Page 39 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
He was just rinsing the eggs when Razik came over to the food spread, although he didn’t fill a plate. He only straightened to his full height and crossed his arms as he said, “Where is she?”
Luka glanced at him before returning his attention to what he was doing. “Xan is with her.”
“And you’re just going to keep her from me until…when?”
Setting the bowl of hard-boiled eggs down with the rest of the food, he mirrored his brother’s stance. “Until I know you’re not going to attack her the moment she steps foot in the same room as you.”
“She’s not your Ward,” Razik sneered, his lip curling up in disgust.
“I’m aware.”
“And she doesn’t appear to beyoursanymore,” he continued.
“What’s your point?” Luka snapped, his dragon snarling internally at those words.
“That it’s not your place to protect her,” Razik retorted. “She needs to answer for her actions. Fucking Fates. What is with that bloodline thinking they can do whatever the fuck they want without consequences?”
“The Arius bloodline?” Luka asked in confusion.
“Arius. Serafina. Their godsdamn grandchildren,” he grumbled. “The point is, it no longer appears it is your place to stand beside her and her choices.”
Luka ground his teeth, staring back at the arrogant challenge in his brother’s eyes. As if the male could see the war raging in his soul, he smirked, waiting to see what Luka would do. And what could he do?
When it became apparent he wasn’t going to respond, Razik took a step forward, his arms dropping to his sides. “She destroyed my way home,” he snarled.
“I know,” Luka said.
“I do not want to be stuck in this realm.”
“And what, exactly, do you want me to do about it?” Luka retorted. “I cannot rebuild the Pantheon, and I certainly don’t have the ability to world walk. So what are you hoping to accomplish? More than that, what do you thinkshewill be able to do?”
“SheisChaos,” Razik snapped. “There has to be something she can do.”
Scoffing, he said, “Because she’s clearly in a position to be thinking about world walking. She’s so deep in her power, she grows more mad every day.”
“Madness is how we dream.”
They both turned as Tessa’s voice floated into the room, that eerie ring to it. It hadn’t left. Since the day she’d brought thePantheon to ruin, that eeriness had been there. It was the most telling thing that betrayed how much control her power had over her right now. But there were things the others didn’t notice as much. The way she always had to be touching something, usually the wall. Her hands always in her hair. The humming. But her mannerisms were growing more erratic, and everyone was taking notice of that.
She moved deeper into the space, her bare feet leaving footprints. They weren’t ashes like Auryon had often left behind, but they were similar. Tessa’s were more silver and gold wisps. Luka glanced at his father, who sent him a grim look where he leaned against the back of the sofa Eliza was sitting on, her focus still on her book as though she hadn’t heard the unstable female who had entered. Luka knew better though. There was little that female didn’t notice.
Razik glared at Tessa as she passed him, but she didn’t seem to care. She only swiped up an orange before hopping up onto the opposite counter, her legs swinging as she peeled the fruit. No one said anything because what was there to say at this point?
Her golden hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves, and he watched her fingers tremble slightly as she pulled at the rind. Her fitted dress was casual, with long sleeves and slits up both sides that went to the tops of her thighs. The wide neckline allowed a view of the Mark over her heart. The one that had started all of this. That had pulled him into something he’d tried to deny himself.
“Where were you?” Luka asked.
Tessa didn’t answer, didn’t even acknowledge them as her feet continued to swing.
“I took her outside,” Xan answered.
He turned to his father. “Outside? Why would you do that?”
“She needs to see the sky,” he replied. “There are certain things that will ground her. Things she associates with safety and security. Things she associates with?—”
He cut off abruptly, and when he didn’t continue, Luka asked, “And the sky does that for her?”
“There are better options,” Xan said pointedly. “But it is something until she can be pulled from the depths of chaos.”
