“You will not,” she snapped. “Not over the phone.”
Tertia’s voice remained at the same decibel, but it felt like she was screaming at him. Each word was an ice pick in his ear.
He didn’t have the energy to fight with her. Not now, after the day he’d had. His head throbbed, and he groaned, waiting for his mother to continue.
“I warned you, Ryker,” she said icily.
As if Ryker could forget his mother’s “warning.” She’d gone after Brynleigh and decided that since the vampire had no lineage, proper education, or finances, Ryker had Chosen poorly. Ryker had defended his then-fiance, but now…
Now, it turned out the truth was so much worse than that.
“I know,” he replied tersely.
His mother scoffed, and her voice chilled impossibly further. “I told you the bloodsucker wasn’t the right match for you. I warned you this would happen. But you did not heed my warning and married her anyway.”
The wedding band on Ryker’s left hand was heavy, emphasizing his mother’s point.
“You made a foolish Choice, and it will have far more repercussions than you know,” Tertia admonished.
Ryker narrowed his eyes.
Was she threatening him?
Hot anger churned and bubbled like lava in his veins. He was a Mature fae, and his position should afford him at least a modicum of respect.
Unfortunately for him, his mother seemed hell-bent on making his day even worse.
“Do you know what I hate more than vampires who don’t know their places?” Her searing gaze was one of intense displeasure, and he fought the urge to squirm. “Surprises.”
A stone lodged itself in his stomach. Never mind that he was well into his third decade of life. His mother was scolding him like he was a misbehaving child.
He knew exactly how this would go.
Tertia would go on and on and on about how Waterborns were supposed to be perfect. They weren’t allowed to have problems. They weren’t allowed to disrupt the natural way of life in the Republic of Balance.
Waterborns weren’t allowed to fuckinglive.
Ryker balled his fist, careful to keep it out of sight of the camera. “Mother, I wouldhave told you?—”
“I do not recall granting you permission to speak,” she snapped.
Cursing inwardly, he slammed his mouth shut. As much as he wanted to end the call, doing so abruptly would be worse.
The last thing he needed was to see Tertia face to face. Not now. Possibly not ever.
His head pounded, and he glanced longingly at the kitchen. A bottle of amber liquor sat above the cabinets, calling his name.
“Ido notenjoy being kept out of the loop, my son,” Tertia spoke quietly, each word calculated and as sharp as the icicles she wielded.
He understood where she was coming from, but keeping his mother up to date in the middle of all the craziness that had been the last three weeks of his life was very low on his list of priorities, so he didn’t really have many other options.
Tertia wasn’t finished.
“Nor do I enjoy being delivered news like a commoner in the middle of my lunch. I had to hear about this from Connie Evander, of all people.” She scoffed. “Do you know how much joy that spineless Light Elf will take in knowing something before me? She was born Without, Ryker.Without!”
The way Tertia said the word, it was as though being born lacking magic was the worst thing in the entire world. It wasn’t Connie’s fault she was born that way.
Most beings—not humans, of course—in the Republic of Balance were born with magic coursing through their veins, but every so often, some people were born Without the blessings of the gods.