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A muscle feathered along his jaw as he met her gaze. “We are to have a family dinner this evening with my parents, Axel, and Luka,” Theon said. “I trust you remember how to act in my father’s presence?” She nodded mutely. “Good. Dinner is at seven and will be formal, so plan your day accordingly.”

At the order, annoyance raced back through her. “Well, my day is pretty full between watching boring television shows, napping, and eating a salad, but I’m sure I can rearrange my schedule to fit in a shower before dinner.”

“Please see that you do,” Theon replied through clenched teeth.

“Will do, Master.”

9

TESSA

Tessa stood in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, staring at her reflection. She hardly recognized herself. She’d finally met the infamous Penelope, a sweet Fae with shining brunette hair and icy blue eyes. She came bustling into the suite in the late afternoon and ushered Tessa from the sofa to the bathroom to shower. Then she’d proceeded to do her make-up and dry and curl her hair, chatting away the entire time and telling Tessa she could call her Pen. Tessa could hardly keep up with the female, but she learned she was the personal servant of Theon and Axel. She could tell by the Markings on her wrist she’d attended the Falein Estate and had the water element. The female seemed happy enough, almost as if she enjoyed serving the Arius heirs.

Tessa’s honey-blonde hair was now pinned half up, the rest cascading over her shoulders and down her back. The dress Pen had put her in was a shimmery-cream colored wrap skirt with a slit that went nearly to her hip. It had a split collar that rested down her shoulders, leaving her collarbone bare and sleeves that went three-quarters down her arms. She was sliding black stilettos onto her feet when Pen announced her work here was done before leaving her alone.

She tried not to worry her bottom lip that was expertly tinted a dark shade of red, not wanting to smear the lipstick. Tessa smoothed her hand down the dress again, her gaze snagging on the Mark on her hand. The next Mark would go on her chest, over her heart, and Tessa wondered if it’d be visible in this dress. It would look different. The first Mark designated the Lord or Lady they served. The other Marks…

Tessa frowned. She knew nothing of how the other Marks were chosen. Would they look like Eviana’s?

She reached up, fingering the neckline. It covered all of her cleavage while still showing her collarbone, so maybe it would stay covered? Her fingers lingered, and she stared, wondering for the hundredth time in the last three hours how she’d found herself here.

She didn’t hear Theon enter, and she started when he appeared in the reflection behind her. He looked stupidly attractive as always, dressed in a black suit clearly tailored for him. His tie matched her dress, and he’d shaved. Tessa found herself missing the stubble that had been present along his jaw the past few days.

He brought his hand up and brushed her hair over her shoulder, his hand lingering on the back of her neck. She told herself to flinch away, but she didn’t. She hadn’t seen him since that morning. He hadn’t physically touched her since the day before, and she found herself leaning into him.

Theon didn’t say anything, but she didn’t miss the small shudder of relief that went through him in the reflection. His eyes closed briefly, reveling in the same pleasure the bond was currently giving her, and when they reopened, the emerald green was liquid as they met her eyes in the mirror. His thumb began moving tentatively on her neck, massaging sensitive points, and she drifted back a step, feeling his chest against her back.

Her eyes fluttered closed this time, Theon’s other hand coming to rest on her hip and tugging her back into him even more. The cord inside of her was buzzing with excitement, and Tessa knew she was losing a battle she’d been fighting for days. A small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to move, but a much louder voice was whispering to her soul, telling her it could be like this all the time.

“This is how it’s supposed to be, beautiful,” Theon murmured into her ear, and goosebumps pebbled along her skin.

Her eyes snapped open to meet his in the mirror once more. He was leaning into her, his hand drifting up and splaying across her torso. The hand on her neck snaked around until he loosely gripped her throat. The metal of the rings he always wore now was cool against her suddenly heated flesh. With his thumb, he tilted her head to the side before slowly lowering his lips to her flesh, keeping his gaze on hers the entire time. He trailed lingering kisses up the column of her throat, and when he reached the sensitive area behind her ear, Tessa couldn’t hold back the sigh of relief she felt at his touch.

“Don’t move.”

He stepped away from her, and she had to agree with the fit the bond was throwing, begging him to come back. What if she gave in? What if she gave in to the demands of this thing? Just this once? Would it satisfy it? Give her a reprieve from the constant desperation she felt?

Theon was back a moment later, stepping into her once more. He brought his hands over her head and laid a diamond choker against her throat, clasping it. Holding out a hand before her, Tessa looked down to find two diamond earrings lying in his palm. Wordlessly, she hooked them into her ears. Then he gently spun her, bringing her right hand to his lips. He pressed a kiss to the Mark before clasping a matching diamond bracelet to her wrist.

“This is all too much, Theon,” she finally managed to get out. “I already feel far too…extravagant. Isn’t this a bit overkill?”

“For a formal dinner with my father? No. But that truth aside, it is not too much, Tessa.” His hands landed on her waist, pulling her into him. He brought his fingers to her chin, tilting it up. “Can you do something for me tonight?”

She got lost in the brightness of his eyes. The angle of his cheekbones. The curve of his lips.

“Tessa?”

“Hmm?”

The corner of his lips twitched up and a small dimple appeared. Without thinking, she reached up, tracing it with her finger. Theon groaned at the light touch, and his brow fell forward to touch hers.

“If this were any other dinner, I would say fuck it, and spend the rest of the evening standing here in this room with you. So I’ll ask you again: can you do something for me tonight?”

“What?” she breathed, too lost in the sensation of having him so close.

“Can you remember this? What is happening right now? How you’re feeling?” he pressed, the fingers of a hand trailing up her spine. “Can you pretend, just for the night, that you want this? And after dinner, we can come right back here and pick up where we left off?”

“I…” Tessa trailed off as his hand slid beneath her hair to her neck again.