Page 257

Tessa blinked, not sure what to say. She hadn’t expected him to be here. This hadn’t been in the vision that had prepared her for this night.

Panic bubbled up. She’d put these bands on. She’d made herself defenseless. She’d created another fucking mess, and she didn’t?—

“We had to work around those little glimpses of the future you have,” Valter said, drawing her focus back to him. She didn’t know he’d known about them, about her Witch heritage. Theon hadn’t divulged the information at the hearing, but of course he’d told his father. He must have told him in a report. Valter had probably known long before she did.

“Things weren’t supposed to happen this way,” he continued, his hands clasped behind his back as he rocked back on his heels, an action she’d seen both of his sons do numerous times.

“Then what way were they supposed to happen?” Tessa asked, lifting her chin as she held his gaze.

“For one, you were never supposed to be bonded to my heir,” he sneered. “But I’d been told we’d lost track of you when that was clearly never the case. At least, not entirely.”

“What?” Tessa asked, her head tipping to the side at this new information. She’d been told many things from Theon, from Mother Cordelia, from Rordan, but never about this. “What does that mean?”

A cruel smile tilted on his lips. “So innocent to trust so foolishly.”

“I trust no one,” she snapped. “Not you. Not Lord Jove. And certainly not your godsdamn son.”

That smile faded as he sneered, “This would have gone so differently if he could have brought you to heel, but he couldn’t even do that right, could he?”

It was her turn to smile. “Turns out I don’t like collars,” she retorted.

He was in front of her in the next blink, moving as fast as Theon sometimes did. His hand was at her throat, and this wasn’t a firm grip of warning like Theon often gave her. Valter’s fingers squeezed, digging into her flesh and restricting her air.

“The plans I had for you,” he said, his tone low and vicious. “If he could have simply driven the wildness from you. Imagine having Achaz blood bound to the Arius Kingdom.”

Her eyes widened at his admission as her hands clawed at his wrist, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

“Theon didn’t tell you, did he?” Valter said, his eyes searching hers. He leaned in even closer, his words a whispered breath that made her entire body shudder in disgust. “He figured out your maternal lineage, Tessa. He figured it all out weeks ago.”

“No,” she gasped out, hardly feeling the sting of yet another betrayal from him.

“Oh, yes,” he said, leaning back to see her better once more, his grip loosening enough to let her choke down a gulp of air before tightening again. “I suspect he’s figured out your paternal line too. He may be weak in so many areas, but cleverness is not one of them. Of course, my idiot son hasn’t told a single soul your full lineage. Not me. Not his Guardian. Clearly not you. Always so protective of the information he gathers. He hoards secrets.” Valter shrugged. “Can’t say that I blame him. We all do. It’s how we get ahead in this world. Secrets and betrayals. I would say I taught him well if it weren’t for the fact that he is withholding this information because he has grown attached to you rather than keeping it for personal gain.”

The snow was starting to come down harder now, and it wasn’t gently falling flakes. These were sharp, pelting frozen bits of rain shattering as they hit the ground. Valter didn’t even seem fazed as he pulled her close to him, her chest pressing to his front.

“Everything would have been fine if he’d have just let me handle this, but he insisted on fighting for you,” Valter went on. “Refused to back down. And how could I convince him without revealing secrets of my own?”

He forced her to turn her head then, letting her suck in another sharp breath as she scanned the black-robed figures around them. She’d been so startled by Valter’s appearance, she’d forgotten they weren’t alone. Theon had never let her be in his presence without him. Not once.

His lips were at her ear again as he spoke softly. “How was I supposed to explain that I’d had to keep him busy the night of your emerging when we realized who you were? That I had to give Rordan time to verify everything? Or at least, that’s what I’d thought.”

Her legs were trembling at his admission. He’d been working with Lord Jove this entire time. She shook her head, trying to get him to loosen his grip on her throat again. To her surprise, his fingers slackened the smallest amount.

“For centuries we’d been waiting for you to come and fulfill the prophecies of the Revelation Decree. We felt it, you know. The day you entered this world. The entire realm trembled the moment you appeared here. We all did.”

“Who is all?” she asked.

“All of us. The ruling families. The Augury. Even the common Legacy and Fae. They simply didn’t realize what it meant.”

“And what did it mean?”

She felt him smile against her ear. “That Chaos was here. Chaos always comes when the balance tips.”

He released her then, shoving her away, and she stumbled, nearly slipping on the slick ground.

“Of course, I couldn’t look for you myself, sequestered in the corner of the realm. Others would become suspicious. But Rordan assured me he would find you. Imagine my surprise when Theon Selected you,” Valter said, slowly circling around her. “I’m not a fool. I knew Rordan had his own plans. After all, he left the Augury five years ago. I knew then he’d found you and kept it from me, but he was so godsdamn careful. Never visiting you. Never letting on where you were.”

“What do you mean he found me?” Tessa asked, her hair starting to become matted to her face.