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But she saw Valter’s face. Saw the look of satisfaction at being the one to reveal this to her. Saw the cruel smile, the glint in his hateful eyes. Saw the way he was controlling everyone in this room with moves and countermoves.

Saw exactly where Theon had learned it from.

“Get this Source bond severed, and we’ll get a new bond sorted with the fire Fae,” Valter continued. “I suggest you begin spending time with her so the bond has something to build on to avoid the complications experienced this time.”

“You are going to take Katya as a Source?” Tessa blurted.

When had all of this been planned and decided? Theon now had a Match and a new Source all lined up? And she was just to be…passed around to wherever it was most convenient to have her?

Toshareher?

To produce children?

How was this any different from being sent to serve the Sirana bloodline in the Achaz Kingdom?

“Tessa,” Theon hissed in warning again.

There was a hand at her elbow, and she was jerking away from Luka’s touch because it wasn’t Theon, and the bond was having a fit at all the new information, and these fucking bands were driving her half-mad, and?—

There were hands on her face, tilting it up to look into emerald irises. “I need you to breathe, Tessa. Take a breath. Now.”

The command settled in her soul, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, because surely this display would have consequences with his father. “I didn’t mean?—”

“Another breath,” Theon demanded.

She nodded, taking in two more to calm whatever this was. Although, the calming was likely due more to his touch than the actual act of breathing.

Theon held her gaze a moment longer before releasing her and turning back to his father. “Is there anything else we need to discuss at the moment?”

“Do not fuck this up, Theon,” Valter warned, pushing to his feet and stalking over to them. “I’ve spent too many decades preparing for this to let your female fuck it all up.”

Luka shifted, coming to stand beside Theon and adding an extra body between her and the Arius Lord.

“I understand,” Theon said gruffly.

“To make sure you do, it is not death that will be a consequence for failure. I can, after all, give her to others, even if she is Matched with Luka.”

“I said I understand,” Theon snapped, and then he was kneeling with a grunt and darkness was engulfing them. Luka was shoving Tessa back before black flames were flaring as vines worked to ensnare him.

When the shadows had receded, she found Luka had subdued Eviana, but Theon had…a dagger sticking out of his side.

Tessa was blinking hard, trying to process what she was seeing, and she stumbled back farther as Theon struggled to his feet, pulling out the dagger with another sharp hiss between his teeth. The blade disappeared in a swirl of shadows. He pressed a hand to his side, but it didn’t keep the blood from seeping between his fingers.

“Anything else, Father?” Theon bit out.

“That reminder of expectations should be sufficient for now,” Valter answered, turning his back on them and moving to the desk across the room.

Eviana followed, and Luka was at Theon’s side, trying to inspect the wound.

“It’s fine,” Theon muttered. “We’ll take care of it at the training arena. Tessa needs those bands off for a while.”

The male had just been stabbed, and he was thinking of her?

“You will not be going to the training arenas,” Valter called out, his back still turned to them.

Theon’s jaw visibly clenched, and Tessa, once again, didn’t know what the fuck to do.