Page 177 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“Breck,” she cried again, his name a broken sob as that thing in her soul cracked even more. “I’m so sorry.”
“Be…who you…were meant to be, Tessa,” he gasped.
With tears streaming down her face, she looked up at Tristyn. “Give me some lull-leaf.”
He didn’t question her, crouching down to reach into the pocket of his jacket she was still wearing. He lit it, handing it to Tessa, and she brought it to Brecken’s lips.
“A fucking…saint,” he gasped, before inhaling a ragged breath.
One more.
And then he stilled.
Tessa tipped her head back and screamed. Another sacrifice made because of her. Another life taken because of her. She was beginnings and endings, and what good was it if she couldn’t save those she loved? And why did she feel like she was dying right beside him?
“Um, Tessa? I know you’re grieving, but we have another issue,” Tristyn said, suddenly standing. He had two curved blades in his hands now, and her wolves were closing in, stayingclose, as inky darkness rolled along the ground, mixing with the dense fog.
She barely had a moment to panic before it caressed her, sliding up her body like a lover.
Then it tightened around her throat, and her magic bit back as Theon stepped from the rolling black mist.
He looked from her to Tristyn, then to the broken body of Brecken and the lone wings on the ground.
His voice was lethal when he said tightly, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m interrupting, but we need to go.”
“I can’t—” Tessa started, the ache in her chest agony now, but Theon interrupted.
“Something is wrong with Luka. Cienna said he’s dying.”
33
THEON
They didn’t wait for Blackheart. Tessa grabbed his hand, Traveling them back to the Underground penthouse. Seconds later, Tristyn appeared with an unmoving Brecken.
He felt Tessa suck in a sharp breath at the sight of them, and Tristyn gave her a sad nod. “Go to Luka. I’ll handle this.”
Tessa nodded, swallowing thickly, and while Theon wanted to know what the fuck had happened, he was feeling too many other things to properly care right now.
“Upstairs,” Theon said tightly, anger and fear mixing in his gut.
As if his voice broke her from some sort of trance, she took off, racing up the stairs. So godsdamn fast when she needed to be.
He followed, taking the stairs two at a time. Or trying to. Because he was feeling his Guardian dying all over again. It was only sheer adrenaline that had allowed him to go find her, and that adrenaline was waning.
By the time he made it to their bedroom on the second floor, Tessa was already on her knees at Luka’s side, Blackheart’s leather jacket hanging off her.
He and Luka had realized she was gone at the same time, her emotions down the bond jolting them awake to find no blonde-haired female between them. How she’d managed to crawl from the bed without either of them feeling her was still a mystery, but they were up in seconds.
“I’ll check the kitchen,” Luka had said as Theon had made his way to the bathroom.
He’d known she wasn’t in there. The door was open, lights off, but he’d gone in there anyway. And thank the gods he had because just as he was turning to leave and go downstairs with Luka, he’d spotted the corner of a piece of paper sticking out of a drawer.
Yanking it open, he’d found a note mixed in with her hair things, a growl of anger escaping as he’d read it.
“Luka!” he’d yelled, his strides purposeful now. Something in his chest was writhing, and he’d assumed it was because Tessa was in the fucking Falein Kingdom. But then he’d found Luka, collapsed on the ground in only the lightweight pants he’d slipped into.
He’d realized then what was happening, his mind going back to Lake Moonmist when Luka had been stabbed and he’d been in so much agony, he couldn’t function. Knowing what was coming, he’d braced himself, yelling for Razik and Eliza, who were in Luka’s usual room across the hall. They’d gotten Axel, Kat, and Xan.
