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September 22 - October 4, 2025
His eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” “Because I don’t like you.”
“While my father is certainly a bastard, he usually has some convoluted reason for stabbing us,” Axel said. That had Tessa turning to face him. “He does it often?”
“You told her?” Axel asked incredulously, wide eyes on Theon. Tessa scoffed. “Of course he didn’t tell me. Theon never tells me anything. No one does.”
Dark and light tangled. Pushing and pulling. Giving and taking. Gods, he wanted to get her back to the townhouse right fucking now.
The want. The need. Was that what was making this bond so godsdamn unbearable? Their power? Maybe it wasn’t a bond at all. Maybe it had been their power this whole time.
“I’ve told him before that I’ve thought death to be a kinder option more than once,” she answered. “Theon is death, Tessa.” She blinked at his words.
Looking between Theon and Luka, she said, “I cannot tell which one of you belongs to her.” Belonged to who? To Tessa?
“If the gods can’t come here, I don’t think I need to worry about their games,” Theon replied dryly. “Silly, little Lordling,” Scarlett said with a bitter laugh. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re already in the middle of them.”
She fidgeted, looking out the window again. “Can he sleep with us? Like he did at Arius House?”
You don’t get to play on my emotions because you feel them now when you were too inept to understand them before. And you certainly don’t get to ask for my affection because you are jealous of Luka.”
“It’s lonely. Being the only one of your kind.” “Yeah, little one, it is,” he answered before climbing out and shutting the door.
The sound of howling cut her off, and Auryon smiled darkly as she said, “Finally.”
“Why do they always come when I’m in danger?” “They are yours,” Auryon answered as the wolves rubbed against Tessa.
“I would never take her there because she hates the dark. But I suppose it’d be better than a godsdamn wine cellar, wouldn’t it?”
The masked members made no move to bow or drop to a knee. For once the male before her didn’t seem to care as hazel eyes locked on hers. The Arius Lord.
“Blood of death, yet blood of life,” he said, his voice unearthly. It was raspy and icy and a whisper that latched onto her bones as if trying to burrow in like an entrancing. “We serve at his bequest, and thus at yours.”
“Daughter of Fury and Blood of Beginnings, you were threatened. You summoned us in answer to that threat.”
“I will be the downfall of the Legacy in this realm. I will be the downfall of the imbalance that has plagued this world. But above all, I will be the downfall of your entire bloodline, and I will let you witness it all before I take your life from you.”
“Weren’t you listening, Theon? The Source Mark works both ways,” she said, tossing the dagger aside. It skittered across the floor. “Which means I only need to overpower you.”
“The path you are on is destruction,” was his answer. “And the path to salvation?” she countered harshly. He shifted again, settling back and seeming to get comfortable once more. “The path to salvation has always been death.”
