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“You will be too much of a hassle for any of the royal households to want you. Don’t you want to be chosen to serve in their houses, Tessalyn?” Mother Cordelia chided, as Tessa sat in her small office for once again being beyond the yard. They kept telling her she would know when she’d gone too far, but she never did.

“Why would I want to serve in a house?” Tessa asked, her brow pinching. She was only six, but she was pretty sure that did not sound like something she would enjoy doing at all.

“That is the best any Fae could hope for, child,” Mother Cordelia said sternly. “Other than being Selected as a Source, but you will never be that. You are too wild. Too disobedient. Too much of a hassle. No one will want to bother with you.” The Estate Mother sighed, shuffling papers around on her desk. “Off to bed. I do not want to see or hear from you the rest of the day.”

“But it’s only high noon! I haven’t had lunch. And dinner—” Tessa protested, but her breath was stolen from her lungs. Mother Cordelia was a Legacy of the Sefarina bloodline, the goddess of the winds, and she currently had Tessa’s air cut off.

“And you will receive neither of those things until tomorrow,” Mother Cordelia said curtly. “Be grateful that is the extent of your punishment this time. Unless you would prefer the cellar again?”

Eyes wide and lungs burning, Tessa shook her head, gasping when Mother Cordelia released her hold on her. Last time she’d been punished, she’d been shut in one of the small cellars. It’d been cold and dark, and she hadn’t received food for two days. After that, it was only salty broth and crusty bread for a week straight.

“Off to bed,” she said again.

Tessa didn’t linger, rushing out of the office and up the two floors to the room she shared with five other younglings. They shared this room, but none of them ever had anything to do with her. They were too afraid of getting in trouble like Tessa always found herself in, despite her best efforts. Always alone…

A tug on the bond pulled Tessa from her memories. She sighed, irritated at how much of a fit this thing inside her chest was throwing at being away from Theon. She couldn’t even enjoy a long, hot shower in peace. Shutting the water off, she grabbed a towel and quickly dried off. She wrapped her hair up into another towel while she dressed, not bothering with the slippers. She would always choose bare feet when given a choice. The bond was becoming unbearable, and Tessa gritted her teeth against the demands. It yanked at her, aching to get back to Theon’s side.

It terrified her.

If it was this demanding after the first Mark, what was it going to be like after the next?

She found a comb and began running it through her long hair. She could suddenly understand how Eviana could look at Valter the way she did. Her entire self was going to be wrapped up in Theon. She would become obsessed with him. Her world would revolve around him.

She brought the comb back up to work it through again, and her eyes fell on the Mark on the back of her hand. It seemed even darker against her skin now that it was freshly cleaned, seeming to taunt her. Arius’s symbol for all to see. For some reason, her mind slipped to Dex and the look of dread and knowing he’d had on his face when her name had been called.

There was a soft rapping on the doorframe followed by, “Tessa?”

She didn’t look up as Theon approached. She just continued to stare at the Mark on her hand.

The Mark that had stolen what little she had from her.

Theon didn’t say anything else. He pried the comb from her fingers. She hadn’t realized she’d still been holding it. He slowly began combing her hair for her. When he finished, he tilted her face up to his.

“Are you feeling all right?”

Tessa nodded, refusing to cry yet again.

“Do you feel nauseous? Headache? Body aches?”

She shook her head.

His piercing green eyes held hers, searching. “I wish I knew what was going on inside your head right now,” he murmured, more to himself than her. “I wish I knew how to help you accept this.” When she dropped her gaze at his words, he sighed and took her hand. “Come. They just brought up some food for you.”

He led her out to the main room where the food was apparently broth and fresh bread. Fantastic.

“Can’t I have, I don’t know, doughnuts?” Tessa asked when Theon pulled a chair out for her.

“Doughnuts have no nutritional purpose.”

“I know, but they’re good,” she replied, picking up the spoon and stirring it through the steaming broth.

“Even if you were feeling your best, I wouldn’t let you eat doughnuts,” Theon said, moving past her and into the kitchen area. She twisted in her chair and watched as he filled a kettle with water.

“You won’t let me eat doughnuts?” she deadpanned.

He apparently didn’t pick up on the pissed off part of her attitude until he turned and saw her face. He braced his hands on the island countertop, leaning forward. “Tessa, my part of this Source bond is to take care of you. Giving you doughnuts is not taking care of your physical or nutritional needs. Eat.” He nodded towards the table.

Tessa turned around, mainly because she was too stunned by what he’d just said to do anything else. She scooped up a spoonful of broth and was about to bring it to her mouth when she just couldn’t not say anything. She dropped the spoon back into the bowl with a clatter, broth splashing onto the opulent black surface of the table. Twisting to face him again, she said, “I’m sorry. Are you saying that even when you’re satisfied that I am feeling one hundred percent better, I will not be allowed to eat doughnuts? Or pizza? Or fries?”