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PART ONE

LIFE MUST GIVE

1

TESSA

“Are you hiding in an alcove eating chocolate?”

Tessa froze at the sound of the low voice, said chocolate halfway to her mouth. She thought she’d been hidden well enough. Obviously not.

Damnit.

She quickly turned, hiding the chocolate behind her back. Which was stupid. He’d already seen it.

“I, um…”

She trailed off when her gaze landed on who had spoken to her. She could swear darkness swirled faintly in the dark emerald green eyes that were studying her, a slight frown on his full lips. His ebony hair was messy for the formal occasion they were about to attend, and a couple strands fell forward, brushing dark brows. His hands slid into the black pants that were clearly tailored to fit him perfectly, along with the black shirt and black vest that clung to his torso. He didn’t wear the formal suit jacket that the other males had been wearing as she’d watched them slowly filter in. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and there was no tie in sight.

This night definitely called for a tie.

His head tilted to the side, and Tessa swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly too dry. The thing inside her lifted its head, and she shoved it back down. That was the last thing she needed right now.

“Are you unwell?” he asked. Not because he cared about her wellbeing in any way. Very few actually cared about her, and that was definitely a thread of annoyance in his tone.

That annoyance is what snapped her out of whatever trance she was in. She quickly dropped to a knee before him. Gods. He was a Legacy, and she’d just been standing there staring at him. Fantastic. Lange was going to laugh himself into tomorrow when she told him about this.

“My apologies,” she murmured, making sure her tone sounded like she meant it with her eyes fixed on the male’s black shoes.

“You may rise,” the Legacy said impatiently.

Well, that was easier said than done. She was in a dress that clung to her figure as much as his own custom-tailored clothing. This was the only occasion she would likely ever wear something of such elegance. One sleeve flowed down her arm to her wrist, while leaving the other arm completely bare from her shoulder to her fingertips. It pooled at her feet, and she’d already tripped on the damn thing multiple times tonight. Her shorter than average height didn’t help matters, even with the four-inch heels she’d been forced to wear. The dress was black with a sheer emerald green coverlet adorned with black beads that glittered in the flickering flames of the sconces.

Sconces, not lights and electricity like every other building had in the six kingdoms of Devram. Because… Honestly, Tessa had never really understood why the Pantheon was void of all modern advancements, save for cell phones. But even phones had to be placed on a special setting that only allowed for incoming calls. Nothing else. Something about wanting to honor the humble beginnings of the worlds. She’d always thought it rather silly. The gods didn’t care about their world. Why would they care if there was basic lighting in the Pantheon?

A hand was suddenly in her face, and she glanced up at the Legacy in confusion.

“Well?” he demanded, wiggling his fingers. “I assume it will be difficult to get up in that dress, especially as you seem unwilling to put down your chocolate.”

Tessa felt her cheeks flush, but she slowly slid her fingers into his palm. His hand wrapped around them, tugging her to her feet. When she went to pull her hand back, his grip tightened.

“Why are you out here by yourself, away from the other Fae?” he asked, his voice deceptively low and innocuous. It wasn’t quite as entrancing as the compulsions the Legacy could use, but it wasn’t that far off either.

She knew she shouldn’t be out here. Dex was going to be livid. Not so much at the fact that she had wandered off, but that she’d done so without telling him so he could join her.

“I was—”

“I would strongly suggest not lying to me,” the Legacy said coldly.

“I wasn’t going to lie to you,” she retorted, and his brows rose at her address.

She sighed internally. This is why Dex never let her sneak off alone. She was remarkably good at moving about unseen and sneaking into places she wasn’t supposed to be, but she was also rather impulsive at times.

Okay, a lot of the time.

“I was finding some place to eat this without having to share,” she said, waving the chunk of chocolate in his face. Her other hand was still clasped in his.

He just stared at her like he wasn’t quite sure what to say in response to that.