Page 262 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

He needed to stall this ridiculous hearing and outcome for the rest of the day, and he already knew how to do that. There were cracks among the kingdoms. Fragile alliances on the verge of breaking.

He needed them to shatter.

47

LUKA

Theon:We’re having it out after this, fucker. I cannot believe you’re sending me into this alone. This is not just about her, and you know it. Get your head out of your ass, and do what needs to be done.

Ignoring yet another message from Theon, Luka shut his phone off before sending it to a pocket realm. He didn’t want to risk losing the thing with what he was about to do.

Dressed in black pants and a fitted long-sleeve black shirt, he tied his hair up before Traveling from his cave to the Arius manor. He didn’t keep it down when he made his way up the stairs and down a hallway. Bypassing his own room, he went straight to a set of guest rooms. He didn’t even bother to knock before he threw open the door.

Flames of black and orange greeted him, but he’d suspected as much, a shield of his own in place. When all the flames died down, Eliza stood there with a beautiful sword in hand, while Razik glared at him with glowing sapphire eyes, the pupils shifted to vertical slits.

“What is wrong with you?” Eliza demanded, lowering her sword.

“I need your help,” Luka answered.

The female looked him up and down. “You look like you’re about to do something stupid. Or dangerous. Or both.”

“Both,” he confirmed.

Looking up at Razik, she said, “We’re helping him.”

“We don’t even know what he’s doing,” Razik countered.

“I don’t care. I’mbored, Razik,” she said. “I haven’t stabbed anything for weeks.”

“You sound like Scarlett,” the male grumbled.

“I need to get out of this house. I need to do something other than research in books?—”

“You love books.”

“You know what I mean, Raz,” she retorted. “We were sent here to help, and all we’ve been able to do is skirt around truths and confirm theories when they finally figure shit out. I need todosomething.”

Luka understood that feeling. From the moment he’d learned his father was alive, he’d been driven by a need todosomething. Raiding Theon’s books, he’d found everything he could about the Faven Palace and sat down to write any details he could remember about the time he’d spent there these last months. Tessa had said he was in cells, but he’d never come across them. He had, however, been keeping tabs on Tessa. She might have been blocking the bond, but she couldn’t block that Tracking Mark Theon had put on her. He’d taken a page from Theon’s book and used the thing to always know where she was.

It was how he’d tracked her down in that hallway on one of his first days there when everyone was looking for her. She’d seemingly appeared out of nowhere, Roan at her side, but as he’d watched her more and more over the coming weeks, she went tothe same place more than once. Spent extended periods of time there.

He was a link to something I was desperate for. He kept me company when no one wanted me.

Those had been her words, and it had all clicked into place. There was an entrance to some sort of dungeon down that hall. They just needed to find it.

He waited while Razik and Eliza disappeared into their bedroom, becoming increasingly impatient with each minute that passed. While he waited, he wandered around their rooms. Various pieces of their lives were scattered about. Although he couldn’t really say scattered. The room was remarkably neat for two people that rarely left it. The things that were left lying around appeared to be hers. A lone dagger here. Discarded shirt there. Ties for her braids collected in a small porcelain bowl. Luka preferred trinket tins for his hair ties, but this bowl was black, the light glinting off of it.

Swiping it up, he dumped out the hair ties before sending it to a pocket realm to retrieve later.

Moving to the table, he looked over books and notes. His brow furrowed as he read some of the hastily scrawled words. Something about the Fates and bonds. A genesis bond. That term was circled multiple times.

“We’re ready,” Eliza announced, and Luka turned to find her in black pants and some kind of white tunic. She had what appeared to be leather armor strapped to her arms, legs, and along her torso with numerous weapons sheathed…everywhere. Her hair was braided in a plait, and the hilt of her sword peeked over her shoulder. Razik wore black pants and boots, along with a loose black tunic.

“Based on your tight-fitting clothing, I’m assuming you don’t anticipate needing to shift or summon your wings?” the male asked, sounding annoyed.

Luka shrugged. “It’ll rip easy enough if I do.”

“Wasteful,” Razik scoffed.

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