Page 104 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

She blinked her eyes back open, but he knew she wouldn’t last long. He sent Rhett to get Zefira immediately.

“She’s awake. Wonderful,” the Priestess cooed as she glided over to them. She reached into a drawer near the bed and produced yet another syringe.

“What is that?” Theon barked when she moved towards Tessa with it.

“It’s normal,” Tessa said softly, pulling her arm out from beneath the blanket.

“What is?”

“It is a contraceptive, my Lord,” Zefira said. “The elixirs used for the assessments have been known to remove prior contraceptives from the body before they are technically due for their next dose. It is merely a precaution.”

A contraceptive?

That had never even crossed his mind. He knew the Fae were given them every season, of course, but it just hadn’t even been on his list of things to worry about. No one was going to be fucking her. No one but him was going to be laying a godsdamn finger on her.

Tessa whimpered, and he realized it wasn’t from the injection. His arm had tightened around her. He immediately loosened his grip, and she released another shaky breath.

“All set,” Zefira announced, pulling the needle from Tessa’s arm and tossing the syringe into a bin. She turned back to face them. “Rhett can carry her back to your waiting room.”

“I have her. For the bond to soothe her,” he added when Zefira gave him a quizzical look.

“I would like to leave her connected to the fluids a little longer. There is a tonic mixed in to speed up the recovery process,” Zefira was saying as she led them out of the recovery room. Rhett trailed after them, carrying the bag of fluids. “Once that bag is depleted, the IV can be removed, and you will be free to go.”

“Is there anything else I need to know?” Theon asked. “Anything I need to be prepared for? Is it normal for her to be…like this?”

Zefira waved a hand dismissively. “Fae are resilient, Lord St. Orcas. That is how they were designed by the gods. She will be fine. She can certainly resume her required duties today.”

She couldn’t be serious. He was certain Tessa wouldn’t even be able to stand if she tried right now. Her head was resting against his chest again, and he was sure if he looked, her eyes would be closed.

“Here we are,” Zefira sang, turning a knob and pulling a door open for him. Axel and Luka lurched to their feet as he entered, their gazes going straight to Tessa. Zefira handed a folder to Luka. Theon hadn’t even realized she’d been holding one. “If you have any questions before you leave or in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

“Noted,” Theon said stiffly, lowering onto the sofa. Tessa whimpered as he got comfortable, and Zefira and Rhett left the room. The door hadn’t even clicked shut when Luka was opening the folder and skimming over the report.

“There is nothing in here about her element,” he said, flipping pages back and forth.

“There won’t be,” Theon answered. “The tests were inconclusive for her element.”

“You are telling me we put her through that for nothing?” Axel asked, the horror at that idea evident in his tone.

Theon glanced down to find Tessa sleeping once again, and he ran a hand down his face. “The tests were inconclusive as to which element she is going to emerge with,” he explained. “However, they were incredibly useful in estimating her power level.”

“Holy fuck,” Luka breathed as Theon finished speaking. He looked up, his eyes wide when they met Theon’s. “They are certain?” He’d clearly just come to that portion of the report.

“According to the Priestess, yes,” Theon answered. He looked at Axel. “If the tests are correct, she will be the strongest Fae in whatever element she emerges with. No one with the same element will be stronger. No Fae will be more powerful than she is.”

“So if she emerges with earth…”Axel trailed off as the realization came over him.

“She will be stronger than Eviana. And even if she doesn’t have earth, her power will still be stronger than Eviana in whatever element she does have,” Theon confirmed.

“Holy fuck,” Axel said, echoing Luka as he sank into a chair. His gaze swung to Luka, and a smirk turned up one side of his lips. “Still think he should have chosen someone else for his Source?”

Luka was still flipping through pages. “I would be a fool to say this isn’t very good news for us and our plans, but with power like that…” He snapped the folder shut. “She is already a handful. Controlling her will be difficult, especially when she can fight back more than she already does.”

“Better us have her than another kingdom,” Theon argued. “Plus, once she is fully Marked, I will be able to access and use that power. And when she finally accepts this bond, control will no longer be an issue.”

“Can you imagine if no one had claimed her?” Axel mused, propping his head on a fist. “She would have emerged, and the kingdoms would have fought over her. Blood would have been spilled for sure, Kingdom Accords be damned.”

“There is more I need to tell you, but I would rather not do so here. However, we do need to discuss the matter of her safety,” Theon said. “I know I have been somewhat possessive of her since Selection—”

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