Page 108 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
"Thank you for the tea recommendation," she said, the words ashes in her mouth. "I look forward to trying it."
"I hope it brings you relief," he said, and she heard everything he couldn't say in those simple words.
The guards entered the room, two immortal warriors who would take the men to the hotel.
Tula finally looked up, her eyes finding Tony's. "Safe travels," she said in a formal tone, but Tamira heard the undertones of anger and frustration.
"Thank you, my lady." Tony inclined his head. The pain in his eyes was obvious to anyone who knew him.
He loved Tula, that was obvious, but Tamira wasn't sure that Tula loved him back. Like many others before him, Tony was a temporary amusement.
No doubt Tula was smarter than Tamira in that regard. Getting attached to a human was stupid. A mistake a long-lived immortal like her should have never allowed.
As the men headed out, Elias paused in the doorway for a moment, and as his eyes found Tamira's, she saw her own anguish reflected in that brief connection. Then he was gone, and the temperature in the dining room plunged several degrees lower even though no one touched the air-conditioning controls.
"Well," Sarah said after a long moment, "that was properly excruciating."
"Sarah," Areana admonished, glancing at the servants.
"Apologies, my lady. I meant only that we don't like parting from our instructors. Their guidance is highly appreciated."
Nice save, but the damage was done. The servants had heard the bitterness, filed it away with whatever other gossip they'd collected. By evening, the entire household would be speculating about the real relationships hidden beneath the formal façades.
"Perhaps we should adjourn to the sitting room," Areana suggested. "I believe I've noticed a bookshelf. Perhaps we can find something interesting to read."
They rose and headed out of the dining room, a flock of exotic birds transplanted to the wrong habitat.
In the sitting room, Tamira picked up a book without looking at the title and claimed a chair by the window. The words blurred on the page as her mind replayed every moment of breakfast, every carefully chosen word, every glance she'd had to cut short.
Elias was probably at the hotel now, surrounded by displaced harem staff. She was here, in this new, cold prison, where shehad nothing but the memory of his eyes in that doorway and the taste of words she'd never gotten to say to him.
It was almost funny how the harem felt like a sanctuary to her now. At least there, she'd had her beautiful, warm room, her books, her routines, her nights with Elias.
37
ELUHEED
The resort lobby gleamed with marble and crystal, a temple to excess that reminded Eluheed of the upper levels of the harem. He stood in the lobby entrance, taking in the soaring ceilings, the beautiful flooring, and the elaborate fountains. This was where Navuh's clients stayed when they came to indulge their darkest fantasies, where powerful men paid fortunes for experiences they couldn't find anywhere else.
Now it was overflowing with displaced servants, their simple clothes and worried faces a stark contrast to the opulent surroundings. Children who'd never seen such luxury ran through the halls, their laughter echoing off surfaces designed to impress jaded politicians and businessmen.
"This way, sirs," the bellhop said, leading Eluheed and Tony toward the elevators. The young man maintained his professional demeanor despite the chaos, though his eyes kept darting to the people camped in every available space.
They rode up in silence, Tony radiating misery. When the bellhop opened the door to their room, Eluheed's heart sank.
One bed. King-sized, draped in white linens and enough pillows to build a fort, but still—one bed.
"We don't have rooms with double beds," the bellhop said apologetically. "And this is the only room available."
"It's fine," Eluheed said. "Thank you."
The door closed, leaving them alone with the elephant in the room. Or rather, the bed.
"I'll take the couch." Eluheed gestured to the seating area. It looked comfortable enough, certainly better than many places he'd slept over the centuries and definitely better than sharing a bed with Tony.
The guy didn't argue. He simply walked to the bed and threw himself face down on it, still fully clothed. "This is bullshit," he said, his voice muffled by the pillows.
Eluheed chuckled. "Which part?"
