Page 70 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

“Why are you texting Axel at dawn?”

“I saw him running out in the gardens. You said I could communicate with him and Luka.”

“I know I did, but you haven’t exactly been present the last few days.”

“And whose fault is that?” she bit back.

His head cocked to the side. “Is this how I get you to speak to me? I must speak with you before you’ve had a full cup of coffee?” Tessa scowled at him, and the corner of his lips lifted the smallest amount. “What are you and Axel talking about?”

“That’s none of your concern,” she retorted. There was no way she was going to ask him if she could go running with Axel.

Theon’s hand snapped out faster than she could track, scooping up her phone where it had slipped onto the window seat. “Wrong answer, Tessa. Everything to do with you is my concern.”

“Give that back!” she cried, shooting to her feet and somehow managing not to spill her coffee as she set it down on the seat.

Shadows wrapped around her, holding her back while he unlocked the phone. His brows shot up as he read the brief text exchange before he shifted his gaze back to her. “You want to go running?”

“I want to go running with Axel,” she retorted, giving up on trying to get the phone back and crossing her arms, his darkness drifting along her torso and tendrils winding into her hair.

“No,” he answered simply, holding the phone out to her. “But like Axel said, I will take you running.”

Not taking the phone back, she said, “I don’t want to go running with you.”

“Then you won’t go running.”

“Fine.”

Theon sighed in exasperation. “Tessa.”

“Theon,” she parroted mockingly.

Theon’s lips thinned, that muscle ticking in his jaw. “I’ll have Pen go out and get you some running gear today. We can start running tomorrow morning.”

“Did you go deaf overnight? I said I don’t want to go running with you.”

“Consider it a consequence then,” he replied. He made his way towards the kitchen, pausing to place the phone on his desk. His shadows lingered a little longer before they pulled away from her, dragging along her flesh like they didn’t want to leave.

“Consequence? For what?”

“You were not to leave my sight or my side for more than a few minutes at a time,” he called over his shoulder.

“Theon!” she shrieked, stomping after him. “You were sleeping!”

He said nothing. Just poured himself a mug of coffee before turning back to her and arching a brow in question.

“You’re serious?” she demanded.

“As the Pits of Torment,” he replied with a nod. Tessa stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “I’ll order up breakfast,” he added after a moment, striding past her with his coffee in hand.

Tessa turned, following him into the bedroom where he’d gone to retrieve his phone. “I’m not going running with you,” she said, all the emotions she’d been pushing down the last few days surging up in a torrent.

“We will discuss this later,” he said, clearly not worried as he picked up his phone.

“We will discuss this now,” she countered, reaching out and slapping the phone from his hand. It landed on the bed with a soft thunk. Theon dragged incredulous eyes to her, and Tessa forced herself not to shrink back from him. What was he going to do? That had been impulsive. She was arguing with him and fighting back. Two things he had said she wasn’t to do anymore.

“Did you just slap my phone out of my hand?” he asked, his tone low and dangerous as he set his mug down.

“I…was trying to talk to you,” she answered. She heard the slight tremor in her voice, so she could only assume he did too.

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