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“If anyone can bring her back, it will be you, Luka, not me. Tell me nothing. I want to know nothing she tells you. She needs to know—” He paused, his gaze darting to the side as his throat bobbed.

“You’re giving up on her?” Luka demanded. “You’re walking away? You’re letting her go? Why put her through all that if you’re content to suddenly step aside?”

“I’ll never let her go. What I said still stands. I will forever fight for her,” Theon retorted, a faint trace of darkness forming before drifting away to nothing. “But she needs to know someone chose her for her. That it’s not about her power buther, and she will always assume that is my underlying motive. I’ve never given her a reason to believe otherwise.”

“So you are sending me away?” Luka clarified.

“I am. It’s not an option. It’s an order from your acting Lord,” Theon said, sounding and looking utterly pathetic as he slumped lower on the sofa. “You will get Tessa; I will get Axel.”

“And what about the Guardian bond?” Luka said. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?”

“We’ve been apart before.”

“For short periods of time, you idiot,” he growled. “You truly think I’ll be able to sit and listen to her plan to kill you when I am sworn to defend you at the expense of my own life? We need a better plan than this.”

“I’ve been told the plans are pointless, and we’re already fucked,” Theon replied.

Luka muttered another curse under his breath. “And after you find Axel?”

Theon tipped his head back against the sofa, his eyes falling closed. “It sounds like we’re preparing for war.”

49

TESSA

Her bare feet padded softly on the cool, white marble steps as she descended them, her fingers dragging along the wall made of the same. There were sconces every few feet. Orbs of golden light filled them. The same golden light that crackled at her fingertips as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Her breath hitched. Even with the ceiling so high above her and the space vast and open, she was still underground. Even with her light around her wrists where bands had once caged, she could still feel the remnants of them. She took a moment, willing her racing heart to calm. It wasn’t that she couldn’t be down here. She could go anywhere in the Faven palace she chose. There were no rules. No orders. No demands made of her. Not here. It was the one place people had never lied to her. It was the one place her questions were always answered when asked.

Yet still…

She sighed.

Dex was going to be upset that she had wandered off. He’d said something about going into the city later. Oralia had been assigned as her personal aide, which was…great. Something about making sure she was comfortable with familiar facesand friends, but there was nothing comforting about her high-pitched voice waking her up in the mornings to start her day.

A cold nose nudged her hand, and she peered down at the wolf beside her. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to how massive he was. As large ashishounds were. She’d always called them wolves. Her fingers glided through silky fur such a light shade of grey it appeared silver in the lighting. The wolf nudged her hand again, a low whine coming from him.

Taking another deep breath, she moved forward, following a wide hall. Thick panes of glass lined the passageway, allowing her to see into the rooms on either side. A few were occupied; most were vacant. Cells to hold any manner of being.

She sang softly to herself as she moved. Lines from a decree that wasn’t a decree at all.

“In all things there must be balance. Beginnings and Endings. Light and Dark. Fire and Shadows. The sky, the sea, the realms. But when the scales tip, and Chaos rains, who will fight? And who will fall?”

Her long gown swished as she moved, the silky fabric cool against her skin. The white dress dipped low between her breasts, reaching nearly to her navel and revealing just as much skin down her back. The material tied at her shoulders, and a deep slit up the side let her move freely. Threads of black and gold and pale blue were woven into the garment.

The colors both grounded her and drove her mad.

“Life must give, and Death must take. But Fate requires more.” She came to a stop before one of the glass cells. “Destiny beckons, and sacrifice demands.” The glass sparked, imbued with the same magic in her veins to contain the male within.

Valter stared back at her, sitting against the wall. He’d been stripped of his suit, looking utterly ridiculous in loose linen pants and a short-sleeved tee shirt. His black hair was a mess, and she could see the scruff on his face from where she stood.

She smiled as she sang, “Who will be left standing when Chaos comes to reign?”

“Where is Eviana?” Valter demanded, as if he had the authority to demand anything of her anymore.

“Your bond is there,” Tessa replied. “I know you can still speak with her the same way I could speak with Theon if I wanted to.”

Valter pushed to his feet before coming right up to the glass, careful not to touch it. “You were reckless to leave his side.”