Page 1 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

PART ONE

DESTINY BECKONS

1

THEON

“Fucking son of Achaz,” Theon cursed when he slammed a drawer shut on his fingers.

He was in his father’s study at Arius House trying to find any possible clue as to where Axel could be. Not that he hadn’t searched it a dozen times already in the last two weeks. He’d combed through the study, his father’s private office in the other wing of the house, his father’s private rooms—much to his mother’s disapproval— and anywhere else his father had told him never to enter. He’d scoured the rooms beneath Arius House. Rooms where prisoners were sometimes held, and torture was handed out freely. Theon had spent plenty of time in those rooms himself—both as the victim and the one doing the torturing. Then he’d gone through other rooms that seemed too obvious. He’d gone to the Underground, searching all the known properties there, but there was nothing. Not a single indication of where he could have hidden Axel away. It was as though he’d simply disappeared.

His father’s advisors were no help, mainly because he couldn’t find them either. This entire situation was murky and unprecedented. Was he truly the Arius Lord if his father stilllived? Apparently, most believed that was not the case. His mother tittered around the house, saying he would be back soon, and the nobles of the kingdom chose to ignore any and all communication. But even though he was not viewed as the reigning Arius Lord, it sure as fuck was enough to fulfill the Bargain he’d made with Tessa. A Bargain he’d made thinking he’d gained the upper hand only to have her flip the whole godsdamn thing upside down.

Again.

His gaze cut to the Mark on the back of his hand. Three interconnected triangles. The exact opposite of the Arius Mark he’d drawn on her skin months ago. She’d been vicious and spiteful, and he’d known she hated him. There was no going back. She’d made that perfectly clear when she’d taken everything from him and left him with half a title and no one to share the burden. Axel was missing. She was gone. He’d sent Luka to her and told him not to tell him a word. Axel had Katya hidden away. Blackheart wouldn’t answer his calls. All he was left with were two Fae, Lange and Corbin, and the-gods-only-knew if he could trust them.

And this fucking bond.

It was pining for Tessa in a way he’d never experienced. They’d never been apart this long, but this was more exaggerated than merely being separated by distance and time. The bond seemed to know they were irreparable at this point, and it was in utter agony.

Or maybe that was him.

Theon dropped into his father’s chair, eyeing a tablet he’d found in a desk drawer. He was assuming it was a backup of some sort, but he hadn’t been able to get into it. He was close to asking Corbin for help. Everyone kept saying he was adept at technology, despite being a Fae. But again, he was back to thistrust thing. He only trusted two people implicitly, and both of those people were inaccessible to him right now.

With another sigh, he pulled Axel’s mirror from his pocket. He’d found it in his room at the townhouse in the Acropolis. It had fallen in between the couch cushions. He didn’t know how to use the thing like Axel did. Or rather, Cienna didn’t respond to him like she did to Axel. So he was left waiting, with nothing to do but search this stupid house and the estate manor near the Acropolis.

He’d never felt so alone in his entire life.

He’d also found Axel’s phone, his earbuds, and a book written in an old language. It would take Theon months to translate, and he could only assume Katya had been working on it. Why Axel had kept it, Theon wasn’t sure. Of course, he had no way of getting in touch with Katya either because, again, Blackheart wouldn’t answer his godsdamn calls.

A knock on the door had him spinning the chair to the sound. When the door didn’t immediately open, it took him a minute to remember his father would have punished someone for not waiting for permission to enter.

“Enter,” Theon barked, not bothering to stand.

A Fae male entered. Not Ford. That fucker was locked in a cell beneath the manor, where Theon had immediately escorted his father’s personal servant. He knew where the male’s loyalty lay, and it was to his father, not the Arius Kingdom as a whole. The male standing here now was another member of the house staff.

“You have a visitor, my Lord,” the Fae said, his head bowed.

“I do not have any appointments, nor am I seeing anyone right now,” Theon replied, already turning away.

“I understand, my Lord. He did say—” He flinched when Theon spun back to face him again.

Theon couldn’t blame him. His father would have already had Eviana hurting him for continuing to speak.

“Who is here?” Theon asked, trying to sound reassuring, but gods, he was not in the mood to see anyone.

The male swallowed thickly before trying again, his voice trembling. “He refused to give his name, but said that when you refused him, I was to tell you ‘salvation or destruction is your choice.’”

Tristyn. Fucking. Blackheart.

The male couldn’t bother to answer his phone, but he could show up here whenever he wished and demand to see him.

Theon stood, the male flinching back at the movement. He slipped the mirror back into his pocket before shoving the tablet back into a desk drawer. Brushing past the male, he made his way down the hall to the foyer where Blackheart was indeed waiting.

Tristyn’s hands were shoved into the pockets of his dark jeans as he studied a portrait on the wall while he waited. His brown hair was a little disheveled. Theon was used to it being clean-cut and styled impeccably. Russet-colored eyes lifted to meet his as he approached.

“Arius Heir,” the male drawled, looking Theon up and down. “Or is it Lord now?”

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