Page 125 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

It had to be over an hour later when she finally heard the door to the bedroom open. Tessa had been starting to worry she was going to fall asleep and miss out on her agaveheart all together. She had been close to getting up to see if Theon had ended up sleeping out in the sitting room, but that was highly unlikely, especially with them not in his suite at Arius House. And if he saw her up, she could only assume another round of verbal sparring would ensue, and her agaveheart dreams would be gone.

She focused on keeping her breathing even, not wanting him to know she was still awake. She heard him sigh and felt the air stir as he stopped near her. Then she felt his thumb brush lightly over her bottom lip, and she couldn’t help the shiver that raced down her spine.

“Even in sleep you react to the bond,” he murmured, brushing his thumb along her lip again. “What am I going to do with you, little storm?”

His fingertips brushed down her bare arm as he moved away from her and began getting ready for bed. She felt the mattress dip when he climbed in, and she could have sighed in relief when he didn’t tug her back against his chest for once. All he did was trail his fingers down her spine before he settled in and got comfortable. It took a while before his breathing evened out and for her to know he was in a deep enough sleep to even attempt this. If she got caught sneaking out of this room… Well, it couldn’t be much worse than it already was, right?

Carefully, she slipped from the bed and padded barefoot to the door. She had dug out a pair of leggings and tank top from the clothing that had been delivered, and Luka, bless his soul, had also gotten her a pair of flip-flops. She was already chilly as she pushed her feet into them, but she didn’t want to wear Theon’s shirt that he still left out for her every night. She wanted nothing to do with him at this point, and she ignored the small jolt the bond gave her for that thought, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

As quietly as she could, she eased the door open, and the sound of the television greeted her. Shit. If Luka or Axel were still awake, there was no way this was going to work. The door that led to the other suite across the hall was closed, so it appeared at least one of them was in bed. She crept down the small hall. If someone asked, she’d say she was coming to get some water.

Slowly peeking around the corner, she found Axel sprawled across the sofa. He had apparently fallen asleep while watching Chaosphere highlights. Suddenly, the television being on was a blessing. It would cover the sound of her movements. She wasn’t worried about getting back to the room. She knew he’d find her soon enough.

She slipped silently out the door. Letting out a breath of relief, she practically ran to the elevator, and the grin that spread across her face when the doors slid shut was one of manic delight. She didn’t know how long this would last. She could already feel the bond stretching and panicking, but she was going to enjoy every second of freedom.

When she stepped off the elevator, she made her way directly to the front desk. The concierge eyed her, but also knowing she was the Source of the Arius Heir, he handed the agaveheart over reluctantly. Tessa immediately opened it and drank down what had to be three or four shots. The alcohol warmed its way down to her belly, and she strolled casually over to the main doors, the world suddenly a little brighter. Or darker? It was night, after all. Light. Dark. Didn’t matter. Nothing mattered as she downed another shot. It was all the same to her.

There wasn’t a doorman at this hour, so she let herself out and breathed in the cool night air. Goosebumps pebbled her skin, but she hardly noticed. For these few precious moments, she was going to pretend she was free. She was going to pretend she wasn’t some possession owned by a descendant of the god of endings. That she was free to speak to whomever she wished. That she was free to eat whatever she wanted. Wear whatever she wanted. Fuck whoever she wanted. That she wasn’t an inconvenience to anyone or a hassle too wild and uncontrollable to deal with.

She snorted a laugh that became a ridiculous giggle, but not as ridiculous as the thought of all these fucking Legacy thinking they were superior. Descendants of the gods? How far back would they have to trace their bloodlines to even come close to one of the gods? They were probably more closely related to the mortals. The original Legacy were half-god, half-mortal anyway. The Legacy fancied themselves gods in Devram, when in reality? They had a fraction of the power they descended from, even if they did strategically arrange Matches to strengthen bloodlines.

“You’ve taken to drinking outside the hotel lobby now? Can your brothers not find you out here?”

Tessa nearly choked on the shot she had just sucked from the bottle. She turned to find Tristyn off to the side, leaning against a wall and puffing on a cigarette. He still wore the same jeans and shirt, although he’d added a jacket to his attire.

“Oh, he will definitely find me out here,” she answered with a flirty smile, sidling up to him.

He took another toke off the cigarette and smiled down at her knowingly. “They’re not your brothers.”

Her smile faltered. “No, they’re not.”

“Are you okay? They’re not…assaulting you or anything? Right?” Tristyn asked, watching her carefully.

“Oh gods, no,” Tessa replied, her eyes widening. “I’m fine. I swear. It’s…complicated.” She didn’t particularly feel like explaining the inner workings of the Legacy society to a mortal at the moment.

“It seems more than complicated,” he said, holding the cigarette out to her. She took it with a coy smile.

“I don’t smoke,” she said, pinching it between her fingers and holding it away from her body.

“It’s lull-leaf,” he said by way of explanation. “Completely natural and calms anxiety.”

“Are you saying I appear anxious?” she asked, studying the roll in her hand. Then she shrugged and took a long drag, blowing the smoke out into the night because fuck it at this point. She didn’t care about anything anymore.

“Things seemed pretty intense with them,” Tristyn said.

“I guess you could say they are charged with my safety.”

“Like bodyguards?” he asked, arching a brow as he took the lull-leaf back from her.

“Something like that.”

He leaned forward, tucking stray hair behind her ear. “Makes sense. You are definitely important enough to need three bodyguards.”

She huffed a laugh. “I am the farthest thing from important.”

He hummed in contemplation before asking, “Are you with any of them?”

“One wants to be, but no. I’m not,” she answered, taking another drink from the agaveheart bottle. “Do you think they’re still making food in the kitchens here?”

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