Page 7 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
A dark bark of laughter fell from her lips, a sound tinged with the madness that had laid claim to her soul.
He should be asking whatshewas going to do with all ofthem?
“Fuck,” Luka muttered. “That’s not?—”
But she was already walking away from him, striding for the bathroom. The cold tile of the bathroom floor helped her feel grounded as she spun and looked back into the bedroom. Luka hadn’t moved, but his eyes narrowed as she held his gaze.
Then she slammed the door shut.
Moving to the vanity, she found her reflection. Her violet eyes were glowing, and she didn’t know how to make them stop. She didn’t know if she wanted to anymore. For so long, she’d been told she needed to learn to control it. For so long, she’d feared it. For so long, she’d thought herself weak for failing to conquer it. But maybe…
She lifted a hand, light pooling as gold and silver flecks appeared and swirled among it all. Flickers of lightning. A storm in her palm.
Maybe in the end they’d all been wrong.
Her eyes still on her reflection, she smiled. For the first time in all her years, she let herself embrace what she was at her core. She would not change herself to suit others. Would not shove down her light or deny her longing for the dark. Would not cower and let others save her.
Pulling her shirt over her head, she slipped off the loose pants she was wearing, discarding it all in a pile on the floor. Then she stepped into the shower, turning the water on and letting the hot water wash over her.
What am I going to do with you?
Dex had said it.
Theon had said it.
Luka had said it.
They would do nothing with her. Not a godsdamn thing.
But her?
She was ready to fulfill her purpose her way.
“Nice to see you up and about, wild fury,” Tristyn said, his tone light and playful when she entered the large sitting room.
Tessa met his gaze, but she didn’t say anything. There was no tilt of her lips or arched brow, and she watched his small smile falter.
Luka had been waiting for her when she’d emerged from the bathroom, hair still dripping and skin bare. Neither of them had spoken. He’d only pointed to the bundle he’d tossed on the table, which turned out to be a pair of leggings, a sweater, and undergarments. No socks or shoes; not that she’d have worn them anyway. Then she’d followed him down a flight of stairs to where everyone else had gathered—Razik and Eliza, Cienna and Gia, Tristyn and Xan.
The eldest male’s soulful sapphire eyes watched her carefully, just as they’d always done from behind a pane of enchanted glass. He still had the white stone collar around his neck. Apparently no one had figured out how to remove it yet.
At the extended silence, Tristyn looked at Luka. “Has she said anything at all?”
“Not a word,” Luka clipped, brushing past her.
Tristyn visibly hesitated for a moment before he hedged, “And down the bond?”
“Nothing from either of them,” he answered. Broody and stoic. Identical to two of the other males in this room.
“There’s food, Tessa,” Tristyn said, returning his attention to her. The teasing note to his voice was gone, replaced with something softer. Kinder.
Cautious.
“But if there’s something else you’d like, I can make that happen,” he added.
She drifted over to the spread of food that had been laid out along a wall. Fruit and breads. Doughnuts and crackers. Various jams and cold meats and cheeses.
Tristyn appeared at her side, holding out a steaming cup of coffee, and she glanced up at him again. His voice was low and only for her when he said, “Come on, wild fury. It’s a peace offering.”
