Page 141 of Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

“Who was moved there before you?”

“Corbin. Before him, it was Lange. Brecken. Oralia. Dex. Before Dex, it was harder to track. Tessa told me those. I don’t know that she really paid attention or cared before that. But there were a few Fae takenfromthe estate. Dade, for example, when he was tagged to be Prudence’s Source. Then he was moved to the Falein Estate.”

“In the hopes that he was one of the more powerful?” Theon mused.

“That was my assumption. I know he endured intense testing,” Katya answered.

That wasn’t surprising. All the potential Sources did.

“How was Cordelia different from the Falein Estate Mother?”

“The Celeste Estate was just…harsher, maybe? I don’t know how to explain it. Mother Cordelia had her favorites, and the restrictions were stricter for some more than others. It took a few weeks to figure out where I stood.”

“And Tessa?”

“Was not a favorite.”

Theon hadn’t realized his darkness had appeared until Kat edged away from him a little. “What did she do to her?” he asked tightly.

“It’s really not my place.”

“It’s not a request at this point, Katya.”

Her eyes darted to the door. “Understood, but I would like to wait for Axel, please.”

It annoyed him, but Theon nodded, checking his phone again. He’d already tried calling the number she’d called from yesterday.

He’d tried twice.

The door opened, and Axel walked in. Luka was behind him, each with two drinks in hand. Luka handed one to Theon, while Axel passed one to Kat.

“When did you get back?” Theon asked Luka.

“A bit ago,” he answered, grabbing a book before taking the chair opposite Axel.

The bond shifted, guilt but also satisfaction drifting down it, and again Theon flipped his phone over.

“He’s here, Katya. Tell me about Cordelia,” he said.

“Tessa can be…impulsive, especially when she’s upset or— Well, you know,” Kat said, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“What is this about, Theon?” Axel asked, his voice hard as he watched Katya.

“We were discussing the powerful Fae coming from the Celeste Estate, and she mentioned Cordelia had favorites. Tessa was the opposite,” Theon replied.

“What did she do to her?” Luka asked, his tone tinged with a growl.

A growl Theon felt down the bond that had his head snapping to Luka, sapphire eyes already fixed on him.

Luka gave him a pointed look before he turned back to Katya. “What did Cordelia do to Tessa?”

“This should really come from Tessa herself,” she said, worrying her bottom lip.

“She’s not here, so it looks like you’re going to have to tell me,” Theon replied.

“Don’t be a dick,” Axel snapped.

“What didn’t she do? She found any reason to reprimand Tessa,” Katya finally said. “And if there wasn’t a reason, she created one. She knew how to manipulate her, make her frustrated so she’d lose that control. Then she’d punish her for being reckless. Told her it was training because she wouldn’t be able to lose control when she was assigned to a kingdom. Why do you think she eats like she does? The Estate Mother would withhold food, sometimes for days at a time. Other times she gave her just stale bread and broth.”

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