Page 71 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
His words died as she lifted a hand. Her power swirled, and when it receded, she held an arrow between her fingers.
“Tessa,” he breathed, andgods. There was a reverence in her name that she hadn’t heard from him in weeks.
He stepped closer, examining the arrow, because while it looked exactly like the arrows she’d been shooting all night, she knew it wasn’t. Knew Luka could feel it was somethingothertoo.
“What did you do?” he asked, leaning in close to inspect the weapon.
His scent assaulted her, and she could feel his heat, warming her soul in a way no fire ever could.
“Something wild and reckless,” she answered.
“How did you do it?”
“I don’t know. I never know.”
“We’ll work on that,” he answered, his fingers brushing over hers as he gently took the arrow from her.
“We… We will?” she asked, knowing better than to let the hope trying to blossom in her chest bloom.
“Yes. This is another power you need to understand. Need to control,” he replied, handing the arrow back to her.
“Oh,” was all she said, reaching for the arrow.
“But not tonight. You need to rest too.”
“No,” she said simply.
No sleeping.
Sleeping made it worse.
So much worse.
“Tessa—”
“In all things there must be balance,” she murmured, nocking the arrow before raising the bow. “Beginnings and endings.” She took aim at a dead tree in the distance. The trunk was half gone, and the bare branches were brittle. “Light and dark.” She inhaled deeply, holding the breath for one second. Two. Three. “Fire and shadows,” she whispered on the exhale, releasing the arrow.
It struck true. She knew it wasn’t her skill, but this newthingguiding the arrow.
And the entire tree was nothing but the same gold and silver ashes of her power moments later.
“By Sargon,” Luka said, awe ringing in the words.
The same way he’d once said her name.
She looped her bow over her chest, turning away from him and heading back to the cave entrance.
“Tessa?” he called after her.
“I’m not your Ward, Luka,” she called back. “We’re not yours to worry about anymore.”
But suddenly he was there, having Traveled to block her path. “You are mine to worry about. Theon entrusted you to me?—”
Her harsh bark of laughter cut him off, and she couldn’t blame him. It bordered on hysterical.
Shefelthysterical.
She felt out of control.
