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Tessa nodded, her eyes continuing to roam around the room and searching among all the gathered Fae. There were more than she had expected, and they’d all been split up as they’d been herded down the various halls to this space.

“I’m sure Brecken will convince Katya to come,” Tessa said. “Lange and Corbin will obviously come too.”

Dex nodded. “Assuming none of us get Selected, you mean.”

Tessa tsked under her breath, continuing to scan for any of their friends. “None of us are getting Selected, Dex. The heirs picked their Sources long before tonight. The Legacy ruling families have been watching us all for years. We know the Celeste Heir is choosing Jasper, and the Falein Heir is selecting Dade—”

“And the Achaz Heir is selecting Sasha. I know what we all think we know, Tessa. It’s just…” Dex sighed, raking his hand through hair as brown as his eyes. “Until it’s a done deal, anything could happen. And the Arius Heir is still unaccounted for.” An emotion crossed his features Tessa couldn’t quite read. Unease? Frustration? She wasn’t sure.

It was true. The Arius Kingdom was incredibly private, and they rarely ventured out of their borders. When they did, nothing good ever happened. The Arius Kingdom was the definition of cruel and wicked, which fit, she supposed, since they were descendants of Arius, the god of death and endings. The Kingdom’s ruling family embodied all of that and more with their power to command shadows and darkness along with other mysterious gifts that were not well known. Few outsiders were ever allowed into the Kingdom, and while it was known there was an heir of age there to Select a Source, he hadn’t been visiting the various Fae estates the last several years to evaluate his options like the other heirs had.

Tessa reached over and grabbed Dex’s hand, gently squeezing his fingers. “I know something unexpected could happen, but we both know the odds are low at this point. So let’s just believe that none of us will get Selected, and that we’ll all be drinking and, more importantly, filling our stomachs within the next two hours.”

Dex gave her a lopsided grin, but it didn’t meet his eyes. He reached over, tucking a curl of her honey-blonde hair behind her ear. “How many times do I need to tell you hope is pointless?”

“I don’t waste my time on hope. Not when I have you to save me.” He huffed a laugh at her teasing, and she pushed up onto her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “We’re going to be fine, Dex.”

He held her gaze for another heartbeat, then blew out a long breath. “I know, Tessie. I’m just ready for it to be over.”

“I think we all are.”

The Opening Selection Ceremony was just the beginning though. This was a year-long event that was just getting started. The Selection was held every five years. All the Fae who had come of age since the last Selection were brought to the Acropolis. The Fae would have their gifts awakened during the Emerging Ceremony, then they would be put through various tasks and trainings while being observed by the Kingdoms. Eventually, they would be assigned to whichever Kingdom they were to serve in. If an heir was of age to Select a Source, it was done during a Selection Year. Once the heirs all chose their Sources, there would be a brief break of a few weeks to allow the heirs and their new Sources to get acclimated. Then they would rejoin the rest of the Fae back at the Acropolis. With only six kingdoms, that did not happen often with the extended lifespan of the Legacy. To have all six kingdoms with heirs of Selection age at one time?

A historic night, indeed.

She finally spotted Oralia’s pale blonde head of hair making her way towards them. Brecken was following close behind her, and sure enough, he had Katya in tow.

“Nervous?” Brecken taunted when they reached their side. He waggled his dark brows up and down.

Tessa rolled her eyes. “No. Like I was telling Dex, we all know how this is going to go. The heirs have had their Sources chosen for the last year, if not longer. This is all formality at this point.”

Despite that knowledge, there was a general sense of unease in the grand hall. What the Legacy in the alcove had said was true. Nervous laughter rang out from around the room, and everyone was fidgety. Couples held hands a little tighter, and conversations were hushed and whispered.

They were taught that being Selected was an honor. It was ingrained in them from birth that being Selected was the greatest role in society a Fae could ever hope to achieve, and that to be the Source of a ruling Lord or Lady was as good as nobility. Only those who were already tapped to be a Source truly believed that, and Tessa was pretty sure that was out of necessity to come to terms with their fate. Once they were fully bonded, they would believe it though. Their Masters’ desires would become their desires.

The Legacy could fill their deep power wells naturally over time, but to fully refill them from a completely drained state would take weeks, if not months, to do so. They had the powers of gods in their veins after all. That took a while to recoup, and in the meantime, they’d be left vulnerable. But when they drew power from a Fae, it refilled their power wells instantly.

Which is why no other descendants of the gods were allowed a personal Source like the ruling families. It was a rite performed by a Priestess who bonded the Source and Master with four Marks that connected them as one. When all the Marks had been given, they could sense each other’s presence, feel each other’s emotions, and hear each other’s thoughts.

Tessa hated the very idea of it. She didn’t want to be in anyone’s head, and she sure as shit didn’t want anyone inside her head. She didn’t even want to be inside her own head most days.

She was excited for her gifts to emerge, though. Unlike the Legacy, Fae gifts didn’t emerge naturally. They had to be awakened by the Legacy, which would happen a few weeks from now for all the Fae in this room. Tessa had always dreamed of the fire element, but the Anala Kingdom didn’t allow any other Kingdom to have fire Fae. They were all born and raised in Idalia, the Anala Kingdom capital. Instead, all of her aptitude tests were predicting air as the most likely element for her.

“Poor Sasha looks terrified,” Katya said quietly to Tessa, drawing her attention to the brown-haired beauty standing at the edge of the group of five Fae who had been slated to be Selected. For all intents and purposes, they were already claimed by their heirs. They knew they would soon be unwelcome by their own kind. Everyone was already treating them differently. They would soon be bonded to a Legacy, able to be found at a moment’s notice, and no secrets withheld from their Masters.

Sasha was a few inches taller than Tessa, and her hair hung down her back in loose waves. She looked stunning in a gown of amethyst against her bronze skin. She was wringing her hands together and worrying her bottom lip.

“I would be too if I knew the Achaz Heir would be Selecting me tonight,” Tessa answered.

Oralia sighed. “This just needs to be over.”

“I just need to eat an entire pizza. By myself,” Tessa grumbled.

“I told you to eat,” Dex taunted into her ear from behind her.

A grin tugged at Tessa’s lips, but she didn’t let it form. She took a small step back as she retorted, “And I told you I tried.”

She felt Dex step into her, so close she could feel the small chuckle emanate from his chest. “Oh, Tessie,” he murmured so that only she could hear. “What am I going to do with you?”