Page 193 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

Clearing her throat softly, she offered him a weak smile. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“And you?” he asked, everything about his demeanor was kind, like it always had been. “You coming back soon?”

“I don’t really think I belong here anymore,” she answered, almost inaudibly.

“We didn’t think we belonged here,” Lange replied. “Things change. The winds shift.” He shrugged again. “New beginnings. A genesis and a new dawn.”

She laughed. “You’ve started speaking nonsense in your time here,” she teased.

He bent and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll let Corbin know you missed him. Stop by again, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said faintly. “I’ll do that.”

Lange backed away, the door closing, and she turned to find Luka leaning against the opposite wall. She’d forgotten he was even there.

“Thank you for that,” she said softly.

He only nodded and pushed off the wall, leading her down the hall once again. As they descended the stairs, she heard voices coming from the dining room, and they followed them. Books were everywhere on the table, Theon and two others seated around them. Theon was on his feet before she stepped a single foot into the room.

“Tessa,” he breathed, heated emerald eyes sweeping over her. “Did you see Lange and Corbin? I told Luka to take you there first.”

“You did?” she asked, glancing up at Luka for a moment. “I mean, yes, I did.”

“Good,” he said, slipping his hands into his pants pockets.

Still in dress pants, the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. His tie was draped over the back of his chair, and his sleeves were rolled back. He’d definitely been running his hands through his hair, and of course, he still had shoes on.

Clearing his throat, he said, “This is Razik Greybane and his…mate, Eliza.”

“We sort of met already,” Tessa said, stepping farther into the room.

“If we could keep the destruction to a minimum tonight, that’d be great,” Razik muttered, not looking up from his book.

At least not until Tessa said, “You are Luka’s brother?”

That had his head snapping up. “You are very blunt.”

“I’ve found it’s the best way to get information from your kind,” she said casually, her fingers brushing over books as she moved along the table. She knew without looking that both Luka and Theon had their eyes fixed on her, and she ignored the way that was making her feel.

“My kind,” Razik repeated deadpan.

“Mhmm,” she hummed, flipping open a book. “Sargon Legacy. Speaking of, how far down the Sargon line are you?”

“What?” Razik asked tightly.

Tessa gestured to Theon. “Theon is so far removed from Arius, it’s really just a fancy title at this point.”

“Careful, beautiful,” came an icy warning, and gods, it sent chills up her spine.

“Just stating facts,” she replied, managing to keep her voice casual. Looking back at Razik, she said, “Well?”

She recognized the look on his face. Broody. Annoyed. It was a mirror of Luka’s usual expression.

“Well, what?” Razik asked, a growl in those two words.

She huffed a dramatic sigh. “You know my cousin, yes?”

“Unfortunately. You appear to have the same flare for unnecessary dramatics that they do,” he retorted.

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