Rain of Shadows and Endings — Chapter no 39

39

THEON

“R ight this way,” the hostess said with a bow of her head.

Theon followed her through the lounge, his hand pressed to the small of Tessa’s back.

The dress she was wearing was such a dark shade of blue it appeared black in the lighting, and it was backless, leaving his palm pressed to bare skin.

Bare skin that had distracted him all godsdamn day as he’d remembered what it was like to have her beneath him. To feel that flesh pebbled with goosebumps. To feel her pulse beneath his fingertips.

But it wasn’t happening again. Not until she finally admitted what he already knew, and he hated himself for drawing that line.

He knew she was tired. She’d been tired after training with Luka for nearly three hours. Luka refused to tell him about their training sessions, only reporting what they worked on and how she was improving. He never told Theon anything she said, and it made Theon agitated not knowing. But they were all getting anxious. The Source Bond was supposed to be firmly in place by this point. Tessa was supposed to be an asset by now, helping them form alliances and intimidate those who weren’t.

She’d asked what he spent his time doing while she trained. He’d deflected because she would only ask more questions if she learned he was spending time in the Pantheon archives combing through ancient texts. He was trying to figure out so many things at this point, he didn’t know which direction to go in. Her power. Their defective Source bond.

Who was trying to take her. But not only that, the texts at the Pantheon could shed light on the female in the mirror from a few years ago, or his theories on the Revelation Decree if he

just knew where to look.

Which he didn’t.

And when he was there, the bond only pulled at him to get back to her, somehow sensing her discomfort. The Legacy could control how much of the bond their Fae felt. For weeks, he’d simply let the bond bombard her, thinking that would push her into accepting it sooner, faster. Lately he’d gone in the complete opposite direction, hoping if she didn’t feel him, didn’t feel the bond, she’d crave it.

And maybe she had. She’d let him touch her twice in only a few days. Maybe he’d been playing this wrong the entire time. It shouldn’t surprise him. Everything had been different with her from the start.

The hostess opened a large polished wood door to a private lounge, stepping aside to let them pass. Tessa was already sliding imperceptibly closer to him, and he paused when he found not only Dagian but Lealla as well. Wasn’t this an interesting turn of events? The Achaz and Serafina heirs.

“Lealla,” he greeted, not missing the way her Source sneered at Tessa. “What an unexpected pleasure.”

Her lips tipped in a cold grin. “Theon, there’s no one else here. No need for theatrics.”

“What theatrics?” he asked, Luka and Axel taking seats before him and Tessa. He saw Lealla glance at them, momentarily startled at the lack of decorum.

With a cold smirk of his own, Theon pulled a chair out as he said, “Have a seat, beautiful.”

Tessa didn’t hesitate, playing her part perfectly, before Theon took a seat next to her.

Luka had already ordered them glasses of whiskey, and Tessa passed him a glass before

sipping from her own.

“I believe these are the theatrics Lealla was referencing,” Dagian said. That fucker hadn’t even bothered standing when they’d entered the room. His Source stood obediently at his side, waiting for instruction. She was a mirror of Eviana.

“Dagian,” Theon said tightly. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure you’re used to taking your time seeing as how Arius Kingdom is always last to be addressed. Besides, I know you prefer to make an entrance with your entourage. All those…theatrics,” he said over the top of his liquor glass.

“I’d hardly call my brother and advisor an entourage,” Theon said in a bored tone, settling back in his seat and ignoring the verbal jab at his kingdom.

Dagian only smiled back, and Theon was immediately on high alert. He was already suspicious of Dagian’s insistence of this dinner after Theon had turned down two other requests for meetings in the last week.

Lealla took her seat to Dagian’s right, motioning for her Source to sit as well. When they were all settled, Dagian said, “Are you ready for the Emerging Ceremony?”

Theon huffed a humorless laugh. “Getting right to the point then, are we?”

Dagian shrugged. “Unlike you, I don’t enjoy theatrics. I prefer a more direct approach.”

The male drummed his fingers on the table, light crackling from his fingertips as he did so, and Tessa winced.

Dagian noticed, the corner of his lips ticking up at the small mannerism, but Theon was too focused on his power because he’d seen that same power recently.

At his Source’s fingertips.

“I don’t think there is any need for power bragging,” Axel drawled, downing his drink.

“You know how it is,” Dagian replied. “Have to siphon off that extra power from time to time.”

“Yes, gaining complete mastery over one’s power so young is a feat, but I’m sure you’ll get there in time,” Theon said.

Dagian glared, that power in his palm instantly dying out. “Still an arrogant ass, I see.”

“No need for name calling when I am simply expressing my confidence in your ability to eventually control your gifts enough to not need to siphon off that power.”

“We’ve had the same intense training you have, Theon,” Lealla cut in.

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Now, now, we aren’t here to argue,” Dagian cut in smoothly. “After all, we are to be working together for a successful Selection year, are we not?”

“Of course,” Lealla said tightly, her Source refilling her already empty wine glass.

“And in the spirit of such things,” Dagian continued, “I was merely making conversation about the upcoming festivities.”

“I am sure we are all looking forward to the Emerging Ceremony,” Theon said. “It is always an exciting time to see the new Fae who will be joining our kingdoms.”

“And, of course, verifying that assessments were correct about our Sources,” Dagian

added, taking another sip of his drink.

“Of course,” Theon agreed.

“It provides a means of further…building relations between the kingdoms.”

“And what relations are you hoping to build?” Theon asked, unsure of where the male was going with this.

“We have all night to discuss such matters,” Dagian said dismissively, opening the menu that his Source passed to him without so much as a look from her master. Completely in sync without their Marks. Exactly what he’d wanted to portray about him and Tessa.

Shit.

Act or not, the pair was certainly convincing.

A hand on his thigh nearly made him jump if not for the years of learning to never show surprise, and he glanced down to find Tessa’s hand there. Without thinking, he was interlacing their fingers.

“You won’t need a menu,” she said. “I already checked on the drive here while the three of you were discussing the proposal from the Celeste Kingdom. They have your

favorite.”

“Thank you, beautiful,” he murmured.

Her smile was soft, and again he was forced to keep his shock from showing. Because that smile? It was a real one.

When he looked back at the others, Lealla was already on her phone, no doubt reaching out to the Celeste heir, and he glanced back at Tessa, finding her smirking to herself as she tipped her glass at Lealla’s Source.

Theon had no idea what that was, but he liked this side of her.

Maybe she wasn’t as terrible at lying as he believed her to be.

It wasn’t until after they’d taken the first bites of their meals that Dagian got to the point of this dinner. Honestly, Theon was surprised it had taken him this long. The Achaz Heir wasn’t known for his tactfulness. The kingdom was blunt and demanding, always focused on the present, never the long-game, and it was no surprise the Serafina Kingdom went right along with them. After all, when Devram was created, the god and goddess were set to be Matched. It only made sense that such alliances still carried over in this world.

“About these relations you mentioned previously,” Dagian said.

“I didn’t mention any relations,” Theon countered. “You were the one who brought up building relations.”

Dagian hummed in contemplation, reaching for his glass and making a show of taking a sip. For someone who claimed not to enjoy theatrics, he was certainly dragging this out.

He was cutting into his meat, when Dagian finally continued. “I will admit, I thought relations with Arius Kingdom were a waste of time. You lot always appear to be so… obstinate.”

“Being particular about who we do business with does not make us obstinate,” Theon countered. “It simply means we evaluate our options before making the most lucrative choices.”

Dagian hummed. “That much was made obvious last night.”

Theon glanced at Axel, then at Luka. Their faces were impassive, but when neither of them spoke, it told Theon they didn’t have any idea what Dagian was speaking about either.

“Arius Kingdom has never been one to share outside their own borders,” Lealla chimed in.

“We are more than willing to share for the right price,” Theon countered.

“Not to mention we take in all those deemed unworthy of your esteemed kingdoms,”

Axel said, signaling for another drink.

Theon had stopped counting Axel’s drinks after he’d ordered his third before their food had arrived.

“I do find it interesting that you finally venture out of your borders, only to make alliances not with another kingdom ruling family, but with someone else entirely,” Dagian continued. “My father was also intrigued by the news.”

“I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but there haven’t been any alliances forged outside of our borders,” Theon said.

“And when that information is what I witnessed with my own eyes?” Dagian asked.

He’d abandoned his food, settling back in his chair. His golden hair reflected the low lighting of the room, and his features seemed even sharper as he smirked at Theon.

“All right, Dagian,” Theon said, pushing aside his own meal. “You clearly have something you wish to lord over me, so let’s hear it. I’m growing bored with your theatrics.”

“There is nothing I wish to lord over you. I only wish for you not to call me a liar when I witnessed such alliances myself.”

“And what alliance is that?”

“The one with Tristyn Blackheart.”

Blackheart.

The male’s last name was Blackheart?

As in Tristyn Blackheart, the elusive silent founder of Lilura Inquest?

Theon recognized the male’s name, but the male himself was rarely seen in public. He was more elusive than the Arius Kingdom, and while Theon knew who he was, many Legacy did not, let alone the Fae and mortals. He was the founder of the company that had single-handedly been responsible for numerous advancements in Devram, from healing compounds to untraceable glamours to studies of wards and Marks, even technological advancements. Lilura Inquest was the company that had created the technology that allowed phones inside the Pantheon. It was rumored that Blackheart himself had overseen many of the advancements, and with access to the company’s glamours, he easily moved among the Legacy, Fae, and mortals without being noticed.

Until Tessa was Selected.

There was no way that was a coincidence.

Just another thing he needed to figure out.

“Why would you think I have an alliance with Tristyn Blackheart? Simply because he was dancing with my Source last night?” Theon asked, his face revealing nothing of the shock he was experiencing.

Dagian scoffed, any semblance of decorum melting from his demeanor. “Your Source appeared very intimate with him. The two even spoke of time spent together at a hotel.”

He saw Tessa stiffen out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t look at her right now.

“The other heirs and I, along with our families, find it odd that Arius Kingdom comes back onto the scene and not only chooses a Source none of us took a second look at, but one that also seems to get along quite well with a male who notoriously avoids everyone.”

“What, exactly, are you asking me, Dagian?” Theon asked, picking up his drink and swirling the amber liquid.

“I am simply stating an observation that seems suspicious.”

“The observation is noted, although I don’t know what you would like me to do about it.”

“Is she involved with Blackheart? Is that why you chose her?”

“No,” Theon snarled. “She is mine and mine alone.”

“The events of last night say otherwise,” Lealla said.

“You can think what you want, but that Mark on her hand says she is mine,” Theon said, letting his shadows out.

They coiled around his arms before reaching for Tessa, and she leaned into them, letting the darkness brush along her jaw, her throat. Then she lifted a hand, smiling pointedly at Lealla as she dragged her fingers through the shadows, letting them dance around her knuckles. Dagian and Lealla glanced at each other as they watched Tessa play with the shadows, as though she loved the darkness so much, she could command it.

As if she were his and his alone.

He could feel his magic. It was obsessed with her, nearly vibrating at having her interact with it. The shadows clung to her while she toyed with them, and he could feel her touch as if she were touching him herself. It almost made him forget what her actions last night had cost them.

“All things considered, it appears you have an in with Blackheart,” Dagian said,

having returned to eating his dinner.

“What are you getting at?”

“I would like an introduction.”

Axel huffed a laugh that had Theon shooting him a glare.

“What?” Axel asked. “It’s rather ridiculous if you think about it. He set up this big, elaborate dinner to ask us to introduce him to Tristyn Blackheart. The main headquarters of Lilura Inquest is in the Acropolis with the second largest location in Faven. Both are places he surely has unlimited access to.”

“While I can certainly access the buildings, that does not grant me access to Blackheart himself,” Dagian said tightly.

“Then ask Daddy to help,” Axel replied flippantly.

Dagian glared at Axel, and Theon knew that look.

“Your father assigned you this task,” Theon said, letting his darkness continue to linger. “What does he want with Blackheart?”

Dagian rolled his eyes. “You tell me Arius secrets, and I’ll tell you Achaz ones.”

Fair point.

“Well, I wish I could help, Dagian,” Theon said, suddenly ready to leave. “But my arrangement with Tristyn is new. I can’t jeopardize that. Surely you understand.”

“Of course,” Dagian said, rising from his seat before Theon could. “Arius secrets always come out in the end anyway.” His gaze slid to Luka. “Isn’t that right?”

“I have no idea what you are implying,” Luka replied, sounding broody and bored with all of this.

“Here I thought a Sargon Legacy would be clever, but maybe you are just good for battles,” Dagian sighed as if disappointed.

Lealla had followed his example, standing from the table as well. She was already standing near the door, a victorious smirk on her lips. “What ever will the other kingdoms say when they learn what Arius Kingdom has been hiding in their mountains?” she simpered.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Axel demanded. “There are no Sargon Legacy left living. Your ancestors made sure of that centuries ago.”

“Reports of a flying, fire-breathing creature say otherwise,” Dagian replied, his Source falling into step behind him as she moved to the door. “Of course, how that information is received by the other kingdoms could be negotiated. If, for example, two kingdoms appeared to be thrilled by such a revelation, the other kingdoms would likely follow suit. If two particular kingdoms painted such news in an unsavory light, however… Well, that could be detrimental.”

Theon didn’t bother getting to his feet as he said, “Be very careful how you decide to play this, Dagian.”

“I urge you to reconsider my request, Theon,” he replied, and a moment later, he and Lealla were gone.

“Fuck,” Axel muttered, sucking down the rest of his drink.

“For the love of Arius, stop drinking,” Theon snapped, reaching over and snatching his now empty glass. “What the fuck is wrong with you drinking like that tonight?”

“I’m fine,” he said, waving him off. “What we need to worry about is how the fuck they know about Luka.”

“He said it was reported back to him,” Luka said. “The only time I could have been spotted was the night at the river.”

“But you said you got all four,” Axel said.

“Unless there were more than four,” Luka answered grimly.

They all fell silent. This was worse than Theon could have imagined. He’d spent the last two days cleaning up after that mess at the river to make sure this exact thing didn’t happen. They’d hunted down the Night Children and destroyed all the evidence. They’d even taken care of the sentinels who had seen Tessa running, along with three Fae who swore they hadn’t seen anything but had been along her path. He wasn’t willing to take the

risks. Nothing could jeopardize this.

Except she had.

She’d jeopardized everything with her wildness and her lack of control and her refusal to simply fucking submit.

He slowly stood and buttoned his suit jacket as he turned to look down at her. He could feel her nervousness, the fear bleeding from her. She’d once told him he didn’t scare her.

Another lie.

“Tessa,” he said, far too calmly.

He saw her wince as his shadows thickened, stinging where they still touched her.

Luka and Axel were standing, the half-finished meals forgotten on the table.

“I don’t know anything about him,” she stammered. She was gripping the arms of her chair, her face leeched of color.

The corner of his lips curled, and she shrank back at whatever she saw on his face.

“I swear. You know as much as I do. He—”

She was starting to ramble, but this couldn’t be discussed here. Not where anyone could overhear.

Her eyes went wide when his shadows wound up her neck and down her throat. Not cutting off her air supply, but enough to gag her. Her hands were at her throat though, as if she couldn’t breathe, panic filling her grey eyes.

Theon grabbed her hand, pulling her roughly to her feet, and she stumbled in her heels.

Her fingers were squeezing his in a silent plea, but he didn’t care.

It wasn’t until they were in the vehicle and Luka was pulling into traffic that he pulled his shadows back. Tessa coughed and sputtered, glaring at him.

“Was that necessary?” she snarled, her hand on her chest as she dragged in big gulping breaths.

“Tell me about Blackheart,” was all he said, cold and detached.

“I don’t know anything about him.”

“You’ve spent hours with the male, and you don’t know anything about him? I find that hard to believe.”

“Even you three didn’t realize he was a Legacy in Rockmoor,” she cried, a hand fisting into the fabric of her dress.

“Did you know his surname?” Axel asked from the front, not bothering to turn and

look at her.

“Yes, but—”

“When? When did you learn it?” Theon interrupted.

“In Rockmoor, but I didn’t—”

“So the night I found you with him, you already knew who he was?”

“No. I didn’t recognize the name. I mean, he told me he founded a company, but I didn’t know which one or what he did. Even when he gave me his card, I—”

“You have a way to contact him?” Theon demanded.

“I…” Her hand slowly fell from her chest, landing on the seat where her fingers curled into the leather. She swallowed audibly. “Yes.”

“And have you contacted him? Is that why he was at the social last night?”

“How would I have contacted him?” she bit out. “You monitor my phone, tablet.

Everything.”

Theon smiled humorlessly. “You called your Fae without my knowledge. I wouldn’t put this past you too. Have you had contact with him?”

“No,” she insisted. “Only that night in Rockmoor and last night at the social. I didn’t know he was going to be there. I swear, Theon. I didn’t know. I didn’t know who he was. I still don’t understand why—”

“It is not your place to understand,” Theon snarled. “Your place is to serve, Tessa, not to hide things from me. Do you have any idea what you have jeopardized?”

“I’m sorry—”

“I do not need your apologies,” he snapped. “I need your obedience. I need your loyalty—”

“You’ve done nothing to earn it!”

He was across the backseat in his next breath, and she let out a yelp as he loomed over her. Snatching her hand, he held it up, twisting it so she could see the Mark. “This says I do not need to earn a godsdamn thing, Tessa.”

“Th—”

But his name stalled on her tongue.

Luka had parked. Axel was already out of the vehicle, heading for the door off the garage. Luka had realized what Theon had though, and black flames flared in front of the door, blocking Axel’s path.

“What the fuck?” Axel said, whirling to face them.

Tessa hadn’t been able to say his name. He’d given her permission to use it in front of Pen, so that could only mean someone else was here.

“Did you feel anyone at the Wards?” Theon asked.

He was out of the vehicle. Luka was helping Tessa out.

Understanding flashed in Axel’s eyes. “No,” he ground out.

The three of them stood facing the door. Axel shoved his hands in his pockets. Tessa was wisely silent behind them.

“He’s not coming until tomorrow, right?” Axel asked.

“Right,” Theon answered.

He didn’t know why he said it. He knew exactly who was waiting for them.

With a deep inhale, he stepped forward, pushing the door open and stepping into the foyer. Silently they made their way to the formal sitting room. The only sound was Tessa’s heels on the wood floors.

They found him sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs, a glass of amber liquid in his hand.

Theon stopped a few feet from him. Luka was at his side, Axel hanging back with Tessa, as Theon said, “Hello, Father.”