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He’d rather suffer.

He reached for a bottle of water and found Luka’s sapphire gaze settled on him in the rearview mirror.

“You still think this was the best plan?” Luka asked grimly.

“Not much I can do about it now, is there?” Theon retorted, tossing the bottle onto the empty front seat.

“No, but how we carry on with everything else could still be changed,” Luka said, switching lanes to pass a car as he reached for the water bottle.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Theon,” Luka sighed. “You should have Selected someone else if you wanted everything to go to plan. I’ve told you from the beginning she was not the one for this. You insisted on keeping her in the running. You found her hiding, away from the other Fae, eating food she’d obviously stolen. I told you she was going to be too hard to control, which will be a problem for you in and of itself.”

“She will be fine. As the bond grows stronger, she will be more obedient. She will start to want what I want,” Theon argued, looking down at the sleeping female. “Besides, she did not lie to me in the corridor before she knew who I was. You think she will start now that she knows I am the Arius Heir? She is not stupid, and I’m not going to base the choice of my Source on some intuition you think you have about her.”

“It is not intuition when she has dozens of infraction reports from her Estate Mother. She is the exact opposite of stupid. She did not lie to you because she knows when and how to avoid making a scene. How do you think she avoided being looked at twice by the other heirs? She is clever, and she is too wild, Theon,” Luka said, his eyes flicking to Theon’s in the rearview mirror. “We needed someone with more self-control for this.”

“We need a little wildness for this to work,” Theon countered.

“I did not say her wildness was a bad thing. But to make her be what you need her to be…”

“It won’t be like that,” Theon insisted. “She will want to please me. She will want to obey me, Luka. It is how the bond works. You know this.”

“She pushed you away, Theon. She chose to feel immense pain rather than have you touch her.”

“She is adjusting,” he replied shortly, his fingers curling possessively around Tessa’s shoulder. She’d been shivering when they had changed her clothing, so they’d added a thick sweatshirt over the shirt they’d put her in. He had the fleece blanket from earlier draped over her as well, since the air conditioning was on full blast to keep him and Luka cool. They may have been at a higher elevation, but the Ozul Mountains still saw the high temperatures that accompanied the end of the summer season.

Theon and Luka had changed out of their formal clothing before they’d left. Theon was in far more comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. He carved his hand through his hair, the cord connecting him to Tessa humming contentedly in his chest.

After several minutes of tense silence, Luka said, “She is fighting the bond, Theon. You would have been better off choosing a Fae who wanted this life. You should have dismissed her as an option the moment she told you she did not find being a Source the honor it is portrayed to be.”

Theon ground his molars, a muscle flexing in his jaw. Luka had tried to tell him this on more than one occasion. He had sent Luka to look in on the various Fae when they had narrowed the list down. He had also had him gather information on the Fae the other heirs were leaning towards. That had to account for some of Tessa’s resistance. The other heirs had spent the last few years building relationships with their potential Sources. Those Fae had been expecting this, already trusting their heir. It hadn’t come as a surprise like it had for Tessa.

Luka had pointed out the various Fae to Theon as they’d watched them mill about in the hours before the Selection Ceremony. They left the Arius Kingdom so rarely that few would recognize him. And with the excitement of the Selection in the air, they easily went unnoticed.

Luka had pushed for him to choose a male named Jaxson Caeso. The only mark he’d had against him was that he was likely to emerge with the air element. Well, that, and he was male. Theon was leaning towards a water elemental, and a male Source wasn’t ideal in his case. But he could get creative about the physical side of the bond if needed. They could bring others into the bedroom to satisfy that need. Even observing the male when he’d sought him out made him the more logical choice. He had a warrior’s build, perfect for the role of protecting and defending. Theon knew the Falein Heir and the Serafina Heir had watched him for a while as well. Jaxson would be perfect for them, but Theon didn’t need a guard of any sort. Not like the other heirs did.

He had been ready to agree with Luka, ready to make his choice, but he’d insisted on finding Tessalyn first. Just to make sure. She’d been the only one he hadn’t been able to track down. It had been pure coincidence that he’d stumbled upon her on his way back from washing his hands after another Legacy had bumped into him and caused wine to spill over the side of his glass and all over his hand.

He’d watched as she’d slipped from that side door, looking stunning in that black and emerald gown that fit her body like a glove, showing off every dip and curve. And then she’d flitted into that alcove faster than a hummingbird, piquing his curiosity even more. She’d been tucked so far back that if he hadn’t seen her go in there, he wouldn’t have noticed her when passing by. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he’d found her smuggling chocolate of all things. He’d been irritated when she’d acted surprised at getting caught. He’d been annoyed when she wouldn’t speak, more than ready to walk away and choose Jaxson.

Then he’d been intrigued beyond all reason when she did open her mouth and wave that piece of chocolate in his face. Five minutes in that alcove with her and he’d known she’d be coming home with him.

He’d lost track of her when she’d gone back to the grand hall. When he’d told Luka of her, Luka had insisted they look over the files one last time. But when Theon’s gaze had landed on her, when he’d found her leaning against another male and he’d felt the prickle of irritation at seeing another’s hands on her, he’d known it was over.

He’d watched as a small smile had graced her full lips when she’d said something to the male, and then her eyes had connected with his. Turbulent grey eyes the color of stormy skies. He could see them clearly from across the room. They widened slightly at being caught not paying attention to the entering ruling families, and he’d smirked at her, giving her a slight nod.

Luka had pulled her file from the space between realms with his magic, opening it quickly while cursing under his breath about not being able to use their tablets in the Pantheon. It was tradition to keep the sacred ceremony as similar as possible to the first one centuries ago. The Priestesses begrudgingly allowed phones to receive incoming calls in case of emergencies, but that was it.

He’d scanned the documents in the folder. Tessalyn Ausra. She’d come to the Celeste Estate when she was eight like most other Fae. Before that, she’d been housed in one of the estate group homes, which wasn’t all that uncommon. Only a quarter of the Fae were raised in a familial home, and most of those were in the Anala Kingdom. Her marks throughout lessons were some of the highest among her peers. She was clearly clever to evade the wards. She had air element tendencies, which was disappointing. But if he had to choose between having a male at his side for the rest of his life or a female, the choice was obvious.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Theon,” Luka had said. “She’s not going to want this life. She told you that. She’ll become a hindrance to the plans.”

“How could she not want this life? She’ll be provided with everything she needs. She’ll be taken care of and protected. It is a Fae’s greatest honor to be Selected as a Source,” Theon had countered, his eyes landing on her once more. Ignoring the fact that she had told him just that in the alcove— that she did not wish to be Selected, would not find it honorable. They’d begun drifting towards the entrance, knowing his parents would arrive at any moment. Normally Axel would be here as well, but there was opportunity to be had when all the ruling families were preoccupied with this. Opportunity they planned to capitalize on, so Axel had been doing just that while they’d all been at the Acropolis.

“Go with Jaxson,” Luka had hissed under his breath as they’d moved.

“No. I am going to go with her,” he’d replied, pulling his tie from the pocket between realms and looping it around his neck.