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“I’ve repeatedly told you it wouldn’t work,” Luka chimed in.

Theon pressed his tongue to his cheek, sitting back in his seat once more. “I have a plan.”

“Does it involve us getting blasted across a fucking parking lot again? Because if so, count me out,” Axel said.

“She was clearly in some sort of…distress to make her magic break through like that,” Theon replied, running his hand through his hair. How had the assessment not produced anything, but him burning the alcohol from her body had? Surely the assessments were worse than that? She’d been bleeding from her nose and ears, for fuck’s sake.

“Right. And what’s your explanation for her eyes?” Axel asked dryly.

Theon had cut him off when he’d tried to bring it up earlier, not wanting Tessa to know they had noticed.

But they had definitely noticed.

Axel had been reaching to help her up when Theon had come around the vehicle. Theon could tell she was about to vomit as he’d crouched beside her. Her eyes had connected with his for the briefest of moments before her magic had sent him and Axel flying, highly suggesting the wind and air element as her prior assessments had always predicted.

But there had been flashes of violet in her eyes, much like darkness would swirl in his own. Except this was more like energy flickering. It was as if there was lightning being reflected in her stormy eyes when blasts of power had slammed into them. When Theon had made his way back to her, it had been gone, along with her fight. She was once more resigned and withdrawn.

“It’s not the first time I’ve seen it,” Theon admitted.

“Care to repeat that?” Luka said, casting a quick glare over his shoulder at him.

“It had never been that pronounced,” he said. “It had been quick glimpses in the past. I wasn’t even sure I’d seen it.”

“Seen what exactly,” Luka gritted out. Theon could see his fingers tightening on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

“When she’s feeling a lot of emotion, her eyes almost seem to glow a faint violet color.”

“This wasn’t some faint glow,” Axel cut in. “She blasted us clear off our godsdamn feet, Theon.”

“I am aware.”

Axel turned to Luka. “What are you thinking?”

“That we need to talk to Cienna,” Luka answered grimly.

Axel was already fiddling with the small mirror, and he paused his movements to glance down at the reflective surface. “We can’t exactly summon her.”

“Which is annoying as fuck.”

“She’s in hiding because of you,” Axel retorted.

“There has got to be a better way to communicate than that fucking mirror.”

“This is the only way Father cannot track her down.”

Theon didn’t answer. They’d had this debate several times before. It was pointless to argue about it again. He was on Cienna’s shit list. So was Luka. And that was not a pleasant place to be. She would only communicate with Axel, so he was forced to let his brother handle all correspondence with her. Which is why he was spending more and more time in the Underground lately. There likely was an easier way to communicate with her, but this was the only option she provided.

“What do we do until then?” Axel asked.

“I’m working on a plan,” Theon said, his focus wandering back to Tessa. “I’m still figuring out the final pieces,” Theon muttered.

“And we will get to know this plan when?” Luka asked flatly.

“When we get home,” he answered, tipping his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

This would work.

It had to.