Page 150 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

A smile curled on Tessa’s lips as she said, “No.”

“No?” Auryon repeated. “You summon them here and then do nothing to contain them.”

“I do not wish to contain them.”

Auryon took two steps towards her, violence glimmering, and before Tessa could call forth her power in answer, Luka was stepping in front of her.

Auryon stilled, a sneer curling on her lip as a dagger appeared amid a swirl of ashes. “I’ve been dealing with your kind long before you were born, dragonling,” she said in a deathly calm tone.

“Perfect. Then you’ll know that dragon fire is more powerful than your magic ashes,” Luka retorted.

Tessa peeked around Luka to find the female staring at him, her fingers tightening around the dagger. The sound of Nylah shaking drew Tessa’s attention, and she looked over to find the wolf stretching before she trotted over to Tessa’s side.

“Temural would agree with me, you know,” Auryon said, clearly speaking to the wolf, but Nylah just sat down beside Tessa, a low warning growl sounding. “Yes, yes, I know,” she answered, rolling her eyes.

“Can you…communicate with them?” Tessa asked.

“We’ve discussed this,” Auryon retorted. “I have known them for a long time. I raised them. You will eventually come to know the same.”

“You raised them?” Tessa repeated in surprise.

Auryon nodded. “All the Huntresses aid in raising Temural’s Trackers.”

“How many Huntresses are there?”

She took a small step back. “There used to be twelve of us.”

“Used to be?”

She nodded, the ire reappearing. “Yes. Used to be. Temural and Anala granted us our gifts in answer to the Hunters that Achaz created. We are some of the only ones that can kill them, and you continually summoning them is becoming an annoyance.”

“So stop killing them,” Tessa drawled.

“It is my purpose to kill them,” Auryon shot back. “The sole purpose of a Hunter is to kill any being with Arius blood.”

“And yet I still breathe.”

Her smile was chilling. “For now.”

“Are you threatening her?” Luka interjected.

“No,” Auryon answered. “But if she believes they will not turn on her in time, she is more naïve than I once believed. Stop summoning them, Tessalyn.”

“I am not naïve,” Tessa spat back.

“Stop summoning them,” Auryon repeated. “If they make it to Arius Kingdom, you will not be able to control them.”

“I do control them. They answer to me,” she argued.

“They do not. They answer to Achaz.”

“Who is not here.”

Her head canted to the side. “Have you not spoken to him while in this realm?”

Luka whirled on her. “What?” he demanded.

“How can you possibly know that?” Tessa asked, ignoring his irate stare.

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