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“Then you should have selected someone else.” Her tone was not as sharp as she’d intended. She hoped he didn’t hear the small thread of defeat in it.

“I am certain I chose perfectly.”

Silence settled thickly in the small room.

“What happens now?” Tessa asked, leaning back in her chair. Her limbs felt tired and heavy, but at least she could move them now. She needed to get herself under control.

Be what they want you to be now, so you can be who you were meant to be later.

That’s what Dex always said to her. It helped. Sometimes.

“The tonic needs at least an hour to fully take effect before the first Mark can be given. That is why it is done now, before the feast,” Theon said. He had retreated several feet away, giving her space but keeping an eye on her.

“So…we can go eat?”

Theon shook his head. “I already told you we are not staying for the feast. As soon as the hour is up, I will summon the Priestess, give you the Mark, and we will leave.”

“Leave? To go where?” she demanded, sitting up straighter.

“Home. There are still a few weeks before the various Selection activities begin for the other Fae.”

“And where in the Arius Kingdom is your home?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, Tessa. I will not tell you that until your first Mark is in place.”

Tessa scoffed. “You can simply order me not to tell anyone,” she countered scathingly.

So much for getting herself under control. Gods, she was better than this. She knew how to go unnoticed, and it certainly wasn’t by talking back to a Legacy, especially the Arius Heir. Then again, she’d already been noticed, so what did it truly matter at this point?

“Tell me, Tessa, how long are you going to be this bitter about your fate?”

She crossed her arms, pursing her lips. “I want to eat.”

“I will have food brought to you.”

“No. I want to go to the feast. Give me one last night of normalcy. You owe me that, Theon,” she pleaded.

Theon tsked. “I owe you nothing.”

Tessa started, the words like a slap across her face. She wasn’t even sure why his statement surprised her. She shouldn’t be. He was a Legacy after all. Fae existed solely to serve his kind. Of course he would believe he owed her nothing for giving up her entire life for him. For giving up her entire self for him. She didn’t have much, but what she did have she didn’t want to give to a godsdamn Legacy.

Theon sighed as though he realized he’d said the wrong thing. “I did not mean—”

“Yes, you did, and it’s fine,” Tessa interrupted, pushing to her feet. She wobbled slightly, and Theon stepped forward, his hand outstretched to steady her, but she held up her own to stop him. “Don’t.” She took a few deep breaths before looking up at him. “I know you do not owe me anything, but I would really like to attend the feast and see my friends once more before you take me away to your home.”

Theon held her gaze for a moment before nodding once. “I can agree to the feast, but we will not stay for the ball, Tessa. As soon as the feast is done, we are leaving.”

“It is customary for the heirs to stay for the entire celebration.”

Darkness flitted across his eyes. “The Arius Kingdom is not one for customs.”

“But I—”

“The feast or nothing. Take it or leave it.”

Tessa pursed her lips. “Fine,” she conceded, crossing her arms.

She moved to the door, and Theon’s hand came to the small of her back, his touch making her suppress a shiver. “Do not make it a habit to negotiate with me, Tessa,” he murmured into her ear. “This is a one-time thing.”