Page 331 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Their home.
For the Keepers and the High Goddess.
In the meantime, they would stay at the Arius Manor.
Theon followed Axel across the house to the private wing, which still felt strange to be in so freely. They climbed a few flights of stairs, coming to what he knew were Axel and Kat’s private quarters.
“Axel?” he sighed. “This couldn’t wait?”
He shook his head, leading him through their sitting room and then their bedroom. Luka and Kat were standing in a doorway, and Theon’s brow pinched. They were standing in the doorway of the nursery, and when Theon came up behind them, he stilled.
Tessa was in the nursery, asleep in the rocking chair, and nestled on her chest was a sleeping Maddox.
“She found me and asked if she could hold him,” Kat whispered. “I left her with him while I went to shower real quick, and when I came back…” She gestured to them.
“Do you want us to…take her?” Theon asked because Maddox was a few months old now, and this was the first time Tessa had held him.
“She’s fine,” Kat said. “You can stay as long as you want. I’m sure he’ll be waking in the next hour to eat.”
Theon nodded, Axel and Kat wandered out to the sitting room, and he and Luka ventured into the dim nursery, taking seats on the small sofa.
“Any ideas on what instigated this?” Luka asked, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles.
“No idea,” Theon said, watching her with the sleeping babe. “Maybe she just needed time?”
“Doubt it,” Luka said. “This has been a thing since Maddox was born.”
“Yeah,” Theon sighed because he was right.
And so was Kat.
It was maybe twenty minutes later when Maddox started to stir, and Tessa’s eyes snapped open. Her features twisted as she tried to figure out what to do, but Theon was there, scooping up their nephew.
“I’ve got him, beautiful,” he said with a soft smile.
She looked a little embarrassed when her gaze darted to Luka. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“We’re all exhausted, Tessa,” Luka replied, reaching for her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go to our rooms.”
They delivered Maddox to his parents and made their way back across the house, and as soon as the door closed behind them, she spun to face them.
“I need to tell you something,” she said, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
Theon and Luka both froze, waiting for her to go on.
“I…” She cleared her throat and crossed her arms, clearly working up the courage to tell them this. “In a few days, I’m going to see Cienna, and she is going to give me some Marks. I wanted to tell you before I went.”
“Okay,” Theon said tentatively as Luka made his way to the liquor cart. Guess they weren’t going to bed quite yet. “What are these Marks for?”
“I—” Her hands were in her hair, tugging at the ends. “I don’t want children,” she blurted.
He and Luka both froze again because where was this coming from?
“It’s not an impulsive decision,” she went on. “I don’t know the first thing about being a mother.”
“That is something that would come in time, Tessa,” Theon said carefully while Luka passed out liquor and wine.
“That’s not…” A sound of frustration came from her. “My existence nearly destroyed a realm. Can you imagine my child? With either one of you? With Luka, it would be a great-grandchild of four gods. With you and your surplus of power? A child would be hunted. They would upset the balance.”
