Page 26 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

Razik’s eyes slid down, narrowing at the hand that clutched the liquor glass. “That’s not a Source Mark. That’s the Achaz symbol.”

He wanted to punch this male in the godsdamn face.

“I am aware it is not a Source Mark,” Theon gritted out.

“Then what is it?”

“Vengeance.”

“Our dearest Tessa bestowed that upon him,” came a male voice, and they all turned to find Tristyn.

And with him was Katya.

Her black ringlets flowed over her shoulders, golden eyes scanning the room. She was wearing black pants and a cream tunic that was stunning against her dark skin. Her outfit vaguely reminded him of what Cienna would wear, which made sense since she’d been staying with her in the Underground from what he could gather. Axel had told Tristyn to keep her safe, and he’d taken her to Cienna, who was also wanted by his father. Theon couldn’t deny the genius of the move.

Katya reached up, tucking her hair behind an arched ear. A small, sad smile tilted on her lips when she met Theon’s gaze.

And then she started to drop to a knee.

“Don’t,” Theon said in a rush, lurching forward a step before he could stop himself. When she paused, her head tilting in question, he added, “It is not necessary here.”

“Are you not the acting Arius Lord?” she asked, and gods, she sounded tired.

“I am, but it’s not— You don’t?—”

“I have never known you to be this inarticulate.”

“Really?” Eliza cut in. “Because that’s all he seems to be since I met him.”

“No,” Katya said, moving deeper into the room. “Theon is actually quite academic and astute. He was simply never taught how to process his emotions.”

Eliza huffed out a laugh, and by the gods, when had this day become about evaluating him and his strengths and weaknesses?

Kat stopped a few feet from him. Looking up into his face she said, “Thank you for rescinding the order to have me sent to Julius and Mansel. I am sure that would have been an unfavorable experience.”

“It would have been more than unfavorable,” he replied.

“I know,” she whispered. “It’s why he did what he did.”

He hadn’t even processed what he was doing when he thrust his liquor glass towards her and said, “Here. You need this more than I do.”

Her gaze slid to the glass then back up to him before she tentatively reached for it. “Thank you, my Lord.”

At no point in his nearly three decades of life had he thought he would ever hate hearing those words directed at him, but gods, did he loathe it in this moment.

She took a small sip of the liquor, not even wincing at the burn, before she asked, “Is there any news of him?”

Theon shook his head, unable to say the simple word.

Katya only nodded before her eyes swept the room again, searching for what, he didn’t know. But she didn’t seem to find it as she worried her bottom lip for the briefest of moments beforestraightening and appearing to shove aside whatever she’d been thinking about.

“What are we discussing?” she asked, holding the liquor glass at her side.

“Why Tessa gave him an Achaz Mark,” Lange supplied, sliding down the sofa to make room for her, but she didn’t move to join her friends.

“She did what?” Kat asked, her gaze immediately going to his hand.

“It was just her getting revenge. It means nothing,” Theon gritted out, his hand clenching into a fist.

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