Page 90 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“I can’t let you do this, Kat,” he said. “If something happens…”

A sad smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “I am doing this, Theon. Whatever the punishment is for disobeying you, I’ll accept it. It’ll be worth it.”

“I won’tpunishyou for trying to save Axel, Katya,” he said in dismay.

But he should. Isn’t that what he’d been taught his entire life? The Fae are here to serve? Except everything Eliza and Razik had just told him was in direct opposition to everything he knew. Again.

Kat was still staring at him in that way that said she knew exactly what he was working out. They’d spent so many hours together these last few weeks, it shouldn’t surprise him she was learning to read him a little.

Another thinghewould have been punished for if his father was still the Arius Lord.

But he wasn’t.

Whether he was recognized by the other Lord and Ladies yet, it shouldn’t matter. He’d worked his entire life to get to this position, where he could not only protect his own but his people as well. So had Luka. So had Axel.

Eventually, Theon, you’re going to have to let others in on your plans because all you ever seem to do is give people more reasons not to trust you.

Her words echoed in his mind. He supposed if he wanted others to trust him, he needed to learn to trust them a little bit too.

“Fine,” he finally gritted out, dropping his hands to his sides and straightening. “This is your choice. If you want to take the Mark, take it. I will give the Shifters a day to reply. If they haven’t, I show up unannounced, and you’ll come with me to see if you can…feel him.”

“Thank you, Theon,” Katya whispered.

“I still don’t like this idea. If he’s too far gone and doesn’t take the companion Mark…”

“That is my burden to bear,” she repeated.

“Not just yours,” he answered. Looking over his shoulder, he found Tristyn, who was still silently watching everything play out. “When I go see Kylian and Giselle, I request you go with me.”

18

TESSA

The Sirana Villas were nothing like she’d thought they would be. That was all Tessa could think as she followed the others through Rosebell. Rordan had portaled them all here, and from what she was told, he’d taken them as far as they could go. The wards around the Villas prevented them from portaling directly inside. Which she found odd considering he was the Achaz Lord and unofficial ruler of Devram.

Rosebell was south of Faven and nestled right on the edge of the Dreamlock Woods. It was halfway between Faven and Sanal, the Serafina Kingdom capital, and Tessa was sure that wasn’t a coincidence now that she had an inkling of what went on at the Villas. Granted, the Villas weren’t the only part of Rosebell. In fact, if one didn’t know the Villas were part of the city, you’d never know they were here.

The city itself had the feel of the rest of the major cities in Devram. Towering buildings. Bustling streets. It was also pristine. Flowers on all the street corners and potted around street lamps. Trees that were well tended to. Even the streets and sidewalks looked like they were swept of debris multiple times a day, and that was after any snow was removed.

Her shoes clicked against the pavement with every step. She hated them. They hurt her feet and squished her toes, and she still didn't understand why Oralia had insisted she wear these today. The black heels were ridiculous. And loud. How was she supposed to wander around without anyone knowing?

Although, she suspected that was exactly why Oralia had insisted.

The female, Dex, and Brecken all trailed behind their company. Tessa had stopped trying to figure out how they'd managed to become so trusted by Rordan. Now she just wondered why. Why would he put so much trust in Fae? It only furthered her suspicions that their heritage was as murky as her own. They probably weren't the children of gods, but Rordan only surrounded himself with the most powerful. That was something he and Valter had in common.

They'd left this morning after Tessa had finished her training session with Luka. It had only been her fifth one, but she'd already learned more from Luka than she had in all her sessions with Odessa combined.

Not that she'd ever admit that to him.

Luka spent the first half of their training sessions helping her control her magic. Which was always…somewhat uncomfortable. He was powerful, and her own magic recognized that. The first day Luka had given her a knowing look, and she'd gritted her teeth, refusing to acknowledge it. If he and Theon and all the other powerful beings of the realm could learn to control their magic, so could she.

The second half of their training time was still magic training, but he added physical training to it. Drills and routines designed to reinforce things he'd already taught her, making her practice over and over, just like he'd made her stand in that godsdamn position for hours. She wasn't entirely sure what he did the rest of the day, and every night she battled with whethershe should go to his room. He said she could sleep in his bed if she agreed to train, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. It would only serve as a distraction anyway, and not the kind of distraction she was aching for. Because, gods, she hadn't been properly fucked since Theon, and until this bond was dealt with, she knew nothing would come close to satisfying that need.

So she spent her nights pacing her room, trying to keep busy by reading books and practicing with her power. Anything and everything to keep her focus elsewhere all while knowing they could feel her frustration and irritation and want, and that only made the need that much worse.

“Not the excitement you imagined, I assume?” Rordan said with a hint of amusement in his tone, drawing Tessa from her thoughts.

“Rosebell is quite beautiful,” she replied with a smile. “I do enjoy seeing other parts of Devram.”

---