Page 112 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

It took everything in him to swallow the groan so she wouldn’t hear as he came all over the shower wall, his release shooting through him and nearly making his knees buckle. As he was catching his breath, his brow against the cool shower wall, he finally loosened his hold on the mental shields he’d held in place throughout all of that.

With his fingers still trembling, he undid the buttons of his shirt before tossing it out of the shower and turning on the water to quickly rinse off. When he returned to his room, sliding on a pair of loose linen pants as he went, he found her already nestled under the covers. He couldn’t tell if she’d put clothing on or not, and he was equally hoping she had and hadn’t.

Turning off the bedside lamp, he slipped into bed, and she turned to face him, her hand tucked beneath her cheek. “You told me you always sleep naked.”

“I used to,” he muttered, trying to get comfortable on his back. Which was pointless because all he really wanted to do was pull her against his chest and make sure she stayed there all godsdamn night.

“But you slept beside me naked before.”

“That was different.”

She went silent for a long minute before he felt her roll away from him.

“Roan is doing well,” he said into the dark.

“Thank you,” she answered.

There was another stretch of quiet before he said, “About the Legacy you killed.”

“What about them?”

“Were they Arius Legacy?”

She took a few seconds before she said, “No.”

“But that’s still your plan?”

“I can’t tell you that,” she said, her tone both hard and tired. “I can’t trust you, Luka. Your loyalty is to him, not me.”

And he found himself asking the same question he’d asked her months ago. “Do you wish it was to you?”

The silence stretched on for so long that he thought she wasn’t going to answer until finally she whispered, “Yes.” Every part of his being twisted with both betrayal and satisfaction at the admission until she added, “But wishes and hope are for the innocent and the heroes, not the monsters and the villains, so I no longer bother with either.”

21

THEON

Everything about this felt wrong.

That was all he could think as he walked towards the stone house that had been built into a northern wall of the Underground. The home of the Shifter Alpha and Beta had floor to ceiling windows on each of the three levels. It stretched along a good ways, easily three city blocks if not more. While the main floor was used for business and running the Leisure District they oversaw, the upper two floors were where they lived along with several of their family members, both immediate and extended.

Theon’s shoes stirred the dust of the makeshift road, and he glanced to his right where Tristyn was keeping pace. He looked as formidable as any Arius Legacy, and Theon wasn’t entirely sure why. It had taken quite a bit of convincing before the male had finally agreed to accompany him. But Theon needed someone with him because he didn’t have Axel or Luka.

And that was why this all felt wrong.

A male he didn’t fully trust was at his right, and to his left was Katya, a fresh Mark on the back of her left hand. He still didn’t like that she’d taken the thing, especially when Kylian andGiselle answered his request the very next day. Granted, they’d made him wait an additional week for this meeting.

Katya had asked Eliza to tell her how to use the Mark to find Axel, but neither Eliza nor Razik could offer any type of instruction. They both told her that each pair was different, and it was something she would need to learn on her own. Theon knew it frustrated Katya to no end. It wasn’t something she could read about and learn from a book. Theon understood that annoyance well. How many hours had he spent in books trying to figure out his own Source bond?

That had been eight days ago, and Katya still hadn’t felt Axel again, if she even had to begin with. Guilt churned in his gut because if this twin flame thing wasn’t real between them, Axel was going to hate him for allowing Katya to take that Mark. But there was fuck all he could do about it now. They could only move forward, and hopefully something good would come of it if this meeting turned out to be pointless.

A white owl was perched on top of a gate as they approached, a loud hoot sounding. Theon nodded to the shifter guard, knowing that hoot had been announcing their arrival. Several wide steps led them up to the house where two large snow leopards were lounging, golden eyes pinned on them.

“Zara. Nico,” Theon greeted the siblings who were often on guard. They were a distant relation to the Alpha and Beta, and he couldn’t recall a single visit where they hadn’t been stationed here.

The large double doors were thrown open, a broad male staring stoically at them. His dirty blond hair reached past his shoulders and was braided back while the sides were shaved. Muscled and tall, the male was a wolf shifter and a mean fucker at that. Which was why he was the one who greeted all guests and escorted them to the Alpha and Beta.

He rarely said anything, but today was apparently the exception as dark blue eyes narrowed on Tristyn. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

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