Page 57 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

She had expected rage and fury to be pouring off of Theon, and in a way, they had been. He had hardly spoken to her since finding her up a tree, and he’d seemed to take at least a small amount of pleasure from scaring her half to death when he yanked her off that branch with his magic. Luka had certainly hinted that Theon had plans for her, and Axel had seemed nervous about leaving her alone with him.

So why had he done that?

She was rinsing the conditioner from her long hair when movement caught her eye through the glass shower walls. Theon didn’t even glance at her as he moved through the bathroom and into the closet. He’d removed his own shirt and his jeans were unbuttoned. He may not have looked at her, but she sure as shit watched him. Suddenly realizing her time was likely up, she quickly finished rinsing her hair before shutting off the water and grabbing her towels.

When she’d dried off and wrapped her hair up, she moved cautiously to the closet where he had indeed set out clothing on the island dresser. Theon was no longer in there though. She quickly dressed in the lounge pants and tank top he’d laid out for her. She knew she’d be grabbing a thermal to sleep in when she went to bed. The thin blanket she had would definitely not keep her warm enough, and that small room was drafty.

She went back to the bathroom to comb her hair, already dreading how long it was going to take to work out knots even after a conditioning treatment. Theon reentered as she was working the brush methodically through her strands. He stopped just inside the doorway, leaning against it and crossing his arms.

“I also need to clean up.”

“Okay…” she said slowly, going to set the brush down on the sink.

“You are not to leave the bathroom while I do.”

“I’m not staying in here while you shower, Theon,” she protested.

“You are, Tessa. You will stay where I can see you the entire time,” he replied, striding farther into the bathroom.

“I’m not going to go anywhere,” she muttered.

Theon gave her a dry look that had Tessa shrinking back.

“Do not leave the bathroom, Tessa,” he repeated before brushing past her. “If I have to chase you down while naked, I cannot be held entirely responsible for what will happen when I catch you.”

Tessa walked to the bench of the makeup table as the sound of clothing being shucked off and hitting the floor reached her ears before the shower was turned back on. She kept her back resolutely to him, ignoring the annoying voice telling her to sneak a peek over her shoulder.

A few minutes later, the shower shut off, and he walked by with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Don’t move,” he said without looking at her as he made his way into the closet.

Tessa scowled, crossing her arms. He returned in less than a minute in lounge pants and no shirt. Her eyes raked over his muscled torso and along the tapering trail that disappeared into the band of his pants. Part of her wanted to touch. The other part of her wanted to stab him with something.

Or make him sit at her feet beneath a godsdamn table.

“Do you need anything to eat or drink before we go to bed?” he asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

She shook her head. It wasn’t smart. Experience told her food would likely become sparse in the coming days. She’d hardly eaten, but she also had no appetite after how it had ended.

Theon nodded once before striding from the bathroom. Tessa sighed and stood, but instead of following him out to his bedroom, she crossed through the closet and into her small space. She frowned when she found the bed missing its blanket, but before she could ask about it, Theon called out from the other room.

“You are not sleeping in there tonight.”

She went rigid and stormed to his bedroom. He was pulling back the blankets on his bed before turning to place his phone on a charger on his bedside table.

“Where is my blanket?” she demanded.

“It was in the stables so Kacela and Rigel could learn your scent to track you down in the woods. One would assume it is still there,” he replied calmly.

“What am I supposed to use as a blanket?”

“There are plenty on the bed,” he said, giving a pointed look at the comforter.

“I am not sleeping in a bed with you.”

Theon’s gaze snapped to hers, and Tessa cringed at the darkness that crept across his irises.

“You are sleeping in this bed with me, Tessa. You were gone for hours. The bond is demanding your closeness right now, despite riding so closely on Osiris and what we did on the table. So yes, you will be sleeping in this bed with me tonight. You will sleep in this bed with me for the foreseeable future because you are my Source and that is what is required of you.”

Tessa opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say to that. She watched as he climbed into the bed.

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