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“What binding?

“I will not explain that until your power is under control. You have to let me help you, Tessa,” Theon insisted.

“Either that or I restrain you until it dies out,” Luka added.

“How can you—” Tessa started.

“I thought we agreed Luka and I were handling her for a while,” Axel cut in.

“Handling me?” Tessa repeated, the power in her palms flaring brighter.

“Axel, shut up,” Theon snapped. “Don’t you have shit to do?”

Axel gave him a mocking smile. “Sure do, my Lord.”

“Axel—”

But he was already leaving, the door banging shut behind him.

Theon exhaled a long breath, trying to brush past Luka and approach her, but Luka gripped his arm. “There is a reason we agreed to Axel and I handling this right now.”

“She can’t be walking around like that, Luka,” Theon said, darkness wreathing his hands as he tried to jerk his arm free. “It’s going to be bad enough after the Emerging Ceremony.”

“And we’re preparing for that, but I can’t let you near her right now. You know what almost happened in Rockmoor when she threw you across that parking lot. We are in a small space. I will shift if she loses control. Do you want that?”

Tessa watched as Theon swiped a hand down his face, the tiredness she’d glimpsed earlier already returning.

“What happened in Rockmoor?” she asked, trying to ignore the lightning sparking at her fingertips.

“I almost shifted and attacked you. I was seconds away from seriously injuring, if not killing, you, Tessa,” Luka snapped.

“Fae aren’t easy to kill. Just like Legacy aren’t.”

“Few things can counter dragon fire, and nothing in Devram can withstand it.”

“Oh,” was all she could think to say, her eyes falling back to her hands.

“Our magic mirrors our emotions, Tessa,” Theon cut in. “Your magic has its own personality. It will try to control you unless you control it. These are things you learn in your element lessons after your element emerges, but—” He sighed again. “You may need a private instructor for that as well.”

“Like who?” she asked.

“We’re still working on that. For now, you need to focus on your training with Luka, and work on keeping yourself under control.”

“Because that’s worked so well in the past,” she murmured.

“Why were you by the river last night?” Luka suddenly asked, and the light in her palms flared.

“Luka!” Theon snapped.

“We need to know. What’s the point in calming her down if she’s just going to get like this again when we discuss it?”

Theon rubbed at the back of his neck. “Fine.” His eyes came back to her, waiting for an answer.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I will need you to clarify that statement. You didn’t mean to disobey direct commands? Leave the Acropolis boundaries unattended and without permission? The private instructor said you were uncooperative,” he said, his voice growing harsher with each word.

“Of course she did,” Tessa muttered.