Page 94 of Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

But she couldn’t answer him. She didn’t knowhowto answer him.

“Don’t be silly,” Oralia scoffed. “We’ve known her for years. Of course she knows we’re on her side. We’ve always been there for her.” She turned her attention to Tessa, flicking her long hairover her shoulder. “Dex has more than proven he’s on your side, Tessa.”

Oralia had a point. From the moment she’d met him beneath a set of stairs, he’d done nothing but help her. He got her food, helped her avoid Mother Cordelia’s wrath whenever he could, and had accepted her when no one else did. He’d never asked for or expected anything in return.

“Sorry,” Tessa finally muttered, rubbing at her arms. “I’m just in a mood tonight.”

“It’s all right,” Dex said, his entire demeanor shifting. “Is he still not letting you expel power regularly?” At her furrowed brow, he added, “Lord Jove informed me of how things went at the Tribunal Hearing.”

“Why?”

“Because I serve in his house, Tessa,” Dex said, his eyes narrowing. “We can talk about this later, when you’re not so defensive.”

“I’m not being defensive,” she snapped. “It is just odd that a Lord—theAchazLord at that—is confiding in a Fae he only chose weeks ago.”

“Does the Arius Heir not confide in you?” Brecken asked, leaning against the wall to her right.

“No. I mean, yes,” she quickly corrected at Brecken’s arched brow. “But that’s different. I’m his Source.”

“And yet he only chose you weeks ago,” he countered with a shrug.

“That’s…” She huffed. Fine, it was a somewhat valid point.

“She’s already said she’s feeling off and in a mood right now because of her power. Leave her alone, Breck,” Dex cut in. Looking down at her, he added, “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“No? You hardly ate your dinner.”

“You were watching?”

“Of course I was watching. I rarely get to see you. He keeps you hidden away. No training. Private lessons,” Dex replied in frustration. At her perplexed expression, he added, “I worry about you, Tessie. We all do.”

She hummed an acknowledgment, her attention turning to the makeshift dance floor at the end of the room, as far away from the ruling families as it could be. There were several Fae dancing, even some Legacy. Males and females in stunning dresses and masks. One female with silver hair tipped her head back, a laugh falling from her lips as her partner spun her around. His black clothing was elegant, threads of red and gold along the lapels of his jacket. His gold and silver mask matched hers, and Tessa frowned. She was clearly Legacy, but was he? They both had rings on their fingers, but those were not Union Marks on the back of their left hands. The only Marks that went there were Source Marks. She had other Marks on her bare arms. Some black. Some a faded silver.

The male spun her again, and Tessa could swear there were wisps of shadows and white flames that echoed her footsteps. Silver eyes connected with hers for the briefest of moments, and Tessa could only describe the smile that filled her face as darkness itself. Then the male was pulling her back into him, bending to speak into her ear, and her eyes were back on him as he held her close.

Tessa’s power strained, thrashing against the bands. Another crack of thunder sounded, and she didn’t understand. It had never been like this. Before it had been a slowly building ache in her bones, but this was different. This was her magic wanting something, demanding she take it. She didn’t understand why it was suddenly so restless, so uncontrollable. It was as if it was being drawn to something, and Tessa didn’t know what. But it was demanding something from her she couldn’t give it. Not in acrowd full of people, and not without risking revealing things she wasn’t ready to share.

“Tessa? Did you hear me?” Dex was saying, stepping into her line of vision and blocking her view of the dance floor.

“What? No, I’m sorry. What were you saying?” she asked, shaking her head a little as her power flared again.

“I was saying I will be there when you come to the Achaz Kingdom for your week in Faven,” Dex said.

Her gaze snapped back to him. “What? Why?”

“Because Lord Jove thought it would make you more comfortable to have a familiar face while there,” he answered, reaching to fix her mask yet again.

“But your lessons?”

“Kat was just gone for an extended period of time from her lessons. Rules are bent a little when a Fae has already been claimed by a Kingdom.”

“But—”

She turned as something caught her eye. Light glimmering off of a pearlescent mask. A mask that completely covered the wearer’s face. They weren’t in black robes but in a suit, blending in with the crowd. No one else seemed to notice anything amiss, but the figure was moving through the crowd, making their way to an exit.

“Tessa,” Dex said, his irritation heavy. “Can you focus for one minute?”

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