Page 152 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

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LUKA

This is why Tessa needed to learn to Travel, Luka thought to himself.

He had stepped from the air directly into the study at the Arius manor, and Theon hadn’t even noticed. There was no bright light alerting him to his presence. The wards allowed him passage, and Theon was so engrossed in whatever he was reading on his laptop, he hadn’t realized he was here.

It was surreal really. To see him sitting at that desk. Something they’d worked so hard for. Talked at length about. Dreamed about the day it was him there instead of Valter. And even if Theon hadn’t officially been given the Arius Lord title yet, there was no one who could take it from him. He was the most powerful Arius Legacy. The St. Orcas line had made sure of it with all their careful Matches over the centuries.

“Lordship looks good on you,” Luka said.

Darkness appeared, hovering around Theon as he lurched to his feet.

“You fucker,” Theon muttered, closing the laptop.

His magic lingered, not because of any threat, but because he needed to let it breathe. It wasn’t uncommon for him to let his magic free while they sat around late at night planning.

“What are you doing here?” Theon asked, rounding the desk.

Luka met him halfway across the space, the two of them embracing, and fuck, it felt good. Axel would have given them shit, but he was going to hug his best friend after all this fuckery.

Theon stepped back as he said, “She’s not with you.”

Luka could hear the disappointment in that statement. “I think she would have come with me, if anything just to see Roan, but the Achaz Lord has her under watch at all times right now after the destruction at the Villas.”

“So it’s true? She did that?”

“She hasn’t admitted it outright to me, but yeah. I’m certain it was her,” Luka answered. “I’m sure you felt her that night too.”

Theon hummed an acknowledgement, sliding his hands into his pockets. “She knows you’re here, though?”

“She does,” Luka answered. “Actually, she sent me here.”

Theon arched a brow. “She sent you here? For what?”

“We’re trying to figure something out, but first tell me what’s been going on here.”

He listened while Theon filled him in on his trip to the Underground with Tristyn Blackheart of all people, his meeting with the Shifters, and Axel showing up and nearly killing Kat.

“He really left?” Luka asked when Theon finished telling him about Axel’s note.

“According to the note he left, yeah,” Theon sighed.

“Cienna could be wrong. He didn’t think to wait to make sure?”

“He’s too worried about hurting Katya.”

Luka could understand that, but he also understood howhardit was to stay away from someone you felt drawn to. Wouldthat change if this twin flame bond no longer existed between them? Luka didn’t know, but Cienna had been wrong before.

“How is Kat?” he asked.

Theon shoved a hand through his hair. “Not well. She stays in her room when she’s not at her required classes.”

“That’s not any different than before.”

“She’s not well,” Theon said again. “Some of it could still be recovering from the attack by Axel, but she stays curled in bed. She’s hardly eaten anything since we came back from the Underground.”

“Does she even need to continue the classes? Do Lange and Corbin, for that matter? They seem kind of pointless seeing as they’ve already been claimed,” Luka said.

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