Rain of Shadows and Endings — Chapter no 31

31

THEON

“A dragon,” Tessa repeated.

“You really didn’t know?” Axel asked.

“No!” Tessa said incredulously. “How would I possibly know that Luka can shift into a dragon? Wait. No. Better question. How could you assholes not tell me this before now?”

Axel shrugged. “His eyes change when he gets irritated. And when he’s really mad or if Theon is being threatened, he’ll breathe out smoke. He did it at the last meeting with our father. You didn’t see that?”

“Oh, sorry,” Tessa drawled. “I was too preoccupied with Theon torturing someone with his shadows or darkness or whatever the fuck it is you two control.” She smacked Axel on the shoulder. “No, I didn’t see that.”

“You’re not very observant then,” Axel retorted.

Theon held in his bark of laughter at the look Tessa sent his way. She was still leaning over the center console between the front seats, and she twisted back to Luka. The whole Luka-can-shift-into-a-dragon thing seemed to have distracted her from the Source Marks and what they would require of her. But he’d also spoken the truth. Luka would defend him before either of them would let Tessa put herself in harm’s way for him.

Which was exactly the opposite of his father and Eviana, and not for the first time, Theon wondered if something had gone wrong with his bond with Tessa. Had the Priestess made an error with the Mark somehow? Had he not invoked the wording correctly? Magic was finicky and needed to be done precisely.

She had air magic. There was no doubt about that. When she had shoved him on their balcony last night, he had felt the force of it. He had felt her power wrap around him, and he had felt his darkness rise up to meet it. Just as quickly, her magic had dissipated, but for that split-second their magic had touched, he’d felt…so much he hadn’t been able to

process it all.

Pleasure.

Desire.

Euphoria.

Her.

He’d felt Tessa in a way he never had before. He’d felt her strength. He’d felt her power.

He’d felt the storm he often glimpsed in her eyes, and he wasn’t entirely sure he was prepared to harness that power when he could access it. He was going to need her help in controlling it, but to get that to happen, he needed her to trust him.

But if she had air magic, how had she created that crevice in the gardens? And what about the things that had crawled out of it? That was not air and wind, and her assessment had given them nothing else to go on aside from her power level. He’d been researching possibilities, but so far, he’d found nothing to explain it. Luka had searched for hours trying to find traces of the things, but it was as if they’d just disappeared.

He glanced out the window again. The gathering clouds seemed to have lessened some, sunlight breaking through. His eyes flicked back to Tessa, who was still leaning into the front seat.

“This actually explains a lot,” she was saying.

“What does that mean?” Axel asked.

“Luka is always so brooding. I imagine dragons are broody.”

“I am not broody,” Luka muttered.

“Uh-huh,” Tessa said. “Do you have scales?”

“Yes, Tessa,” Luka sighed.

Theon reached for her, gently pulling her back from between the seats as she said, “Do you have wings? Can you fly?”

“I have wings, and yes, I can fly,” Luka answered.

Ten minutes later, Tessa was still asking questions, but she had also settled into Theon’s side, much to his surprise. He hadn’t initiated it, and he could only assume she was so engrossed in this conversation with Luka, she hadn’t realized what she was doing.

Or rather, what the bond was naturally doing.

“Why doesn’t Lord St. Orcas have a Guardian?” she asked.

“Luka was supposed to be his,” Theon replied.

“Aren’t you two the same age?”

“We are,” Luka supplied, glancing at Theon in the rearview mirror.

Theon nodded subtly, curious how much of his past he was going to share with her.

Tessa was right. He was a broody ass, and he didn’t care for people in general. But he’d been different with Tessa from the very beginning. It was in things others wouldn’t notice, but Theon had. And he couldn’t decide if it was because she was his Source, so his friend was making more of an effort knowing they would forever be in each other’s lives, or if it was something else.

“My parents died when I was young,” Luka answered. “I barely remember them. I was

only five years.”

“I’m sorry,” Tessa whispered.

Luka cut her a quick look in the mirror. “Why? You weren’t there.”

“I know, but I can still be sad that you lost your parents. Had to grow up alone.”

“He wasn’t alone,” Theon cut in.

She glanced up at him before her gaze dropped to her lap. “Yeah. I guess not.”

“As was stated, Sargon’s bloodline is rare. So rare, in fact, with my parents gone, I am the only known descendant in all of Devram,” Luka supplied.

“But how is that possible?”

He shrugged. “We’ve searched for answers over the years, but have found nothing of

value.”

“That’s not true,” Theon cut in.

Axel snorted a laugh, but before Theon could say anything in response, Luka spoke over them.

“Few know my true lineage. Most believe me to be an Arius Legacy, and we simply don’t correct them. But to answer your original question, Valter took me in because of my bloodline. I was to become his Guardian when I turned sixteen years. While the Guardian Bond can be forced, that was never the intention. When chosen by both parties, the Guardian relationship is stronger and more powerful.

“Theon and I, along with Axel, had been raised together. All of us trained and raised to further the Arius Kingdom, but we have…differing views from Valter on the best way to accomplish such things. On my sixteenth birthday, there was a ceremony planned to create the bond between Valter and me.”

“But in the early morning hours of his birthday, we were prepared to do the ceremony

ourselves,” Theon supplied.

“How?” Tessa asked.

“Little Theon here is quite the academic,” Axel said teasingly. “He’d been studying that bond for years. You know, instead of doing normal things like playing Chaosphere.”

“But I thought a Priestess had to bestow Marks?” Tessa asked.

“They are trained extensively to do so, and they are the only ones trained for the Source Marks. In fact, there are very few who know how to give the Source Marks to deter lesser Legacy from taking their own,” Theon explained.

“I don’t understand,” Tessa said. “If the Guardian Bond is not well known, how would you have found a Priestess to give the Mark?”

“We are a very private kingdom, Tessa.”

“The Priestess who did my assessment?”

Theon shook his head. “No. She may work in our kingdom. But like every other Zinta Legacy, she is first and foremost loyal to her bloodline, and the Zinta bloodline is loyal to the Achaz Kingdom. She took a blood vow regarding your assessment, but we would still never trust them with something like this.”

Her brow furrowed. “Then who would have given the Mark?”

“A Witch.”

Her eyes flew wide as she stared up at Theon. “A Witch? But they are banished to the…” She trailed off, horror filling her grey eyes as she whispered, “The Witches are

confined to the Underground.”

Theon nodded. “They are.”

“You went to the Underground for this Guardian Mark.”

“Do you know where the Underground is located, Tessa?”

She shook her head. “No one knows where the Underground is. Only that you do not wish to find out.”

A dark smile tilted on his lips. “For some, that is certainly the case.”

He saw her throat bob as she swallowed, edging away from him the smallest amount.

“And for others?”

“For others, it is a place to find what they need.”

He watched her debate her next question. Saw the resolve fill her eyes before she asked. “Where is the Underground, Theon?”

“In the northern part of the Arius Kingdom. Beneath the Ozul Mountains.”

“The Arius Kingdom controls the Underground?”

“I don’t know that control would be the best word choice, but we oversee it, yes,”

Theon confirmed.

Tessa went quiet, turning to look out the window, but she didn’t move any further from him. Not like he’d expected her to. They were all quiet, waiting to see what she said next.

This was information she would have been learning soon enough. He didn’t think it’d be like this, with her still resisting the bond, but they were out of time. Along with everything she’d be doing at the Acropolis, she’d be getting detailed history lessons from them on the Arius Kingdom. She may not have to go through the Selection process and trials like the other Fae, but she would be just as busy.

“Do you go there often?” she finally asked.

“Not as much as Luka and Axel do,” he answered.

Her eyes darted to the others. Both of the males were staring ahead, letting Theon tell her what he wanted her to know for the moment.

“Why do they go there?”

“Sometimes on business for my father.”

“And other times?”

“Business of our own.” She turned away to look out the window again, but not before he saw the flash of acceptance on her face. When she didn’t ask another question, he found himself adding, “There are things I need to share with you—things I will share with you— but I would prefer to do so later tonight. Once we are settled.”

Tessa only nodded, her attention now fixed out the window.

After several minutes of silence, Axel said, “Luka can breathe fire.”

“What?” Tessa’s head swung to him, her eyes wide, and she was once again leaning between the front seats. “You can breathe fire?”

Luka threw Axel an irritated glare, but he answered her. “I can breathe fire, but it drains my magic reserves faster.”

“How long does it take to refill your reserves?” Tessa asked, reaching forward to take a doughnut Axel was handing to her.

Theon met his brother’s eyes and gave him a small nod of thanks. Tessa hadn’t eaten all day. They’d offered. Multiple times. She’d declined all day other than the few bites she’d taken of the doughnut this morning. He didn’t really care what she ate at this point, just that she was eating.

“Naturally, it would take several weeks,” Luka answered.

“How else would you refill them if not naturally? You don’t get a Source, right?”

“No, Tessa. I do not get a Source. Only the ruling Lords, Ladies, and their heirs get a Source. You know this.”

Luka glanced at Theon in the rearview mirror, and he steeled himself for what she was about to learn.

“Fae blood can refill Legacy power reserves, Tessa,” Theon said. His arm was still spread along the back of the seat, and he resisted the urge to pull her back to him when she twisted back to face him.

“What do you mean Fae blood can refill Legacy magic reserves?”

He pushed out a breath, swiping his other hand down his face. “All the Legacy, save for those with Sources they can draw from, are given a ration of Fae blood each week to use as they see fit. So they do not need to wait for their power reserves to refill naturally.”

The doughnut she’d taken a few bites of was now forgotten in her hand. “But where do they get this Fae blood?”

“After Selection, when Fae are assigned to their kingdoms, they are required to donate blood weekly as part of their duties,” Theon answered, not breaking her stare.

“Donating,” she scoffed. “Why aren’t we told about this?”

“You are. During the Selection year process, Fae are told.”

Tessa nodded, her eyes falling to her lap. After a long minute of silence, Theon reached over and took the half-eaten doughnut from her hand. She slid along the seat, back to the opposite door, and he let her go.

He’d let her sleep in that small godsdamn room last night, draping a heavy blanket over her after she’d fallen asleep. He hadn’t slept at all, the bond making him agitated, and he’d had the entire night to let her words replay over and over.

What will you do when you have taken everything and left me with nothing?

I’m a nobody with nothing to give.

Congratulations. You already won.

And again he wondered what had she experienced in her life at the Estate? What had pushed her to this point? To believe she was nothing?

He could try to tell her that wasn’t true. That she was more than power to him, but she had refused to speak about it this morning. He had a feeling she would refuse now. Tonight.

Tomorrow. He’d lost control and said too much last night.

And now?

Now she had no reason to believe anything he said.

When they reached Dark Haven, they all changed into appropriate clothing. Luka, Axel, and Theon donned black pants and button-down shirts. Tessa slipped into a simple sheath dress of emerald green that clung to all her curves. She slid on black heels before he took her hand and led her through the portal where they emerged at the Acropolis portal station.

The guards were all from the Celeste Kingdom, extra sentries brought into the Acropolis during Selection Years, and they all bowed to him and Axel as they came through. Others would be required to provide identification, but not the Arius Heirs. One looked as if he was going to ask Luka for papers, but one glare from Theon as he handed over the documents for Tessa had the male dropping his gaze. He hardly glanced at Tessa’s papers before handing them back to him, the guard’s hand shaking slightly.

Another vehicle was waiting for them, along with a driver. Luka had stalked towards him and only held out his hand. The driver wasted no time dropping the keys into his open palm before backing away. There was no way they would allow a driver to accompany them. Anyone could have paid the male to spy on them and report back on their movements and conversations.

The trip to the Greater District of the Acropolis wasn’t long. The Greater District was where all the ruling families and upper council members had townhouses. The ruling families also had manors on the outer edges of the Acropolis, but Theon had wanted to be closer to the Pantheon. The townhouses were a ten minute walk. Not only that, when his father did visit throughout the year, he’d be staying at the family manor.

They pulled into the drive of the three-story brick townhouse. Although, to be honest, it really couldn’t be considered a townhouse. It was bigger than the document forger’s two- story house had been. The main level consisted of a full kitchen with a pantry and wine cellar. A formal dining room, sitting room, and lounge were also on the floor, along with a

study. The second floor held two rooms with their own bathrooms. The primary bedroom and bathroom took up the entire third floor.

As he’d told Tessa, the entire place had been renovated since he’d stayed here five years ago with his father. Even then, it had only been to observe some of the Selection proceedings. He hadn’t been permitted to stay the entirety of the year. Axel hadn’t been allowed to attend at all.

Theon helped Tessa out of the vehicle once Luka had parked in the attached garage, and they entered through a side door into a small foyer. Tessa was looking around, Luka and Axel brushing past her with small bags in hand that housed their computers and whatever other personal belongings they’d brought along.

“Pen?” Axel called, dropping his messenger bag just inside the hall and undoing the top button of his shirt. None of them had donned a tie, but that was as informal as they dared let themselves get.

“It’s about time you younglings got here,” Pen called out, and a moment later she appeared, a tray of fresh fruit in her hands.

Axel swiped up a piece of melon, dropping a kiss to Pen’s cheek before he popped the fruit into his mouth. “No cookies?”

She tried to give him a stern look of disapproval, but it morphed into a smile a moment later. “In the kitchen,” she answered, waving him off.

“You spoil me, Pen,” Axel said, dropping another kiss to her cheek before taking off to the kitchen.

Tessa was staring after him, clearly uncertain as to what had just transpired. Luka stepped forward then, plucking the tray from Pen’s hands and carrying it farther into the house. She clucked after him, but let him take it. Then she turned back to Theon and Tessa, her hands going to her hips.

“Any troubles, Pen?” Theon asked, his hand landing on Tessa’s lower back to usher her forward.

“No, dear,” she answered, looking him up and down. “You need to sleep more.”

He sighed. “I know, Pen.”

“Have you slept at all since I left?”

“Of course.” Her eyes narrowed, and he sighed. “Not as much as I should.”

She hummed in disapproval. “Dinner will be ready in an hour. Then you can all turn in early before your busy week.”

“Yes, Pen,” he said with a smirk, bending to press a soft kiss to her cheek when he passed her.

“Do not try to placate me, Theon St. Orcas.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Mhmm,” she hummed, turning and making her way to the kitchen. “I swear to Anahita, Axel, if you’ve eaten that entire platter of cookies, I am not making more our entire stay here.”

Theon turned to Tessa. “Ready for a tour?”

She blinked up at him before slowly answering, “Sure.”

He only made it through the formal sitting room and lounge before Tessa was blurting, “What was that?”

He paused at the entry of the lounge. “What was what?”

Gesturing back the way they had come, she said, “That. With Penelope.”

“You know Pen is assigned to serve me and Axel.”

“Yes, but…”

He slid his hands into pockets. “Pen once had a lover. Her name was Caris. She was what one would consider our nanny, I suppose. She was more of a mother to us than Cressida ever was. When Pen wasn’t in the kitchens, she was with us and Caris. We

could…be a handful.”

“What happened to Caris?”

“She died.”

“That is why Pen was assigned to you?”

Theon nodded.

“Your father allowed a Fae to have so much sway over your upbringing?” she asked curiously, shifting her weight and wincing.

“He trusted Fae under his control more than he trusted another Legacy who might try to use us against him. Take those off,” he said, nodding at her shoes.

She quickly slipped the heels from her feet, sighing in relief. “Thank you,” she said softly.

He nodded. “Come. I’ll show you the rest of the house before dinner.”

He wasn’t surprised to find her on the balcony.

She’d thought they hadn’t heard her when she’d muttered about how she hated being cooped up in the vehicle. He’d never realized how much she hated confined spaces. He’d never stopped to consider why she always wanted to be on the balcony back home or why she got so fidgety when required to sit for extended periods of time.

After he’d shown her around the townhouse, he’d had Luka come back up here and make sure there was no way she could get down from this balcony. Sure, there were wards around the townhouse, but that didn’t mean anything with her. Which was also why he was up here now.

Theon leaned against the doorjamb, watching her as she stared out across the Acropolis. It had the perfect view of the Pantheon with its surrounding security wall, Fae sentries stationed along it. Off to the left were the high-rises where the Fae of age for Selection were being housed in dormitories. Where Tessa would be now if he hadn’t Selected her.

“Little storm,” he said after a few moments.

She started, clearly not having heard him come up behind her. “I assumed it was all right for me to be out here,” she said hurriedly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Theon nodded. “It is.”

“I just needed some air.”

“If you would have mentioned it, we could have gone for a walk.”

“It is demeaning to ask to go for a walk like a hound,” she retorted. “None of the other Fae are required to be with a Legacy every second of the day. I saw them on the drive here.”

Theon sighed. “It is inappropriate for a Source to be seen without their…bonded Legacy.”

She huffed a humorless laugh. “You can say Master, Theon. It’s what you are.”

“You can’t be alone for your own protection as well, Tessa,” he said, ignoring her little outburst. “It is a crime that sends one to the Underground for judgment to kidnap a Source, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. They could take you to use against me, my family, and the Arius Kingdom. We are not well-liked, and they would make sure you were kept alive somewhere, away from me. We cannot bond with another Source unless death takes the first.”

“I will be sure to ask my mythical kidnappers for death then,” she retorted. “Maybe then you can have a more compliant Source.”

“Why do you have to make everything an argument?”

“It’s that whole hound-who-can-talk-back-thing, I suppose.”

“You’re like a difficult child when you get in these moods.”

She smirked. “A child doesn’t do this,” she said, raising her middle finger at him.

“You didn’t know me when I was a child,” he returned with a mocking smile.

She barked a laugh. An honest-to-the-gods genuine laugh, and the feeling in his chest at the sound was one he didn’t recognize.

“It sounds like Caris and Pen kept you all in line,” she said, finally turning to face him fully.

“They did their best,” he agreed. Then he cleared his throat. “I thought you might want that phone call.”

Her eyes went wide. “Now?” He nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. “On your phone?” she asked doubtfully.

“Yes,” he answered, holding it out to her. There was no way he was letting her call from her phone and giving that Fae her number. If he ever tried to contact her, he would reach Theon directly.

“I would rather not,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself tightly and turning

back to the balcony.

“That was our deal, was it not?”

“Yes.”

“And now you do not wish for the phone call?”

“Can I see them? Tomorrow?”

“No.” When she only nodded, he added, “We have things to do tomorrow.” She said nothing, strands of her hair fluttering in the breeze. Autumn weather was moving in which made the constant rain more odd. Even more bizarre was that the rain seemed to have

followed them.

Or followed her.

He hadn’t told Axel and Luka of that observation yet. Not until he had more proof.

They constantly teased him about his research and theories. He’d learned long ago not to say anything until he could fully back it up to avoid being the constant subject of their jesting.

“Tessa?”

“Hmm?”

“You should call them.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I do not wish to,” she said.

“You wish to see them.”

“Yes.”

“How would that be different?”

She slowly dragged her eyes to him. “When you can hear my thoughts, will you be content to do simply that? Or will you insist on laying eyes on me?”

Valid point.

“You can video call him,” Theon offered.

She blinked.

“On the phone,” he added, extending his phone to her once more.

Still, she did not reach for it. “Why are you so insistent about this?”

“Because that was our deal. You upheld your end. I wish to uphold mine.”

“Consider it upheld.”

“Just call him.”

“No.”

“Then why make the deal?”

“Because I am impulsive and did not think it through.”

“You regret it?” he pushed, his head tilting as she became more agitated and lost a little more control. She always revealed little pieces of herself she kept hidden when she got

like this.

“Yes,” she ground out.

“Why?”

“Because it was just one more way I tied myself to you.”

Her eyes fell closed in regret when she realized what she’d said, and she turned back to the balcony once more.

Theon moved to stand beside her, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “You will be tied to me in every way, Tessa. That Bargain Mark does not make a difference, and taking what is yours will not make a difference either.”

“I do not want it.”

“The phone call?”

“Sure. We’ll go with the phone call.”

He reached out, unable to stop himself as he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at him. “I know it makes me a bastard, but I stand by what I said. I will have each and every piece of you. I can wait until you are ready to give some

of those pieces.”

“And the pieces I won’t give?”

“I always find a way to get what I want, Tessa.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she held his gaze. A faint ring of violet glowed around her pupils, and it was not fleeting this time. It stayed, staring back at him.

“What are you thinking right now?” he murmured. When she didn’t answer, he stepped into her, his front brushing hers.

“That I do not know how I will survive a lifetime with you,” she answered.

“You survive it by not being stubborn simply to prove a point.”

Her grey eyes hardened, the violet flaring a little more. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means if you are refusing this phone call simply to prove that you can, you are only hurting yourself. Dig your heels in on things that matter, Tessa. Be smart about it,” he replied, releasing her chin as a gust of wind swept around them. Thunder rumbled off in the distance, and Theon watched the violet flash like a streak of lightning across her irises.

What Fae element did that? He’d be spending some time researching tonight, but all the texts that would likely help him were back at Arius House.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.

“I already told you. I want us to be feared, Tessa. Your lessons and training here won’t just be in your element. I need you to be smart about when and where you exercise your obstinate tendencies.”

She stared back at him, and he could practically hear the debate playing out in her head.

“If declining this phone call will serve a purpose beyond thinking you are proving something to me—which I assure you, you are not—then by all means, dig in those heels, Tessa. Or take what you earned. Take what’s yours to claim.”

He let silence fall between them for a full minute before he pulled his phone from his pocket once more. “I will ask you once more. After this, consider it forfeit. Would you like to make the phone call you earned?”

She swallowed thickly, scowling as though she hated that she’d let him talk her into this when she reached for the phone. “Can I still video call them?”

“Yes,” he said, fighting back his smile of victory.

“Can I speak to them privately?”

“No.”

“Fine,” she huffed, brushing past him and moving into the room. She dropped onto the sofa in the bedroom’s small sitting area, where a television hung above the fireplace.

A moment later, she had her knees pulled to her chest, his phone balancing atop them as he dropped down beside her. He wouldn’t sit here the entire time. Just until he got what he wanted. He may have just told Tessa to take what she’d earned, and he’d meant it, but he would also teach her to take advantage of every opportunity presented to her. Some of those opportunities would be shit, but there would always be a way to take something away from it.

And right now, he was going to get what he wanted from this opportunity.

The voice call rang out, and she bit her lip as she thumbed open his messages. She sent one to the same number. It was only two words.

Theon: It’s me.

Then she sent the video call through again.

It was answered immediately.

A Fae with messy dark brown hair and brown eyes so dark they were nearly black

appeared on the screen.

“Tessie?”

She had the phone angled so Theon wasn’t on the screen, and that was fine for the moment.

“Hi, Dex,” she said, a small, sad smile pulling at her lips.

“How are you calling me?” he asked, a mixture of relief and suspicion in his voice.

She cleared her throat, glancing at Theon out of the corner of her eye. “I am borrowing his phone.”

“Borrowing?” the Fae repeated skeptically.

He appeared to be walking down a hallway of some sort, and he stopped at a door, knocking twice.

“He knows I am using it,” Tessa answered, glancing at Theon side-long again.

Understanding flashed across the Fae’s face. “How long?”

“Thirty minutes.”

A grin filled the Fae’s face. “That’s more than enough time.”

Tessa’s brow furrowed. “For what?”

The door the Fae had knocked on opened then, another Fae appearing, and Tessa’s face lit up. The Fae’s sky-blue eyes blinked once in surprise as Dex flipped the phone so he could see Tessa. The new Fae had hair so blonde it was nearly white. His surprise was replaced by a wry smile a moment later.

“Hiya, Sweetheart,” he crooned with a wink.

“Hi, Lange,” she breathed excitedly, sitting up a little straighter. “Corbin?”

Another Fae appeared over the blonde Fae’s shoulder. This one had warm, brown skin, shaggy brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was slightly shorter than the blonde one, and he rested his chin on Lange’s shoulder.

“Tessa? Are you all right? We’ve been worried,” the Fae said, far more serious than the blonde Fae had been.

Theon propped his elbow on the arm of the sofa, steepling his finger along his temple as he watched Tessa. He could still see the screen for the most part, and while he had wanted a visual of her so-called family, he also wanted to observe her with them and them with her.

“I miss you all,” Tessa said in answer to his question.

Theon could see the brown-haired male—Corbin she had called him—about to say something else when Dex’s voice sounded.

“She’s not alone. Someone call Brecken and Oralia, and tell them to get their asses over here fast. She only has thirty minutes.”

Corbin disappeared, and Dex entered the room as Lange snatched the phone from his hand. The Fae moved to a sofa as he said, “Did you catch the Chaosphere game the other night?”

Theon rolled his eyes. Fucking Chaosphere.

But Tessa was shaking her head. “I was…out and missed it. Fill me in?”

Theon tuned out Lange’s run-down of the game, his eyes bouncing from Tessa to the phone and back. He watched her relax more and more with each passing minute. Watched

that smile never leave her face. Watched a side of her come out he’d never fully seen before, only glimpsed on a Chaosphere field earlier that day.

Corbin had returned, sitting close to Lange. Lange’s arm came around him, settling on the back of the sofa. A couple of some sort then. Tessa had been smart about that, at least.

The odds of those two ending up even remotely close to each other was slim. Tessa had said she wouldn’t sleep with other Fae because she didn’t want that kind of relationship until she’d been assigned to her kingdom. How had she worded it? No attachments made, and no feelings required.

Lange was still going on about the game, Tessa clinging to every word and laughing at his animated play-by-play, when there was commotion in the background.

“Give me that,” came a female voice, and Theon leaned in a little to see the female that had appeared. She was pretty with pale blonde hair similar to Lange’s, but her eyes were as

dark as Dex’s. “Tessa?”

“Hi, Oralia,” she said with a smile.

“Thank the gods. Dex said you called a few nights ago, but it’s not the same as talking to you myself,” the female said, nudging Corbin’s knee so she could take the seat next to him on the sofa. “Are you here yet?”

Tessa glanced at Theon, a clear question in her eyes, and he nodded, giving her permission to share.

“Um, yeah,” Tessa said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Arrived today.”

Dex appeared on the screen, perching on the arm of the sofa beside Oralia. “Staying at

the townhouses, I assume?”

“Mhmm,” Tessa answered.

“What does Dex need to fix for you?” Oralia asked, and Theon’s brow furrowed at the question. Tessa’s cheeks flushed a light pink, and Theon sat up straighter. That relaxed state she’d been in while talking to Lange and Corbin disappeared.

“I don’t think even Dex can fix this mess,” she answered.

The female laughed, a high thing that grated on Theon’s ears. “Sweetie, Dex has been cleaning up after you for nearly five years now. You should know better than to doubt him.”

A weak smile appeared on Tessa’s lips, and she cleared her throat. “Is Brecken around?”

Oralia rolled her eyes. “He’s still chasing after Kat.”

“He’s always been persistent,” Tessa mused, seeming grateful for the change of subject.

“That he is,” the female agreed. Then she tilted her head, looking up at Dex. “I suppose you want to monopolize the rest of her time?”

Dex smirked, taking the phone. “Best friend privileges.”

“Whatever,” Oralia grumbled, sitting back against the sofa.

Dex’s attention refocused on Tessa, and Theon pushed to his feet. Tessa watched him, confusion in her eyes, but he moved to the closet, unbuttoning his shirt as he moved out of her sight. He could still hear everything though, and the placement of one of the mirrors in the large closet allowed him to still see Tessa.

She sighed, tipping her head back against the sofa.

“You’re not strong enough for this, Tessie,” Dex was saying.

“I know, Dex,” she whispered. “Oralia was right. I’ve never been able to fix my own shit, and this… I need you.”

“I know, Tessa,” he answered, and now Theon was more than curious. This Fae didn’t know her nearly as well as she claimed if he was telling her she wasn’t strong enough.

His shirt hanging open, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, watching her in the mirror.

“I know it is hard for you, but you have to curb that impulsiveness,” Dex was saying.

“It will only get you into more trouble.”

“I’m trying, Dex,” she answered.

“Try harder.”

She nodded mutely, and Theon’s jaw nearly dropped. Who the fuck was this docile creature?

“Lighten up, Dex,” came one of the other male Fae. “She doesn’t need your deprecating shit right now.”

“You know what happens when she loses control, Lange,” Dex retorted.

There was a snicker. “Yeah. Shit gets a lot more exciting.”

“You call it excitement. I call it another thing I have to take care of.”

And Tessa winced at the words.

A godsdamn grimace.

He’d pushed her to take this call so he could observe her with them, and he’d seen enough the moment she’d winced. He was about to go out there and end that godsdamn call himself, but he stopped when he heard— “Fuck off, Dex. Give me the phone,” Lange said.

“Tessa, you can do this. We’ve survived worse,” came Corbin’s voice.

“But I was with all of you,” she whispered.

“We’re always with you,” Corbin said. “Is it like two years ago?”

Two years ago? What the fuck happened two years ago?

“Some days,” Tessa answered, and Theon could see a tear slipping down her cheek in the mirror.

“You’re a survivor, Tessa,” Corbin said.

“What if I don’t want to be one anymore?”

Theon stiffened at the words. This wasn’t the first time she’d spoken this way. She’d basically told them she’d attempted to take her own life, but Fae were like Legacy in that a simple dagger wouldn’t do it.

“You can shatter, Tessa,” Corbin said solemnly. “We’ll put the pieces back together just like we’ve always done.”

“What if there’s nothing left of me?” she asked, tears coursing down her face now.

“Then we’ll help you find yourself again. Just like before. Just like you’ve done for us.”

“You can do this, sweetheart,” Lange chimed in.

“They’re right, Tessie,” came Dex’s voice. “I’m sorry about what I said. I just… I’m worried about you.”

Theon moved then, appearing in the doorway of the closet and leaning against the doorjamb. Tessa glanced at him, swiftly wiping at her face.

“I have to go,” she said.

“We’ll find you. At the Emerging Ceremony, if not sooner,” Dex said. “Even if we

can’t speak, we’ll see you. In person.”

“Tell Brecken hi. And Kat too.”

“We will.”

Then she quickly cut the call, tossing Theon’s phone onto the sofa cushion. She stared straight ahead, her hands resting on her knees where his phone had been.

She didn’t speak another word the rest of the night.