Page 150 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“You almost fucking died,” Theon said, his voice thick with barely restrained emotion.
“I feel like I almost died,” Luka replied, his voice hoarse from lack of use. Pulling back, he crossed his arms, Theon resuming his position on the wall. “How long have I been out?”
“Nearly three godsdamn weeks,” Theon answered, the disapproval heavy.
“Sorry about that,” Luka drawled. “I’ll try to keep it under two next time.”
“There won’t be a next time, you prick. What the fuck were you thinking? Why didn’t you Travel out?” Theon demanded.
“I was thinking I couldn’t leave you behind,” Luka retorted. “I know you did it, but I couldn’t. Maybe that makes me weaker than you, but fuck, Theon. I couldn’t leave you there to die.”
“But you did nearly leave me,” Theon growled. “That was… Did you know if a Guardian dies, the Ward feels every excruciating piece of the bond dying too?”
Luka blinked. “What?”
“Yeah,” Theon said tightly. “I didn’t know that either.” He shoved a hand through his hair, clearing his throat. “Tessa wasscreaming, and you were dying, and I was… I was trying to get to both of you, and I couldn’t even drag myself across the fucking ground. If anyone was weak, it was me, Luka. Not you.”
They both fell silent, Theon shoving his hand through his hair again. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, leaving his forearms bare, which is the only reason Luka’s gaze caught on the new Mark around his wrist.
“Did you make another Bargain?” Luka asked, jerking his chin in reference.
Theon froze, looking at his wrist, before clearing his throat again. “Something like that. You should eat. Come on. Axel can cook now.”
“I’m not eating anything Axel has made,” Luka said dryly, following him down the stairs. He knew Theon was moving slowly for him, and it grated against his pride, even if he was thankful for it.
“Just you wait,” Theon muttered.
“She’ll be all right? Alone in that room?”
The corner of his lips quirked in a small smile. “She’ll find us when she wakes.”
The rest of the penthouse was quiet as they made their way to the kitchen, and when Theon went to the fridge to retrieve leftovers, Luka asked, “Where is everyone?”
“Everyone is out. Eliza was going stir crazy, so Razik and Axel took her to wander. Brecken too. Cienna and Gia had matters to tend to. Tristyn too. Xan’s with them. Kat is upstairs resting,” Theon answered, loading up a plate with what appeared to be ham, potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. He glanced up as he worked. “Kat is pregnant.”
“Fuck off,” Luka said, eyes widening.
Theon huffed a laugh, placing the plate in the microwave. “Early in her sixth month.”
“Axel’s…right?” Luka said, taking a seat at the counter.
Theon nodded, filling a glass of water and sliding it to him. “Yeah. It’s Axel’s. There’s a lot that’s happened since we were separated. Axel and Kat are married.”
Luka stilled, the glass halfway to his mouth. “They’re married too?”
Theon nodded, now focused on repackaging the leftovers. “Yeah. Bree is trying to steal the Underground. I killed Cordelia. Tessa killed Felicity. Cressida isn’t my mother?—”
“How’d you learn that?” Luka interrupted, setting his glass down after taking a long drink.
Theon’s eyes narrowed. “Why aren’t you surprised by that?”
“Xan told me. Shortly before we came to the Celeste Estate,” Luka said, and then he told Theon all about his own mother, Axel’s potential sister, and more.
Theon stared at him, the leftovers forgotten now. The microwave had beeped long ago, but neither of them had bothered retrieving the reheated food. Not until Luka was done speaking, and then he was pretty sure it was only because Theon needed something to do while he processed everything.
“So your mother is supposedly with my half-sister in the Anala Kingdom?” Theon said. “And Kyra and her kingdom have been harboring Fae and kindling a rebellion for decades? That’s why they’re so stringent on who they let in?”
“From the sounds of it, yes,” Luka said, not realizing just how hungry he was until Theon placed the plate of food in front of him. He needed to pace himself, but fuck, it smelled divine. “What else?”
