Page 154 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

Theon shook his head. “Razik and Eliza. Razik spends more time in books than I do.”

Luka was fairly certain he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Theon looked at his watch. “In fact, I’m supposed to be down in the dining room with them now. Razik needed more space to spread books around, so they emerged from their room this morning and took over that space.”

Like a fool, Luka just stared at his friend.

“I understand if you don’t want to, but he knows a lot of history that Devram has forgotten or never knew at all. He also knows things pertaining to Tessa,” Theon went on.

“Such as?” Luka asked tightly.

“He basically confirmed the Revelation Decree is indeed a prophecy. Referred to her as the one who was never meant to exist.”

“He sounds like a dick,” he grumbled.

“He is,” Theon replied.

Finally, Luka asked the question that had been burning in his mind from the moment he’d first laid eyes on the male. “Has he asked anything about our relations?”

“Not to me,” Theon said. “And I understand if you’d rather not see him. I can ask him myself and let you know if he has any insight.”

Did he want to see him? A part of him was desperate to talk to him. For most of his years, he’d thought he was the only Sargon Legacy left. Then to learn there are not only more, but he has a potentialbloodrelation? Not to mention the last vision he was in with Tessa suggested there were more dragon Shifters in the realms than he’d been led to believe, and he did want to know more about that. To know he wasn’t as alone as he’d once thought.

But another part of him didn’t want to talk to the male at all, and Luka knew it was a deep-rooted fear of rejection. It was the same reason he’d always been so determined to prove himself worthy of the blood that ran in his veins. What if this encounter led to him finding out it wasn’t enough? Thathewasn’t enough?

Theon was silent, and with anyone else, this might have turned awkward. This had always been them though. Together for as long as he could remember. Inseparable. Sneaking into each other’s rooms at night. When they were younger, it was to finish a board game or watch a movie when they should have been in bed. As they got older, it was to research and plan.

In the end, he wished he could say the choice he made was entirely for Tessa. That he wanted to talk to Razik for Tessa’s sake. Help her figure out the visions because that was what was needed to keep her safe. But godsdammit, he wanted to talk to the male too. He finds out he has a potential blood relative in another realm and he doesn’t evenaskabout it?

“Let’s go,” was all Luka said, and Theon nodded, leading the way out of the study.

They fell into step beside each other as they had thousands of times before, but it all felt wrong without Axel here.

“I still can’t believe he just left,” Luka said. “He didn’t talk to you at all?”

Theon shook his head. “He was worried about being left alone with her. He told me, but I had a meeting. I would have blown it off, but I’ve been trying to get into the Anala Kingdom. I still need to build relations, and?—”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Luka cut in.

“When you’re back, everything will be different,” Theon said.

When he was back.

Luka mulled over those words. He hadn’t wanted to go to Tessa in the first place, but now…

Now he wasn’t sure he could leave her either.

What a fucking mess.

They strode into the dining room to find Razik and the female sitting at the long table. Theon hadn’t been kidding. There were books covering every inch of the surface. Some were stacked five or six high. Several were open, and the two of them were seated side by side. Neither of them looked up when they entered.

“We’re hoping you might be able to help us with something,” Theon said, and at least the female looked up at that.

Her grey eyes moved from Theon to Luka, where they lingered. She shifted, and Luka could only assume she’d kicked Razik under the table because he slowly lifted his head to peer at her.

“You know I love your excessively violent tendencies,mai dragocen,” he said, his voice low and heated. “But we are not alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m aware. Are you?” she asked with a pointed look at Luka.

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