Page 86 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“You let me endure years of abuse!” she cried, lurching to her feet. “You?—”
“I taught you how to survive,” he snarled, smoothly rising to his own feet. He braced his hands on the desk, leering towards her. “‘Be what they want you to be now, so you can be who you were meant to be later.’ That’s what I taught you. How to blend in in a world that would seek to use and destroy you. How to make them see what you needed them to see so you could sneak around and cross wards. We needed them to believe you were Fae, so we neededyouto believe it too. Until it was time.”
“You’re lying,” she spat.
His smile was chilling. “We are under a truth agreement, Tessa. I can’t lie to you right now. Isn’t this what you wanted? Truth and answers?”
Yes.
No.
She needed a moment. Even with the cuff on, she felt her control slipping. Her power surged, snapping and lashing out, trying to break free. Dragging her down.
“How are you any different?” she asked, her voice shaking. “You want to use us as much as they do.”
He’d rounded the desk at some point, and now he stood directly in front of her. His hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look into his dark eyes. “I’m not seeking to use you, Tessa. I’m seeking to set youfree. I’m seeking to see you at your rightful place.”
“You said so yourself, I was the key to your freedom.”
“And you are,” he confirmed. “But you are also the key toyours.” When she didn’t immediately reply, he leaned closer, letting his hand slide from her chin to tuck her hair behind herear. “Give me a week, Tessie. Give me one week to prove to you I’ve always been on your side.”
“What could you possibly show me in a week that could convince us of that?”
His lips tilted in a knowing smile. “You, of all people, should know how much one’s perspective can change in a single day, hour, let alone a week.” Taking a step back, he pulled a phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. Then he added, “I think you will find even your presumed allies only have their own interests in mind.”
“What does that mean?” she demanded.
“Come. We have visitors.”
Tessa had little choice but to follow Dex from Cordelia’s office. She stayed at his side, refusing to trail him like a Fae or a fucking Source. She knew where they were going anyway. Taking a left instead of a right, they stepped into the grand foyer of the main estate building.
“Who are we waiting for?” she asked in irritation.
“The Arius Lord and his wife.”
“Valter and Cressida?”
“Valter is no longer the Arius Lord,” Dex said.
“Then who is?”
“His heir, of course.”
But if Valter wasn’t dead, the only way he could be the Lord was if all the ruling Lords and Ladies had unanimously agreed. Rordan would never, but it was another word that had her lungs constricting.
Wife.
“It’s a Selection Year,” she said a touch too weakly, betraying her own emotions.
Dex glanced at her, pity on his features. As if talking to a child who had learned a hard lesson, he said, “It is my understanding an exception was made for an extenuating circumstance.”
The door opened then, a male and female striding in. She took in the female first, wrapped in a long fur coat. Her chestnut hair was styled half-up, brown eyes immediately finding her and narrowing as she pointedly removed her gloves to showcase the Mark on the back of her hand.
“Arius Lord,” Dex said, bowing deeply, but Tessa stayed rooted to the spot.
Her gaze slid to him, staring at his hands. On the back of one was the Achaz Mark, but on the back of the other… She couldn’t tear her eyes from the Union Mark that stood out.
Dex stood straight once more. “What can we do for you and your wife this afternoon?”
