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She wouldn’t end up like them. They had been raised to be this. She had been raised to be… Well, she had been raised to serve the Legacy. Other than what was in the file of information he had, he really didn’t know anything else about how she’d been raised on the Estate. Born at one of the Sirana Villas of the Achaz Kingdom, she’d been sent to the Celeste Estate the moment she was born. That was likely the real reason she hadn’t known her birthday.

Sirana. Goddess of love and fertility. Her Legacy were all sworn to the Achaz Kingdom.

Theon huffed a humorless laugh. They had the fertility part down. Not enough Fae had families of their own. Some by choice; most due to the duties they were assigned. On top of that, it was difficult for Fae to conceive in general. Numbers had started to diminish despite the extended lifespans they shared with the Legacy, so centuries ago, the kingdoms all met and agreed that something needed to be done. A new accord was made, and some Fae were assigned to the Achaz Kingdom to “serve” under the Sirana bloodline. And the love part of their duties? Escorts and entertainment.

The decision had been unanimous among the kingdoms, but even if Arius Kingdom hadn’t agreed for whatever reason, it wouldn’t have mattered. There had forever been a divide between them and the others. It stemmed from a disagreement between the Achaz and Arius Kingdoms centuries ago, and over time, Arius Kingdom had become more and more withdrawn from the rest of Devram. That was fine with Theon. They had more than enough resources within their borders to provide for their people. They had defenses. They had wealth. They had the Ozul Mountains.

And they had the Underground.

But while Theon was fine with remaining the nightmare kingdom of Devram, his father wasn’t. Things had escalated between him and Rordan Jove, the Achaz Lord, over the last several decades, and now his father wanted more. Achaz Kingdom had long been the law of Devram, upholding accords and handing out judgment for those who broke them, despite Arius being the god of judgment and endings. And while those with the gravest offenses were sent to them to be held in the Underground, his father was no longer happy being the shunned kingdom only good enough for those Devram didn’t want to deal with. Now that his heirs were coming of age to claim Sources of their own, his father was ready to put plans into motion that had been in place since before Theon was born. His father may be the biggest godsdamn dick known to Devram, but he was smart and cunning and willing to wait for opportunity.

The thing was, he’d instilled those same qualities into his children. He’d created monsters that were equally cunning and willing to do whatever was necessary to get what they wanted. The difference was they didn’t have the luxury of time. Their father’d had centuries of time to craft his plan. They’d had to get there faster, and while they were advancing their father’s plans, they were also furthering their own. Every move they made put them at risk of being caught. Of the wrong thing getting back to his father.

All the more reason Tessa needed to accept this Source bond.

Theon sighed, clicking open a message from Bohden, his father’s Commander-of-Forces, skimming the message regarding the new males and females being received at the Underground this week. None of them were of interest to him, and he moved onto the next message. Eventually he stopped reading them all together and opened a locked folder of research he’d been putting together on getting past wards.

The thing was, he was fairly certain the key to that was sleeping in his lap.

18

TESSA

The balcony she stood on was high above the ground, overlooking fields of green and gold. Grasses swayed gently in a breeze under a grey sky that somehow didn’t feel gloomy considering the color. In one direction, far off in the distance, she could make out mountains, lightning flashing periodically as if a never-ending storm hovered. In the other direction, there was a sprawling city. Buildings obscured the skyline, and she couldn’t tell where the city ended. This was clearly a country manor of some kind.

A noise behind her had her spinning around, and she found a stunning female emerging from a set of double doors. Tessa went still, unsure of where she was or what she was supposed to do. The female’s hair was nearly the exact shade of her own. Loose and wavy, it flowed down around her shoulders, reaching nearly to her navel, the tips of her arched ears peeking through the strands. Her lips were painted blood red, and she moved with an ethereal grace not even the Legacy possessed. She was dressed in an elegant ivory dress that was sheer to the point of indecency. Gold jewelry adorned her ears and neck, matching the gold belt slung around her hips. Even her fingers had gold rings. Except one. That one was silver and onyx.

The female moved to stand beside her, leaning on her arms she had folded along the balcony railing. She stared out across the expanse before them, and Tessa wondered if the female even knew she was there. She hadn’t acknowledged her. She hadn’t even looked at her.

Her question was answered a moment later, when the female turned and eyes of grey settled onto Tessa. Tessa could swear there were even glimmers of gold swirling faintly in her eyes. She did not speak. Just looked at Tessa as if she could see through to her very soul.

Another female appeared, as if she stepped from the air. If the first female was stunning, this female was beautiful in a terrifying sort of way. Her dark skin seemed to glow with a silver aura, and her raven black hair floated around her on phantom winds. She had vivid violet eyes and wore a white gown that was stark against her complexion.

“It worked,” the second female said, her voice both melodic and dark as night all at once.

“It appears it did,” the first answered. Her eyes did not leave Tessa, as if she physically couldn’t drag them away from her.

Tessa still couldn’t wrap her mind around what was happening. Should she speak? Drop to a knee? Move? Stay still?

“Does he know?” the second asked, tilting her head as she studied Tessa.

“I sent word with Altaria,” the first answered in confirmation. “He was unhappy.”

The second tsked under her breath. “This is why I do not mess around with males.”

The first smirked at her. “After his temper tantrum, he agreed that the reasoning was warranted.”

“Of course he did,” the second replied, rolling her eyes. Then she added, “You do not have much time, Akira. I can only hold her here for so long.”

“She called the Hunters today,” the first, Akira, said suddenly, an emotion Tessa didn’t know how to read flickering in her eyes. Pride? Maybe. No one had ever looked at her like that.

“Did she now? And they responded? How interesting.” The second female’s curiosity seemed to triple as she continued to study Tessa. “And the Huntresses?”

Akira’s features darkened. “They only answer to him. No one else can summon them. But he will send them. Like he did for me.” There was a short pause, and then, “The wild and untamed answered her call as well.”

“Her father’s daughter,” the second said. “She will be powerful.”

“She already is. It will only grow. My father thought he could use her against me. Use her to seek his petty revenge. She will be an unyielding storm in that world. A tempest of wrath and vengeance.”