Page 22 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“North of a small town called Castle Pines, which is about an hour from Rockmoor.”

“Hmm,” was her only response.

“But you are not allowed to reveal that to anyone, and I will need—”

“I am sure I will need to swear some type of oath to make sure I don’t reveal your secrets,” she interrupted, turning to look out the window. She was right, so Theon didn’t say anything in response to that. “It’s dark out,” she muttered, frowning slightly.

“It is nearing dawn,” Luka said.

Tessa nodded, wincing at the movement.

“You are in pain,” Theon observed.

“I just said my entire body hurts,” she said flatly. “How much longer will we be traveling?”

“Half the day at least, depending on how often we need to stop,” Luka answered.

Tessa nodded again, sliding down the seat some more and resting her head against the window, her eyes drifting closed. Every inch she moved away from him, Theon felt the bond tighten in his chest. He wanted to tell her to come back to him, but thought better of it. He wasn’t entirely sure how she would react, and if he were being honest, her lack of impulse control intrigued him. He needed to learn how to read her, to anticipate her actions.

Silence fell, and Luka kept glancing back at them in the rearview mirror. After a few minutes, she lifted her head and looked down, shifting the blanket. “I’m in different clothing.”

“Yes,” Theon confirmed. “Your other ones were soaked in sweat from the vomiting and…everything else. We thought you would want fresh clothing.”

“You changed my clothing?” she gasped, clearly horrified.

“Luka and I did.”

“Oh my gods,” she moaned, dragging a hand down her face. “That crosses so many boundaries, Theon.”

He couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his spine when his name fell from her lips.

“You are my Source, Tessa. I am going to take care of you.”

She stiffened at his words. Luka sighed from the front seat, shaking his head. Theon reached down to the small cooler on the floor, pulling out another bottle of water. He removed the cap before handing it to her. “Drink. You need to rehydrate after all the vomiting.”

Tessa took the water without a word, sipping at it and wincing with every swallow. Eventually she handed it back to him and rested her head against the window, closing her eyes once more.

“You should lie back down. Rest some more,” he encouraged.

“I need to get out and move around,” she answered. “I need… I just need to get out.”

“We can’t stop—”

“There is a small town coming up,” Luka cut in from the front seat. “We can stop there for a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Luka,” she murmured.

Theon glared at him, catching his gaze in the rearview mirror, and Luka gave him a look that said, ‘Really, you jackass?’

A short time later, they pulled into a small convenience station. This was a predominantly mortal town, and there were already people moving about before sunrise. This wasn’t a total waste of time, he supposed. They could refuel the vehicle and get breakfast to eat as they continued on their way.

Luka slid out of the driver’s seat, pulling open the back door and reaching for Tessa’s hand to help her out. Theon exited out of the other side, quickly rounding the back of the vehicle to take her from him. She was weak from everything, and she practically fell into Luka’s arms.

“Easy, little one,” he murmured, his hands holding her tightly around the waist. “Let me know when you’re steady.”

Theon gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay back and wait.

Until he saw the silent tears tracking down her cheeks.

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