Page 149 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

She knew all that. She’d seen him pore over books and scribble notes at all hours of the night. Luka was right. Theon would likely be the fastest way to get answers, but did she want him knowing about this? Then there was Lilura’s warning that someone was messing with her visions, and she’d never seen this female that Luka was talking about. Rordan was being…different with her since the Sirana Villas, but could she trust Theon with this information?

Planting her hands on her hips, she blew stray hair out of her face. Luka was watching her, waiting for an answer, and when she didn’t say anything, he said, “If there’s one thing Theon knows how to do well, it’s protect those he cares for, and you? You’re at the top of that list.”

She shook her head. “He’ll do whathethinks is best for me. He could figure something out and keep it from me because he thinks it’ll put me in danger to know. And don’t tell me he won’t because that’s all he’s done.”

“That’s fair,” Luka conceded. “Both of you need to learn to trust other people.”

“Trusting other people gives them power over you,” she retorted.

“The ability to trust other people is a different kind of power, Tessa.”

She glared back at him. “Then it is a power I do not want.”

He shook his head, rubbing at his brow in obvious disappointment. With a sigh, he said, “We need to discuss the Sirana Gala.”

“What about it?” she snapped.

“You need to give Theon permission to attend.”

She barked a laugh. “What?”

“That stupid bargain he made with you,” Luka said. “He can’t be in the same space as you unless you allow it.”

“I know that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I was asking about the Sirana Gala. They are still holding that?”

“Sounds like it,” Luka answered. “Theon sent a message about it. They’ll be announcing the new Rosebell overseer.”

“They’re just going to go on with their lives like nothing happened? Not even the Legacy mean anything to them?”

“What did you expect them to do, Tessa? Of course they are going to continue as normal. Otherwise their people will panic. If they see their leaders confident there is nothing to worry about, it puts them at ease.”

“And Theon is okay with this?” she demanded.

Luka’s head tilted as he studied her. “You have expectations of him?”

“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No,” she retorted, crossing her arms. “I don’t. Are we done for today?”

“No,” sounded a female voice, dark and chilling.

Nylah lifted her head a second before Auryon stepped from a swirl of ashes and smoke, her bow across her chest. Her black hair flowed around her, grey ashes among it like snowflakes. Her swirling eyes raked over Tessa, and ashy footprints were left in her wake as she prowled forward with a lethal grace that hadTessa tensing. She hadn’t seen the female since Roan had nearly died, and she looked particularly murderous right now.

“Is something wrong? Is Roan all right?” Tessa asked, her entire chest seizing at the idea that something had happened. He’d been fine the last time she’d seen him. Still wounded, but recovering fine.

“Roan is well,” the female said. “I suspect he will be up walking around in the next few days.”

Relief flooded through her. One step closer to having him back at her side. Nylah was sitting up now, but she still stayed back. It was fine. Tessa didn’tneedher by her side, but Roan would have already been there.

“Then why are you here?” Luka asked, his irritation written all over his face.

“You should be asking where I have been,” Auryon retorted, those mysterious eyes pinned on Tessa.

“Fine. Where have you been?” he amended.

“For days now, I have been tracking down all the Hunters you have summoned,” she snarled, and she wasn’t bothering to hide her ire at that. “You need to stop summoning them.”

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