Page 124 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“Did your training session go well?”

Tessa let out a small scream at the unexpected voice, her power appearing and striking out. She had just taken a shower after her morning training with Luka, and seeing Rordan sitting in an armchair in her room made her glad she’d put on a robe today. She was fine with nudity and all, but being bare in front of the Achaz Lord was not high on her list of things to accomplish in this life. And thankfully the robe was gold, not white, because white would have still shown everything.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Tessa said, her heart rate slowly returning to normal.

Rordan only smiled, his hand still raised from where he’d intercepted her magic. She hadn’t meant to attack him, of course. It had been an impulsive reaction.

When he didn’t speak, Tessa fiddled with the sash of the robe, pulling it tighter. “Did we have a meeting I forgot about?”

“No,” Rordan said casually. “Apparently you’ve kept yourself busy these days, and I thought we should discuss your extracurricular activities.”

She went still at that, her entire body tensing and going on high alert. Two nights ago she’d gone back to the Sirana Villas and done exactly what she’d told Brecken she was going to do. The wards hadn’t been an issue, just as they’d suspected, and Brecken had been there, waiting for her. She’d summoned the Hunters and told them to start at the front gates. With the sentinels out of the way, there was no one to let help in when the screams filled the night. There had been no way to shield the Fae without alerting the Legacy, but it hadn’t taken long for them to realize they weren’t the targets. Tessa had taken care of Desiray herself, enjoying every moment of draining her power and then her life. Watching as black lines webbed across her skin, sparking with energy. Her daughter, however, hadn’t been killed, which was a surprise. A Legacy overseer without a full-blooded Legacy child was unheard of.

Brecken had reassured her that all of them would be screened upon arrival to the safe haven, and those with Legacy blood would be held until it was determined if they were a threat or not. When Tessa had asked where, exactly, they would be going and how they would get there, Brecken only led her back to the same brick cottage they’d emerged from that day. Standing there waiting for them was Gatlan, the Source of the Anala Heir. He’d given her a wink before a fire portal appeared and Tana Aithne, his Mistress, had stepped through.

“There are more than I anticipated,” Tana had said, surveying the sea of Fae waiting to be told what to do next.

“But they will be safe?” Tessa had asked, immediately suspicious.

“We’ve been ferrying people into the Anala Kingdom for decades,” Tana had said. Then she’d set her amber eyes on Tessa. “And if you breathe a word of this to Theon or Rordan, we will find a way to end you.”

Flames had flickered in those amber depths, and Tessa had smiled sharply at the threat. “And if I hear anything has befallen any of these innocent people while inyourcare, I will destroy your entire bloodline.”

She’d left the dead to be discovered. There was no way to know with certainty it had been her, but she’d been waiting for someone to ask her about it. Apparently, that was happening now.

“I’m going to get dressed before we discuss my daily schedule,” Tessa said, not waiting for a response before she disappeared into her closet. She slid on a pair of jeans and a sweater. A light rose-colored one. Only because it was the darkest sweater she could find. Leaving her hair to air dry, she reinforced the bands of light around her wrists.

When she re-emerged still barefoot, Rordan hadn’t moved from the armchair. He was rigid, more tense than she’d ever seen him. His shoulder-length golden hair wasn’t tied back, hanging loosely around his face. Bright blue eyes ringed with gold were fixed on her, and all she could think as she stared back at him was he never wore white. Even now he was in his favored navy suit. Okay, he wore white shoes, and there was a white shirt beneath the suit coat, but still. She didn’t have any navy in her closet. And yes, she recognized this wasn’t what she should be focusing on right now. Not as power flickered in his eyes.

Her own power responded in kind, slowly winding up her arms, and on instinct, she moved into the defensive stance Luka had drilled into her. She could call to Luka down the bond. He would come help her. Or rather, she was fairly sure he would come help her. But she didn’t want him here. This was between her and the Achaz Lord. Whatever this was about to be.

“I am sure you have heard the news of the Sirana Villas,” Rordan said tightly.

“I have,” Tessa answered. “So many tragedies there. I assumed that was why you haven’t been at breakfast the last two mornings.”

“Yes,” he replied. “The Ladies and I have had to do damage control. Again. Of course, Theon hasn’t bothered to show up and help.”

He hadn’t?

Tessa had no idea what he was up to. There had been a spike of surprise and panic down the bond a bit ago, but mostly she just felt anxiety and stress from him when she didn’t have the bond completely blocked. He’d given her phone back to her, but she hadn’t turned it on. It was tucked away in a drawer. He sent Luka updates on Roan twice a day, and Luka relayed them to her. She was planning to go see the wolf this afternoon, but this little conversation was getting in the way of that.

“I don’t speak to Theon, so I have no insights for you,” she replied, holding Rordan’s stare. She didn’t fidget. There was no shuffling of her feet.

“And his advisor?”

“Trains me. That is all.”

Rordan tsked. “You expect me to believe you sleep in his room, but all he does is train you?”

“I sleep in there because he is the closest thing I have to Theon, and it lessens the strain of the bond,” she retorted.

Not entirely true, but she couldn’t exactly tell him she was bonded to both of them. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell him about how she rode his fingers when she came back here covered in blood. She spent far too much of her time imagining how to get him to do that again. Or what his tongue would be like. His cock.

And these were things she didn’t need to be thinking about with a Lord sitting mere feet from her. The look on his face toldher he didn’t believe her excuse in the slightest, and that sparked her irritation.

“Even if I was doing more than sleeping in his room, I was unaware my bedroom activities were your concern,” she snarked.

She expected him to become angry. That’s how Valter would have reacted. And Theon. But Rordan only arched a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “What makes you think your bedroom activitiesaren’tmy concern?”

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