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“Still hiding behind fire instead of facing your problems,” his father said, a sneer of disgust curling on his lips.

“My only problem at the moment is you standing in my way of retrieving my Source,” Theon retorted.

“Your Source?” his father repeated. “She is not even Fae.”

“She is still mine,” Theon said, grateful to find Axel nowhere to be seen. He’d made it out to get to Tessa just like they’d planned.

“A Source must be Fae,” his father spat.

“Says who?”

“It is how things are done.”

“Maybe it’s time for how things are done to change,” Theon returned, repeating words his father would say when Theon was younger and would question his plans.

Until his father got tired of being questioned and found other ways to silence him.

His father’s nostrils flared, shadows swirling in his hazel eyes. “You realize that any semblance of trust we have built with the other kingdoms is now gone. They were already upset about the fire Fae, and now they will accuse us of even more scandal. We should have killed the female when we had the chance.”

“You will not lay a fucking finger on her,” Theon growled.

His father scoffed, dragging a hand through his hair. It was a rare show of frustration from him, and the mannerism made Theon pause. He had expected his father to be angry. Furious. But this was…

This was trepidation.

This was dread.

“Cressida, leave,” he suddenly spat, not bothering to look at his wife.

His mother did not question anything, sweeping from the room with her glass of wine in hand.

“Father,” Theon started the moment the door shut behind her. “I fail to see how this is not a positive for us. Tessa is clearly a being of great power. I control her, therefore I control that power. This night has been lucrative for us.”

“You think you can control that?” Valter murmured. “It is not some Fae elemental power. You cannot be this naïve. The godsdamn Keeper awakened her gifts. You know what that means.”

He was pacing the length of the private box, continually dragging his hands through his hair. Theon glanced at Luka, completely at a loss. He felt like he was in a room with Tessa, unsure of how to handle the unpredictable male before him. His father was nothing but in control at all times, demanding the same perfection from everyone around him.

“Father, let me go get Tessa. We can go back to the townhouse or the country manor and figure out how to proceed from there.”

“Yes,” Valter muttered, suddenly stopping and straightening. He tugged on his shirt cuffs, straightening his sleeves. “That is a sound course of action. Luka, release Eviana.”

The black flames keeping Eviana bound near the door went out, and she rushed to her Master’s side. Theon was already striding for the door, but the moment he pulled it open, he stilled.

Standing on the other side were the Serafina and Celeste Ladies, along with their heirs.

“Did you honestly think we would let you get away with this?” demanded the Serafina Lady, shoving past Theon and entering the room. “Honestly, Valter, after all of our cooperation as of late, this is how you repay us?”

Cooperation? Theon didn’t know what the Lady was talking about. And when the fuck had his father become on a first-name basis with the Serafina Kingdom?

The only thing that was becoming clear was that his father had way more secrets than Theon had realized.

“Maya, I have no idea what you are referring to,” his father said.

“You have no idea?” the Serafina Lady scoffed. “Let’s start with the Source your son randomly Selected. I’ll leave the fire Fae to Kyra. She is livid.”

“Kyra is always furious about something,” his father muttered.

“True, but another kingdom claiming a fire Fae? She will be at your door next.”