Page 42 of Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

“And he left?” Theon replied, his eyes on Tessa where she was straightening from placing a bowl of salad on the table. Her gaze connected with his for a brief moment before she sent a glare over his shoulder. Sure enough, Luka came up beside him. Theon didn’t know what had happened between the two. Lukawouldn’t tell him, claiming what happened during their training sessions stayed between them, but those training sessions hadn’t happened for the last five days. Luka suddenly didn’t have time, and Tessa hadn’t spoken a single word to him.

Axel shrugged. “Not willingly, but he’ll be down in his quarters for the rest of the night.”

“Where does Ford sleep?” Tessa asked, plopping into her dining chair.

“There are quarters in the basement with a separate outside entrance,” Theon answered, taking the seat next to her. “How are you?”

“Fine.”

Of course she was.

Luka sat across from her, where she dutifully refused to look at him, and Axel was lowering to his own seat when he paused. “You can sit, Kat.”

Theon looked up, finding the Fae standing near the wall. This was the first time they’d all had dinner together in a week, and Katya had never joined them since she started staying here. In fact, he’d hardly seen the female.

“I can wait,” she said primly, her hands clasped in front of her.

Theon glanced at Axel, whose mouth was pressed into a thin line. He said nothing further, taking his seat and reaching for the basket of garlic bread.

Tessa had already snagged a piece of bread, tearing off a piece as Theon took the bowl of noodles from Luka that he handed across the table.

“You can sit, Kat,” Tessa said, popping the bread into her mouth. “It isn’t a test. There will not be consequences.”

Theon paused, the spoonful of noodles he was dishing onto a plate for Tessa frozen halfway there. He glanced at Axel, whosebrow was furrowed. Luka was still dishing up his dinner, but Theon knew he was listening.

“I would rather not,” Kat said, tucking some of her curls behind her ear.

“I’m sitting and eating,” Tessa offered.

“But you are not Fae.”

Tessa seemed to contemplate this for a moment before she said, “That’s fair, but even before that discovery was made, I ate at this table.”

“You are a Source,” Katya said.

Tessa sighed, setting her bread down, but before she could speak again, Axel said, “What, exactly, do you think is going on here, Kat? You heard me tell Ford you’d be eating with us if we were all here.” His eyes narrowed. “He has been making you dinner each night, right?”

“Yes, my—” She glanced around at the rest of them before all but whispering, “Yes, Axel.”

Axel turned to Tessa. “What is she worried about?”

Tessa reached for her wineglass. Theon hadn’t given her that. She must have gotten it before dinner. “We were sometimes tested at the estates. Even if given permission, we were still never to break decorum in front of Legacy. There were consequences if we did.”

She brought the glass to her lips, taking a drink.

“Are you saying they would trick you into thinking you could…” Axel trailed off, his attention going back to Kat.

Tessa set her glass down. Theon had spooned cream sauce and chicken over her noodles, and she began twirling the pasta on her fork. “One only made the mistake once.” She glanced at Kat. “I swear there will not be consequences from anyone at this table if you eat with us.”

“And those not at this table?” Kat asked, her amber eyes holding Tessa’s.

“No,” Axel said sharply. “Nothing is going to happen if you sit and eat. Sit down, Katya.”

She hesitated a moment longer before taking the seat next to Tessa. Tessa passed her the bread basket before grabbing her plate and passing it over to Axel, who heaped food onto it.

The room was full of tense silence as everyone started digging into their meals, and Tessa nudged Kat’s fork towards her before she took a bite of her own food. She leaned over, whispering something low into Kat’s ear that Theon couldn’t hear, even with their enhanced senses. Kat nodded at whatever she’d said and picked up her fork. Axel shot her a grateful look, but Tessa didn’t acknowledge it, digging into her own meal.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Axel asked after a few minutes. He was never one to let silence linger.

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