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“Perhaps because you don’t tell me what happens in those training sessions. You won’t even let me in the room.”

Luka sent him a dry look. “You know why you can’t be in there. Your need to protect her would prevent me from properly training her. As for her training, I keep you apprised of her progress.”

“Then what caused the days’ long stand-off between you two?”

“That is between me and her.”

“Except it can’t be. Not anymore,” Theon said. “She has ideas. Her past holds secrets, whether or not she knows it.”

“She hasn’t told me anything about her past, Theon.”

“Maybe nothing that seems obvious. But the question she asked Cienna? That seemed innocent enough too, and it wasn’t.”

“You’re becoming paranoid,” Luka muttered.

“I am not paranoid, you ass. I recognize we have a deadline, and I’ll admit that I’ve been underestimating Tessa.”

Luka snickered. “You think?”

“We ready to go?” Axel called, meeting them at the entrance of the smaller training pit.

Kat and Tessa had their heads together, murmuring to each other. Theon should really speak to the Fae more too, but a stubborn part of him was refusing to spend any more time with her than he needed to. His father wanted him to take her as a new Source, and that was never going to happen.

And then there was Felicity.

He felt Tessa’s eyes dart to him when his thoughts went to the female he was bound to with a Match contract. That was the deal he made with his father in exchange for his help in retrieving Tessa from Lord Jove. It had been impulsive, something he never was, but when it came to Tessa, he’d panicked. And his father had taken advantage, striking this godsdamn bargain. His Match union would occur within a month of the Selection Year ending, but with the contract signed, it was as good as solidified.

It hadn’t escaped him that Tessa had not asked who the Match contract was with. In fact, she’d hardly mentioned it again since learning of it in his father’s study, and truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to bring it up either. Would she be upset? Or worse, would she suddenly not care?

“It’s not too far to the central districts now,” Axel was saying.

“But there are more tunnels?” Tessa said, already dragging her hands through her hair and tugging at the ends.

“Yeah,” Axel answered. “Sorry, baby doll.”

“Can’t we just come back in three days or tomorrow or?—”

“Come on, Tessa,” Theon said, stepping forward and gently taking her wrists. “We’ve gone over this.”

She whirled to Luka, gesturing to his wings. “How can you like it down here?”

“It’s not ideal, but I can still fly in the caverns and in the central districts,” Luka said, his tone low and coaxing. “It’s open there. It doesn’t feel like you’re underground.”

“But you can’t see the sky,” she said. Then to herself, she muttered, “No fresh air. No way out. Trapped because they won’t let me go.”

“Let’s get to where we’re staying tonight. We’ll eat. You can rest…” Theon trailed off, threading his fingers with hers andtugging her along. Luka fell into step beside them. He’d drop back when the passages got narrow.

“What did you think of Cienna?” Theon asked when Tessa began muttering to herself again.

“What?” she asked.

“Cienna. What did you think of her?”

“She doesn’t like you.”

“She…does in her own way.”

“Why wouldn’t she answer more questions?”