Page 103 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

Tessa looked at Brecken, who only nodded once in confirmation.

Then Tessa pulled her golden sword from a pocket realm and plunged it through the male’s throat, blood spraying across her white pants.

The room went so silent, she could hear the clock ticking on the desk.

“You are kind of terrifying when upset,” Brecken finally said.

She only held his stare as she went to slide her palm along the exposed blade still impaled in the male’s neck.

“Wait!” Brecken cried, lurching forward.

But there would be no waiting. She would set her Hunters free here. Tell them to kill any full-blooded Legacy. She would fall asleep to the memory of their screams echoing in her mind. A lullaby to her soul.

Her blood dripped to the floor, and a moment later, one appeared, his white eyes fixed on her.

“You called, your grace?”

“First, I need a new dagger. I…lost mine,” she said, still annoyed she’d left the thing at Arius House. “Actually, make it two.”

“Of course, your grace,” he said, two golden daggers appearing in his palms that he held out to her with a bow.

She took them, one in each hand, while she asked, “Can you tell the difference between a full-blooded Legacy and one with mixed blood?”

“We can, your grace.”

“Good,” she purred. “Then I have a job for you.”

“Tessa, just listen to me for a moment,” Brecken interjected again, stepping to her side.

The Hunter’s head slowly turned to him. “You speak out of turn, light guardian.”

Brecken ignored him, turning to face Tessa fully. “If you let them loose in here, they will know it was you.”

“Good,” she said again.

“And what about the innocent Fae? They have nowhere to go right now, Tessa. Worse, they may be blamed for this,” Brecken went on.

That had her faltering. Wherewouldthey go?

“If you didn’t want me to do anything about this, then why did you bring me here?” she demanded coldly.

“Because I wanted you to see so that you can help do something about it when the time is right.”

“And until then I just…walk away?” She shook her head. “I can’t do that, Brecken.”

“I know it’s hard. I do it every time I’m here, but I needed you to see so you can portal back when it’s time. You’ll be able to cross the wards without detection. As soon as we have some place for the Fae to go,” he insisted.

“You find these Fae and bring them here, Brecken. I can’t possibly trust you,” she said, shaking her head and trying to decide what to do.

On one hand, he was right. The innocents would have nowhere to go. Sure, the Legacy here would be dead, but then what? On the other hand, Brecken was clearly part of furthering this.

“You would have brought Katya here?” Tessa asked tightly.

“They have been trying to get into Anala Kingdom for decades,” Brecken answered. “She was the first fire Fae I found in all my time here. I was supposed to bring her here. She was never supposed to go to the Emerging,” he answered.

“But you brought her to the Celeste Estate.”

He nodded. “I knew what they’d do to her, and I couldn’t… It was the only way I could protect her then.”

---