flow through me.
With nothing to do other than allow the magic to happen, I didn’t interfere.
It was a relief to feel everything working and, as the anger and emotions fled my body, a large weight lifted off my back.
Emelee started to slump, and I let go, using my hand to guide her to sit down. It was safe to say the process had worked and she was feeling empty.
“There you go,” I was whispering to Emelee when my front door banged open, a murderous Donovan standing in the frame.
“Mother, have you not learned your lesson? Stop bringing all your messed-up mistakes to Tulya. She is not your private servant.”
His words came out curt as his green gaze jolted around the room.
“I’m sorry,” he said to me, walking toward the sofa. With an arm linked under Emelee’s, he helped her off the couch, steadying her when she stood. “Time to go home,” he told her.
I wasn’t sure if he would take her or send her with Ceci, but when he left my cottage with her on his arm, without another word, I got my answer. And when I felt the tears start to fall, I shied away from Ceci seeing me.
“You can go, it’s done,” was all I said to the woman who had been making my life miserable.
“I can’t promise she won’t need it again though, with the way he left with her.
” I didn’t know if it was wishful thinking, or what.
What had I really thought—that Donovan ran to my house so he could choose me? To declare his undying love?
Of course he didn’t. He came to protect Emelee, despite whatever she’d lied about.
My life would be void of any such scenes orchestrated for me. A life of isolation was my destiny.