Page 258 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“And training with my power?”

“Tessa,” Theon sighed. “Can we discuss this tomorrow? After we’ve all had a chance to get some rest?”

“Of course,” she murmured, her fingers repeatedly smoothing over the fabric of the armrest.

Silence fell, but it only took a few seconds for Axel to fill it.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, getting unsteadily to his feet. “I swear I can still feel phantom shocks from that prick’s power.” He turned to Tessa. “You good, baby doll?”

She paused her finger movements, then held up her wrists. “I’d be better if you took these off.”

He huffed a laugh. “Soon you won’t need them,” he replied, bending to press a kiss to her cheek. “Get some sleep.”

“You too,” she murmured, her hands falling back to her lap. When Luka stood, she looked up hopefully. “Do we train tomorrow?”

Luka studied her for a long moment, and Theon knew that look. He was trying to work something out. Finally he said, “Let’s see how you feel in the morning, all right?”

They both knew she would not be training in the morning.

Tessa didn’t answer, and when Luka and Axel left the room, the door closing softly behind them, Theon moved closer to her. He crouched down before the armchair, looking up into her violet-grey eyes. “Tell me the truth, Tessa. How are you feeling?”

Her head tilted to the side. “You told me to lie to you.”

“But now I need the truth.”

“Lie and truth. You can’t have both. Just like you can’t have light and dark, beginnings and endings.”

Theon reached up, cupping her cheek. “Little storm, you’re exhausted. It is nearing dawn. Let’s go to bed, and tomorrow we can discuss everything.”

She hummed, beginning to run her fingers over the armrest again. He slowly lowered his hand from her cheek, folding it over her fingers. “Do you have a headache? Axel said he has a pounding headache. I can try to heal that for you.”

“You cannot heal me, Theon.”

“You are my Source. Of course I can.”

Her lips tilted into a haunting smile. “You’d have to find all the pieces of my soul, and it’s far too shattered to be put back together.”

She wasn’t making any sense, and she had to be overtired from the day.

He stood, taking her hand in his and tugging her to her feet before leading her to the bed. When he climbed in after her, he was momentarily shocked when she curled into him, resting her head on his chest. He quickly curled an arm around her though, breathing in the scent of her, relishing in the feel of her pressed against his bare torso.

With a finger, she began tracing along his Marks.

“I have this one now,” she said, tracing the one on his arm that matched hers. Her breath danced along his suddenly overheated skin.

“You do,” he agreed.

“And this one,” she said, her finger moving over their Bargain Mark along his ribs.

“Yes,” he said tightly at her touch.

One godsdamn finger and memories were flooding up of the nights she’d let him have pieces of her.

Her touch slid along his torso to the other side of his ribs. She traced the inverted triangle with three horizontal lines running through it that was opposite his Bargain Mark with her. “I don’t have this one.”

“You never will.”

“What does it mean?”

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