Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

8. Luka

8

LUKA

H e stalked through the foyer of the training building, pushing open the doors that led outside harder than he intended. They slammed forcibly, bouncing back quickly as he made his way through them.

Only to come face-to-face with sentries in white and gold uniforms, the Achaz symbol embroidered across the chest.

Godsdammit.

The deal was that he’d stay with Tessa, and here he was, alone in a foreign kingdom.

“She’ll be here in a minute,” Luka said, lifting his hands in a placating gesture.

“The Achaz Lord has returned and is waiting for you,” one of the sentinels said. “We are here to escort you to him.”

Great.

He’d come here thinking if he could just tell Tessa about Axel, she would be as worried as the rest of them and immediately offer her assistance. Instead, she’d stared at him. Not a hint of worry or care crossed her icy features. Just a stone-cold indifference. And the thing was, he couldn’t decide if it was real or not. She had made sure her emotions were locked down tight, and he could feel nothing down the bond. But all of them could feign indifference. He and Theon were professionals at it, and she was far more clever than anyone gave her credit for. She had watched them so carefully these last months, doing exactly what Theon had told her to do.

Watch.

Listen.

Learn everything you can.

“Come with us,” the other sentinel said, making room between them for him to walk.

He couldn’t blame them. He was bound to the Arius Heir. They were right to be suspicious.

“Should I get Tessa?” Luka asked.

“That isn’t necessary,” the first sentinel answered. “The Lord requested it be only you.”

He nodded, stepping into the space between them and matching their pace as they made their way back to the sprawling Achaz palace. He could admit it was a little nerve-wracking to be summoned by a foreign Lord without the reason he was here with him. Why wouldn’t he want Tessa there if he was as open with her as she claimed he was? He wasn’t stupid. He knew the Lord was keeping things from her just as Theon had. Only Lord Jove had somehow convinced her he wasn’t. That he was trustworthy, and this was the place she needed to be. What if he wasn’t the only one waiting for him? Was Dagian going to be there? Some of the ruling Ladies?

What if Valter was there?

It took a lot to rile him, but Luka couldn’t deny that his heart was beating a little too fast as he was led up a flight of stairs and to the end of a long hallway. Another sentinel stood guard outside the study, and he nodded to the other two before knocking twice on the door and pushing it open. There was no waiting for an entrance command. Valter would have had Eviana strangle someone within an inch of their life for that.

Luka entered, pushing the door open wider. He was immediately relieved to find only Lord Jove sitting behind an expansive cherry oak desk with his Source nearby. Two cream-colored armchairs were set before it. The rest of the space was minimalistic, which surprised him. Valter’s dark office was filled to the brim with anything and everything that exuded wealth and status. Rordan’s office was almost warm and inviting with its soft white walls, cream rugs, and a large glass fireplace with a roaring fire. Simple cream furniture was placed around the fireplace, and a tasteful alcohol cart sat off to one side. Artwork of various places around Achaz Kingdom lined the walls in gold frames. Behind his desk was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase full of books with no trinkets or clutter to be found, and sunlight poured in from the windows along the opposite wall.

He bowed at the waist to the Lord, straightening when he heard the door click shut behind him. Rordan settled back in his chair, bright blue eyes ringed with gold watching him as he said, “Here I assumed it would be Theon who showed up at my home demanding her back. This is an interesting turn of events.”

All the tension eased from Luka’s shoulders as he matched the Lord’s casualness, strolling to one of the armchairs and taking a seat across from him. He’d learned long ago how to deal with the various personalities of the realm. It was why he appeared confident in every action, never allowing another to think they were above him. It made them nervous when he appeared aloof and unconcerned, even when he felt anything but. Every look, every mannerism, every word spoken was strategized and a chance to gain information or reveal too much.

“Theon is attending to other matters,” Luka answered.

Rordan arched a brow as he steepled a finger along his temple. “More important than the female he has fought so desperately to keep these last months? I find that unlikely.”

“He is a Lord now, is he not?” Luka countered. “That places more demands on his time, and while he would prefer to be the one sitting across from you, surely you know that is not always possible of a Lord.”

“He has not been declared a Lord just yet,” Rordan replied. “But I suppose with his father…indisposed, he does find himself more burdened these days.”

“Indeed.”

“And now that you are here, I imagine you wish to speak with Valter?” he continued.

Appreciating the male for dropping the pretenses, Luka said, “I don’t want to see Valter. He’s not going to talk to me or tell me anything of value.”

“Then what is it you want?”

“To stay for a while,” Luka answered.

Rordan chuckled in amusement. “Surely you are joking.” When Luka only gave him a frank look, he added, “I would ask why you think I would agree to such a thing, but I cannot trust you. Therefore, I believe this conversation is over.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure a conversation with the Ladies about Valter would be more in my favor anyway,” Luka answered with a shrug, but he made no move to leave.

He hadn’t come this far just to be sent away. Where was he going to go anyway? Back to his cave? While that may be what he wanted to do, he had a task to complete, and he’d never failed an assignment. He wasn’t about to start now. He needed Tessa’s help with Axel. Nevermind the fact that now that he’d seen her, spoken to her, touched her, the dragon beneath his skin was agitated and wanting more. He’d almost kissed her in that training room, for fuck’s sake.

Rordan was scrutinizing him, and Luka didn’t move a muscle. There would be no uncomfortable shifting or diverting his eyes.

Finally, the Lord said, “Your point has been made, but there is still the issue of me being able to trust anything you say.”

“Likewise,” Luka replied.

“Then you are amenable to a truth agreement in the form of a bargain?”

“For the next hour.”

“That seems acceptable. For the next hour, neither of us can lie to one another. Do we have an accord?”

“It’s a bargain,” Luka answered, once again feeling the unmistakable sensation of a bargain mark on his skin. This time it was on his shoulder.

“Now that that’s settled,” Rordan said, sitting forward and placing his palms on his desk. “Let me make one thing clear: should you endeavor to blackmail me again, this conversation will cease and you will be in a cell. Is that understood?”

Luka nodded, knowing the Lord would see it for the slight it was. Verbal responses were always expected to the rulers.

“Aside from the fact that it would be foolish to let an Arius bound guardian stay in my kingdom, it is clear Tessa also does not want you here,” Rordan said.

“Is that so?”

“That’s what was reported to me about earlier interactions today.”

“I don’t know what was reported, but Tessa never once told me to leave when I arrived. She knows I need to be here. We made an agreement that I would train her,” Luka replied.

“You are telling me a bargain was made to that effect?”

Luka didn’t answer. It would have been a lie. Tessa had asked him to train her, and he’d agreed, but a bargain had never been made. So he couldn’t audibly answer with this truth agreement in place, but he nodded once more.

“And if I summon Tessa here, she would tell me the same thing?”

“Go ahead,” Luka said, settling back in his chair, his legs falling wide. “Can I have a drink while we wait?”

Rordan mirrored his movements, his chair reclining some as he leaned back. “Show me this Bargain Mark.”

His sleeve still rolled back from the interactions with Tessa, Luka showed the Lord the Mark from the bargain he’d made with her. If he actually called Tessa here to corroborate the story, he was truly fucked.

“And that Bargain Mark is from a bargain made between you and Tessa regarding training in some form?” Rordan asked.

“It is,” he answered, thanking Sargon that he had worded that just vaguely enough to answer truthfully.

“Then answer me this: why would I want you to train her?”

Luka blinked, surprised by the question. “You do realize her current instructor can’t possibly train her properly? She is not even close to Tessa’s power levels. How do you expect her to train her?”

“I do not need her to be more powerful,” Rordan answered. “She is handling matters just fine as things stand.”

“Handling matters,” Luka deadpanned. “Within minutes of me starting a training routine with her, her emotions overtook her, and she summoned a godsdamn storm indoors. She is not handling anything. Beyond that, power is only useful if it can be contained.”

A cold smirk tilted at the corner of the Lord’s lips. “Spoken like a true war lord, but what do you care? Why would you want her trained when she is no longer loyal to the kingdom you serve?”

“For the same reason I’m betting the ruling Ladies would want her trained,” Luka answered. “She is a danger to the entire realm if she cannot get that power under control.”

“And, of course, it is a layer of protection for your Ward as a Guardian,” Rordan said.

“Yes, I must always work for what keeps him safe, but this is bigger than him. You’re not a fool.”

“That I am not,” he agreed. “And because I am no fool, what do I get out of letting you train her? I have no stake in your bargain with her, and from what I understand, she will not suffer if your end is not upheld.”

“Aside from me staying quiet about Valter?” Luka asked.

“You already showed your hand, Mors,” Rordan countered. “I could have you caged below this manor and move on with my day. I’m going to need a little more incentive out of this deal.”

“What do you want?” Luka asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Information about your lineage.”

It was his turn to huff an amused laugh. “I know nothing of my lineage.”

“You are one of your kind,” Rordan countered. “Should I have questions about your bloodline, I would like them answered truthfully.”

“Fine,” Luka said, because Rordan likely knew more about his bloodline and the god he descended from than he did.

“You cannot end my life,” Rordan went on.

“Why would I want to kill you? That is never something we have wanted,” Luka said.

Rordan smiled pointedly. “I think the reason behind such a request is obvious enough.”

Luka knew there was motive behind everything, but a basic insurance policy against him seemed reasonable enough.

“Agreed. Anything else?” Luka all but drawled.

Rordan rubbed at his chin, leaning back further in his chair. “Yes. While we’re at it, let’s add that onyx ring Theon always wears, just to prove your commitment to the cause.”

The idea of giving that ring to him made his dragon huff in protest, but it was one ring. He had dozens hoarded back at his cave. Theon would understand why this was necessary, and Luka recognized it for what it was from the Lord: a show of dominance and a power move.

Everything in this realm was a game of moves and countermoves. He could concede to such a minor thing now in order to get what he needed. Small sacrifices now to secure victory in the future. That was what this was on his end.

“We have an accord,” Luka said.

“So we do,” the Lord agreed.

And when Luka left that office, the Bargain Mark on his shoulder was gone, but there was a new one just below where it had been on his bicep. A triangle with three horizontal lines through it now stood out against his tanned skin. One line for each of the Lord’s demands.

Yet as he was led to the room he’d be staying in for the foreseeable future, he knew those negotiations with Rordan had been nothing compared to the storm he was going to face when Tessa found out about the deal that had just been made.

He knew before he opened the door who was on the other side, even without the bond and his dragon acting up at how near she was. He hadn’t been sure if she would keep her distance and try to ignore him in the coming days, or if she would show up here. Apparently her impulsiveness had won out. Again.

Shirtless and wearing only loose, black knit pants, he made his way to the door. It was late, and well past midnight. He’d been trying to figure out when and how he was going to meet up with Theon to get this ring for Rordan, wanting to complete his side of the bargain as quickly as possible. He hated being indebted to another. It took too much of his control and created unnecessary vulnerabilities.

He’d scarcely touched the doorknob when a tiny thing of fury stormed into his room. She was wearing a gold sleeveless nightgown with a white silk robe open over the top of it. Her hair was a mess, the strands tangling down her back and around her shoulders, and her feet were bare as always.

“What is wrong with you?” she cried, already pacing in the space, moving back and forth between the end of the bed and the small sitting area.

Luka quietly closed the door before making his way over to the small desk and leaning back against it, crossing his arms.

“I tell you I don’t want to speak with you, so you go to Rordan?” she continued to rant, her words coming faster with each breath. “What right do you have to go to a Lord and request to stay here? How can you stay here? You’re supposed to be protecting Theon, not here in this space where I can hear you and smell you and see you all the fucking time.”

His brow arched at that as her hands went through her hair, her feet still following the same path back and forth.

“And you told him we had an agreement that you would train me?” she went on. “We both know that agreement ended the moment I was granted freedom from Theon. No. The moment I took my freedom from Theon. I did that.”

The words were turning to muttering now, and he watched, somewhat fascinated, as she seemed to descend from frustration and anger into some kind of confused madness. She almost appeared to be arguing with herself as she continued her rant.

“He thinks if he stays here I will stop. I can’t stop,” she muttered. “I can’t stop because this is my purpose. I have to correct the balance, and I can’t do that when he’s here. He can’t be here.” The bands of power on her wrists glowed, snaking up her forearms. “He’s not part of the balance though. Yes, he is. No! No, he’s not. Rordan would make him leave if I asked. Would he? No, no. There’s a bargain between them now.”

Her eyes flashed to him, and his entire body tensed when he found them glowing bright violet. Golden light ringed her irises, bolts of energy flashing through them like lightning. What the fuck had happened to her in the two weeks she’d been away from them? He’d been playing the game when speaking with Lord Jove, but this only confirmed what he’d said. She wasn’t in control, and if she didn’t figure this out, her power would ruin more than just Arius Kingdom.

She tugged at her hair, fingers getting caught in the strands. “Are you going to say anything?”

“No.”

She paused. “What do you mean, no?”

He shrugged, keeping a close eye on that power that was swallowing her whole. “You seem like you have a lot to say, and?—”

“Because you went to Rordan about staying here!”

“ And it’s rude to interrupt people when they are speaking,” he continued, feeling the smirk trying to form as she went still, finally ceasing her pacing.

“Since when have you cared about being rude?” she demanded.

“I don’t,” he answered. “I was just waiting for you to get that all out of your system. Are you done?”

Her mouth popped open for a brief moment before her eyes sparked with fury once more. The uncertainty and confusion that had been present moments before was replaced with a cold wrath as she seethed, “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I needed to stay here until you agree to talk to Valter and find out where Axel is,” he answered. “Besides, we do have a bargain.”

“That you tricked me into. Either way, I already told you I cannot help you.”

“I tricked you into nothing, and you told me you will not help me.”

“Semantics,” she scoffed.

“There is a difference,” he said. “ Cannot is a matter of inability. Will not is a choice you have made.”

“You can’t stay here, Luka,” she cried again, fingers going back to her hair.

“It seems your Lord says I can.”

Light flared as she snapped, “He’s not my Lord.”

He gave her a sharp smile. “My mistake.”

“Always such an ass,” she muttered, resuming her pacing.

And as she did, her power crept up her arms more and more, sparks of energy echoing each footstep.

“He’ll see too much if he’s here,” she murmured. “It’s distracting, but I want it. No, I hate it. We hate it. We can’t have the things we want. No happy endings. Purpose and destiny, then I can leave the dark forever. I can do this. This is my game and my storm. I don’t need them. Clever tempest. That’s what he calls me.”

“More like a temptress,” Luka muttered.

She whirled on him. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” he retorted. “You’re more akin to a wild temptress than a clever tempest.”

“How in the realm do you figure that?”

“Well, for one, you stormed into my room in that,” he replied with a pointed look at her attire.

She looked down at herself before crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

Which only served to push her breasts up.

“That didn’t help,” Luka said dryly.

She tsked under her breath, rolling her eyes, but her power had stilled its movement around her, as if it was waiting to see what she was going to do. Her eyes dropped to her attire again, and she plucked at the sash of the silk robe.

“Everything is white or cream or gold here,” she grumbled.

“Missing the dark, are you?”

“No,” she snapped.

He hummed in response before he said, “Go get some rest. Sleep on all of this, and we can talk in the morning when you are…calmer.”

“I can’t sleep,” she retorted. “There is no resting or peace. Not since?—”

Her mouth pressed into a thin line, and she started pacing again, her magic immediately resuming its movements too.

With a sigh, he went into the closet. There was plenty of clothing in here, but he certainly would not be wearing the provided garments in whites and light greys and creams. She wasn’t wrong about everything being those colors. He’d Travel to Rockmoor tomorrow and pick up other options, but he did have the clothing he’d been wearing earlier today.

Snatching the black button-down shirt from the hamper, he went back out to the bedroom, where he tossed it at her. With a startled gasp, she caught it, but not before it hit her in the face.

“Is this his?” she demanded.

“Why would I have Theon’s shirt with me?”

“It smells like you,” she muttered to herself, holding the shirt away from her body and studying it.

“Take it with you, and?—”

But she’d already slid the robe down her arms and was reaching for the hem of her nightgown. It shouldn’t have surprised him. She’d never cared about modesty or nudity, but by the gods.

That was his mouth going dry at the sight of bare skin.

That was his cock already half-hard as she slipped his shirt on.

That was his power pushing at him to go take as she worked the buttons of the shirt.

That was his dragon growling ‘mine’ as his scent covered her.

Wild temptress, indeed.

Leaning against the desk once more, he forced out, “Go get some sleep, Tessa.”

Her violet eyes darted to the bed, and a sense of satisfaction he had no right to filled his chest.

“What would your Lord say if they found you in my bed in the morning?” he asked with a quirk of his brow.

“I don’t want to be in your bed,” she snapped, bending to retrieve her nightclothes

Which caused his shirt to ride up with the movement, allowing him to glimpse the bottom of her ass.

Godsdammit.

“I’m not staying in here with you,” she added, stalking to the door.

“I didn’t ask you to,” he retorted as she wrenched it open.

She said nothing else, slamming the door behind her.

He didn’t move from his spot at the desk, waiting a full two minutes before he pushed off it and made his way to the door. Pulling it open, he found her standing there, nightclothes clutched to her chest. He said nothing. Only stepped to the side as she stomped back in.

“This is only because I need to sleep,” she said, dumping the nightclothes onto the sofa.

“Naturally,” he replied.

“Shut up,” she grumbled, spinning and watching him pull the sheets back.

“Well?” he said, glancing from her to the bed.

She shifted on her feet, eyes darting from him to the bed. “You can’t sleep naked,” she blurted.

He sighed. “I won’t, Tessa. Just get in the bed.”

“I need a?—”

But he was already reaching for the hair band he’d placed on the bedside table earlier that night.

As she piled her hair up in a messy knot on top of her head, he asked, “How’d you get in here anyway? Don’t they have a guard outside your door?”

“They didn’t until you made this deal with Rordan,” she retorted, climbing onto the large bed and crawling to the other side before slipping under the sheets.

“And they just let you walk past them? You need a new guard.”

“No. I created a portal to this floor, and in case you’ve forgotten, I am skilled at finding escape routes.”

“Definitely didn’t forget that,” he retorted, sliding into bed beside her. “I’m assuming Rordan taught you how to create a portal since that’s only something the Lords and Ladies can do?”

“The week I spent in Faven,” she answered tightly.

Luka nodded, propping a hand behind his head. There was a long stretch of silence between them before he said, “When’s the last time you truly slept, Tessa?”

“The night before the hearing,” she whispered. Then, even quieter, she added, “I can’t have this.”

He didn’t respond, and it wasn’t long before she was muttering to herself again.

“I can’t have this. I shouldn’t want this. I don’t want this. I don’t want them, right? Right. We don’t want them. We don’t…”

He felt the bed shift as she rolled over to face him.

“I have to do this, Luka,” she said softly.

He stayed quiet.

“It’s bigger than me and Theon,” she added.

Still, he didn’t utter a word.

“We were always meant to destroy one another.”

Silence.

“I can’t help with Axel, and even if I could, it would be pointless. I don’t…” She trailed off before she said, “Can you say something?”

“There’s nothing to say, Tessa. You made your choice. Don’t come to me seeking validation for it,” he answered.

“I’m not,” she snapped, her tone going icy as she rolled away from him.

He sighed again, staring up at the ceiling as he said, “You either want someone to make decisions and choices for you, or you don’t, Tessa. You wanted control. You have it. That makes you responsible for the consequences. No one else. I’m not going to be the one to make you feel okay about those choices. Theon is the one to seek out when you need someone else to make decisions for you so you don’t have to feel the ramifications. He’s the one who’s going to take on that responsibility so you don’t have to, because he’d do anything to keep you from harm. He’s the one who will protect you from yourself. I’m going to be the one who lets you decide whether you’re going to crawl, run, or fly, and I won’t catch you unless you ask me to.”

“A balance,” she muttered, shifting once more. “In all things, there must be balance.”

The quiet grew between them, and he knew the moment she drifted off to sleep because she rolled into him, draping a leg over his thigh and nestling into his side. Her breathing was deep and tranquil, her hand resting lightly on his abdomen.

And he made a choice as he curled his arm around her and tugged her closer.

He made a choice knowing there was no one to catch him when the consequences came.