Page 254 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“Hopefully she will at least wait for a private meeting. This is too public, Maya. You know this.”

The Serafina’s silver stare shifted to Theon. “I suppose I should be speaking to your heir rather than you. It suddenly makes perfect sense why no one was able to gather her predicted element.”

“My Source was predicted to emerge with air. You can view any of her assessment records,” Theon said coldly.

“And yet she told my Source she was predicted to emerge with water and almost no power,” Lealla piped in snidely.

Had she?

Theon had to work to keep the smirk from his lips at that. Instead, he shrugged, donning his mask of indifference. “Either way, clearly her assessments were inaccurate.”

“How convenient,” the Serafina Lady interjected.

“I don’t know that I’d use the word convenient. She is rather wild at times,” Theon said casually, scratching at his jaw. “But what’s done is done, I suppose.”

“That is your answer to this?” demanded the Celeste Lady. She swung around to face his father. “You know the division this will cause. Do you wish to go back to being the shunned kingdom you have been for centuries?”

Darkness appeared, pooling at his father’s feet. “Do not threaten me, Luna,” he said darkly, Eviana tensing beside him. The Ladies’ Sources were stepping in front of their Mistresses, but before anyone could make another move, the door was being flung open.

Everyone spun to the sound, magic appearing at their fingertips and in the air, as Axel stumbled into the room. Blood was dripping from his nose and a gash along his temple, and Theon rushed forward to catch him before he collapsed to the floor.

“What happened? Where is Tessa?” Theon demanded in a low tone, trying to keep the others from hearing.

“Attacked,” Axel managed to gasp out. “I got back as quickly as I could.”

“You were attacked?” their father demanded. “By who?”

“Many. Legacy and Fae alike,” Axel answered while Theon and Luka helped him to a chair. He lifted his head, meeting Theon’s gaze. “But in the end, it wasn’t them who took her.”

“Who? Who has her?” Theon ground out, shadows filling his vision.

“Rordan. Rordan Jove attacked us both. The Achaz Lord has her.”

And it killed him, absolutely destroyed him, but Theon turned to his father and said, “I need your help.”

* * *

A Fae opened the door the moment his father knocked at the Jove country manor.

“My Lords,” he said, bowing his head. “His grace is expecting you.”

“I bet he is,” Theon sneered, stepping into the foyer.

“Quiet, Theon,” his father snapped, brushing past him and following the Fae who had started down a hallway to the left. Gone was the brief glimpse of uncertainty. The Arius Lord was back in control, shadows trailing each step.

Within a minute, they were being shown into a lounge. It was smaller and less grand than he’d expected. Nothing compared to the overcompensated displays his father insisted on.

He immediately found Tessa, who was seated on a sofa with a glass of water between her palms. She was paler than usual, but other than that, she did not appear to be hurt. Or if she was, her newly released power was already healing her.

His gaze dropped to her forearm where a new Mark stood out. It wasn’t black like the Source Mark on the back of her hand, but it was a pale silver color. Identical to the Mark on his own forearm that he’d received at ten years to awaken his own gifts. A Witch had given him the Mark, his father having paid off one in the Underground so that word wouldn’t get back to the other kingdoms which exact powers of Arius he had manifested, but the godsdamn Keeper had made an appearance for Tessa.

“Valter,” Rordan greeted, not bothering to rise from his seat across from Tessa. “A pleasure to see you, as always.”

It was only then that Theon realized who was sitting next to Tessa.

That Fae. The not-lover.

The one who told her she was constantly creating unnecessary chaos.

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