Page 77 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“Luka, you can’t be serious. That’s not what’s happening here,” Theon said.

He blew out an irritated huff. Luka understood his disbelief because when had he ever acted like this? He did what needed to be done to make sure their plans succeeded. Even when Valter sent him on his own errands to the Underground, he carried out orders because it was leading to something bigger, and suddenly here he was, throwing a fit like the St. Orcas brothers did. But he’d never felt so…inconsequential. The thing was, the Guardian bond made the need to protect Theon strong, and the dragon in him viewed Theon ashisbecause of that bond. The bigger problem was that the dragon was also seeing Tessa ashisthese days, and Luka didn’t know what to do with any of it. It was irritating, and it was making him irritable in return. They called Theon possessive, but when his dragon claimed something as his? Luka felt as out of control as Tessa often was.

And suddenly he was wondering if Razik experienced the same thing. Was it a normal trait for his bloodline? What about the instinct of knowing if objects were valuable? Would the male bother to sit down and talk with him? Did he even care they might be related? Might bebrothers? Were there others like him? Or was he alone in his home world too?

“Luka?” Theon said, low and urgent. “You know that the reason I sent you to Tessa is because?—”

The sound of a throat clearing had them both straightening and turning to the doorway. Tessa stood there, and Luka watched as Theon took her in, wearing his sweatshirt and little else.

“Tessa, how are you?” Theon asked, pushing off his stool and standing, but he’d taken all of one step towards her and she was stepping back. Glancing at Luka, her eyes narrowed into an accusatory glare.

“We were just talking, temptress,” Luka said, coming around the island. She didn’t step back from him, and Theon clearly noticed, judging by the way his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“About me,” she clarified.

“Some,” Luka admitted. “But not all of it.”

“Right,” she said doubtfully.

“Despite what you seem to think, not everything is about you,” Luka replied dryly, stopping a few feet from her.

“Such an ass,” she muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted to Theon. “How is Roan?”

“Stable from what I understand,” Theon answered, his hands slipping into his pockets. “Auryon and I helped move him to a back room in the kennels. It is where I keep my females when they are close to birthing a litter.”

Tessa nodded slowly. “Auryon is with him now? And Nylah?”

Theon glanced at Luka, and he could feel the trickle of hope down the bond. Tessa speaking calmly and rationally to him was not something they’d witnessed often. She’d also just experienced a near-devastating loss. Her heightened emotions usually made her hysterical, not…this.

“Yes, Auryon stayed with him along with the other wolf. Shea is also there monitoring. I told her to do whatever was necessary,” he answered. “But Cienna agreed he should survive. The recovery period is unknown right now.”

Tessa nodded again, fiddling with the hem of the sweatshirt and drawing both the males’ eyes to her bare legs. “Auryon said they are not wolves. She said they are Trackers.”

“She did,” Theon agreed.

“And you believe her?”

Theon arched a brow. “You do not?”

At the question, the bands at her wrists sparked, the same flashing in her eyes. “She lied to me. For months. About who she is and what she is doing here. I trust no one.”

“That’s fair,” Luka said. “But it doesn’t negate the fact that she is knowledgeable.”

“That we know of,” Tessa countered. “She could be lying about everything for all we know.”

Theon rubbed at his brow with his thumb and forefinger as he said, “Trackers are real, Tessa, and based on what I’ve seen between you and them, she speaks truth. I didn’t know they still existed, or I would have put it together sooner. Or rather, I didn’t realize they could enter Devram.”

“What are they?” Tessa asked, moving closer to him, and Luka knew she didn’t realize she was doing that.

“Trackers were—are—exactly what they are named for. They emerged from the Chaos bound to the Firsts. A pair for each of them,” Theon explained.

“So they’re like the gods?” Tessa asked, her head tilting with interest.

“No,” Theon said, shaking his head. “They have gifts, but they are not nearly as powerful as the gods.”

“Then they are like Guardians?”

Theon shook his head again. “Bound maybe isn’t the best term. They are not driven to protect like a Guardian bond between a Sargon and Arius Legacy. They can choose not to, but their unique gifts allow them to always track the one they are tethered to. They can Travel, and have an immortal lifespan like the gods they emerged with. Strength and speed like the Night Children, but they don’t need blood.”

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