Page 118 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“Here you are.”

Tessa jolted again when the bottle of ginger ale and a glass were placed in front of her. Theon was making slow circles on the back of her neck with his thumb, but even that didn’t seem to be enough right now. Not that she could do anything about it in a public restaurant. And maybe she was grateful for that because she knew if they were alone right now, she’d let him do pretty much anything to her to keep the memories from swarming up and dragging her down again.

“Thank you,” she replied quietly, giving the Fae server a small smile.

“You are very jumpy tonight, Tessa.”

And good gods, she jolted again at Theon’s whispered voice near her ear. He reached across her, picking up the small bottle of ginger ale and pouring it into the glass for her. Then his lips were at her ear again. “It makes me think there is something, or perhaps several things, you are keeping from me.”

Tessa resisted the urge to swallow, reaching for the glass of ginger ale. “It has just been a long day,” she replied softly.

She could feel his eyes on her for a long moment, but he finally sat back, returning to his meal and the Legacy he was supposed to be getting to know. Knowing he was paying very close attention to her though, Tessa picked up her spoon and began stirring the broth.

“Tell me, Felicity, what gift did you end up with?” Theon asked.

“Was that not in the information my father sent over to you?” Felicity asked, and Tessa could feel her eyes on her too.

“It was, but powers manifest differently for everyone. I found it interesting you ended up with gifts of Gracil rather than Rai. How, exactly, does the power of creating conflict work?” Theon answered.

The female could create conflict? That seemed fitting.

“I can sense conflicts among people,” Felicity replied. “And from there, I can fan the flame, so to speak.”

“That could be useful,” Theon mused, sitting back in his chair and taking a sip of his fresh drink.

“It certainly can be, and a gift I would be more than delighted to share with the Arius Kingdom and bloodline,” Felicity said with a small smile.

“Indeed.”

Tessa snuck a peek from beneath her lashes as she brought a spoonful of broth to her mouth to find the two Legacies’ gazes locked on each other. She forced the mouthful of broth down her throat before setting her spoon back down. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for him to take a Match. Maybe it would take his focus and attention off of her all the time. Would she be expected to serve his Match, too, though? She had never seen Cressida giving orders to Eviana. Granted, she hadn’t been around Eviana or Theon’s parents much, but she had never seen Cressida interact with Eviana at all.

“Will you tell me of Arius House?” Felicity asked, breaking the silence and dropping her eyes to her plate as if suddenly shy. Tessa dipped her head to hide the eye roll she couldn’t stop this time. “Who resides there with you?”

“The house is big enough that I have an entire wing to myself. My parents have a wing as well, and my brother’s rooms are in that wing of the house. Mine were there until I took my Source. Luka, who will be my advisor when the time comes, also has rooms in my wing,” Theon answered.

“And your mother runs the household?” Felicity asked. “Would that be expected of me?”

“Eventually, I suppose,” Theon answered. “However, I do not see my mother giving up control of that anytime soon. So you would have time to pursue other interests for a while if you desired.”

“What do you want out of the Match agreement, Theon?” Felicity asked, picking up her glass of wine. “Are you wanting a companion to share this life with, or someone simply to produce your heirs?”

Tessa sat up straighter at that question. That… That was a bold question to ask upon a first meeting.

Theon was quiet for a long moment, taking a sip of his drink before he answered. “I suppose it would depend on the person I enter into the agreement with. Could a true relationship form? Perhaps. Will I force something? No. Will I appease my father at the moment and meet with potential Matches? Yes.”

“And what will be your biggest factors for choosing?”

“Bloodline. Power. If I can stand being around the person for longer than ten minutes,” Theon said with a smirk.

Felicity glanced at the delicate timepiece on her wrist. “Considering we have been dining together for well over an hour, and you have not attempted to leave, despite your Source clearly being ill, I would say I am doing fairly well on all three.”

“Perhaps,” Theon conceded.

Tessa didn’t finish her broth.

* * *

It had been one of the longest evenings of her life. She was exhausted— physically, mentally, emotionally. She nearly cried in relief when Theon and Felicity finally called it an evening…when it was nearing midnight. Theon had made it a point to touch her at various times throughout the evening, but Felicity had captured much of his attention. She had been so clever about it, too, never appearing desperate or demanding. She asked the right questions, provided the right answers, and in the end, they had already made plans to go for dinner when Felicity arrived at the Acropolis.

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