Page 304 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
THEON
The conference room was silent when Theon finished explaining what they planned to do by transferring Dagian’s power to him. The Ladies stared back, seemingly at a loss for words, and the tension in the air was so thick, it was oppressive. Luka was rigid on Tessa’s other side, and Tessa appeared almost…bored. A far cry from what she’d been last night. He knew she wasn’t bored. She was waiting to see which argument they were going to face first. Just like he was. But he’d meant what he’d said. This was happening whether or not the Ladies agreed to it. Mainly because Dagian was not only offering but insistent. The male hadn’t been the same since Sasha’s death.
He wasn’t surprised that the Falein Lady spoke first, nor was he surprised by her question.
“I need to clarify what you are requesting,” Lady Farhan said, her palms flat on the table.
“Not requesting,” Theon corrected. “Simply informing you of what’s to come.”
Her eyes narrowed, her words terse as she said, “You want us to approve of you taking power from the Achaz Heir?”
“That he is willingly giving,” Theon amended.
“That is not the point,” the Celeste Lady interjected. “The point is you will be more powerful than any of us.”
“But not more powerful than Tessa,” he said with a shrug. “She will still be the Arius Lady.”
“Whom you are married to,” she retorted. “You have already deceived us once. We will not stand for this.”
“If she is the Arius Lady, why are you speaking for her?” Lady Farhan asked.
“He is not speaking for me,” Tessa cut in. “He tends to be far less…dramatic than I am.” Her point was accentuated as she drummed her fingers on the table, a single flicker of lightning appearing and bouncing along the table. “But if you’d rather deal with me, then so be it.”
All the Ladies, save for Kyra, sat up straighter. “You have two husbands,” the Celeste blurted.
“Yes, yes,” Tessa muttered, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s already been established and not why we are here today. I do not have time for such trivial matters.”
“Trivial matters? What is stopping us from taking second Matches?” Lady Candra scoffed.
Tessa widened her eyes. “Nothing. Take another husband. Take a wife. Take five. As long as they are not forced, I don’t care.”
Now they were blinking back at her, clearly uncertain what to do or say.
“That is not how things are done,” Lady Farhan finally said.
Tessa paused the drumming of her fingers. “Forgive me for not really caring how things are done when, for most of my life, I was forced to bow, and for the last year, everyone has been trying to use me and decide my destiny for me.”
“I still don’t understand why all these other people are here,” the Serafina Lady interjected, although her voice was monotone. As if evenshedidn’t wish to be here.
“They are my…advisors,” Tessa said, settling on a word.
“No one needs that many advisors,” the Celeste Lady argued. “Fae? Sargon Legacy? A vampyre? We do not even know them all.”
“Perhaps if you had more, and they were more diverse, we wouldn’t be facing our current reality,” Tessa replied, her hand leaving the table and moving to her hair. But Luka caught it, guiding her fingers to rest on his thigh.
“We need to stay focused on the subject of this meeting,” Theon interjected.
“The answer is no,” the Celeste Lady said. She turned to the Anala Lady. “I cannot believe you summoned us here for this.”
“I thought we should hear them out,” Kyra mused, settling back in her chair and taking everything in.
“This is utter nonsense. It will change everything.”
“That is the entire point,” Tessa drawled, and Theon had to work to hide his smirk. Gone were the insecurities and nerves of last night. He’d like to say they fucked it out of her, but her trepidation was still there. He could feel it lingering beneath other emotions, but he was so godsdamn proud of her in this moment.
“Theon is right,” she continued. “This is a courtesy to you all. We are not asking permission. Arrangements have already been made, and this is Dagian’s request.”
The Serafina Lady turned to the Achaz Heir. Dagian was seated down the table, quiet and haunted. “Is this true, Dagian?”
