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Theon lost his godsdamn mind when Tessa started screaming again. For a few minutes, her cries of pain and torment had ceased.

He’d forced himself to watch everything they were doing to her. He’d watched as they’d strapped her to a chair. He’d watched when they put some sort of mask over her mouth and nose. He’d forced himself to keep his eyes on her when they pushed more and more things into her body, trying not to think of how he’d done the same. He’d thought they were done. There had been no sign of her element that he could see, but he also didn’t know how this worked. Tessa was clearly experiencing something though.

But right now, Luka and Axel were both holding him back as he strained against the observation window, slamming his fists against it again and again. He watched his Source at the mercy of the Priestess, who was injecting more of the black elixir into her. Tessa was screaming, blood running from her nose and ears. The cord in him was vibrating and tightening around his chest, making it hard to breathe. Was she dying? Is that why it felt like this?

“Theon,” Luka growled, straining to hold him back. “There is nothing we can do.”

“It has to be over soon, right?” Axel gritted out, his brother’s hold just as tight as Luka’s. “It’s been over three hours.”

Shadows were pooling in Theon’s hands, seeping from his skin and thickening around his body. It began filling the entire room, forcing Axel to use his own power to counteract it.

“Theon!” Luka barked again as Tessa’s screams echoed up to them, his sapphire eyes beginning to glow faintly.

Theon closed his eyes and tilted his head back, roaring into the room at not being able to get to her. The bond was panicking at having his Source of power in danger, and he was up here instead of down there with her, unable to protect what was his. He knew now that was why he hadn’t been allowed to be in that room. He would have let his darkness feast on everyone in that room the moment Tessa had even whimpered in pain.

Except he hadn’t.

He’d done absolutely nothing while she had tried to prepare herself for this. Sure, he’d left her alone for the most part yesterday, tried to take her mind off it when he could tell her thoughts had drifted there. He’d held her a little tighter while she’d slept, letting the Source bond offer whatever comfort it could. But he hadn’t done anything on the drive here when she couldn’t stomach breakfast. He hadn’t done anything when she’d shed her jacket and sat back to have the IV placed in her arm as if this were simply routine. He’d done nothing when Zefira and that Fae had taken her from him, despite her obvious panic over what was about to happen.

And now he could do nothing but watch.

“I think she is done,” Axel said, yelling to be heard over Theon’s bellowing. “The Priestess is giving her something else.”

Theon opened his eyes to look down into the room again. The Fae was wiping the blood from Tessa’s ears and nose. The Priestess was pressing her hand to Tessa’s forehead, clearly healing whatever the fuck she had done to her. Tessa’s eyes did not open though.

The door to the room opened behind them, and Theon whirled. He grabbed the Fae by the throat, lifting her off of her feet. Her eyes widened in terror as her hands flew to Theon’s, trying to dislodge his fingers. He only flexed them more, her pulse thrumming wildly. He caught a glimpse of her element marking. Air. She wouldn’t dare use it against him.

“How long until she wakes?" he snarled.

The female was gasping and shaking her head, writhing against the wall.

“Theon,” Axel interjected, placing his hand on Theon’s arm. “She is going to take you to her, aren’t you?”

Axel’s voice was low and threatening, and the Fae began nodding as much as she could beneath Theon’s hold. He released her, and she sank to the floor.

“Get up,” Theon snapped.

She scrambled to her feet, coughing as she dragged air into her lungs. “This way, m-my Lord,” she rasped.

They all followed her from the room to a stairwell. When they’d gone down two floors, she paused, turning to Axel and Luka. Her voice trembled with nerves as she said, “The Priestess requested only her Master come to recovery. If you continue down another flight, you will come to the hallway that will lead back to the exam room you were in. It will be the fourth door on your left.”

“Theon?” Luka questioned, his voice wary.

“I will be fine,” Theon bit back. As long as she took him directly to Tessa, they had nothing to worry about. “Take me to her.”

The female nodded, picking up her pace as she led him through a door and down yet another hallway. At the end, she pushed through two swinging double doors. The Fae who had been assisting Zefira was just placing Tessa down onto a bed. Theon pushed past the female who had led him here, stalking over to Tessa’s side. He shoved the male Fae out of the way with a snarl, leaning over Tessa and smoothing hair back from her face. She was pale and sweaty and vomit was on her clothes from when he’d watched her retch during the assessment.

“When will she wake?” he demanded.

“Soon, my Lord,” came Zefira’s melodic voice from behind them. She was pushing something clear into the IV tubing. Theon hadn’t even registered she was standing there, all of his focus on Tessa. Zefira glanced around the room and said loudly, “Leave us.”

The room immediately cleared out.

“We need to discuss her results.”

“What of them? I did not see her display any magic from where I stood,” Theon replied, his tone icy and deceptively calm. His dark power was hovering just beneath his skin. “Before you deliver those results, Priestess, be warned: if she went through all of that and you did not get the answers I seek, my reaction will be unpleasant.”

Zefira paled and she swallowed thickly. “I got results, but not what I was expecting.”