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“That’s not the… Forget it,” she said suddenly, leaning away from him. “What do I need to wear this afternoon?”

“You need to rest this afternoon.”

“Understood. What should I wear to do so?”

“What were you going to say?” he countered.

“Theon?” Axel’s voice carried in from the bedroom. “Lunch has been here for ten minutes. It’s getting cold.”

Theon held Tessa’s gaze for a moment longer before he left her sitting on the vanity to retrieve some clothing for her. He stepped out of the bathroom while she dressed in loose pants and a long-sleeve shirt, and then he led her out to eat. She ate her soup and hot turkey sandwich without a word, and when she finished, she went straight to the sofa. The rest of them weren’t even halfway through their meals, but they had also eaten at a much slower pace between light conversation and their gazes constantly cutting to her.

“Were you able to meet with her?” Axel asked Luka, tipping his bowl to get the last of his soup.

“No,” Luka said grimly. “It was too risky for Cienna this time.”

“You were covered in blood when you got back,” Theon said. “If not Cienna, who?”

“The three Legacy your father sent me to take care of.”

“Godsdamnit,” Theon muttered, sitting back in his chair and tossing his napkin on the table. “When was the last time we talked to Cienna?”

Axel had pulled a small mirror from his pocket, fiddling with the thing. “She made contact when I was there during the Opening Selection Ceremony, but I didn’t see her. Only received her message.”

“It’s something, I guess,” Theon said, tapping his finger on the table. Axel gave him a pointed look before he realized it was the same mannerism his father always made. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he swiped up his water glass.

“We should discuss how to handle tonight,” Luka said.

“I say we let it play out naturally. See if he mentions anything or what he brings up.”

“That could work,” Luka answered, rubbing his hand along his jaw in thought.

“Father isn’t going to bring this up,” Axel argued. “There is no way he would implicate himself.”

“He won’t give a fuck about implicating himself,” Theon replied. “He’s going to be far more worried about revealing a plan before he is ready to do so. He is up to something, and he doesn’t want me to know what it is yet. He will be expecting me to confront him. If we say nothing, it will keep him guessing.”

“But if Pavil and Metias had succeeded today, you would have found out anyway,” Luka cut in. “Did she tell you anything about what happened?”

“She wasn’t ready to talk about it yet,” Theon said, not revealing that was likely because he was pushing her thoughts elsewhere with his hands halfway up her thighs. “She said that my father had told them to make sure her manners had been corrected. She also mentioned something about things coming out of the ground and not knowing what they were or how it happened.”

“What things?” Axel asked.

Theon shrugged. “She was pretty shaken up. I didn’t want to push the subject yet, but we need to look into it, along with the swords and gold paint or blood or whatever the fuck it was.” He got to his feet. “We can continue this conversation, but I want to be near her. Her sleep will be more restful, and I need her to be at least partially functional for dinner.”

The others nodded. Axel went to the kitchen and poured them all some liquor before joining them. Tessa was already fast asleep on the sofa, and Theon carefully repositioned her so she rested on a pillow in his lap. He pulled the blanket she had covered up with higher over her shoulder and stroked her hair back.

“I don’t blame you, Axel,” Theon said, taking a glass from him. “There is nothing you could have done differently. You telling her to run was the best thing you could have done, and I’m grateful. But until we know what Father is planning, she needs to be with me whenever possible.”

Luka and Axel didn’t look thrilled by the idea, but they didn’t broker any arguments against it either.

“So you are going to have her attend meetings with us?” Luka asked.

“Unless you have a better idea? She’ll need to start attending them when we get to the Acropolis anyway,” Theon answered.

“What happened to easing her into this?” Axel asked.

“That changed when he came after what is mine,” Theon replied.

Axel was staring at Tessa’s sleeping form, a slight frown on his face. “Do you think Eviana was like her? Before Father…”