Page 270 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

EVIANA

Head tipped back against the wall, Eviana reveled in the utter silence. Not in the surroundings. No, she could hear Ford shuffling around his cell. He’d tried to talk to her the first day, but had finally given up after she’d repeatedly ignored him. The sound of footfalls above them was a dull thumping here and there, and the sound of water in the pipes was a constant lullaby. But in her head? That was blissfully quiet.

Still, she heard the footsteps on the stairs, cracking an eye open. From what she could gather, Theon had cleaned out all the staff. Smart really. They were all loyal to Valter and would report any and all movements back to him. Even their beloved Pen and Caris betrayed Theon and Axel at various points. Denying the Arius Lord was simply never an option. It explained why Ford was down here and everyone else had presumably been reassigned to different duties. Food was delivered at various times, but it wasn’t a consistent schedule like it had been in Faven.

She was still a little taken aback when it wasn’t Lange and Corbin or even Razik and Eliza who appeared in front of her cell. Instead, she was staring into the sapphire eyes of Luka Mors.

“Show me the Mark,” he said roughly, crossing his arms as he waited.

Without a word, she tugged the collar of her shirt to the side, twisting so he could see the blocking Mark. When she turned back to meet his stare once more, he asked, “Why did you take it?”

Her head tilted. “I suppose for the same reason you pledged your allegiance to Theon rather than Valter.”

“But you have been his Source for decades.”

“Have you not been forced to do unsavory things over the years? Or was it of your own volition that you took lives and inflicted pain?” she countered.

He was quiet for a few moments before he said, “We can’t trust you.”

“Then don’t.”

“That is hardly helpful,” he scoffed.

She said nothing. Only held his stare and waited to see what he would do next.

Finally, he pulled a key from his pocket, slipping it into the lock before pressing a palm to the door. Recognizing his magical signature, it unlocked. He slid it to the side and gestured for her to follow him. She’d been here a few days now, and she assumed this was about being allowed to bathe. When she was led to the dining room, her curiosity grew.

“Take a seat,” Luka said, sinking into one of his own.

Eviana scanned the room, taking them all in. It took effort to keep her surprise from showing when she found Xan at the table. It had been some time since she’d seen him. She’d known Valter had betrayed him, of course. She’d helped set it all up, so this was an interesting turn of events. He still wore the collar around his throat that kept him from his magic and from shifting, and she idly wondered how they planned to remove it.

“You truly cannot communicate with him?” Luka asked.

Her hands folded in her lap, she answered, “Will you believe my answer either way?”

His stare was icy, but he didn’t respond.

“I already told you,” Eliza cut in. “We have experience with this Mark. The only way it will stop working is if her power is allowed to completely drain.”

“Did you ever see him in Faven?” Luka asked.

“No,” she answered, her attention now fixed out the window. The sun was setting, not that she could see much of it through the clouds that had gathered. New life was starting to show though. Small buds on trees and glimpses of green in the yard. It made her magic thrum where it was locked away.

“But you could speak with him?” he pressed.

“Yes.”

“And?”

Finally, she met his gaze once more. “The bond may be blocked, but I still cannot tell his secrets. It appears you are more than capable of unearthing them yourself,” she added, her eyes flicking to Xan.

“Hello, Eviana,” the male said coldly.

She didn’t bother replying.

Luka rubbed at his temple with his forefinger, his elbow resting on the table. “We know he’s going to come for her first now that he’s free.”

“What do you mean he is free?” she demanded, turning to Luka so quickly, her chair scraped on the floor.

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