Storm of Secrets and Sorrow (Legacy, #2)

by Melissa K. Roehrich

He jerked, as if coming out of a trance. His gaze snapped to Katya, whose wide eyes were watching him, and he could swear there was something he’d never seen there before. A hint of fear. He was scaring her.

In the next blink, Axel was shoving Luka aside with a snarl and scooping Kat into his arms. She was naturally warm with fire in her veins, but now she was hot. Her clothing stuck to her, but golden eyes blinked up at him. “Are you all right?” she whispered, her fingers drifting up and brushing across his lips. All he could do was huff a laugh of disbelief, tucking her in closer and resting his chin atop her head.

Stepping forward, Axel gently brushed her hands aside. When she lifted her face to his, he said, “I’m only going to help, nothing more.” She nodded, letting her hands fall to her side. Once he had her sweat-laden clothes peeled off of her, he led her into the shower, keeping the water lukewarm. Then he quickly stripped off his shoes, socks, and shirt before stepping in beside her. She leaned against him the entire time he washed her hair, whispering instructions about what hair products to use and how.

So he slipped beneath the covers, settling in beside her, and when she turned into him, her soft breaths drifting across his bare skin, he curled his arm around her, keeping her close. He savored every rise and fall of her chest, running his fingers over the wound on her arm. Sleep wouldn’t find him tonight. Not until she woke, and he was sure she was fine would he even attempt to rest.

“Are there not beings hidden in your own kingdom beneath your mountains?” Auryon countered. “How naïve of you to believe the other kingdoms do not have secret beings of their own.”

“There is a rumor that you are seeking a new instructor for her,” Auryon went on. “I wished to inquire about the position.”

“And your gifts?” Luka demanded. “I can move among smoke and ashes, among other things.” “Other things,” he repeated flatly. “Killing types of things.”

shoulder, meeting Theon’s gaze. “She’s starting to trust you, Theon, which is why it needs to be you there.”

Eviana was beside him, typing on a laptop. Whatever she was typing his father was relaying through their bond

finding Eviana setting the computer aside and a plate of food being placed before her. She was never allowed to eat until after his father had finished his morning ritual of reviewing his calendar, planning his day, and responding to any urgent matters. Eviana murmured a soft “thank you” to Valter before picking up her fork and slicing off a small piece of the omelet she’d been served.

“Did you truly think you would gain a Source and suddenly overpower me? Did you think you would be more powerful? Suddenly able to take the kingdom from me? Did you think I have not spent years—decades before you even entered this realm—preparing for every possibility?”

“It will correct the balance,” Theon said. “It will tip it beyond repair!” Katya cried. “Theon, there’s another way. We’ve spent hours together researching. We can find another way.” “We’re out of time,” Theon said. Then, in a barely audible murmur, he added, “Once again, I’m out of time.” “We cannot interfere,” the familiar-looking male said, reaching for the female with fire when she took a step towards Tessa. “It will upset the⁠—” “Fuck the balance,” the female seethed, shoving his hands away. “She sent us to help. This is the exact opposite of that!”

“I’m sorry I failed you, little storm,” Theon said, sorrow flashing in his eyes. “I’m sorry I loved you too late. But I’m yours. Every piece of me.”

“I’m sorry I loved you too late. But I’m yours. Every piece of me.”

Black flames flared, but it was a female who appeared, blocking Theon’s dagger with one of her own as two wolves prowled around them, brushing up against Tessa’s legs. Midnight hair flowed around the female, her bare feet planted as she stared up at Theon, a dark grin on her face. Her voice was a predatory purr as she said, “You may have stolen her Guardian from her, but that only means you must now deal with me.”

Directly across from her sat Felicity in a pale blue gown, and she leaned back in her chair, her hand coming to rest on her very round stomach. A Union Mark stood out on her skin that had paled some since she’d moved to Arius House, a ring on her finger catching the light.

Because you will never be mine! Those were the words she’d all but screamed at Theon that night. It was a truth she’d never been able to admit to herself. Never wanted to admit because it was something she didn’t want to want. But gods, she did want it. She wanted one godsdamn person to care enough to choose her.

Waking up next to someone. Rarely being alone. Someone who always made sure she had warm coffee and left his shirt out for her and had told her when her birthday was.

An arm wrapped around her waist, and suddenly she was in the sky. She screamed, but it was lost in the howling winds. Rain pelted her face, but she was trying to figure out when she’d gone outside. She didn’t remember walking through the townhouse or going out the back door to the gardens. She hadn’t heard the thunder cracking or felt the cold water trickling down her back.

She instinctively knew the touch of the dragon who was flying through the dimming sky, and she turned into him, feeling him cradle the back of her head as she buried her face into his bare chest.

Her bare feet touched the cold earth, and then warm hands were on her face, trying to force her eyes up. “Tessa, look at me,” Luka said, his voice hard and laced with the order, and she found herself looking into glowing sapphire eyes.

but seeing him had something settling her soul. It was minor, but it was there. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Breathe, little one.”

“Fuck me,” she blurted, the words desperate and pleading. Luka’s eyes went wide. “What?” “Please, Luka,” she begged. “It’s too much. I can’t handle it. I just want to— No, I need to drown in something that isn’t this. Something that doesn’t feel like this.” “Tessa,” he started, her name sounding like an agonized plea. “Please, Luka,” she said, the words a broken sob. “I’ve never asked anything of you. Never. Please do this for me.” “If I thought that’s what you needed right now, I’d fuck you until the only thing you could say was my name,”

She felt nothing as he peeled her wet clothing from her body and wiped dried mud from her skin. She felt nothing as he slid one of his shirts over her head. She felt nothing as he squeezed water from her hair with a towel before sitting her in front of the warm fire.

“We were both racing back to you when we felt your emotions. I was faster, but he’ll be back soon. He took care of— He’s coming back to you. As fast as he can.”

lowering himself to Luka’s bed. The male slept on a mattress on the floor, for fuck’s sake. Theon hated it. “What are you doing?” Luka said, watching him warily. “I’m telling you, do not wake her up, Theon.” “I’m not going to wake her.” “I promised her she’d wake up here. She didn’t want to wake up upstairs.” “I’m not moving her,” Theon replied, settling down beside her.

“So she could get to her,” Luka said grimly. Theon looked back over his shoulder. “What?” “I think you’re right. This was all a set-up, but it wasn’t just about you. It was about both of you. You were drawn away from here so Felicity could get to her.”

Everything you do is because of him. And yes, I understand you do so to keep others safe. Axel. Kat. Me. But it doesn’t change the fact that his demands and threats control you. It doesn’t change the fact that, in the end, you will still bow to him and his wishes.”

“It does not matter. In the end, you are still hers, and she is still yours.” “No!” Theon snarled, snatching her wrist in his hand. “No. I do not want her.” “It doesn’t matter,” she repeated. “You are hers. I’ve seen it.”

“She isn’t who I— Wait. What do you mean, ‘you’ve seen it?’”

But he forgot what he was going to say as the bathroom door opened, and Tessa emerged wearing absolutely nothing. She was all bare skin and naked breasts and fuck, fuck, fuck. She had Luka’s brush in her hand, pulling it through her hair as if she didn’t even realize she was out here completely nude. “I didn’t know what I was supposed to wear.”

“That facing truths is difficult, but deciding what to do with those truths is the greatest burden of all.”

She glared up at him as they walked down the hallway, but when she did, she caught the small wince. It was so fleeting, she questioned if she’d actually seen it, but it also almost seemed like she’d felt it. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, dragging her feet. “Nothing.” “You grimaced.” “I did not.” “Yes, you did.”

“What is her magic?” Tessa asked. “Something about moving among smoke and ashes. She can summon weapons, and not like we do from a pocket realm. It’s like she can create them,”

You don’t trust this Auryon because she has gifts not readily found in Devram, but so do you. Don’t you think it’s possible you weren’t born here either? Don’t you think it’s possible you’re like…” She trailed off, and he glanced over at her. “Like you? Some lost child of a god?”

“It’s lonely. Being the only one of your kind.” “Yeah, little one, it is,” he answered before climbing out and shutting the door.

At one point, she’d woken up only to find a male on either side of her, the bond humming away contentedly. Too groggy to care, she’d simply rolled into one of them. She didn’t even know which one, but she did know when she woke the next morning, she was alone in the bed again.

Midnight hair flowed around her. Black pants and tunic. Bare feet. Her leather armor was missing, but the vambraces still adorned her forearms. The grey eyes swirling with smoke. And she knew when she spoke, her tone would be a dark purr. She had been in her vision at the assessment, had protected her from Dagian.

“This room is nice. I like the window open.” “As you should,” the female said,

“But if this were a cave floor, he’d have already shifted and been sprawled out, taking up way too much space,” Auryon said, picking up a book off the top of the stack. “A cave floor?” Tessa asked in confusion. Auryon was busy flipping pages as she muttered, “Yes, yes. Dragons and their caves. Probably full of treasure too.”

“What do you know about the dragons?” “Nothing really,” she admitted. “I knew of them in the sense that they were a being of other worlds, but I never really gave them much thought until I learned he was one.” “Partially. More than a halfling, but not a full-fledged dragon,” Auryon said.

Tessa focused on the book, surprise coursing through her as she found the page with various shapes. Some were spheres, while others appeared to be flat planes that simply ended. Another looked like several islands clustered together, as if they were islands in the sky.

Siadrin. “The realm of the gods?” Tessa asked. She knew the name. It was taught in their early history. The world the gods inhabited and where Achaz ruled as the god of gods.

“This is Silas, god of the earth and land.” “It is. He was the first to fall in love with a mortal, and it was not because he was bored,” she said. “He truly loved her. In fact, he has not loved another so thoroughly since.” “How can you possibly know that?” Tessa scoffed. “The point is,” Auryon continued, “some of the gods truly loved the mortals they had children with. They mourned them when they passed, some grieving for decades.

Some were selected by a god or goddess, but none of it was done out of boredom.” “Selected,” Tessa repeated, her eyes flying to her swirling ones. The female nodded. “You heard me correctly,

“Yes, the Fae were created with the purpose of being a source to refill a Legacy’s power reserves quickly, but what if there was more to it? What if the greater purpose was a check against the Legacy power?”

“It was what you said about the Fae being created to keep the balance. What if the Fates found the balance tipping, so an ultimatum was made and the Fae were the answer? What if the Fae actually saved the Legacy?” He took another breath. It felt almost blasphemous to say the next words in Devram, and his tone was low as he said, “What if it was never supposed to be like this?”

“I guess we would never know because the gods agreed not to interfere here. Scarlett certainly seemed upset by the way of things here though.”

“What are the Night Children? Legacy who couldn’t control themselves so Arius cursed them to be controlled by their bloodlust. It was yet another balance that had to be corrected,”

“Katya, you don’t understand⁠—” “I do understand,” she said, her voice hardening. “I understand because I’ve had blood forcibly taken from me.” The growl that sounded low in his throat at her words surprised even him, but she didn’t even seem fazed. “You wish the Fae had more freedoms? Then give me this one. Let me make this choice. If it’s something you want⁠—”