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“We?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Yes. We,” he confirmed. “You will be required to attend such meetings with me from here on out.”

“Who else will be there?” she asked, moving towards the clothing.

“Luka. Axel. Some associates.” When she cast him a dry look, he sighed. “Pavil and Metias.”

Her eyes widened, and he took a step towards her. “I will be there the entire time.”

“That is somehow not comforting in the slightest,” she muttered, expertly sliding undergarments on while managing to keep her towel in place.

“I will always keep you safe, Tessa.”

“Forgive me for calling bullshit on that statement based on my experiences these last weeks.”

“Food should be here,” he ground out, pushing down the retort on the tip of his tongue. He needed her open to hearing him out. He couldn’t afford for her to go back to not speaking to him right now. “Come out to eat after you’ve gotten dressed. And make sure you have pants on.”

Tessa smirked at him as he left the room. Luka and Axel hadn’t changed yet and were sprawled across the sofa. A few minutes later, Tessa emerged and made her way to the table.

They joined her, and Theon let her take a few bites before he cleared his throat. She glanced up at him. “As I said, I have a proposition for you.”

Tessa carefully set her cheeseburger down, wiping her fingers on her napkin before leaning back in her chair, looking at him expectantly.

“I know you do not want this bond. You’ve made it more than clear you will not give into it anytime soon,” he said, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “The problem is you’ve already been Selected. There is no undoing that.”

Theon glanced at Axel and Luka across the table. They were watching them closely, obviously curious to hear what he had to say as well. He’d purposely kept them in the dark on this. They were going to be pissed.

“So here is my proposition to you: when we are with others, outside of the people in this room, pretend you have accepted and embraced the bond.”

“Pretend,” she repeated dryly.

“Yes, pretend. When it is just us, when you are alone with me or Luka or Axel, I will require nothing of you,” he continued. “You will be free to do what you wish. Ignore us. Speak to us. Don’t speak to us. Whatever you like.”

“Let me get this straight,” she replied, pushing her plate back and planting her palms facedown on the table before her. “You want me to pretend that I have become enamored with you. That my world revolves around you. You want me to dote on you, call you Master and pretend I want this so it makes your life easier, and I— What, Theon? I get what from this arrangement?”

“Before I answer that question, I need to clarify something,” Theon answered. “I do not want you to pretend to be enamored with me, Tessa.” Her brows knitted together in confusion, and he pressed on. “I want you to pretend to have accepted this fate. Embraced it. I want you to pretend that we are so in tune with each other that others take notice. I want others to fear what we are, Tessa. I want others to fear you, to fear what they think we will become when the final Mark is bestowed.”

“When you can siphon power off me at will,” she sneered.

“No, beautiful,” he countered, leaning in towards her. “This is what you get out of it. If you pretend, if you are convincing enough, then when I run this kingdom, when my father no longer rules, you will be given an entire wing of this house. You will be protected and cared for, and you will get to decide if and when I get to draw from you.”

“Theon—” Axel started, but Theon held up his hand to silence him.

He knew what this sounded like, but he had thought about this for hours. By the time she got the final Marks, it wouldn’t matter. She’d want this as much as he did.

“If you never want to see my face again when my father is gone, I won’t enter your wing of the house. You will be as free as possible,” he finished.

She was staring at him, and for the millionth time, Theon found himself wishing he could read her emotions.

“Why?” she finally asked. “Why don’t you just force me to submit?”

“Because constantly trying to control you is exhausting, and it obviously isn’t working,” he replied, sitting back in his chair and taking a drink of his water. He picked up a fry, dragging it through some sauce before popping it into his mouth. “But that outcome for you is likely some years away, so allow me to make it worth your while now,” he continued, and Tessa’s eyes widened. “Prove to me you can do this. Prove to me you can be convincing at this meeting with my father in a few hours, and I will let you call your beloved Dex and speak with him.”

“You’re going to reward me like a hound?” she challenged, her lip curling in disgust.

“No,” he countered, shaking his head. “Be convincing, and we can discuss how things will go from here on out. Give me a little, and I’ll give back.”

“Give and take,” she clarified.