Page 210 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
Are you sure about this, Tessa?Luka asked one last time.
It’s the only thing I’ve ever been sure of in my entire life,she answered.
Then guide our magic,Theon instructed.
And she did, their power twisting and curving around their wrists. The threads of power becoming so entangled as she worked, Luka couldn’t tell which Mark was being inked on whose skin. He felt her power cut into his flesh, stealing blood. Doing the same to her and Theon. Her Chaos absorbed it all, adding to whatever she was doing. She was breathing hard, and a tear slipped free.
This is too much, Theon,Luka ground out.
I can do this. We don’t stop, Tessa insisted, her body starting to tremble.
Seconds later, those cords they’d all seen at one time or another sprang up.
The brightest gold.
The darkest black.
A midnight blue.
They were as entangled as the Mark she was bestowing. No telling where one ended and another began. Until they flared so brightly, Luka had to turn away and close his eyes.
Something pulsed through him, settling into the depths of his soul, and he turned back just in time to see their mess of power flare out.
Tessa stumbled forward, and Luka caught her before she fell to the floor.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, scooping her up and carrying her to the sofa in the office.
He placed her between them, and she slumped against his chest while Theon leaned in and cupped her face. “Tessa? Are you all right?”
She was still trembling, her head lolling against Luka’s shoulder. “You’re mine,” she whispered, her eyes falling closed.
Theon lifted his gaze to Luka’s, and they both raised their arms to see the intricate Mark wrapping around their wrists. It mirrored the one on Tessa’s, and it was precise and perfect.
Looking back at Luka once more, Theon grasped his forearm and said, “Let’s take our wife home.”
37
THEON
“You’re sure about this?” Luka asked as they stood outside the Faven Palace gates.
“It’s a little late to turn back now, don’t you think?” Theon replied, adjusting the sleeves of his suit jacket. “Just make sure your wrist stays covered until the lordship is approved.”
“They are never going to agree to this,” Luka warned. “They’re going to feel manipulated and tricked. All the relations you’ve worked on building outside your father’s shadow will be broken and irreparable.”
“Maybe,” Theon agreed, straightening when the gates opened and five Achaz Sentinels appeared to escort them.
But he was willing to risk it at this point. The kingdoms themselves were broken. Devram was irreparable. But his goals had changed. He didn’t want to fix anything anymore. He wanted to start completely over, and that wouldn’t happen without drastic measures and drawing hard lines.
Tessa was nearby, waiting until an agreed upon time. Having her there right away would be a distraction he didn’t want right now. Not necessarily for him, but for the other rulers. But he could feel her down the bond, pacing and restless. He wouldhave preferred her to stay at Luka’s cave and Travel here when it was time, but that was certainly too far for her and Luka to be separated. They really needed to figure out the limits of that Mark soon.
None of them had realized what that Union Mark would cost her yesterday, or they would have waited to complete it. She swore there were no regrets, and she’d drawn from him this morning, refilling her reserves at least enough to get through the day. The Guardian Bond would draw from Luka for him if things escalated today, but there was no way they could bring Tessa here as drained as she was. That Mark had been as draining as the Source Marks had been, and it made sense. The Tri-Union Mark she’d given them tangled pieces of their souls together the same way the Source Marks did. The difference was the Tri-Union Mark wasmeantto do that. It wasn’t some gross manipulation of other Marks. So while she’d been exhausted and drained, there hadn’t been the physical side effects of pain and vomiting.
“Thank you,” Theon said tightly when a guard opened a door to let him in, and the male’s eyes widened momentarily before snapping back to attention.
Side by side, he and Luka strolled into the makeshift meeting room, and he loosed a small sigh of relief. A part of him had expected his father to be here, but the Arius seat sat empty. The Ladies were here, along with Rordan, but Lady Isleen’s Source wasn’t. That was odd.
His gaze slid among the rulers, holding the Anala Lady’s stare for a second longer than the others, before he lowered into the Arius seat, sat back, and waited.
