Rain of Shadows and Endings (The Legacy)

by Melissa K. Roehrich

“Hey, beautiful. I need you to wake up for a bit.” When she didn’t stir, he gently pulled the blankets back some and sat beside her on the small bed. Trailing his fingers up her arm, he tried again. “Tessa. Wake up. Just for a bit.” After several seconds, her eyes fluttered, and she rolled over gingerly, her brow pinching in confusion. “Theon?” “Yeah, I need⁠—” But he didn’t get to finish. Tessa pushed herself up, and her lips landed on his. Theon froze, too shocked to do anything, but that only lasted for a second. The bond was humming away in excitement, and Theon slipped his hand into her hair and angled her head back just the way he liked it. Her hand came up and gripped the back of his neck, tugging him closer. Her lips tasted better than he had imagined, and he ran his tongue along the seam of them. She immediately parted, and she tasted like rain and pure light with a hint of something…darker he couldn’t place. The cord in his chest was pushing him to take more and more, to claim her and make her his in every way, and he groaned low in his throat. Tessa suddenly wrenched herself away, sliding up to the head of the bed and cringing against it. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, her eyes wide with horror. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was doing…” She trailed off, her fingertips coming up to touch her lips. If they were tingling with pleasure the way his were, he understood why. “It’s all right, Tessa. It’s the bond,” he said,