Page 122 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
But he wasn’t nearly done. He crouched beside her, the female’s tears trailing down her face as she arched in agony. Theon grabbed her jaw, wrenching her face to the side.
“Look at her,” he demanded, nodding at Tessa. “Look her in the eyes now.”
The words were feral and wild and untamed because this female had taken and taken from Tessa long before she was his.
Theon shifted so he could peer up at Tessa as well. Everything about her was cold and uncaring as she stared down at Cordelia. “Anything you want to say to her, tempest?” Theon asked, because this would be her last chance.
“She’s too much of a hassle,” Tessa said flatly, his darkness drifting around her and winding through her hair, around her arms, doing what her light couldn’t do right now.
Those words were all he needed, and he turned back to Cordelia, pale and writhing. “Keep your eyes on her,” he said. “I want to make sure she’s the last thing you ever see.”
Cordelia’s eyes somehow went even wider, but his hand covered them. That onyx mist sharpened, becoming palpable and pointed, stabbing deep into her eye sockets to ensure she was trapped in the dark, just as she’d trapped Tessa in dark spaces for years. He loosened the grip on her throat just to let Tessa hear her screams, and when he quickly glanced at her to make sure she was all right, he found her smiling. Wrapped in his dark power, she looked every bit like the Chaos she was.
“Is this sufficient, tempest?” he asked, death pumping more fiercely through Cordelia’s body with her racing heart.
“Nothing will ever be enough, but I don’t want to waste another second on her,” she said, holding out the dagger.
His smile was as dark as hers, and he took the blade. Gripping the hilt tight, he leaned closer so he could speak directly into Cordelia’s ear.
“Arius is her grandfather. We’ll make sure he knows of you to ensure you receive a special place in the Pits of Torment,” he said.
Something gurgled came from her throat, but it was cut off when he sank that dagger into her chest, directly into her heart. His power followed, delivering death to an already black heart.
Then it was still and quiet.
Theon slowly pushed to his feet, leaving the blade lodged in Cordelia’s chest. The adrenaline of everything was coursing through him as he turned to face Tessa fully. She stared up at him, violet-grey eyes full of things he’d never seen directed at him before. He opened his mouth to speak, lifting a hand to reach for her, but then he was blinking in confusion as another was blocking her from view.
“By Arius, Theon, are you all right?” Felicity cried, pushing Tessa aside to throw her arms around his neck. He stiffened at her touch, too high off the vengeance he’d just wrought to fully comprehend what was happening. He’d forgotten the other female was even in this room.
She pulled back, sliding her palms down his chest and looking him over as if searching for injuries, and then she froze when Tessa’s voice filled the space.
Cold.
Maniacal.
Deadly.
“You really need to learn to stop touching things that aren’t yours.”
Felicity looked over her shoulder, and Theon could hear the sneer in her voice when she said, “This doesn’t involve you. I will touch my husband whenever I want.”
“Is that so?” Tessa asked, her head tilting to the side, and Theon had to use all his self-control not to hide his smirk.
Violet eyes flicked to him, and he only gave her one small nod before sliding his hands into his pockets and taking a step back.
“Yes,” Felicity retorted, missing all the things he could see.
Tessa’s fingers flexing at her sides. The way she started moving, circling, forcing Felicity to spin to keep her in her line of sight. Gone was the victim of the Estate Mother and in her place was a predator. In her place was someone freed of a burden that had held her down. In her place was a huntress about to claim what was hers, and fuck. It did something to him to know thathewas the prize, even if she’d given him everything last night.
“And tell me,Ms. Davers, has he touched you?” Tessa asked, her voice lethal, and Felicity somehow missed that too.
“Of course he has. You’ve seen us together at functions.”
Tessa’s lips tilted, and she hummed. “Yes, a hand on your back for appearances is certainly the same as having him pin you against a wall while muffling your cries of pleasure.”
“Some of us have class,” Felicity retorted. “I can’t be found fucking in a dark corner. I’m a Lord’swife. There are expectations of a Match, Tessalyn, which I understand might be hard for you to comprehend.”
Tessa’s laugh was dark. “But you’re not a Match. You’re not a wife. And you’re not a St. Orcas.”
