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“For fuck’s sake,” Theon muttered, shoving a hand through his hair and setting his water down with a little too much force. He stalked off to go get Tessa. She needed to eat more than an apple and then they could talk.

“Tessa, I’m—”

But the words died on his lips. Her bed was empty. He looked around the small room before going into the dressing room and on into the bathroom. He must have missed her in his bedroom.

“Tessa?” he called, stepping into his room. His bed was perfectly made, and there was certainly no blonde-haired beauty in it. The chairs by the fireplace were empty, and one look out the balcony doors told him the balcony was vacant too. “Tessa?” he called again, mainly because he couldn’t fathom where she could possibly be.

“What’s wrong?” Luka asked, appearing in the doorway, Axel looking over his shoulder.

“She’s not here,” Theon said, still not able to fully wrap his mind around that statement.

“What do you mean she’s not here?” Luka said, stepping fully into the room and going to her small bedroom.

“She has to be here,” Axel said, looking around as if he might spot her when everyone else had missed her. “She only came out to the other room once. It’s not like I could have missed her. She has to be here,” he said again.

Luka came from the bathroom, clearly having taken the same path Theon had in his search. “Order her to come out. Entrance her,” he said. “If she’s hiding somewhere, she’ll have to obey.”

Jumping on that idea, Theon said, “Tessalyn, come here.”

They all stood still and waited.

And waited.

“It’s not possible,” Axel said. “She couldn’t just disappear. What’d she do? Climb over the balcony railing and jump down three stories?”

He scoffed at the absurdity of the idea, but Luka and Theon locked eyes before rushing out onto the balcony. Luka went to the left, and Theon went to the right.

“Here,” Luka said. “This ledge leads over to lattice work and vines. Fuck!”

“You can’t be serious,” Axel said from the doorway. “She didn’t actually… The wards would have stopped her from leaving without one of us.”

“Oh, she did,” Theon growled, going to Luka’s side and looking down. “She absolutely did.”

“Do you want to fly to find her?” Luka asked, looking out at the gardens that eventually shifted to forest as they climbed up the mountainside.

“No. My father might notice, and he cannot find out about this,” Theon said.

This had to explain the shift in the bond. She was getting farther away from him. The urgency was still there, but it was becoming muted and muffled. “We’ll take the horses and hounds. Axel, stay here in case she ends up coming back. Call me if she does.”

“Got it,” Axel said. “I’m sorry, Theon. I didn’t know—”

Theon cut him off. “It’s not your fault, Axel. She’s…”

“Uncontrollable?” Luka supplied.

Theon was clenching his teeth so hard, he was surprised he didn’t crack a molar. “Strong willed,” he finally ground out. He snatched the thin blanket from her bed before stalking into the dressing room. “Call down to the stables and have them ready two of mine.”

“On it,” Axel called in to him.

Theon quickly changed into jeans, riding boots, and a thermal. He’d grab a heavier jacket from hooks by the door on his way out.

What the fuck was she thinking? Sure, it was decent during the day, but as soon as the sun started setting, the temperature in the mountains would plummet. What if this odd weather continued and it stormed? There weren’t any jackets or gear in here that she could have taken with her. Had she taken any food? Water? And where did she even think she was going to go? Guards would see her trying to cross the gates or walls. He had to assume she was going to attempt going up the mountain at the back of the property, where she would face not only the elements but the things that prowled the woods and Ozul Mountains.

Luka met him outside his rooms as he shrugged on his jacket, heading for the stairwell to take them out the side entrance of the east wing. Luka had changed as well, his face grim. They strode along the paths to the stables in silence, stopping to grab two of Theon’s prized hounds on the way. These weren’t your typical hunting dogs. They had sleek black coats, eyes that glowed like embers, and were as large as a small horse. They were more like wolves than hounds, he supposed.

He whistled sharply as he entered the kennels, and the howling and excited yips of his hounds immediately ceased. He unlocked the pens of his best trackers, Kacela and Rigel. They would make short work of finding her.

The hounds dutifully fell into step behind him as they continued on their way to the stables. When they arrived, two stable hands were finishing checking straps and buckles. Luka crossed to the small storage space to retrieve packs and fill them with water and a little food. Tessa couldn’t have made it that far traveling on foot. She only had a few hours’ lead on them. They ought to be able to catch up to her in an hour or two. At least Theon hoped so. That unnecessary meeting had gone on for hours.