Page 75 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"How can I say no?" He let out a breath. "This changes everything. It's not just our escape anymore. We're responsible for them, too."
"We were always responsible for each other," Tamira said. "That's what family does. And after five thousand years, they're all my family. I just wish I could save them all."
"You can't save everyone, Tamira."
"I know." The words tasted like ash. "But I can save Tula. I can save her child and its father. That has to be enough."
30
TULA
Tula followed Tony into the bathroom, the one place in her suite where she felt safe to talk freely.
"Do you want to join me in the shower?" he asked hopefully.
They hadn't been having much sex lately, and not just because of her hormones going haywire. She was angry at him for being obtuse, for not paying attention to her, for ignoring her moods instead of trying to soothe them.
"No. I'll wait here until you are done."
His grin widened. "You want to see me naked." He pulled his dirty shirt over his head and dumped it into the laundry basket.
She had to admit that he had a nice chest, muscular but not overly so, and her hands itched to touch his skin. But she couldn't allow herself to get distracted or let him seduce her.
"You are nice to look at." She sat on the edge of the tub. "I'll watch you shower."
Looking smug like a peacock, Tony removed the rest of his clothing and sauntered into the shower, putting on a show for her.
"Show off," she murmured.
"I heard that." He blew her an air kiss before turning the water on.
Showering, he used every opportunity to flex his muscles and look seductive, and in the end, Tula even managed to forget for a moment that she was mad at him and laughed at his shenanigans.
When he was finally done, he toweled himself dry and then draped the towel around his hips. He used another one to dry his hair.
"We need to talk," she said.
Tony lowered the towel he was using on his hair, and given the grimace on his face, he knew exactly what this was about.
The realization made her anger flare anew.
"You knew," she accused. "This whole time you were pretending to be dumb when you knew all along that I was pregnant."
He tossed the towel on the vanity. "I didn't know. I suspected."
"Suspected?" Her voice rose. "My breasts are swollen, my tummy is rounded like it has never been before, and I haven't been feeling well. I'm immortal, Tony, what could possibly be wrong with me other than pregnancy?"
He looked down at his bare feet. "I was afraid to ask."
The admission stopped her cold. "Afraid? Of what?"
Tony finally met her eyes. "Of your reaction. You have a temper, and I'm not good with confrontations. You know how much I hate it when you get riled up about something, and there is always something that makes you angry. I can't deal with that."
"So, you stayed quiet about something this monumentally important because you were afraid I'd yell at you?" The incredulity in her voice could have cut glass. "Are you seriously telling me you've been pretending not to notice that I'm carrying your child because you didn't want to deal with my temper?"
"That's not—" He stopped and ran his hands through his still-damp hair in frustration. "That's not the only reason."
"Then enlighten me, because from where I'm standing, you look like a coward who was more concerned about avoiding an uncomfortable conversation than supporting me through the most terrifying situation of my very long life." Her voice rose with every subsequent word, and she was yelling now, which was utterly stupid since the pregnancy needed to stay a secret.
