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Tessa nodded mutely, and Theon slowly rose off her, taking one of her hands to pull her up with him. He didn’t release her hand, and she tucked her hair behind her ear as he led her back out to the main room and to the dining table. While she was taking her seat, he went and retrieved her coffee mug from the window, going to the kitchen to refill it.

She frowned slightly. He was waiting on her. It was supposed to be the other way around.

The sound of the door drew her attention, and a moment later, Axel came through with a pastry box in hand. He was still in his running gear, a protein shake balanced atop the box.

“Morning, baby doll,” he said in greeting, flashing her a grin.

She gave him a tight smile in return.

“Do I need to text you?” he asked, placing the pastry box on the table. “Is that the only way we communicate now?”

“I texted you once,” she retorted. “The rest was all you because you talk incessantly.”

“There she is,” he said, his grin widening. He flipped open the pastry box. “They’re bringing up eggs and sausage, but I thought these might be a good start.”

She crossed her arms but leaned forward an inch to peer inside. There were a variety of muffins. It wasn’t doughnuts, but they would do.

If Theon let her have one.

Her coffee mug appeared in front of her, and she could feel him standing behind her. This presence that both drew her in and made her want to scream.

“These look like Pen’s doing,” Theon said, reaching for the box and grabbing a muffin.

“You know Pen,” Axel replied, dropping into a chair. He pulled a small mirror from his pocket that Tessa had seen him fiddling with every once in a while. She’d been curious, but not enough to ask about it. That would require speaking to them. The ring on his finger matched one of Theon’s, the black stone in the center gobbling up any light.

Theon slid the box closer to Tessa as he lowered into the chair beside her. “Pen used to work in the kitchens before she was promoted to serve us.”

“Promoted,” Tessa deadpanned.

“Yes,” Theon answered unfazed. “She is a talented baker though, and she still finds her way to the kitchens a few days a week. Apparently, this morning was one of them. Pick one.”

She kept her arms firmly crossed, not wanting to take anything from him after he’d basically forced her to agree to running with him.

“There are all kinds,” Axel said, rolling that stupid mirror between his knuckles.

“Blueberry?” Theon asked, his hand hovering over the box.

She pursed her lips, but when he started to reach for one, she blurted, “Chocolate chip.”

“Good choice,” Axel said with a wink.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, snatching the muffin from Theon’s hand.

Axel and Theon fell into conversation, and she sank back into herself. She may be with one of them at all hours these days, but she was more alone than ever.

One, two, three…

15

TESSA

“Why did I want to do this again?” Tessa moaned.

She was lying on the floor, and Axel was helping her stretch her legs and hip flexors. Theon had her up before dawn the last two mornings to go running. She liked dawn. While sipping coffee and watching the sun rise. Not dying and being unable to breathe while the sun was rising.

Theon made her eat a banana on their way out the door. They would meet Axel and proceed to run along the various garden paths. The first day she’d made it almost two miles before she was done. She may not have been athletic, but it wasn’t as though she sat around all day at the Estate. She needed to keep busy, or she’d go half-mad if she was forced to stay indoors or in one place too long. And, of course, she’d had to run to avoid being caught a few times too. So she could run, but not for the enjoyment of it.

Today, Theon had made her go nearly three miles, informing her that her Fae body was more than capable of going that far. She wasn’t fast, and they were clearly slowing their pace way down to stay with her. Theon and Axel were having godsdamn conversations during these runs while she was busy trying to suck down air.