“A favour?” Emilia scoffed.
“See? I told you she was going to be a bitch,” I said tipsily.
“Let’s try and keep things amiable, shall we, ladies?” Ethan requested smoothly, taking my hand back into his. His touch calmed me slightly.
“Fine,” I muttered while Emilia proudly lifted her chin and nodded.
“I suppose you know about the barrier surrounding the city,” Ethan continued.
“I’ve been informed of it, yes,” Emilia replied stiffly.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” I asked.
She glanced back down at her nails. “I have no immediate plans to travel. And I’m sure the situation will resolve itself sooner or later.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be quite as simple as that,” Ethan disagreed. “All signs point towards Theodore as the culprit, and nothing with him has ever been easy. We’ve come here because you informed Tegan that her grandfather is a sorcerer, and she would like to get in contact with him. We think he’s the only one who will be able to help us.”
“Roman?” Emilia exclaimed with an incredulous expression. “You want me to put you in contact with Roman?” Disbelief coloured her words as she shook her head. “He’s not in Tribane. Nobody knows where he is, and certainly not I. Even if I did know, there would be no way for you to reach him since the barrier is up.”
“He’s a sorcerer. I’m sure he could find some way to break through it.”
Emilia’s gaze flicked from me to Ethan. “Isn’t it better if it’s left in place anyway? Without that barrier, humans would be fleeing the city and spreading stories about killer vampires and dark magic. Before long, the world’s media would set their attention on us, and we’d all have to leave and start over. If the world ever found out the truth it would be a disaster. They’d try to kill us all.”
Well, I never thought of it like that.
“What do you suggest we do then?” I questioned.
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m staying out of all of this and focusing on keeping myself and my little girl safe.”
“Your little girl?” I exclaimed. “She’s not yours, Emilia. You stole her.”
“She’s mine now. Her father is dead. Who else is going to raise her?”
I smiled smugly. “She has a mother, you know.”
Emilia paled. “What? Where? I was under the impression her mother had passed away.”
“That’s none of your concern. What is your concern is the fact that you’re going to hand Rebecca over to me so that I can return her to her rightful parent.”
I didn’t know where my steely determination came from. All I knew was I felt a sense of loyalty to Rebecca that was almost sisterly, and I certainly wasn’t going to leave her to be brought up by Emilia Petrovsky. I could just imagine the loneliness of growing up in this big, sterile house under the supervision of such a woman. She probably made Rebecca wear a flipping ball gown just to go brush her teeth.
Emilia folded her arms tightly over her chest. “You can’t have her. I won’t hand her over.”
I laughed, putting on my best Oscar-winning performance. “Oh, Emilia, you have no idea who her mother is, do you?”
“Clearly I don’t, and you won’t tell me,” she answered in annoyance.
“You should hand her over. Her mother is a scary woman, not someone you’d want to piss off,” I lied.
Emilia eyed me sceptically. “I don’t believe you.”
Damn, maybe my performance wasn’t so Oscar-winning after all.
“Well, that’s your funeral. If you want to put yourself in danger for a little girl who you didn’t even know existed a week ago, and who isn’t related to you in any way whatsoever, that’s your choice.”
“Are those sour grapes I hear in your voice? Are you jealous?” Emilia questioned somewhat smugly.
“Yeah, because I really want to be coddled by some crazy old witch,” I bit back.
“We should leave,” Ethan said, squeezing my hand.
“Yeah, we should. I don’t need your help, and I will free Rebecca,” I informed her coolly.
“She’s not a prisoner. I’m giving her the kind of life most little girls can only dream about.”
“We both know that’s a lie, but whatever.” I stood, and Ethan followed. The butler waited in the hallway to escort us out, and when we reached Ethan’s car, I slammed my hands down on the dash in frustration.
“That was a complete waste of time.”
“Not necessarily,” Ethan said. “We might not have gotten any information on how to find Roman, but I can get the girl for you if that’s what you want.”
My interest piqued as I turned to him. “You can? How?”
“I can sense which room she’s in. I could easily break in and get her.”
“Yes, yes, go, please,” I urged.
He leaned in and kissed me quickly on the lips. “Just out of curiosity, what are we going to do with the girl when we have her?”