Rain of Shadows and Endings (The Legacy)

by Melissa K. Roehrich

She was perched cross-legged on the counter. He hung the dress on a hook before approaching, stopping directly behind her. “Am I taking too long?” she asked, looking down to dig through the bag. “No, beautiful,” he answered, pressing his lips to her neck, unable to help himself. She leaned back into him, her head immediately falling onto his shoulder, allowing him better access to her throat. He groaned at the action. “Why do we always have some place to be at times like these?” Stormy eyes met his in the mirror, and a soft, almost-smile tilted up the corner of her mouth. That smile nearly undid him, and it could scarcely be classified as a smile. He’d never been on the receiving end of the real thing from her.

“You don’t have time to invest in a relationship then. That is what you’re saying?” Tessa asked, lining her eyes in black. “No. I do not have the time to invest in a relationship with a potential Match right now,” Theon answered. “I have business alliances to focus on. Not to mention you.” Tessa stilled at the last word, slowly dragging her eyes back to his in the mirror. She stared at him for a moment before not saying anything and applying mascara. When she was done, she spun around on the vanity, hopping down and walking over to the dress. She unzipped the garment bag, and before Theon had a chance to realize what was going on, she dropped the robe she was wearing. He could only stare at her as she stood naked before him, pulling the dress from the hanger. He had already been half hard just from sleeping beside her, but this added a whole new level to his arousal. It was almost painful. Theon swallowed thickly, his voice gravel when he said, “Undergarments. I forgot to grab them for you.” He made to leave the bathroom, but Tessa looked at him over her shoulder, that same almost-smile tugging at her lips as she stepped into the gown. “This dress isn’t made to be worn with undergarments, Theon. Lines would show.” Fuck. Me. He watched as she shimmied the dress up and over her thighs and hips. She rolled it up her torso and over her chest, sliding her arms into the fitted sleeves that stopped just above her elbows. “Zip me?” she asked, pulling her hair off her neck so it wa...

“I don’t know why you are complaining,” Axel retorted. “Not when you get to spend the evening with this exquisite creature at your side.” Theon turned and found Tessa standing there, a slight flush to her cheeks at Axel’s words. The black heels raised her up several inches, her gown just brushing the floor now, and her hair was braided in some intricate way over her shoulder. He didn’t know how she’d managed to do something like that to her hair in just a few minutes. Her lips were painted bright red, and she slid her eyes to Theon before looking at the floor. Axel had crossed the room to her and held out his hand. “Spin, baby doll. Show us everything.” A small huff of laughter left her, and she let him spin her in a slow circle. He dramatically clutched at his chest before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. “You look stunning, Tessa.” “Thank you,” she said softly, giving him a small smile. “How are you feeling?” Luka asked from where he sat on the sofa. His eyes were roaming slowly over her too, but his brow was furrowed, as if he were confused or contemplating something.

“We all found our ways of dealing with the assessments.” “And how do you deal with them?” Luka asked, his head tilting as he continued to study her. She shifted her weight from foot-to-foot, and beneath it all, she still looked tired. Theon hated that he had to force her to go out tonight. “In the past, my friends and I would sneak off the Estate to deal with them, but since I doubt you all are going to let me sneak off, I’ll figure out some other way,” she answered, glancing at Theon. “That would be an accurate assumption,” he replied, finally moving from where he’d been rooted to the spot. When he reached her side, he slid an arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip, and she immediately leaned into him. He could have sworn he felt her let out a little sigh of relief at the contact.

“I’m not going anywhere, Theon,” Tessa whispered. “What?” he asked, glaring at a guy who was blatantly staring at her, his eyes roving freely. “If you tighten your grip on me any more, you’re going to leave bruises,” she teased, and he snapped his gaze to her at the tone. He hadn’t realized he’d been pulling her in closer and closer the longer they stood there. “I don’t like them looking at what is mine,” he ground out. Again that almost-smile graced her lips, and she turned into him. She reached up and straightened his tie before she tilted her chin to meet his eyes. “Let them look,” she replied. “You are clearly the only one who gets to touch.” Theon bent down so his mouth hovered just over her lips. “How much will you let me touch tonight, Tessa?” Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. She didn’t even flinch. “I told you the other night, Theon, only mortals get to touch me like that.”

Only mortals get to touch her? Fuck that. That wasn’t an option. Not again. Never again. If that was her wish, she was never going to be touched again. She had told him she would sneak off the Estate regularly to meet up with mortals, but she’d also just said the same thing about dealing with the assessments. Tessa hadn’t slid across the seat like normal, instead scooting into him as soon as he entered the vehicle. He brought his lips close to her ear, his arm holding her to him. “You do know that no mortal will ever touch you again, right?” Her lips pressed together tightly, and when she didn’t speak, he went on. “How did you deal with assessments before, Tessa?” But she didn’t answer. She just shook her head a few times in refusal. He would get the answer from her sooner or later, but right now, he needed to cover something else. “You know what is expected of you tonight?” She stiffened beside him, and he knew if he hadn’t been holding her so tightly to him, she would have pulled away. “Yes, Theon. I know what you desire of me tonight,” she answered, her eyes falling to her lap.

“Tessa, you told me earlier the Source bond is helping. Are you going to try and tell me that is not true now?” “I am telling you that I know what type of behavior is expected of me, and I will not do anything that may result in me possibly spending the evening sitting at your feet,” she retorted.

Theon got out and reached for Tessa’s hand. As she stepped to the curb beside him, he leaned down to whisper, “Behave.” She frowned up at him. “What, exactly, do you think I am going to do?” Theon arched a brow as he escorted her into the elite restaurant. “I never know what you are going to do. It is infuriatingly intriguing.”

Not wanting her to think he wasn’t in control of his Source, he took another sip of his drink before saying, “They come to love the hand that feeds and cares for them.”

“Tessa…” “I’m fine!” she snapped, and her eyes widened as she lost control of her tongue. Her gaze dropped to her lap. “My apologies,” she gritted out. But it was a lie. Her tone told him she wasn’t sorry at all. Theon’s eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Felicity out of the corner of his eye. She was eyeing them now, her fork halfway to her mouth with her last bite of salad. He couldn’t let this go. He couldn’t let a public outburst at him go without consequence. But what was he to do with her here? He reached over, his hand capturing her chin and turning her face to his. “Do you not remember our discussion of stated expectations, Tessalyn? Particularly the portion of what will happen if those expectations are not met?” Her eyes went wide. “I— Yes, of course,” she replied, stumbling over her words. A mixture of panic and fury entered her eyes. “And would you agree expectations are not currently being met?” Thin pools of silver began to well in her eyes, and he knew they were not tears of regret but anger as she blinked them back. “Answer me,” he ordered. “I would agree.” “And when we discuss the repercussions later tonight, you will remember this moment?” He could see all of her rage and humiliation and helplessness playing out in her stormy eyes, and when faint traces of violet sparked across her irises, it took everything in him not to react. He had not been imagining it all those times. What kind of power would make her eyes do that? “Verbal acknowledgment, Tessa,” he mu...

She wasn’t fine. She was the farthest thing from fine. Then again, she couldn’t really say she’d been fine in years.

The server appeared sometime later, placing food before Theon, then Felicity, before finally setting a bowl of steaming broth before her with a side of crusty bread. Broth. Fucking great. It was probably too salty too. Just like she was forced to endure at the Estate where broth had been her meal for weeks when other food was withheld. “You are so good to her, Theon,” Felicity praised again when Theon ordered a bottle of ginger ale to be brought, still believing Tessa to be ill. Tessa had to fight the eye roll. “As I said,” Theon was saying, cutting into his steak, “I take care of what is mine.”

“You are very jumpy tonight, Tessa.” And good gods, she jolted again at Theon’s whispered voice near her ear. He reached across her, picking up the small bottle of ginger ale and pouring it into the glass for her. Then his lips were at her ear again. “It makes me think there is something, or perhaps several things, you are keeping from me.” Tessa resisted the urge to swallow, reaching for the glass of ginger ale. “It has just been a long day,” she replied softly.

“What do you want out of the Match agreement, Theon?” Felicity asked, picking up her glass of wine. “Are you wanting a companion to share this life with, or someone simply to produce your heirs?” Tessa sat up straighter at that question. That… That was a bold question to ask upon a first meeting. Theon was quiet for a long moment, taking a sip of his drink before he answered. “I suppose it would depend on the person I enter into the agreement with. Could a true relationship form? Perhaps. Will I force something? No. Will I appease my father at the moment and meet with potential Matches? Yes.” “And what will be your biggest factors for choosing?” “Bloodline. Power. If I can stand being around the person for longer than ten minutes,” Theon said with a smirk. Felicity glanced at the delicate timepiece on her wrist. “Considering we have been dining together for well over an hour, and you have not attempted to leave, despite your Source clearly being ill, I would say I am doing fairly well on all three.” “Perhaps,” Theon conceded. Tessa didn’t finish her broth.

Theon reached out a hand to Tessa where she was waiting for him near the doors. He could have let her get into the vehicle with Axel and Luka, but no. She had to stand here and wait for him. Trying to brush past him, she ignored his outstretched hand, but then his hands were on her waist, spinning her and pushing her up against the side of the vehicle. He rested one of his arms above her, leaning in close. His other hand stayed on her waist. “We have much to discuss tonight, Tessa.” His voice was low, and the cord was vibrating wildly after having been ignored for much of the night. She swallowed thickly. “One would think you’re talked out after so much conversation with Miss Davers.” Theon’s head tilted to the side, a lock of dark hair falling over his brow. “Are you jealous, beautiful?” He brushed his nose up the length of hers. “No, I’m not.” “You’re not?” “I’m tired, Theon. This day was… Well, it was uncomfortable.” Unbearable was more like it, but she already knew he was upset with her small outburst at dinner. Too wild. Too impulsive. “Hmm,” he hummed, running the tip of his nose along her jaw. “Do you want to tell me about that?” “On the side of the car outside of a restaurant? Not particularly,” she rasped, tilting her head back as his lips brushed along the column of her throat. She was trying to ignore the heat coursing through her. “Then I suppose we will need to finish this…discussion back in our rooms,” he replied, his teeth grazing her collarbone. Tessa fiste...

“You find that amusing?” he asked. Her brows knitted. “Find what amusing?” “What I just said about Felicity.” “I wasn’t listening to your conversation, Theon. I listened to you and Miss Davers talk enough tonight. I do not need a play-by-play of the evening. I was there for every dull moment of it.” “You did not enjoy the evening?” “Aside from the fact that today was agony and I am tired?” Tessa retorted. “No, Theon. I did not enjoy the evening. I was bored out of my mind, and we were inside for hours.” “You should have stayed out here with us, baby doll,” Axel chimed in. “We watched the Chaosphere game. The Sunstars slaughtered the Firewings.” “I would have chosen to watch paint dry over sitting there and listening to those two dance around topics all night,” she replied,

“Why would I give you wine when you are not feeling well?” Theon cut in. “I never said I wasn’t feeling well,” she bit back. “That’s beside the point,” he argued. “You looked as though you were going to vomit with each bite of salad. Why would you ask for wine when you are not feeling well?” “Likely because I choose inappropriate methods of dealing with emotional issues and trauma,” Tessa muttered. Axel barked another laugh. “I can actually see that,” Luka commented as they came to a stop at a red light. “I cannot tell if you are joking or serious,” Theon said, pushing her away from his chest to try to see her face in the dark interior of the vehicle. “I can’t tell if you are going to be amicable or a dick from one minute to the next lately, so I guess we’re even,” she retorted with a shrug. “Then again, that goes for everyone in the vehicle these days.” “Gods, you’re mouthy when you’re tired,” Theon sighed, tipping his head back. “I’m kind of like one of your hounds, but I can talk back,” she sneered, and Theon stilled against the seat. “What did you just say?” he demanded in a low tone that had Luka and Axel stiffening. “You heard me, Theon,” she sneered again. Theon had been eating out of her godsdamn hand and couldn’t see how he was being played. But Tessa saw it. Tessa saw it the moment the female flicked her eyes to her when she was returning from the restroom and compared her to one of Theon’s hounds knowing Tessa could hear. The female knew she paused, almost causi...

“We have so much to discuss, beautiful,” he ground out. “So I’ve been told,” she answered tightly. His gaze dipped to her lips. “So mouthy tonight,” he murmured. “So possessive without Felicity to talk to,” she crooned back. “You have no idea how possessive I can be, Tessa.” “I think she has a pretty good idea,” Axel murmured from behind them.

“You need to stop talking. That mouth of yours has gotten you into enough trouble this evening.” “Weird. I hardly said anything for almost four hours,” Tessa drawled.

“Go to bed, Tessa. I will deal with you in the morning.” Deal with her. Such a hassle. Such an inconvenience.

“Good gods, Tessa. You do have a death wish tonight, don’t you?” Axel barked, his tone somewhere between shocked and amused. Tessa let out her own humorless laugh. “Compared to these last few weeks, death would be a welcome reprieve at this point.”

“These last few weeks have been what I imagine the Pits of Torment to be like. Pure and utter agony, and you do not seem to care as long as I am obedient and behave properly. Have I thought death might be a kinder option a time or two? Yes. When I was experiencing the pain from the first Mark or the torture of the assessment today, did I wish for death to finally claim me and just put me out of my fucking misery? I’d be lying if I said no. But not even death wants me, even when handed to her willingly.”

“I have done nothing but try to care for you, Tessa,” Theon said, his tone too calm and even. Too forced. “If you would just accept this fate, you wouldn’t… I wish I could figure out how to make you understand that acceptance of this would take care of all of this.” All of this. What did that even mean? But there it was. She’d laid it all out there. All but told him she would rather death come for her than live out the life fate had dealt her. And he’d come back to the fucking bond and her unwillingness to accept it.

she heard Luka’s voice carry to her down the short hall. “I told you this was going to bite you in the ass.” Tessa paused to listen. “I don’t know what got into her tonight,” she heard Theon reply, his voice thick and tired sounding. “I thought she was getting closer to accepting this. She’s been seeking me out all day, needing the bond, and then it’s like a fucking switch flipped.” That had been part of the plan, though. Sure, the bond had been soothing and comforting to her, but she had also wanted Theon to think she was starting to accept it. Because maybe if he thought that, he’d put a little more trust in her and give her a little more freedom. And she planned to use that extra freedom to get down to the lobby and get her bottle of agaveheart, especially after how the night had played out since they’d left the restaurant. “I warned you she would not be the same,” came Axel’s voice. “Not after the way we’ve been trying to force her to accept this.” “What would you have me do?” Theon snapped. “Let’s sleep on it,” Luka said again. “Give her some space for a little while. We’ll all get some sleep, and maybe things will be…better in the morning.” Doubtful.

She focused on keeping her breathing even, not wanting him to know she was still awake. She heard him sigh and felt the air stir as he stopped near her. Then she felt his thumb brush lightly over her bottom lip, and she couldn’t help the shiver that raced down her spine. “Even in sleep you react to the bond,” he murmured, brushing his thumb along her lip again. “What am I going to do with you, little storm?”

Descendants of the gods? How far back would they have to trace their bloodlines to even come close to one of the gods? They were probably more closely related to the mortals. The original Legacy were half-god, half-mortal anyway. The Legacy fancied themselves gods in Devram, when in reality? They had a fraction of the power they descended from, even if they did strategically arrange Matches to strengthen bloodlines.

“Is he… Is he at least treating you all right? Is he taking care of you?” Tessa snorted a laugh. “He controls everything, Dex. What I eat. What I wear. Where I sleep.” “Does he hurt you?” “Physically? No. Mentally and emotionally?” She swallowed thickly as she fought off another bout of tears. “I’m not okay, Dex,” she finally whispered.

“I just want to make sure you are aware that had you accepted this godsdamn bond, I’d be finding a much better use for that mouth of yours tonight.” Tessa stilled, heat flooding through her at his words, but she scoffed, “Too bad you’re not mortal. I’d show you all kinds of things with my mouth.” “Fuck me,” she heard him mutter a moment

Go shower,” he added with a jerk of his chin towards the bathroom. “What? Why?” “Because I will not have you smelling like another male and certainly not like a mortal,” he snarled. “So either go wash his scent from your skin, or I will do it for you.” Tessa huffed under her breath as she turned to the bathroom,

“I need pants,” she demanded, tossing the empty bottle into the trash. “They are being laundered. The front desk assured me they would be back in time for us to leave in the morning,” Theon answered from the armchair he was sprawled in, his legs spread wide and a finger steepled along his temple as he studied her. Tessa crossed her arms. “And undergarments?” “Also being laundered. Luka neglected to order any extras when he purchased your clothing this afternoon.” “Are you serious?” “Mhmm,” he confirmed. “Come here.” “No,” she scoffed. “Tessa.” Her name was laced with warning. “Come here, and we can speak about this.” “I can speak with you just fine from here.” “Tessalyn—” “For the love of the gods,” she grumbled, stalking over to him. The moment she was close enough, he reached out, grabbing her bare thighs and pulling her between his legs. Looking up at her, he asked, “What, exactly, is the problem with your sleeping attire?” “I’m not sleeping next to you in just a shirt, Theon,” she replied, adamantly ignoring the sensations of his hands where his thumbs were making sweeping circles on the backs of her thighs. “You’re not?” he asked, pushing to his feet. His hands slid over her hips as he moved. “No, I’m not,” she insisted. “We need to figure something else out.” “Hmm,” he hummed, reaching to take her hair out of the knot on her head. “There are no other options, Tessa. Luka is in the other bedroom, and Axel has commandeered the sofa so…” “So nothing. It’s not happening,...

Tessa had just stepped off the last step when she was pressed up against the outside of the building, Theon’s mouth crashing into hers. She was so caught off guard, she found herself kissing him back before she could get her defenses up against the bond. His tongue swept in, clashing with her own, and his hands slipped under the hem of his shirt she still wore as her own hands slid up his muscled stomach and chest. She’d been chilled when they’d stepped into the morning air, but not anymore. Heat flooded through her, and she arched into him. The need to drown in pleasure came rushing back in full force. He pulled back as suddenly as he’d started, a wicked tilt to his lips. She stared up at him, her breaths coming far too fast and her thoughts a complete and utter mess. “Not just in the background today, are you, fury?” Tessa jerked around to find Tristyn standing several feet away, his eyes on her and Theon, and she understood. Theon had never kissed her so thoroughly in front of others, not even Axel or Luka. But this morning? He had a claim to stake. Theon was still smirking like a jackass as the valet pulled their vehicle to the curb. “Don’t let him fool you,” she called back to Tristyn. “He just doesn’t want anyone else touching.” “So he doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you?” Tristyn asked, his head tilting with the question. “You got it,” she tossed