Page 206 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“They know we can control shadows,” Axel muttered, and Theon could hear the calculation in his tone. “So we play both parts. We let them see the power they know we have while also looking like we let this happen. Make it appear we already have an alliance in place.”

“What if he doesn’t go along with it?” Luka asked.

“He will,” Theon said, his fury lifting just enough to think semi-rationally. “He has an interest in Tessa. We need to figure out what that interest is.”

“Do you think he knows about…well, her?” Axel mused, watching as Tristyn spun her around.

“He knows something,” Theon said, squaring his shoulders. “But his time with her is up.”

He strode forward, shadows trailing behind him with every step. He sent some of his darkness to Tessa, letting it wind around her like ivy, claiming her as much as reminding her who she belonged to. She stiffened for the briefest of moments before she relaxed into Tristyn once more, her movements becoming more fluid, if such a thing were possible. It was all he needed to see to know she was going to put on this little show with them.

The song finished at the same moment they reached the edge of the dance floor but no one dared move. The other Legacy, including the other heirs, were looking on with interest. Dagian was sipping a drink, his eyes fixed on Tessa in a way Theon did not like, while Lealla was watching Theon with a smirk. Tana’s Source was at her side, murmuring in her ear, and Mahina and Prudence were across the dance floor, their eyes glowing softly as if preparing to defend themselves.

“Theon St. Orcas,” Tristyn said, stepping toward him.

No hesitation. No hint of trepidation. Just the same arrogance the male had displayed in Rockmoor. At least now Theon understood why to some extent.

“Tristyn,” Theon replied, and he really wished he knew the male’s surname. It would give him a clue to his bloodline and what he was doing here. Judging by the small smirk on the male’s lips, he knew this. “Thank you for keeping Tessa company this evening.”

“Always a pleasure. Although I will say I preferred our time in Rockmoor over this,” he said with a wink at Tessa.

She looked at him with a coy smile. “I was thinking the same thing. There’s just something about hotel ambiance.”

“And that elevator music,” Tristyn added wistfully to which Tessa let out a genuine laugh.

Theon cleared his throat, his shadows thickening and beginning to creep along the dance floor. There were sharp intakes of breath and people taking a step back as Luka and Axel stepped to his side.

“It’s time to go, Tessa,” he said.

“Of course,” she replied, the picture perfect Source as she turned and bowed her head to Tristyn. “Thank you for the evening.”

Tristyn, however, reached over and tipped her chin up. “We’re far past this nonsense,” he said, his voice so low Theon could hardly hear the words spoken. “Destruction or salvation, wild fury. Your choice.”

With those parting words, Tristyn nodded at Theon before he turned and walked off the dance floor, the crowd parting around him. Theon could feel every eye on them, waiting to see what happened next, but before Theon could decide what to do, Tessa moved.

She sauntered over to him, reaching up to straighten his tie. Then she let her fingertips drag down his torso until they rested against his stomach. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, biting her lower lip. With a dark smile, he thumbed her lip from her teeth and leaned down to speak low into her ear, “Failure was not an option, Tessa.”

“I’ve failed at nothing,” she returned, a cruel smile of her own forming as she pushed up onto her toes and slid her hand back up his chest and around to his nape, digging her nails in. Her lips trailed along his jaw as she continued, “Does everyone not see a bond different from their own? Is that not what you demanded of me, Master? Do you see another Source speaking to anyone else? Do you see another heir so trusting of their Source that they let them dance and converse with another Legacy?”

The recent apathy seemed to have dissipated, replaced by something new. Something he’d glimpsed in that training room when she had seen her power manifest and hold. When she’d gained an idea of just how powerful she was going to be.

He slipped an arm around her waist while his other hand slipped into her hair, his fingers tangling in the golden strands. He tugged, pulling her head back to look into her eyes. There was no glowing violet ring, but that familiar storm was there, just beneath the surface.

“I suppose we should dance then,” he returned, glancing up and signaling whoever was in charge of music to play something.

“What?” she stammered, her eyes widening in surprise.

“I can’t have you dancing with other Legacy and not me. We’re putting on a show, aren’t we?”

“A bond that is superior in every way,” she replied, her breath catching when he dragged his fingertips down her spine before taking her hand in his and pulling her flush against his front.

He let himself focus on the feel of her beneath his hand. Let himself feel the way she moved against him as he led her around the dance floor. He didn’t even register which dance they were doing. They were all muscle memory, ingrained in him from a young age, but he felt each of her sharp inhales, despite her best attempts to hide them.

He didn’t pay attention to the shocked looks from the Celeste and Falein heirs. He didn’t notice the scowls from Dagian or Lealla or the narrowed gaze of Tana. Theon let the rest of the room watch on as he took this moment with Tessa, even if it was an act. He’d pretend it wasn’t. For the duration of the song, he’d pretend he wasn’t what he was in the same way she pretended to be what he demanded of her.

He’d steal this moment, wishing the song would never end, because when they got home, everything would change.

37

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