Rain of Shadows and Endings — Chapter no 27

27

TESSA

T essa woke to the blankets being ripped off her as Theon said far too loudly, “Rise and shine. We need to go.”

She pulled the pillow over her head and tugged her legs up to her chest, curling in on herself. Theon’s shirt bunched around her thighs, and she groaned as she realized she had no pants or underwear on and now no blankets.

“Tessa, get up,” Theon said again, and she heard him moving around the room.

Something bounced on the bed, and she peeked out from under the pillow to see a bottle of water lying beside her.

How long had she been sleeping? It couldn’t have been that long. She was pretty sure she was still somewhat drunk. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, and the room tilted. Definitely still drunk. Grabbing the bottle of water, she twisted off the cap, taking a big gulp.

Theon came out of the bathroom. He was in jeans and a long-sleeve thermal. He started to say something, but stopped when his eyes landed on her sitting in the middle of the bed. His gaze roamed over her, and she glared at him, twisting the cap back on the water bottle.

“I need clothes,” she rasped, her mouth too dry.

“I was just going to get them,” he answered, crossing to his bag and stuffing the clothing he held inside. “I did not expect you to be awake yet.”

“You woke me up.”

“Yes, but you drank half a bottle of agaveheart. I thought it would be more difficult to rouse you,” he replied, zipping the bag shut.

“I didn’t drink half the bottle,” she retorted with an eye roll. “Tristyn drank some of that.”

He stiffened at the mention of Tristyn and yanked the duffel bag off the small table. “I packed all your things other than your toothbrush. It is in the bathroom,” he said tightly. “I will be back with your clothing.”

He wrenched the door open and stalked through while Tessa took another drink of water. Glancing at the clock, she found she’d been right. She’d only slept for two hours… which meant even as a Fae, there was still plenty of alcohol in her system.

She groaned when she pushed to her feet, steadying herself against the bed. Her stomach lurched. She usually slept through this part of the hangover.

Making her way unsteadily to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. She splashed some water onto her face, trying to wake herself up, but it was no use. She was supposed to be passed out right now. She wasn’t supposed to be feeling anything. Instead, she was feeling everything. She was picturing all that she’d been forced to endure at the assessment yesterday. Dagian telling her Corbin and Oralia and Dex were dead, tortured because of her.

Not real, she reminded herself, gripping the edge of the counter, the water continuing to run into the drain. None of what you saw was real.

But she could feel it.

She could feel each bolt of power as it raced through her body. She could hear Dagian laughing as he told her he’d killed Dex the same way. She could taste the vomit and blood in her mouth, despite having just brushed her teeth.

Not real, she told herself over and over. You talked to Dex a few hours ago. He’s alive.

They all are.

“Tessa?”

Theon’s voice carried in to her from the main room, and she straightened, turning off the faucet.

“I’m coming,” she called back, but her voice held a touch of emotion she couldn’t hide.

He appeared in the doorway, her leggings in his hand. “Are you all right?”

Not trusting herself to speak again, she nodded, still gripping the counter. He tossed the clothing onto the vanity.

“Get dressed,” was all he said before turning and walking out of the bathroom.

She glared at his back as she reached for the clothes. He clearly assumed she was in this state solely from the alcohol, that she’d brought this on herself.

She slid on the black underthings, but she couldn’t get the images out of her mind. She couldn’t get Dagian’s laughter to stop ringing in her ears, couldn’t get the taste of blood out

of her mouth.

But agaveheart could.

Agaveheart could get that taste out of her mouth and drive everything she was feeling back into oblivion. She could sleep in the vehicle. She could sleep the entire day away.

She made her way out of the bathroom, not bothering with the leggings. She’d come put them on once she had that bottle back in her hand.

“Theon?” she heard Axel call out, but she was zeroed in on the liquor bottle on the table where Theon had set it a few hours ago. With a grin of victory, she scooped it up. But before she could bring it to her lips, it was yanked from her grip.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Theon demanded, holding the bottle out of her reach.

“I just needed a drink,” she bit back.

“What you need to do is go put on fucking pants. You drank plenty last night.”

“Hold on,” Axel cut in. “She brought the agaveheart here last night? I was wondering who drank without me.”

“I do not know why this is such a surprise to everyone,” Tessa replied. “I told all of you on the way here that I bribed the hostess to send a bottle to the hotel last night.”

“None of us thought you were serious,” Theon said, handing the bottle off to Axel and gripping her arm.

“Why? I’m not supposed to lie to you, remember?” she retorted.

Axel was holding the bottle up, peering at the liquid. “You really drank all of this after we went to sleep? That was only a few hours ago.”

“I didn’t drink all of it,” Tessa said. “I shared with Tristyn.”

“I think this is a story we all need to hear,” came Luka’s voice from the hallway.

“There is nothing to tell,” Theon ground out. He was clenching his jaw so hard, Tessa thought he might crack a molar. “I woke up to find her gone from the room. When I finally tracked her down, she was sitting outside with the mortal from the lobby, smoking, drinking her weight in agaveheart, and eating pizza.”

“How did you get out of the hotel room?” Axel asked, peering at Tessa now. “It’s warded.”

“I walked on my own two feet.” Then she looked up at Theon with a smirk. “And the mortal’s name is Tristyn.”

“Gods, Tessa,” Luka muttered, running a hand down his face. He muttered something about it “being too early to deal with this shit,” then he looked at Theon, who was clenching and unclenching his free hand. “Are you going to heal her hangover?”

“You can do that?” she gasped, looking back at Theon.

“I can,” he said. “But I feel more inclined to make you suffer through it.”

“She will probably vomit in the vehicle,” Axel pointed out.

“I will deal with it eventually,” he replied. He met her gaze then, and a smirk of his own crossed his lips. “But right now, she still has quite a bit of alcohol in her system. She’s quite the talker when she has been drinking, and I need to know who she called when she borrowed the mortal’s phone last night.”

Tessa’s eyes widened. She forgot she’d told him she’d done that. Godsdamnit.

“But first, she needs to go put on pants,” he said, tugging her back to the bedroom once more. He marched her straight into the bathroom and stood watch while she pulled the leggings up her legs, then he tossed the flip-flops at her feet.

He didn’t say another word to her as he led her from the room, stopping only to grab a bag from the floor near the door and slipping the strap over his shoulder. His hold on Tessa’s hand didn’t lessen as the elevator descended, and when they stepped into the lobby, he pulled her closer to his side. The concierge met them at the doors, handing a paper bag to Axel.

Tessa had just stepped off the last step when she was pressed up against the outside of the building, Theon’s mouth crashing into hers. She was so caught off guard, she found herself kissing him back before she could get her defenses up against the bond. His tongue swept in, clashing with her own, and his hands slipped under the hem of his shirt she still wore as her own hands slid up his muscled stomach and chest. She’d been chilled when they’d stepped into the morning air, but not anymore. Heat flooded through her, and she arched into him. The need to drown in pleasure came rushing back in full force.

He pulled back as suddenly as he’d started, a wicked tilt to his lips. She stared up at him, her breaths coming far too fast and her thoughts a complete and utter mess.

“Not just in the background today, are you, fury?”

Tessa jerked around to find Tristyn standing several feet away, his eyes on her and Theon, and she understood. Theon had never kissed her so thoroughly in front of others, not even Axel or Luka. But this morning? He had a claim to stake.

Theon was still smirking like a jackass as the valet pulled their vehicle to the curb.

“Don’t let him fool you,” she called back to Tristyn. “He just doesn’t want anyone else touching.”

“So he doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you?” Tristyn asked, his head tilting with the question.

“You got it,” she tossed back with a wink before she moved to climb into the back of the vehicle. “See you around, Tris.”

“Looking forward to it, Tessa,” he called after her.

She slid all the way across the backseat and could feel the tension radiating off Theon as he snapped the door shut. She bit her lip when she met his stare. His entire body was taut and practically trembling with rage. Maybe she’d finally pushed him too far.

Did she care?

She probably should, but try as she might, she couldn’t muster up an ounce of fear or panic or anything really as she stared back at him.

Luka and Axel were just as tense in the front seat, and Axel kept glancing back at them nervously while Luka pulled the vehicle onto the road.

After several minutes of utter silence, Axel slowly ventured, “Theon?”

“Fine,” Theon hissed from between his teeth. “I am fine.” Tessa snorted, leaning against the window, and his head whipped to her. “Who did you call, Tessa?”

She pressed her lips together, turning to look out the window. They were still deep in the city, and it would be a good hour to get out, even with little traffic.

“Do not make me force you,” he said. “You will tell me one way or another.”

Still she said nothing.

“Tessa, after last night and this morning, you really should not push him right now,”

Luka warned, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

“You should mind your own business,” she retorted, crossing her arms. “You all should.”

“You are my business, Tessa,” Theon snarled. She hadn’t realized he had slid across the seat. He gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Everything you do is my business.

Who you speak to is my business. Who touches you is my business.”

“That’s just it, Theon,” she sneered. “It isn’t. None of it is your godsdamn business.”

That hand gripping her chin slipped to her throat, jerking her forward so her lips met his again. The kiss was hard and punishing, and fire flooded through her veins. Her hands slipped into his hair, and she tugged hard. Theon let out a growl in response, and he pulled back. Anger radiated in his emerald eyes, but lust emanated even more.

“Why do you think it is appropriate to keep kissing me this morning?” she breathed.

“Why do you think you can continue to be mouthy without consequences?” he countered, an arm snaking around her back and tugging her down the seat so she was lying

beneath him.

“We are not alone, Theon,” she rasped.

Between the buzz of the alcohol and the sensations of his body pressing into hers, her head was spinning. She was trying, and failing miserably, to keep her wits about her. The bond certainly wasn’t helping as it drank in the contact.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her skin, sliding his lips to her neck. “They are wisely keeping silent and pretending they are not watching.” He dragged his mouth up to her ear, where he whispered, “But they are definitely watching, Tessa. Make no mistake.”

Then his lips were slowly trailing back down the column of her throat, but that wasn’t what made her gasp. His magic pressed against her skin, cold and dark. His presence was everywhere at once, and oh gods, she couldn’t think straight. The bond reached for him.

She was sure she could actually see the silver cord straining towards him as all the sensations overwhelmed her.

“Who did you call, Tessa?” he murmured, his lips coming back up to trail along her jaw. His shadows trailed up her thighs, under his shirt she still wore. “Tell me,” he pushed.

“Or Luka and Axel are going to get quite the show. Who did you call?”

“Dex,” she gasped, but his darkness didn’t pull back.

No, it skated up her torso as if it were his own hands, and his lips brushed the shell of her ear when he whispered again. “The not lover?”

“Yes,” she rasped, her back arching off the seat as his magic caressed her breasts.

His arm was still looped around her back, holding her in place against the seat, and his knee came up, working its way between her thighs. The fingers of his other hand trailed up her throat until he cupped her jaw, his thumb running along her bottom lip. “Why did you call him?”

“I had to hear his voice. Make sure he was alive,” she breathed out, his magic raking over her skin again and making it impossible to focus.

“Why?”

Gods, even his voice was sensuous and only added to everything else bombarding her.

“Because a vision at the assessment tried to convince me he was dead,” she cried, his shadows climbing further up her thighs and making wet heat pool in her core. “The Achaz Heir was in my vision. He tortured me with his magic and said he did the same to my friends. That he killed them. All of them. Because of who I am to you.”

“Why is Dex so important?” Theon pushed. His finger traced around her lips, his eyes on hers as his dark magic brushed against her center, making her grind herself against his leg that was forcing her thighs farther apart.

“He keeps me from going over an edge,” she gasped, pleasure flaring out as she ground her clit against him again. “He helps glue the broken pieces back together, even when I don’t think it’s worth it anymore.”

Everything stopped. Theon’s fingers. His lips. His magic. It all stilled against her flesh at her words. She was panting beneath him, and he slowly brushed his thumb along her cheekbone, almost tenderly.

“Good girl,” he praised softly. “Thank you for telling me.”

He was still pressed against her, and her mind was reeling. She couldn’t get coherent thoughts to form, and it was utter bliss to not be able to godsdamn think. To just feel pleasure. There was movement in the front seat, but Theon leaned forward, running the tip of his nose along the length of her own, and by the gods, she wished they were anywhere

private.

She wished he hadn’t stopped.

His lips hovered over hers, and she felt his breath as he whispered, “This is going to hurt.”

“What?” she started, her eyes widening, but his mouth pressed to hers and his magic poured into her and down her throat. It seeped into her being, burning a path along her veins. She arched against him for a completely different reason, but there were hands, physical hands, holding her down. Her eyes locked on Axel, who was gritting his teeth as he held her in place.

She writhed beneath Theon, screaming against his mouth as he continued to press his magic into her. It was almost as bad as when she had been given the Mark. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, and she was just as helpless.

Finally, Theon pulled back, pushing off of her. Axel released her, and she scrambled up. Luka had pulled the vehicle into a vacant lot on the outskirts of the city at some point.

Axel had already exited the vehicle and was reaching for her, but she shoved his hands

aside as her stomach lurched. Her legs gave out when she tried to step out of the vehicle, and she fell out instead, her leggings and knees ripping open on the pavement.

“Gods, Tessa,” Axel muttered, reaching for her again at the same time Theon came up beside him and began to crouch beside her. She threw up her hand to keep them away, and the St. Orcas brothers went flying across the lot. Tessa didn’t have time to process that as she pushed herself back to her feet. She stumbled a few more steps from the vehicle before she dropped to her knees again and heaved.

“That was not earth magic,” she heard Axel snarl from wherever they had landed.

“No shit,” Theon growled.

“Did you see—”

“I saw.”

“I thought a Source couldn’t attack their Master,” Axel said. She could see them prowling back towards her from the corner of her eye as she heaved again. They both had darkness wreathing them, their faces as dark as the shadows at their command. She had no idea where Luka was. She couldn’t lift her head enough to look for him.

“They are not supposed to be able to,” Theon replied tightly.

When they were a few feet from her, Axel stopped, but Theon continued towards her cautiously. He slowly crouched before her and tilted her chin up. Shadows swirled tightly around him, as though they were acting as a shield or some kind of armor. “I’m going to heal you, Tessa.”

“Once again, you are the reason I need healing,” she tried to snarl, but there was no bite to her tone.

“I had to get the alcohol out of your system,” he replied. Her confusion at that statement must have been evident on her face because he added, “I sent my magic into your body to burn it all out. That is why it felt like that.”

“You are an asshole,” she added, hardly feeling the jolt the bond gave her for calling him such. “And so are you,” she growled, her gaze lifting to Axel.

“I’m sorry, Tessa,” Axel replied, true remorse ringing in his voice.

“I don’t want your apologies,” she spat. “I don’t want anything from any of you.”

“Tessa—”

“Axel,” Theon warned as he pressed a hand to her cheek. She felt his magic kiss her skin, cooling and tender this time, and the headache that had started throbbing at her temples instantly ceased. “Help her stand.”

Axel came to her side and helped her up, and Theon healed the scrapes on her knees, looking her over carefully for any other sign of injury before he rose to his feet. “Anywhere else?”

Tessa only held his stare for a moment before she shrugged out of Axel’s grip and made her way back to the vehicle. Luka was leaning against the side of it, his arms folded over his chest.

As she drew near, he straightened, his arms dropping to his sides. “Are you—”

“Fuck off, Luka,” she snarled, climbing into the backseat and snapping the door shut behind her. She had her knees to her chest, leaning her head against the window and refusing to acknowledge the others as they climbed into their seats, and Luka started the engine. She heard Theon moving around, and a moment later, a blanket was draped over her.

Now she was stuck.

She was trapped in her thoughts of the assessment and Theon and the bond and Tristyn and everything. There was no alcohol to make her forget. There was no mindless sex to get lost in. Even worse, she could feel Theon on her. She could feel his hands and his lips and his magic. All of it had the bond pulsing through her, urging her to go to him, to seek out

his comfort and more.

She was alone. Stuck in her own head.

And that was a dangerous place to be.