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November 21 - November 22, 2025
But gods are fickle beings, and things meant to be forgotten never remain so.
He was the Arius Heir. And she’d all but yelled at him. Over chocolate.
“I choose Tessalyn Ausra to be my bonded Source,” Theon announced, his voice skittering over her bones.
“If I were going to hurt you, I would have done so already,” Theon added. “You do not need to fear me.”
“You will want to change before your first Mark. It will be…exhausting. Furthermore, I do not think you want to travel in that gown, no matter how stunning you look in it,” Theon explained.
“No need to apologize. It is good to know you get irritable when you are hungry.”
“Easy, beautiful,”
“Part of this bond is that you need to trust me implicitly, Tessa.” “But I don’t even know you,” Tessa argued. “And I definitely don’t trust you.” “That was…blunt.” “You told me not to lie to you.”
the bond tends to rush things like trust along. Once completed in its entirety, we will be connected so deeply, you will feel as if we are the same person. Our wants and desires will be the same.”
“I am Theon St. Orcas, Heir to the Arius Kingdom. You are Tessalyn Ausra. I have Selected you to be my Source. You obey me above all others. My desires are your desires. You are mine.”
Be what they want you to be now, so you can be who you were meant to be later.
“I owe you nothing.”
Of course he would believe he owed her nothing for giving up her entire life for him. For giving up her entire self for him. She didn’t have much, but what she did have she didn’t want to give to a godsdamn Legacy.
“Do you understand your Source becomes yours and yours alone? You assume complete dominium. Once the first Mark is given, there is no undoing the bond that will be started. Only the death of either party can end it,”
“You recognize that the Source bond connects you in all forms— physically, emotionally, and mentally, allowing you the ability to share power and life as one entity?”
Five minutes in that alcove with her and he’d known she’d be coming home with him.
She was clearly clever to evade the wards. She had air element tendencies, which was disappointing. But if he had to choose between having a male at his side for the rest of his life or a female, the choice was obvious.
“She’s not going to want this life. She
“You are my Source, Tessa. I am going to take care of you.”
How in the fuck had he become the bad guy over a pair of godsdamn shoes? Flip-flops couldn’t even be considered shoes.
“You could have been the hero and gotten her the godsdamn flip-flops yourself,”
“You look like salvation and temptation all rolled into one.”
“Socks are bad. You get difficult when you are hungry. What else do I need to know?” he asked, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She met his gaze at the question, his hand lingering on her cheek. “That I’m not your salvation or your temptation. I’m not your anything.” His features hardened at her words, and his jaw clenched. “We both know that is not true, Tessa,”
“She will crave you. Desire you. Want you with her entire being. Even if she fights, she will eventually give in. We all do.”
He’d wanted her to get a taste of what they could be. He’d wanted her to experience pleasure at his hand. To become addicted to him. To crave him like he was craving her. This entire experience was the exact opposite of what he’d been expecting. She was supposed to be the one wanting him so incessantly, yet he was the one hoarding any bit of contact.
“You don’t scare me, Theon,” Tessa retorted, grateful her voice didn’t waiver because she was fucking terrified. “I really, really should, beautiful,”
“If I have to chase you down while naked, I cannot be held entirely responsible for what will happen when I catch you.”
“I will kill those motherfuckers for touching what is mine,” he murmured, his lips feathering across hers as he spoke.
“I’m not yours.” “Lie to yourself, but not to me,” he murmured, his fingers slipping behind her knees and under the robe. Another shiver rolled through her at the touch. “I’m not lying.” Her voice was breathy and not at all convincing. “Your body says otherwise,” he argued, running his nose along the length of hers.
“Sometimes we need to become a monster to kill one, Axel,” Theon said darkly. “I’ve shielded her as long as I could. She was going to see us for what we are eventually.” “And when she becomes one of us?” Axel asked, his hands sliding into his pockets. “She won’t.”
“Her father’s daughter,” the second said. “She will be powerful.”
She will be an unyielding storm in that world. A tempest of wrath and vengeance.”
“Know that sometimes we must break to be forged into who we were meant to be,” she said, streaks of violet flickering in her eyes like lightning cutting through the flecks of gold. Then she bent and pressed her lips to Tessa’s brow. “You will break, Tessalyn. Make sure you get back up and take what is yours.”
“I want to hunt down Pavil and Metias and peel the flesh from their bones, then make them eat every piece of it,” he murmured against her skin. “Then I want to break each bone in their body in multiple places before taking them up the mountain and leaving them there for the beasts of the woods to pick off piece by piece.” Tessa sucked in a breath at the violence he was describing. “No one touches what is mine,” he snarled, his lips brushing her throat as he spoke. “I said I would take care of you, Tessa, and I know what you need. You need to accept this bond.”
“Too bad you’re not mortal. I’d show you all kinds of things with my mouth.”
“This fucking mouth of yours is going to be the death of me.” “You sure seem obsessed with my mouth tonight.” “Beautiful, I’m constantly obsessing over your mouth. Over what’s going to come out of it next. What it tastes like when you let me kiss you. What it would feel like around my cock,” he replied, his gaze dipping to her lips as he spoke.
“The bond builds on what is already there,” Theon said again, his power snaking along her bare thighs. “There was something instantaneous between us whether you want to admit to it or not, and the bond increases that desire. If you find you are seeking comfort from me, then the bond is building on something that is already there.”
“A mortal is never going to touch you again,” Theon snarled, his hand stilling. “I’ve told you this.” Tessa rolled her eyes, and he gripped her jaw, forcing her to look at him. “No one else will ever touch you in such a way again, Tessa. No one.”
“Would it make you feel better to keep your eyes on me while I kneel at your feet later tonight?”
“I want everything you have to give, and then I want more. I want every piece of you— every secret, every tempest raging in those stormy eyes. I want all your fear and all your pain, all your smiles and all your laughter. I want all your mornings and all your nights, all your days and months and years.”
“I know you hate socks.” She clicked her tongue, turning away from him again, but he kept going. “I know you love food that is terrible for you. I know heels hurt your feet.”
“I know you’d rather be on a Chaosphere field than stuck inside. You prefer mornings over nights. You’ve discovered a love of music. You hate running, but love it at the same time. You’re impulsive and reckless, and your friends use that against you, but pretend they are doing you favors.”
“You didn’t want to be Selected as a Source, but a part of you is glad you were because it means you’re not as worthless as you’ve clearly been told you are. That someone just might see some value in you, even if you can’t see it yourself. It’s a little bit of hope you’re too afraid to cling to, so you let yourself sink instead. But that’s not what scares you the most. No, the thing that scares you most is that you want this life. You want to be more than forgotten. You want to be more than just another Fae assigned to some menial task in the kingdoms. I know you’re simply too afraid to admit
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“Tell me why I shouldn’t hunt down Tristyn right now and make him pay for touching what is mine? To show just how in control I am, Tessalyn.” “You call this control? Your hand is on my throat,” she tossed back.
“This beautiful thing happens,” she mused. Theon swallowed thickly as her fingers touched the skin at his throat, continuing to his jaw. “What thing?” “When a person finally accepts they are nothing,” she continued. “It’s a freedom, really.” “You are not—” “Shh,” she hushed, placing a finger against his lips. “When you accept you are nothing, it frees you from caring.” “Tessa—” “And when you’re already nothing, you can really become anything.”
“Do you know why I like storms?” The question was so random, it distracted her from whatever was happening in her soul. But she didn’t know if she was supposed to speak. None of the other Fae had spoken during their ritual. He didn’t appear to care if she answered as he moved onto a third star. “Because it reminds us that even chaos needs to scream sometimes. That even with all the magic and power among the realms and between the stars, even with technology and all the tools we have at our disposal, some things are, in fact, uncontrollable.”
“A storm is coming.”
She liked the idea of being feared.
“I can’t say I have experience with wearing heels,” he replied. “But they do make your ass look good, so I’m rather partial to them.” “You’re not supposed to be looking at my ass,” she replied. “I’m Theon’s, remember?” “Baby doll, with the dresses and pants you wear, I can’t help but look at your ass.”
“He likes to show off his—”
