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She nodded, standing and disappearing into the bedroom. She’d left the phone sitting on the table, and he still could not figure out her odd reaction to it. He was no closer to understanding her than he was when she’d waved chocolate in his face.

He was still contemplating it when Axel and Luka returned a few minutes later, and just as Theon was about to go check on her, Tessa came back from the bedroom. She had a white cardigan over her dress, and she’d grabbed a small gold purse as well. Theon swiped the new phone off the table and handed it to her, and she immediately slipped it into her clutch without a word.

“Are we ready?” Luka asked, holding the keys to their usual vehicle.

“I think so,” Theon answered, bringing his hand to Tessa’s lower back to guide her forward. Axel and Luka bantered back and forth about the Chaosphere teams and the season that would start in the next week. Theon had never really understood why they cared about such trivial things like sports, especially Chaosphere.

They were just reaching the main foyer when his father’s voice called out to them. Tessa went rigid beside him, and he heard her suck in a sharp breath. He slid his hand from her back around to her hip, tucking her into his side.

The males all turned to face the Arius Lord as he descended a set of stairs that led up to his study, Eviana falling from his side to a step behind him. He came to a stop before them, and they all bowed their heads in greeting, Tessa keeping her eyes fixed on the marble floor.

“Where are you three off to?” his father asked.

“I have some errands to run. I trust you saw the additions to the Acropolis agenda?” Theon answered. “Luka and Axel are just along for the ride.”

“You’re not going all the way to Rockmoor?” Valter asked, his phone in hand as he thumbed his screen, not bothering to look at them.

“No. Just into Castle Pines,” Theon answered. “We will be home in plenty of time to get ready for dinner.”

“See that you are,” Valter said, his eyes lifting to Tessa in a way that made Theon want to shove her behind him. He nodded once to Theon, before turning and striding off, murmuring softly to Eviana, who had moved back to his side.

Theon ushered Tessa quickly out the door and down the steps, opening the back door of the vehicle and helping her into the backseat. Shutting the door, he turned to go around to the other side and nearly ran directly into Luka’s chest.

“What did you do?” Luka demanded in a harsh whisper.

“Exactly what I said I was going to do,” Theon answered, glaring as he put some space between them. “I ensured she never tries to run again.”

“By taking away the little control she had? You, of all people, should know how quickly a person snaps when they have no control.”

“No,” Theon ground out. “As soon as she accepts the bond, I’ll ease up on her. I need her to see how bad it could be so she’ll appreciate the way it can be.”

Luka scoffed. “That will never work.”

“Then what, exactly, do you suggest?”

“Are we going or what?” Axel called, standing on the running board to look over the top of the vehicle at them.

“We’re coming,” Luka yelled back, but before he moved to get in, he pointed a finger at Theon. “This is going to bite you in the ass, Theon. Mark my words.”

He sidestepped him and climbed into the driver’s seat, leaving Theon to go around the vehicle and climb into the backseat behind Axel. Tessa had her clutch lying in her lap and was looking straight ahead. He could only assume she hadn’t spoken to Axel.

Between the conversation this morning with his father and the confrontation he’d just had with Luka, he wanted her right beside him. Her presence was soothing, and her touch eased the constant tension in his chest. He could say the tension was from the Source bond, but the truth was that tightness had been there long before he found himself with a bonded Source. Reaching over, he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards him. He knew he was a bastard for it. This wasn’t a power play or to show her he was in charge. This was him wanting comfort simply by touching her because somehow he could breathe easier when she was close.

She slid across the seat wordlessly, and Luka glared at him in the rearview mirror. Tucking her into his side, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. He may have been a bastard for what he was doing to her, but for the drive to Castle Pines, he let himself forget about it all. He let himself forget she was his Source, and he was her Master. He let himself forget about his father’s plans and his own plans. He let himself forget he was the heir of the Arius Kingdom and that she was forced to be by his side.

He let himself forget he was more like his father than he cared to admit.

* * *

Theon stood in his bedroom, sipping on the glass of liquor in his hand as he watched the female on the balcony. She sat on one of the balcony sofas, her knees pulled to her chest and a blanket wrapped around her, cradling a cup of tea in her palms.

She had been the portrait of obedience in Castle Pines, never straying from his side. She’d been utterly flawless in public, just as he’d told her she needed to be. When they spoke to her, her responses remained as few words as possible, even with Axel and Luka. He knew they were unhappy with the situation by the glares they threw at him all afternoon. Axel had tried to get her to go with him a few times, but she had shaken her head or politely declined, staying right by Theon’s side. She’d acted like Eviana. Like a Source would be expected to act. It was what he’d demanded of her, so why was he hating every godsdamn second of it?

One of his stops had been to take Tessa to get a laptop and tablet. She would need them for her various training sessions at the Acropolis. While she wouldn’t need to attend all the trainings the other Fae would go through, she would have to attend some of them. In addition, she would be attending various meetings and events with him. He needed her to have access to various information.

He had asked her to pick out the ones she wanted. She had scarcely glanced at the display models before saying she was sure he knew which were best while she stood with her hands clasped in front of her. He’d ended up just getting her the top of the line devices. Over the next few days, he would put the same blocks and enchantments onto them as he’d done with her phone before giving them to her.

When they’d arrived home and made it back to their rooms, he’d told her she could change into more comfortable clothing until it was time to get ready for dinner, but she’d declined, only removing her shoes. She’d asked if she could make a cup of tea and sit on the balcony. When he’d tensed at the mention of her escape route, her shoulders had curled in.