Page 171 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“What is it going to do to her?”

“She’ll just sleep. Deeply,” Dex said, sounding unconcerned. “She’ll be fine.”

“She is anything but fine,” Luka retorted. “Get out.”

“You can’t kick me out,” Dex said, and Tessa watched him straighten to his full height. “I was assigned to watch her. You get out.”

“I am not going anywhere.”

The words were laced with a deep growl she felt rumble in his chest. Looking up, there was a trace of smoke, and she tried to push away from him.

“Just put me down. I’ll be fine,” she murmured.

“I am not going anywhere,” Luka repeated, carrying her to the bed. He held her while he toed off his shoes before he gently laid her atop the blankets. She started to protest when he climbed onto the bed beside her until Theon’s voice echoed in her mind.

Let him take care of you, Tessa. For once, just let someone care for you.

Do you wish it was you instead of him?she asked, sleep clawing at her and dragging her down.

Desperately.

Then there was nothing but blessed darkness.

And she loved it there.

The dead lay all around her, the rain turning to a faint sprinkle as the storm slowed.

“This way, Tessalyn.”

She turned, finding Rordan gesturing for her to follow him into the Pantheon. Hesitant, she took a step, her bare feet squelching on a mixture of rain, mud, and blood. When she slipped and nearly fell, a hand caught her elbow. She looked up to find Dagian there, his features passive as always. Sasha was at his side, her face ashen as she dutifully followed her master.

Rordan led them down passages, and Tessa realized where he was taking them. To the center of the Pantheon where there was a mirror. The same mirror where she’d once spoken to Achaz. When they filed into the chamber, she paused, finding Dex, Oralia, and Brecken already there. All of them with feathered wings arching over their shoulders, the colors varying. They stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, as if they were warriors waiting for their commander. Several of her Hunters drifted around the chamber as well, an excited buzzing filling the air.

“Come here, Tessalyn,” Rordan said, motioning her closer.

When she didn’t immediately move, Dagian tugged on her arm. She tripped over her own feet this time, catching her balance as she came to a stop beside Rordan.

“Call him,” the Achaz Lord instructed.

Her brows knit together. “Call who?”

“You know who,” he said. “You did well. You fulfilled your purpose here. Not a drop of Arius blood still breathes in this realm.”

“I still breathe,” she argued.

He waved her off. “You are the exception, and now that they are gone, he can come here.”

She was even more confused now. “He can’t come here. The gods cannot come here.”

“There is no one to stop him anymore. Call him, Tessalyn,” Rordan ordered again.

When she still didn’t move, one of her Hunters glided forward, extending a hand. “Allow me, my grace.”

She lifted a hand, and in a flash, a dagger was slashed across her palm. The Hunter tugged her forward as she dug in her heels.

“No! Wait!” she cried. This wasn’t right. Something felt wrong.

“This is your purpose, child,” Rordan chastised. “Everything has been leading up to this moment.”

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