Page 179 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“I was serious about everything I told you,” he retorted. “Why would I say it if I wasn’t serious about it?” When she only glared at him, he added, “Just follow Katya’s lead. Can you handle that?”

“She’ll handle more than that if you continue to speak to her that way,” Razik said lazily.

“And you,” Theon said, turning to him. “I know she’s your twin flame, but if you treat her as anything other than a Fae, itwilldraw unwanted attention. We need this time in the libraries. We will not get another chance.”

“And I suppose I’m to followyourlead?” he drawled.

“No,” Theon said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smirk at his startled reaction. “You are to followLuka’slead because the moment we step out there, I am the Arius Lord.”

He didn’t give either of them a chance to respond. He was done wasting time.

“They’ll follow behind us,” he heard Luka say, and a moment later Luka was at his side. Razik fell into step as well, and Theon hated it because that was Axel’s spot. Maybe they’d find something in the catacombs to help with that mess too.

“Place your palm here and conjure power,” said the Legacy when they reached the security platform. Reading his screen after Theon did so, he said, “Passage for six was granted by Lady Farhan. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Theon answered impatiently. “But there are only five present today.”

“Documentation for the Fae,” he ordered, holding out his hand.

Luka handed over the identification documents for Katya and Eliza. Theon wasn’t nearly as worried about this part as he was about Razik having to have his power scanned. Corbin not only had to hack the network to plant fake documentation, but it had to be extensive. Name. Background. Education. Residence. But not even that was what caused Theon to hold his breath when Razik placed his hand on the scanner. They’d told him to conjure the smallest amount of fire with the intention of passing him off as an Anala Legacy. It wasn’t uncommon for Legacy to be contracted to work in other kingdoms, and that was the plan here. The trick was making sure it only detected the flame and not the dragon fire part of it, but it wasn’t as if Razik could separate the two.

The Legacy’s brow furrowed for a moment while he studied the screen before his gaze flicked to Theon. He opened his mouth to say something, but Theon let his darkness free to writhe around him. Tendrils crept along the floor while wisps of the same swirled in his eyes. The Legacy swallowed thickly, his attention going from Theon to Luka before going back to Razik.

“Everything looks fine,” the Legacy finally said. “There must have been a slight glitch in the system.”

Theon only nodded once before striding past the platform to the portals.

A half hour later, Katya was leading them through the shelves of the catacombs. They were in the same building as before, but they were in a different section. They paired off, Katya staying with Razik and Eliza while Theon and Luka went down another few rows.

“How is Tessa?” Theon asked while they studied the books on the shelves.

“You can feel her as well as I can, Theon,” Luka muttered.

“Yes, but how did shelook?”

“Tired.”

Theon bit down on his sarcastic retort. He needed to focus on the task at hand, and yet all he could think about was her.

Forcing his thoughts elsewhere, he grabbed a few books, not even sure what they were. “I’ll meet you back at the table,” he said before heading to the agreed upon space tucked back in a corner. It was a place they were least likely to be disturbed.

Shedding his suit jacket, he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows before he took a seat. If anything could distract him from Tessa it would be getting lost in history and theories. He hardly noticed when the others joined him, and soon the table was stacked with heavy tomes, ancient scrolls, and so many books they had to set some on the floor. Kat warned them against that, but Theon had made the executive decision to risk the wrath of the scholars.

This was nothing like the last time they were here. No one spoke. Part of it was the time crunch they were on, but the bigger part was the massive standoff going on between Luka and Razik. He was sure Eliza and Razik were speaking down their bond rather than to the rest of them, and Kat was quiet and withdrawn, dutifully turning pages and making notes on the paper she’d secured for them. Theon knew they’d all be checked after their last trip here, and he knew their movements were being monitored far more closely this time too. Theon also gave her any texts that needed translating because she was more proficient at it than he was.

More than once he had to force himself to stop reading after getting caught up in information that didn’t pertain to what they were looking for. Witches. Prophecies. Visions. That was their main focus, but he skimmed anything having to do with the gods, particularly the Firsts and the Sister Goddesses, which is what had him finally breaking the silence.

“How long after Devram was created did Serafina betray Achaz?” he asked.

Everyone looked up from their texts. Well, everyone except Katya.

“I don’t know how long ago that was,” Razik answered, immediately going back to his book.

But Eliza said, “What do you mean Serafina betrayed Achaz?”

“When Devram was created, Serafina was Matched with Achaz.”

“Matched,” she repeated. “That is similar to a betrothal, correct?”

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