Page 144 of Rain of Shadows and Endings

She stared at him for a moment longer before turning away without a word and making her way over to Axel by the door.

This was already working out better than he’d hoped.

They quickly made their way to one of the lounges in the house, his father’s study too small for the number of people that would be present this afternoon. As they approached, voices carrying from the room indicated Pavil and Metias had already arrived. He felt Tessa stiffen behind him where she was walking with Axel, and he quickly turned to her. He beckoned her forward with two fingers, and she narrowed her eyes but obediently came to him. His hands settling on her hips, he pressed her back against the wall, hearing her breath hitch again at the closeness.

“Keep your eyes on me, and no one else. Do you understand?” She tipped her head back against the wall, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “They will not touch you.” She nodded, her eyes still shut tight. “I’m going to need verbal confirmation here, Tessa. There is no room for error with my father. Can you do this or not?”

She took another deep breath before she opened her eyes and met his own. “Eyes on you,” she whispered.

“Good girl,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before tucking her hand into his and leading her into the meeting room.

All chatter ceased when they entered. Eviana was nestled into a chair near the window, and she sat up straighter, eyeing them curiously. His father’s lip curled up when he saw him holding her hand, and Pavil and Metias smirked, their eyes roaming over her appreciatively.

She stepped closer to him, her other hand coming up and gripping his forearm. He looked down to find her eyes fixed firmly on him, and he smiled darkly at her. “Get me a drink, beautiful,” he said, tracing a finger lightly along her jaw. “You know what I need.”

He saw the shift in her eyes, a dark, cold indifference, as she stepped away from him, her fingers dragging down his forearm. While everyone in the room watched as she made her way to the alcohol cart, he walked to a nearby armchair and sat across from his father. Tessa poured him a measure of liquor before coming back to him. She perched herself on the arm of his chair before leaning over and lifting the glass to his lips. Unsure of where she was going with this, he met her stormy eyes and held them as he took a swallow.

Then she brought the glass to her own lips and downed the rest before giving him a grin that told the rest of the world to fuck off.

His father cleared his throat. “You let her drink your own whiskey. Does she not yet know her place?” he asked, clearly disgusted by the display.

“Father, I assure you, drinks are not the only thing we share,” he replied, his gaze still fixed on hers. “She knows her place is beneath me, right where she belongs.”

Her eyes flared with a flash of ire, but it was gone just as quickly. “Refill?” she purred softly.

“In a bit,” he answered, and she held the empty glass out to the staff. The Fae glanced around the room, clearly unsure what he should do, before he stepped forward and took it from her.

“The two of you are not alone in this room, Theon,” his father ground out from between his teeth.

“I am well aware,” Theon replied. “If we were, she would certainly not be silent right now.”

She brought her hand to his chest where her finger traced along the collar of his shirt, dragging her nail sharply along his collarbone. Theon smirked at her before finally breaking eye contact to look back at his father. “Let’s get on with this.”

“Tessalyn, I don’t know that you have been introduced to Pavil and Metias,” his father said smoothly, lifting a glass of liquor to his lips.

“Actually, we’ve met briefly,” she replied, glancing dismissively at the two males seated to the right of his father before bringing her eyes back to Theon. “They found me in the gardens when I was walking with one of my Master’s hounds. Unfortunately for them, his wolves are as protective of me as he is.”

The corner of Theon’s lips tilted as the males scowled and shifted in their seats. He chuckled softly under his breath. “Kacela, along with all my hounds, has been trained extensively to protect what is mine.” He reached up and began twirling one of her curls around his finger.

Pavil cleared his throat. “Yes, well, that was all just a misunderstanding. We simply wanted to get to know your Source since we will be working together at the Acropolis.”

“By lying to me about her being summoned?” Axel cut in, his tone low and dark as a Fae handed him a glass of whiskey. He was leaning against the wall near the window, Luka nearby doing the same.

Pavil and Metias shifted again, glancing at his father. Theon pretended not to notice as he gave a sharp tug on the hair wrapped around his finger. Tessa had stiffened slightly when Pavil had spoken about getting to know her better, and she was starting to wring her fingers in her lap. His father would notice that tell in a heartbeat. At the pull of her hair, her eyes snapped back to him.

“It was all a misunderstanding,” his father repeated, his tone making it clear this subject was to be dropped. “There was no harm done. We can move on.”

“Actually, that’s not entirely the case,” Theon replied, snapping his fingers at one of the Fae along the wall. “They stalked my Source through the gardens. They attempted to see her without me present, and they tried to make her believe I had instructed such a thing be done. In turn, she was forced to question my ability to keep her safe, which has caused a trust issue with our bond.”

As he finished speaking, a drink was passed to him by the Fae he’d snapped at, and he smoothly passed it over to Tessa, meeting her stare. “Now I find myself forced to prove to her I can indeed care for her as she deserves to be cared for.” He brought a single finger up and trailed it down her jaw. “Tell me, beautiful, what will be proof enough for you?”

He lifted his other hand, and a whip of darkness exploded from his palm. It coiled tightly around Metias’s throat. The male’s hands flew to his neck, but there was no way to grab purchase on shadows. Pavil tried to lurch to his feet, but Axel flicked his fingers almost lazily, and darkness of his own had Pavil pinned to his seat.

“Enough of this, Theon,” his father growled, slowly rising from his seat. Eviana was by his side in a matter of seconds, waiting for her next order.

“You wish for me not to defend what is mine?” Theon demanded, pushing to his own feet. “These two touched what belongs to the Arius Kingdom. You expect me not to punish crimes against me? Against us?”

“We were acting on orders,” Pavil cried out in dismay.

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