Rain of Shadows and Endings — Chapter no 43

43

TESSA

T he room wasn’t small. In fact, it was probably comparable to her small room in Theon’s suite back at Arius House. There weren’t any windows, but the door was what made her feel trapped. No way out. Everything in here was smooth beige marble. Flat. Dull. Nothing

to occupy her mind.

Nothing but her thoughts.

Theon had just left, and now she stood in the center of the room. Alone. Just like she’d been last night. Just like she’d been nearly her entire life. But maybe that was all right.

Maybe alone was fine. When you were alone, there was no reason to trust anyone. No opportunity to let someone hurt you.

No room to allow someone in, only to be shoved into a cellar.

She slowly made her way to the wall and began dragging her fingers along the cool expanse, humming one of the stupid songs from Axel’s playlist. She kicked off her sandals, wanting to feel the cold floor on her bare feet as she made pass after pass around the room.

Fingers dragging.

Throat humming.

Lips still buzzing from the kiss with Theon.

I was going to ask you not to let me kiss you again until you were ready to admit this is

more than a bond.

He was right.

This was more than a bond; she just hadn’t quite figured out what that meant yet.

She’d realized that as she’d lain on the floor of that wine cellar. They were more than Source and Master, Fae and Legacy. They were more than two people connected by a bargain and a bond. They were more than, but more than what?

The door opened, a sentinel saying gruffly, “They are ready for the Sources.”

All the sentinels were Legacy. Gods forbid a Fae was tasked with guarding this sacred place. No, they were only good enough to breed and bleed.

Bleed.

Theon had made her bleed.

Her hand fell to her side, and she took a step towards the door, but the sentinel cleared

his throat. “Your shoes.”

Right.

Shoes.

She hated shoes.

She’d stopped humming, but she was still going through song lyrics in her head as she followed the sentinel down the hall. Not one of Axel’s songs though.

Control the uncontrollable; Or to fury they both lose. Life must give; And Death must take. But Fate requires more.

She was jolted from her thoughts when they stepped through heavy wood doors and into the arena, the noise drowning out all other sounds. Excited Fae were one floor up, discussing their newly awakened power. Of course, they’d all been given black bands to wear on their wrists to keep that power muted until they learned to control it.

Uncontrolled power was dangerous.

Common Legacy filled the next levels, followed by the more elite. At the top, six private boxes ringed the arena. She glanced up, her gaze immediately connecting with

Theon’s. For all intents and purposes, he looked like the cold Heir of Endings he was destined to be.

He’d been the end of something all right.

But his hands were resting on the railing, and his posture was rigid, not the relaxed aloofness of indifference he usually flaunted. He nodded at her, Luka on one side of him, his father on the other. Cressida was there, and Axel had also returned.

Where was Kat? Hadn’t Axel gone to make sure she was… Well, not all right because they didn’t care about that, but to make sure she had been kept safe from the other kingdoms?

She didn’t have time to contemplate it any longer. The dramatics of the Sources’ powers emerging began with Sasha being led with fanfare to the center of the arena.

Tessa watched as she emerged with air. As Jasper revealed the same, and Maxson manifested water. Dade had sand and leaves swirling around him, confirming the expected earth element, and Gatlan, of course, produced fire, just like his Mistress. No one expected

anything less.

Not until her.

The entire arena fell quiet when she was ushered to the center platform, slipping off her delicate sandals before she stepped up onto it. Her black dress swirled around her ankles, the material light and cool against her overheated skin. Stealing a quick glance up, she found Axel taking small steps to the exit. Because he was supposed to protect her. She found Valter leaning eagerly forward, his eyes narrowed. She found Luka in a defensive stance, the same one he’d been making her stand in for hours all week long.

And she found Theon, a mixture of anticipation and dread on his face. She felt the cord in her chest reaching for him, seeking comfort, but she felt the thing in her soul reaching for him too, wanting something much darker.

The priestess stepped forward, and Tessa started to lift her arm. But the sound of multiple gasps had both her and the priestess turning. The other priestesses who stood around the arena were all bowing their heads. The sentinels were standing at attention, and a hooded figure was making its way towards her. Two large wolves flanked them. One was a dark charcoal grey. The other was a shade of grey so light, it appeared almost silver. That one was the one she recognized as its bright eyes fell on her. It was the same wolf who had emerged from the trees right before the vampyres had attacked her.

“Your grace,” the priestess said when the figure neared. “I was unaware you would be attending tonight’s ceremonies.”

The figure said nothing, only lifted an arm. Even their hand was hidden in the long sleeve of their cloak as the priestess held out the black scion. When the figure had taken it, she bowed once more before stepping down from the platform, retreating to the other priestesses and leaving Tessa alone with them.

They came closer, and she took a step back. Her eyes flitted to Theon, who was gripping the railing and staring in shock. Did he know who this figure was?

Then her gaze snagged on Dex on the level just above the arena floor. His expression was dark, his eyes narrowed as he watched the figure come to a stop in front of her.

The figure’s hood was deep and pulled down so far, there was no way to see their face.

It was completely concealed in the darkness of their hood. They reached out, a gloved hand appearing from the sleeve. It wasn’t small and delicate, leading her to guess it was a male

who gently grasped her forearm. He said nothing as he appeared to study her arm for a long moment before he twisted it slightly to look at the Mark on the back of her hand.

“So foolish,” they murmured, and the voice was definitely male and somehow familiar.

He said nothing else as he brought the tip of the scion to her forearm, beginning to draw a Mark. She watched in fascination as he drew an inverted triangle.

And the thing inside her sat up in excitement.

Stretching.

Yawning.

Seeking.

Then he began drawing a star beneath the triangle, and her skin was buzzing with energy that needed out. She was hot and cold and her entire body was vibrating as she forced herself to remain still. Was it supposed to be like this? No one had told her. No one had prepared her. She was just expected to know so many godsdamn things, and she knew nothing.

The male didn’t seem to notice when she started fidgeting, shifting from foot-to-foot.

She was pretty sure none of the other Sources had taken this long.

He was marking a second star into her skin when he said, “Do you know why I like storms?”

The question was so random, it distracted her from whatever was happening in her soul. But she didn’t know if she was supposed to speak. None of the other Fae had spoken during their ritual.

He didn’t appear to care if she answered as he moved onto a third star. “Because it reminds us that even chaos needs to scream sometimes. That even with all the magic and power among the realms and between the stars, even with technology and all the tools we have at our disposal, some things are, in fact, uncontrollable.”

Gods, his voice. Where had she heard it?

The wolves that were standing on either side of him began to whine, inching closer to her. Again, the male seemed unconcerned.

He was drawing the final line of the third star when he lifted his head. She could feel his stare from beneath the hood as he said, “A storm is coming.”

And when he lifted the scion from her skin, light flared. Blindingly bright light emanated from her skin, glowing like sunlight. But that’s not what had the entire arena in an uproar.

That would be the light crackling at her fingertips, flaring out and creating cracks in the platform she was standing on. Lightning striking the balconies and causing chunks of marble to crumble and fall.

That would be the water that was falling from above, a downpour of rain inside the Pantheon.

That would be the two wolves howling and circling around her as the hooded male

disappeared into the crowd.

That would be her magic.

Impulsive as it struck out, another crack created in its wake.

Reckless as rain pelted against her skin.

Wild as air ripped through the arena like the winds of a tempest.

That would be the power that told the realm she wasn’t Fae at all.

“Tessa!”

Her name was being yelled and carried away by the chaos of the storm. She could only stand there as her magic spiraled, devouring whatever it pleased, relishing in the freedom of

being set free.

“Tessa!”

She blinked, rain drops clinging to her lashes, and Axel was standing before her. His black hair was plastered to his head, his suit clinging to his frame. Shadows also clung to him, clearly guarding and protecting him, but tendrils reached for her. She lifted her hand, light coiled at her fingertips, sparking with violet streaks of energy as it tentatively reached for Axel’s magic.

But Axel was suddenly yanking his darkness back. “No, Tessa. This isn’t the time to experiment.” Her head tilted, and he swiped a hand down his face. “Fuck, Tessa. Stay with me, baby doll. I know your magic is calling. I know what it feels like to get lost to so much power, but we need to get you somewhere safe. Can you focus, Tessa? Just for a bit. Until

Theon can come for you.”

Theon.

His name made her blink, the bond in her chest seeming to gasp as if it’d been choking. Tessa shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as she studied her hands.

“That’s it, Tessa,” Axel coaxed, a shadow-coated hand reaching for her. “Take my hand. Let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going to go?” Her voice was that same dark thing it had been in the

training room a few days ago.

“I know a place. Come on, baby doll.”

“Where is Kat?” she asked suddenly.

“She’s safe. Tessa, we need to—”

But he was cut off when four sentinels approached them, only to be thrown across the arena by a gust of air from her.

“Glad it was them this time,” Axel muttered, but then his emerald gaze snapped back to hers. “Tessa, your magic trusts me. Don’t you see? It’s letting me near, but keeping

others away. You can trust me, Tessa.”

“I’m mad at you.”

“I know, but we’ll figure it out. We’ll figure all this out.”

He held out his hand again, and she slowly placed her fingers in his waiting palm. He immediately gripped her, tugging her behind him as shadows surrounded them like a dark screen, allowing them to see as they moved. Violet streaks of light flashed among them like

lightning in a thunderstorm.

Light and dark.

And suddenly they were in the hall outside the arena, but there was just as much mayhem out here. People were running in various states of panic that only increased when Axel’s darkness appeared. Screams echoed around her, and her magic seemed to like it.

It liked the idea of being feared.

She liked the idea of being feared.

“This way,” Axel was saying, his wet shoes squeaking on the marble floor as they made their way down the passage.

“This is why I hate shoes,” she said simply.

Axel glanced back at her. “What?”

She nodded at his soaked footwear. “Shoes are cumbersome. They interfere with escaping.”

Understanding dawned, and he tugged on her hand, bringing her to his side rather than dragging her behind him. “Shoes slowed you down when you were sneaking in and out of undesirable situations at the estate.”

“Shoes are an annoyance. And heels are impractical,” she added as an afterthought.

If Axel found it strange they were having a seemingly normal conversation while navigating through the Pantheon, he didn’t let it show.

“I can’t say I have experience with wearing heels,” he replied. “But they do make your ass look good, so I’m rather partial to them.”

“You’re not supposed to be looking at my ass,” she replied. “I’m Theon’s, remember?”

“Baby doll, with the dresses and pants you wear, I can’t help but look at your ass.”

“Theon picks out my clothes.”

“He likes to show off his—”

“Things? He likes to show off his things?”

“No,” Axel said quickly, shaking his head, but before he could say more, he was shoving her against the wall. “Don’t move!”

Tessa watched with interest as shadows raced down the hall. Like a wave cresting, they crashed down on a group that had come rushing from the arena. These weren’t just sentinels though, they were Fae guards from the various kingdoms. More and more people were pouring out of the arena, all of them with weapons with blades black as night.

Weapons designed to kill Fae and Legacy alike. Power was flaring all around them, and it was only Axel standing between her and those who were hunting her.

He was backing towards her, his shadows continuing to take down Legacy and Fae.

“Tessa!” he called out. “We need to keep moving!”

“But they will just follow us,” she replied, panic bubbling up in her chest.

Her power flared, a cascade of pure light crashing into a group of Legacy and sending

them crashing to the floor.

“You need to stay calm, Tessa.”

“Sure, Axel. I’ll do that,” she retorted, peeling off the wall and pacing in a tight circle.

“Just keep moving, Tessa. Don’t look back. Let me worry about those pursuing you.”

“They keep coming,” she argued. “You can’t keep them all back. It’s you against dozens.”

“Then we best get to our destination,” he said, another wave of darkness descending on five more. There were screams, and then there was nothing.

“What do you do to them?” she asked, his shadows slowly dissipating enough that she could see a male on the ground, his veins black.

“Not the time, Tessa,” Axel growled, grabbing her wrist and once again dragging her along. “Do you not realize they will kill you if they catch you?”

“Will they?”

“That’s a fair point, I guess,” he replied, rounding a corner.

And then he wasn’t gripping her wrist anymore. He was on the ground, his body jolting as a burst of light slammed into him.

“Axel!” Tessa screamed, her own magic scrambling, but it was as confused as she was.

She spun back around to find herself face-to-face with Rordan Jove.

The Achaz Lord.

His shoulder-length golden hair was tied back, and he looked resplendent in a crisp suit of navy blue. His bright blue eyes were ringed with gold, a taste of his power. Light crackled at his fingertips, and it had Tessa looking down at her hands where violet and gold light was sparking at her own.

Slowly, she lifted her head, meeting the Achaz Lord’s gaze.

“Tessa,” Axel rasped, trying to push onto his hands and knees, but he collapsed when

Rordan hit him again with more power.

She just stared at Rordan.

At the golden hair.

At the light he held in his palm.

At a descendant of Achaz, the god of light and beginnings.

“You’ve caused quite the stir, Tessalyn,” Rordan said, a small knowing smile curling on his lips. “Not exactly the way I envisioned this meeting, but a little improvising was

needed.”

“I don’t understand,” she murmured.

“Not yet, but you will. Until then, I apologize.”

Her head snapped up. “Apologize? For what?”

But a bolt of power slammed into her, and gods, it hurt. It was far stronger than Dagian’s magic had been in her assessment vision, but it would be. Rordan could access his Source’s power to make his own stronger.

Her magic howled inside her, thrashing against the power coiling around her so tightly she couldn’t move. She was screaming, not because he was hurting her, but because she was trapped.

“Tessa,” Axel rasped, and her eyes darted to him, finding him crawling toward her.

There was blood dripping from his nose, and he was using his forearms to drag himself forward. “Fight, Tessa. He’s coming for you.”

She couldn’t fight this.

He was the Achaz Lord. Stronger. More powerful.

And he seemed to know about her.

He knew the things Theon had kept from her.

That was her last thought before another burst of power hit her, and she slipped into the dark.

“You have repeatedly told me you had this under control. What part of tonight was under control?” Rordan Jove asked in a tight voice.

“We had everything planned. The priestess knew what to do. We didn’t know the Keeper would appear to conduct her ritual,” a male voice answered.

A male voice she knew.

Tessa tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy, and her stomach was roiling.

She couldn’t decide if she was going to be sick or not.

“And what the fuck are we going to do now?” Rordan asked.

“I have this handled.”

“Do you? Because when you came here twenty years ago and told me your plans, I was wary.”

“I was sent here,” the male snarled. “Are you questioning him?”

“No, but any time one is sent on a mission that promises a high reward, I grow wary.

People are willing to sacrifice quite a bit when much is at stake,” Rordan replied calmly.

“Look at Valter and his ridiculous kingdom.”

“Never compare me to a descendant of the death god,” the male spat.

“And do not speak to me as though I am beneath you.” Rordan’s voice had gone low and deadly. “I know you stand to gain a seat in a world I do not care about, but you will not become a prince in that world by fucking me over.”

“And I have not spent the last twenty years in this forgotten realm only to fail now.

Failure is not an option.”

Failure is not an option, Tessa.

Theon’s voice rang in her head, pulling her closer to the surface. Again she tried to blink her eyes open, the room spinning around her. She was on a plush sofa, a pillow beneath her head.

“We have a common goal here,” Rordan said now, sounding calmer and more casual.

“Several common goals, in fact. We have agreed to help each other. I simply wish to confirm that is still the case, Dexter.”

Dexter.

Dex was here. He would help her. He would fix this mess just like he always did.

Turning her head, her eyes started watering, two tears slipping free and dripping to her hairline. Her entire body ached, her muscles tense and sore. Her head throbbed, and sweat was damp on her neck and chest. And something was screaming inside her, trapped and dying.

Dex was standing there, and she blinked a few times because there was something curving around him. Soft. Feathery. An off-white color.

But that wasn’t right. His hair was dark brown and shorter, not curving around him.

She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning softly as she tried to lift her hands.

“She wakes,” Rordan said simply.

There was the sound of hurried footsteps, and then fingers were brushing hair back on her brow. “Tessie? Tessie, wake up.”

She blinked again, Dex’s dark eyes staring back at her. His hair was back to its normal color.

“Dex?” She tried to push up to a sitting position.

But his hands were at her shoulders, holding her down. “Stay still,” he soothed. “Take it slow.”

“I don’t understand. What are you doing here?” she rasped.

Dex held up his arm, three symbols now marked on his inner wrist. One for the Celeste Estate, one to mark his newly revealed air element, and one to show he served the Achaz

Kingdom.

“You were…chosen early?”

“Yes,” he answered.

She brought her hands up again to rub at her face, but black glinted at her wrists. Two bands.

“To control your power,” Dex explained when she continued to stare at them.

Right. Her uncontrollable power.

“That was quite the exciting Emerging Ceremony,” he went on. “But you always seem to do that, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a wince, and she didn’t know if she was reacting to the pain in her head or to his words.

“We’ll figure it out, Tessie,” he said. “We always do. I’ll handle it.”

He’ll handle it.

I have this handled.

That’s what he’d said.

This.

Her.

Her power stirred beneath her skin, roaring to be let out. It was so loud, she suddenly wanted to scream.

“Tessie?” Dex asked, cupping her cheek. “You’re okay, Tessa.”

“How am I okay when I am bound to an Arius Legacy yet I sit in the presence of the Achaz Lord?” It came out as a hiss, and Dex’s eyes widened at her address.

“I believe I can shine some light on that matter,” Rordan said, coming up behind Dex.

He chuckled to himself as he lifted a palm, a ball of light floating above it. “No pun intended.”

“I have that power,” she rasped, her gaze fixed on the light he held in his hand.

“You do,” he agreed.

“How?”

Rordan closed his fist, the light extinguishing. “It only stands to reason that you have

some Achaz blood in your veins.”

“But that’s not possible.”

“It certainly is possible.”

“But I’m…” Her gaze darted to Dex, then back to Rordan. “I’m not Fae.”

“You are not. Not even demi-Fae at that,” Rordan agreed. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Would I like… What?” she asked in complete confusion.

“Water? Tea? I’d offer something stronger, but I’m afraid you may react poorly to such a thing given the power I had to use. Again, I apologize for that,” he said, making his way across the room to a small beverage cart.

She shoved at Dex’s hands before she pushed into a sitting position, taking in the space. This was a simple yet elegant lounge. It was a decent size, not overly large, and there were several windows with the curtains drawn. The walls were a soft white and so was the

furniture. Everything was accented with gold and a light grey, giving the illusion of a soft glow when the light hit it just right.

“Where are we?” she asked, Dex having moved to sit beside her now that she was sitting up.

“My manor home in the Acropolis. If it were not well into the night, the view overlooking the Wynfell River would be stunning,” Rordan answered, returning with a glass of water. “Is this all right?” he asked, extending the glass to her.

“Yes. Thank you,” she said, taking the glass with a trembling hand. She took a sip before lowering it to her lap. “I’m sorry. Why am I here?”

The Achaz Lord took a seat on the sofa opposite her and Dex, crossing one leg over the other. He propped an elbow on the armrest, steepling a finger along his temple. “There are many ways to interpret that question, Tessalyn. You are in my home because I was forced to quell your magnificent power. It only seemed right that I look after you and make sure you recovered properly. But that is not the question I would like you to consider.”

“It’s not?”

He smiled, a gentle and patient thing. Not at all what she’d expected from the Lord that unofficially ruled Devram.

“No, child,” he replied. “The question you should be asking is why are you in Devram at all?”