Rain of Shadows and Endings (The Legacy)

by Melissa K. Roehrich

“I know you do not trust me right now, Tessa, and what I am about to do will likely not help with that,” Theon continued. “What are you going to do?” she demanded, lurching back in her chair and knocking the water glass over. “Relax, Tessa,” Theon said, pushing to his feet and moving to grab a towel to soak up the water. Once cleaned up, he leaned back against the small table. “To prepare your body for the Marks, a tonic was created. It does a couple things, but the main thing it does is it allows my power to slip through the magical barriers you have no control over yet to allow my magic in.” “That doesn’t make sense. I can’t access my magic yet,” Tessa said, her hands gripping the arms of her chair and her knee bouncing again. “That is the whole point,” Theon went on. “Because you cannot access your element yet, you cannot take down your own magical barriers. For the Marks to work, they need to get past those shields. The tonic creates a temporary crack in your shields that allows my magic to pass. Additionally, by taking the Marks before your magic is allowed to emerge, my magical signature will become intertwined with your own, which will allow me to draw on your magic once the bond is fully completed.” “Sounds great,” Tessa muttered. “Is it not an honor to be Selected as the Source of an heir?” Theon asked, shifting against the table. Tessa’s eyes fell to her lap. “For many, I’m sure it is.” “But not for you.” “I was not lying to you in the hall.”