Page 2 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

“What are you doing here?” Theon asked, stopping a few feet away. His darkness appeared, pooling at his feet and drifting closer to the Legacy before him. Tristyn glanced at it, but didn’t appear bothered in the least.

“I am here to bring you to those who can help with your…predicament,” he finally answered.

Theon scoffed. “As if you know anything of my predicament.”

Tristyn’s eyes seemed to flash, the russet color almost glowing for a second before it receded. “I was there when Tessa chose her side. I tried to bring her back to you that night. Itried…” He gritted his teeth. “I suppose it doesn’t matter what I tried. I failed. And now I am here to offer assistance.”

“You tried to bring her back to me? What the fuck does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said. I tried to bring her back to you. Well, both of you. Do you want my help or not?” Tristyn asked.

Theon studied him. He looked tired and worse for wear. His button-down shirt was untucked, and the buttons were mismatched. He wore a worn brown leather jacket over the top that seemed decades out of style. It didn’t even smell right.

“Fine. Where are we going?” Theon finally said, standing straighter.

“The Underground.”

“I’ll need to bring Lange and Corbin with us.”

“Bring whoever you want,” Tristyn replied. “Just be quick about it.”

Theon glared at him, but he turned to the Fae who’d come to announce Tristyn’s arrival and asked him to fetch Lange and Corbin. As they waited, he said to Tristyn, “It will take at least a full day of driving to get to the Underground.”

“I can Travel.”

Theon blinked once. Twice. “How is it you can Travel?”

“The same way Luka can. I wasn’t born in this realm. Therefore, the enchantments and safeguards put in place do not entirely affect me,” Tristyn replied.

“How convenient,” Theon deadpanned.

“Quite,” he agreed as the sound of footsteps reached them.

Corbin and Lange looked wary as they approached, and Theon couldn’t blame them. They’d been shuffled around from the Fae dormitories to the townhouse and now here. Only now, they didn’t have Tessa or Katya to help guide them. Fuck, even Axel had seemed to be able to put them at ease.

Without a word, Theon motioned them forward. Tristyn made sure they were all touching, and then he felt a pull at his navel he’d never experienced. Luka had certainly never Traveled with him because Luka had kept that particular skill a secret for godsdamn decades.

“I cannot Travel directly into the Underground,” Tristyn said as they appeared near the main gates. “Most areas in Devram are not warded against Traveling because it is not an expected ability, but the Underground has always been different.”

“You know a lot of things, Blackheart,” Theon muttered, trying to swallow down the nausea. He’d had enough vomiting to last a lifetime after Tessa had tricked him with that last Source Mark.

Tessa.

The bond immediately strained at the mere thought of her, and Theon closed his eyes for a moment, tamping down on that desire too. But he could still picture her in that thin, floor-length skirt of navy blue that was so dark it was nearly black. Her hair loose around her and her light banded around her arms. Violet eyes full of malice and rapture as she tipped her head back, riding him and taking her pleasure.

Clever and exquisite.

Brutal and malevolent.

Salvation and destruction.

“While you have lived nearly three decades, I have lived well over three centuries. Too many of them spent in this godsforsaken realm. I should know a lot of things,” Tristyn answered as they ventured into the Underground passages.

“Then why not share what you know?” Theon countered. “This could have all been avoided.”

“Why do you keep your knowledge secret?” he countered, and Theon couldn’t argue with that. “But aside from secrets being currency, messing with fate is a dangerous game. I revealtoo much, and it could be seen as me playing with free will in an effort to obtain a specific outcome. It is safer to not say anything at all.”

“But you have,” Theon argued. “You revealed pieces here and there. Why take the risk?”

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