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“I will need to check with Theon to confirm that,” Axel said smoothly. “He is very protective of his Source, as you can imagine.”

“Of course. It is his protectiveness that drove him to desire her next to him,” the first voice replied. “Our meeting is going much longer than anticipated, so he would like her present.”

“She just got in the shower, so she will likely be a bit,” Axel said. “I can call down to the study and verify—”

“I really don’t think that’s necessary. We are allies now, are we not?” came the second voice. “I am starting to become offended at the obvious lack of trust you are displaying in us.”

“We are allies, Pavil, but my brother entrusted the safety of his Source to me, and I take that responsibility seriously,” Axel answered. “More seriously than you appear to take your life when you interrupted an Arius Heir.”

There was a long pause, and Tessa found herself smiling at Axel putting the male in his place.

And she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that.

“It will only take a moment to confirm everything,” Axel was saying.

“This is urgent business, Axel,” the first voice sneered. “Your father is going to be very displeased if you do not go to his study immediately.”

Axel went silent, and Tessa wasn’t sure what to do. Suddenly, her phone pinged softly in her hand.

Axel: Run, Tessa. Theon isn’t answering his phone. However you got down from that balcony, do it again and run. Theon will find you.

“Fine. I will head down there. Bring her straight to Theon as soon as she is done,” she heard Axel saying. “But know if she arrives with a single hair out of place, you will deal with Theon, and we all know how that will go.”

Tessa didn’t linger any longer. She was still in her running clothes, but she had removed her shoes. Guess she was doing this barefoot.

With nowhere to put her phone, she tossed it on the bed and rushed over to the balcony doors, scurrying through and shutting them behind her. Darting to the left, she climbed over the balcony railing and onto the thin ledge that ran to the trellis. With her back to the wall, she slowly inched her way along, the wards pressing against her skin. She had moved faster the last time she’d done this, but the wind was picking up and some of the gusts were strong. Just as she was nearing the trellis, she heard the balcony doors burst open. She leapt the remaining distance, her hands slicing open on the wood as she caught herself. Her bare feet fought for purchase.

“What the fuck?”

Tessa looked over to see a shorter Legacy with slicked back hair and dark eyes watching her in shock. Another slightly taller Legacy came rushing up behind him.

“The side entrance,” the second one said, pulling the other to follow him. “We’ll cut her off in the gardens.”

The two males disappeared as Tessa climbed down the trellis as quickly as she could. She jumped the last few feet and cried out as she landed wrong, her ankle wrenching to the side. Not giving herself a second to dwell on the pain, she took off running. Her ankle was throbbing, and the bond was growing more and more agonizing as she put distance between her and Theon.

The sound of pounding feet behind her had her putting on a burst of speed. Looking over her shoulder, she found the two Legacy easily gaining on her. She pushed her sore legs faster, but between her ankle and the bond, coupled with the fact she was already tired from their run a mere hour ago, she had already lost.

“It’s okay, Tessalyn,” one of them called to her, much closer than they’d been a moment ago. “We just want to get to know you better. We’re going to be spending lots of time together.”

Tessa followed the path that Theon had been taking her running on the last two days. It wound down farther into the gardens before it would eventually turn and take her past the kennels and the stables. She flung herself around a corner, and as she did, she tripped on a root in the path. She lurched forward, sprawling to her hands and knees. Before she could right herself, a hand latched onto her sprained ankle, and she cried out as pain and panic coursed through her.

“Such a pretty little thing you are,” the one with the slicked-back hair crooned, dragging her along the stone path closer to him. Her arms and knees scraped on the stone.

“Let me go!” she cried, trying to find anything to grab onto as she was pulled backwards.

“Now, Tessalyn,” came the second, walking up beside her. “Is that any way to speak to a Legacy? Although Valter did say you had an issue with manners.” He crouched down before her, reaching over and running a single finger along her jaw. “He gave us permission to make sure those manners were corrected. Sadly, I am finding them lacking.”

Terror and fear clawed their way up Tessa’s spine, her already racing heart ramping up even more. The male who held her ankle began sliding his hand up her calf, and the other one tried to grab her wrist.

“No!” Tessa cried. She kicked out with her good foot, putting every bit of strength she could muster into the movement, and caught the one at her feet in the nose. He cursed as he jerked back from her, blood pouring out from behind his hand.

“You little bitch!” he spat, his voice nasally. “How dare you attack a Legacy!”

“Those manners definitely need correcting,” the second male said through clenched teeth, fury lining his features.

“Don’t touch me!” Tessa cried, scrambling away from him as he made another grab for her. A violent gust of wind tore through the garden path, knocking the second male back several inches, and Tessa used it to her advantage, crawling away even farther.

She shoved herself to her feet as the male came for her again, and she threw her hands out in front of her. “No!”