Page 96

TESSA

Tessa spent the entire next day being ignored by Theon, Axel, and Luka unless they wanted something. Thankfully, Theon had let her sleep in and didn’t make her get up to go running, and she’d been perfectly content being left to herself all day. She spent the entirety of it trying to meld the Theon who had taken care of her after the Source bond had been initiated with the Legacy who was her Master now. Really, the same could be said for all three of them.

Theon always had a temper that he worked hard to keep under control, not to mention how possessive he was, but now? Now there was a darkness that seemed to constantly linger around him. Literally. Whatever dark magic he possessed was often coiling around him or trailing his footsteps. Now he was cold more than he was hot. She was rarely allowed out of his sight, and he would randomly summon her to his side, seemingly just to have her near.

Even more confusing were the random times he would corner her and kiss up her neck or trail his fingers along her body. The cord in her chest would flare to life with renewed vigor. Apparently it could sense when he was being aloof with her, and when he gave her attention, it did whatever it could to keep it. The sensations were sharper, and the pleasure was deeper…but then he’d flip that switch again, leaving her practically panting and unable to focus on anything else.

Luka and Axel were just as big of a mystery. Their own demons seemed to peer out from sapphire and emerald eyes. Axel’s carefree mannerisms were few and far between, his darkness making an appearance every once in a while, and Luka seemed to be more brooding and aloof than before. Neither of them spoke to her unless necessary. The days of conversation around the table while eating breakfast or playing cards together were clearly over. Everything had changed since the incident with Pavil and Metias, and Tessa couldn’t figure out why for the life of her. All she knew was her world was a little darker, and she found herself caring less and less every day.

“Hey, beautiful,” came soft words whispered into her ear. “You need to wake up.”

Tessa groaned as she came up out of the deep sleep she’d been in. She grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her head. “I’m not running today, Theon,” she mumbled back, praying to the gods he would let her sleep again this morning.

But her prayers went unanswered as usual when he pulled the pillow from her hands. “We are not going running, Tessa. We need to be on the road to Rockmoor in an hour. You need to get up and get ready.”

She went rigid at the words. She’d adamantly ignored any thoughts of the aptitude test she was going to be forced into today. No one said anything about it to her, and whenever it tried to cross her thoughts, she immediately put in earbuds and turned up one of the playlists Axel had set up for her. She didn’t think she was going to be able to sleep last night, but when Theon had crawled into the bed and tugged her back to his chest and began making slow circles with his thumb along her stomach, she found herself asleep within minutes.

“Come on, little storm,” he murmured, and she felt the blankets being pulled off of her before hands were on her shoulders and rolling her to her side. “Look at me, Tessa.”

She took a deep, steadying breath and opened her eyes to find him staring back at her with concern. “I do not know…” He trailed off for a moment before clearing his throat. “I do not know what the best clothing options are for the assessment today.”

“My running clothes will be best,” she answered, pushing herself up before him. He lifted a hand as if he were going to touch her, but he dropped it back to his side instead, nodding once in confirmation. He moved to get off the bed but paused when she said, “I’ll need a change of clothing for afterwards.”

That muscle in his jaw ticked, and darkness appeared in his irises. “Understood. Get up and get ready. Axel and Luka will be here in a half hour. We will eat breakfast on the way.”

Forty minutes later, they were piling into the vehicle, Luka behind the wheel as usual. As they were pulling out of the gates, Theon handed her a banana and a yogurt with granola.

They’d been driving for nearly twenty minutes when Theon said, “You need to eat, Tessa.”

She looked down at her lap where she still held the breakfast in her hands. He could be right. She could need the sustenance, but he could also be very wrong. Having food in her stomach could be the worst thing to do depending on what the assessment would entail. Opting for middle ground, she set the yogurt in the cupholder and slowly ate the banana as they drove. Theon didn’t mention finishing her breakfast again, and she found herself grateful he had momentarily paused being a dick for the day.

Then she wondered at what point that had become her standard of something she was grateful for.

The trip to Rockmoor went by quickly, and before she knew it, they were pulling up in front of a towering white building. There was a smaller version of this building in Arobell near the Celeste Estate. A health compound for various procedures, including element assessments.

Try as she might, Tessa couldn’t help the trembling that had started in her limbs as Axel and Luka climbed out of the vehicle. The banana she had forced down was already threatening to make a reappearance, and she swallowed hard against the bile rising in her throat.

“Tessa.”

She brought her eyes to Theon’s. He said nothing else as he stared back at her. She could swear the cord was vibrating so violently between them, it was going to rise up out of their skin. He reached out a hand to her, and she took it, allowing him to pull her along the seat. He pressed his brow to hers, his hand slipping to the nape underneath the high ponytail she’d put her hair in.

“I will be there. As soon as it is over,” he murmured. “I will be there to take care of you.”

And even though she knew it was because she was his Source and not because he actually cared about her, she nodded her head, forcing back the tears threatening to pool in her eyes. She would need him. She would need the bond. She would need something to anchor her if she could not have her friends, her real family, surrounding her afterwards. A part of her broke at knowing it’d be him that would hold her together after this.

She didn’t beg him not to make her do this. It wouldn’t change anything. She knew that even though his father had ordered this, he wanted it done too. He wanted to know just as much as his father did.

Theon brushed his lips lightly against hers before turning and opening the car door. He led her over to where Luka and Axel were waiting near the entrance.

“Ready?” Luka asked, glancing from her to Theon.

Theon nodded, and Luka pulled the door open. The inside was as white as the outside of the building. Bright lights glared off the white marble floor. A white marble desk rose up in front of them, a Fae sitting behind it. She wore a black business suit, her brown hair twisted into a tight bun at the back of her head. She stood and bowed immediately in the presence of the Legacy, then realizing that the Arius heirs stood before her, she dropped to a knee.

“Forgive me, my Lords,” she murmured to the ground.

“Rise,” Theon answered, his tone severe. “You know why I am here, yes?”

The Fae nodded. “I will call for a Priestess at once.”