Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

16. Luka

16

LUKA

L uka snatched his phone off the side table, looking to make sure the vibration that alerted him to the incoming message hadn’t woken Tessa. She’d fallen asleep against his shoulder an hour ago, and he’d eventually eased her down to a pillow resting against his thigh. He’d let her sleep, knowing she likely hadn’t slept decently since the last time she’d been in his bed. Idly, he wondered if now that she’d agreed to train with him, if that meant she’d be seeking out his bed more often. He ignored how much his dragon liked that idea as he flipped the phone over and saw who the message was from.

Theon: Where are you?

Luka: Bedroom. She’s asleep on my sofa.

Theon: On my way. Living room?

Luka: Meet you there.

Despite the fact that they could communicate down the bond, neither of them chose to do so. There was something too intimate about it when it was just the two of them speaking. It was different when it involved Tessa, almost as if it needed to be the three of them for it to make sense.

Tessa's brow pinched in her sleep as he slid off the sofa, trying not to jostle her too much. He grabbed a plush blanket off the end of the bed and draped it over her before making his way to the living room. He left the door to the bedroom open. If she woke, he wanted to make damn sure she knew Theon was out here before she triggered the bargain. The bond would likely tell her, but he wasn't taking any chances.

The wards around his room alerted him a second before Theon came through the door. He looked as tired as Luka felt, and he assumed it was because no one was getting any sleep. He couldn't believe he was actually wishing they were all sleeping in that cramped small bed back at the townhouse.

"How is she?" Theon asked.

Luka shrugged. "She showered. She's getting some sleep. She agreed to train."

Theon arched a brow. "Really?"

"The wolf nearly dying really shook her up," Luka said, moving to his small kitchen. There wasn't much there though, considering he hadn't been staying here.

“I can order some food to be sent up,” Theon said, already reaching for his phone. "I'm sure she'll be hungry when she wakes too."

While Theon busied himself with that, Luka got himself a glass of water, drinking the whole thing before placing the glass in the sink. The two of them had more to talk about than just Tessa, and he didn't know where to begin. How had things gotten so fucked up in such a short period of time?

"I suppose you haven't had a chance to substantiate what she said earlier today?" Luka asked when Theon came over and took a seat on a stool at the island.

“About the residence in the Leisure District that my father supposedly has?” Theon asked. When Luka nodded, he sighed and said, “No. I will need to go there. I doubt Kylian and Giselle would answer any correspondence, but if it’s true, it’s a brilliant place to hide Axel away.”

The Shifter Alpha and Beta would likely demand an audience to answer any questions. They would feel snubbed with anything else.

"So you'll be going to the Underground then?" Luka asked.

"I guess."

"You're going to the Underground without me?" he clarified.

"She needs you more right now," Theon said, glancing at the open bedroom door.

"I am still your godsdamn Guardian, Theon," he snapped, his lungs burning a little as he exhaled a plume of smoke in agitation.

"I know you are," Theon retorted, his power appearing in his eyes and answering a challenge on instinct. "She's the most important thing right now. That's what I need you guarding."

Right. Because it was so easy to spend all this time away from him. It was still a godsdamn bond that apparently affected him more than Theon. Maybe he was just more focused on Axel right now, but this had never happened before Tessa.

“I’ll take Tristyn with me,” Theon supplied.

“Blackheart?” Luka demanded. “You cannot be serious.”

Theon sighed again. “He’s proven himself valuable a time or two, and he’s been helpful as of late. He has standing with the elite of Devram, and he can access information with his company.”

“So you trust him now?”

“Not implicitly, but he is trying to help with Tessa.”

"Who are they?" Luka asked, done with the subject of Tessa right now.

“Razik Greybane and Eliza,” Theon said, knowing exactly who Luka was referring to. “They are from Scarlett and Sorin’s world. Eliza is his Source, but not like a Source here. I’m still trying to figure it all out. They are limited in what they can share so they don’t tempt fate or whatever,” Theon said. “But Razik is… I think Scarlett believes he is your brother, and this is why I couldn’t tell you anything over the phone.”

Because even if Razik wasn’t related to him in some way, which was highly unlikely given how much they resembled each other, the implication was clear. The male was a Sargon Legacy.

“He can shift?” Luka asked flatly.

“I haven’t seen his full dragon form, but he can isolate it. Like you,” Theon answered.

“He believes we are related?”

“I don’t know. After the encounter this morning, he and Eliza retreated to the rooms they are staying in. I didn’t see him again until I had to ask him to Travel me here, and even if we’d had time, he wouldn’t have discussed it with me. He doesn’t speak much, is easily irritated, and… Well, he’s…” Theon waved a hand in Luka’s direction.

“Thanks,” Luka deadpanned.

“It’s not an insult,” Theon replied. “He has the same qualities as you. The biggest difference is he’s more knowledge driven rather than strategy driven like you are. The guy knows a lot of shit, and he can often interpret Cienna’s nonsense that is never nonsense.”

“Sounds like you have plenty of help then,” Luka muttered.

Theon paused. “Are you?—”

“No,” Luka cut in, straightening from where he’d been leaning on the counter. “I’ll keep Tessa busy while you handle…every other facet of the plans.”

“Luka, you can’t be serious. That’s not what’s happening here,” Theon said.

He blew out an irritated huff. Luka understood his disbelief because when had he ever acted like this? He did what needed to be done to make sure their plans succeeded. Even when Valter sent him on his own errands to the Underground, he carried out orders because it was leading to something bigger, and suddenly here he was, throwing a fit like the St. Orcas brothers did. But he’d never felt so…inconsequential. The thing was, the Guardian bond made the need to protect Theon strong, and the dragon in him viewed Theon as his because of that bond. The bigger problem was that the dragon was also seeing Tessa as his these days, and Luka didn’t know what to do with any of it. It was irritating, and it was making him irritable in return. They called Theon possessive, but when his dragon claimed something as his? Luka felt as out of control as Tessa often was.

And suddenly he was wondering if Razik experienced the same thing. Was it a normal trait for his bloodline? What about the instinct of knowing if objects were valuable? Would the male bother to sit down and talk with him? Did he even care they might be related? Might be brothers ? Were there others like him? Or was he alone in his home world too?

“Luka?” Theon said, low and urgent. “You know that the reason I sent you to Tessa is because?—”

The sound of a throat clearing had them both straightening and turning to the doorway. Tessa stood there, and Luka watched as Theon took her in, wearing his sweatshirt and little else.

“Tessa, how are you?” Theon asked, pushing off his stool and standing, but he’d taken all of one step towards her and she was stepping back. Glancing at Luka, her eyes narrowed into an accusatory glare.

“We were just talking, temptress,” Luka said, coming around the island. She didn’t step back from him, and Theon clearly noticed, judging by the way his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“About me,” she clarified.

“Some,” Luka admitted. “But not all of it.”

“Right,” she said doubtfully.

“Despite what you seem to think, not everything is about you,” Luka replied dryly, stopping a few feet from her.

“Such an ass,” she muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted to Theon. “How is Roan?”

“Stable from what I understand,” Theon answered, his hands slipping into his pockets. “Auryon and I helped move him to a back room in the kennels. It is where I keep my females when they are close to birthing a litter.”

Tessa nodded slowly. “Auryon is with him now? And Nylah?”

Theon glanced at Luka, and he could feel the trickle of hope down the bond. Tessa speaking calmly and rationally to him was not something they’d witnessed often. She’d also just experienced a near-devastating loss. Her heightened emotions usually made her hysterical, not…this.

“Yes, Auryon stayed with him along with the other wolf. Shea is also there monitoring. I told her to do whatever was necessary,” he answered. “But Cienna agreed he should survive. The recovery period is unknown right now.”

Tessa nodded again, fiddling with the hem of the sweatshirt and drawing both the males’ eyes to her bare legs. “Auryon said they are not wolves. She said they are Trackers.”

“She did,” Theon agreed.

“And you believe her?”

Theon arched a brow. “You do not?”

At the question, the bands at her wrists sparked, the same flashing in her eyes. “She lied to me. For months. About who she is and what she is doing here. I trust no one.”

“That’s fair,” Luka said. “But it doesn’t negate the fact that she is knowledgeable.”

“That we know of,” Tessa countered. “She could be lying about everything for all we know.”

Theon rubbed at his brow with his thumb and forefinger as he said, “Trackers are real, Tessa, and based on what I’ve seen between you and them, she speaks truth. I didn’t know they still existed, or I would have put it together sooner. Or rather, I didn’t realize they could enter Devram.”

“What are they?” Tessa asked, moving closer to him, and Luka knew she didn’t realize she was doing that.

“Trackers were— are —exactly what they are named for. They emerged from the Chaos bound to the Firsts. A pair for each of them,” Theon explained.

“So they’re like the gods?” Tessa asked, her head tilting with interest.

“No,” Theon said, shaking his head. “They have gifts, but they are not nearly as powerful as the gods.”

“Then they are like Guardians?”

Theon shook his head again. “Bound maybe isn’t the best term. They are not driven to protect like a Guardian bond between a Sargon and Arius Legacy. They can choose not to, but their unique gifts allow them to always track the one they are tethered to. They can Travel, and have an immortal lifespan like the gods they emerged with. Strength and speed like the Night Children, but they don’t need blood.”

“But they can die?” Tessa asked.

She’d drifted so close now that Theon could reach out and touch her if he wanted to, and Luka knew he wanted to. He could tell it in the way his fingers twitched at his side. How he leaned closer the smallest amount. How his eyes went from her hair to her mouth to her eyes, as if he was memorizing every detail because he didn’t know when he’d see her again.

“They can,” Theon answered. “Many have.”

“How?”

“That is something we would have to ask Auryon. I do not know the specifics.”

Tessa went quiet for a minute, her attention darting around the space, and Theon dared to glance at Luka. He just shrugged in answer. She was utter chaos waiting to explode in this moment, and he didn’t know how to prepare for that.

“But there are more? They…mated or whatever?” Tessa asked, drifting away from Theon and wandering around the living room.

Touching things.

Things that were his , and yet nothing stirred in his soul as she picked up an antique frame and turned it over in her hand. No, now his dragon slept peacefully, not even opening an eye.

Fucking useless thing.

“If what Auryon said is true, then yes,” Theon was saying.

“She said they were mine,” Tessa muttered.

“It would appear that is the case,” Theon said. “That they are indeed tethered to you in some way.”

“But how? If I have been here, unless—” She stopped abruptly, her gaze connecting with Luka’s. He arched a brow in question, unsure why she’d suddenly sought him out.

Tessa turned away from him, setting the frame down and making her way around the room some more. He knew as soon as she reached for her hair what was coming next, and sure enough, her mutterings were to herself rather than to them.

“He knows. I need to go back. We have a deal. He has to tell me. I’m holding up my end of the bargain.”

At those last words, Theon’s attention snapped to Luka, accusation heavy in that one look.

“I have no idea who or what,” Luka said in a low voice. Then he jerked his chin in her direction because they needed to be listening. She tended to reveal things when in this state. The things she said were as nonsensical as Cienna’s words most of the time, but they always made sense later, when whatever she was speaking of came to pass. The difference was Cienna knew what she was speaking of; Tessa didn’t understand any of this.

“He wasn’t here, and I wasn’t here. They were not here. No one belongs here. Fix the balance. That’s what we need to do,” she continued, that light of hers winding up her arms again.

She stopped so suddenly it was as though she’d hit an invisible wall.

“Can he return with me? Roan, I mean?” she asked Theon.

He hesitated, clearly trying to say whatever he needed to in a way that would not set her off.

“It was a risk to move him when we did,” Theon ventured. “And that was only a short distance. But you can, of course, stay here until he can?—”

“I can’t stay here,” she cut in.

Theon stiffened. “Of course you can.”

“No. I can’t,” she repeated. “Is that why you helped?”

Theon took a step towards her, and she held her ground. There was no flinching. No keeping space between them. There was no nervousness or fear down the bond, and Luka found himself proud of her for this one act of standing up for herself. For once, she wasn’t depending on someone else to do it for her.

“I already told you, little storm,” Theon said, his voice rough in a way that had a visible shudder roll through Tessa. “I will always give you whatever you need. Roan is clearly important to you. Therefore, he is important to me.”

He took another step, and still she did not move. But her throat bobbed with a swallow.

“If you wish to stay here, you can stay in our rooms. I will stay elsewhere,” he added before she could object. “If you choose to go, I can send updates as often as you’d like.”

“Such pretty words,” she murmured.

“I’ve never lied to you, Tessa,” he replied.

Luka knew Theon didn’t realize he was doing it. It was an impulse, a natural reaction to the bond and her and everything they weren’t supposed to be. But his hand came up. Tessa was so lost in his stare, she didn’t notice it either. Not until the barest of touches when his fingertips brushed her cheek.

Then she jerked backwards, her bare feet tripping on the rug beneath them. Her power flared, lightning crackling around her, and Luka lurched forward to put himself between them. He still felt the sting of her power as it collided with his flames, and now the dragon beneath his skin was wide awake.

“I cannot stay here,” Tessa sneered, any trace of vulnerability completely eradicated. “Keep Luka informed on Roan. I’m sure you call him for regular updates anyway.”

“I don’t—” Theon started, but he cut himself off before he finished whatever he was going to say. “I will keep Luka updated on Roan.”

Turning to Luka, she said, “I need pants.”

“You have plenty in the suite,” Luka replied, gesturing to Theon.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she asked in a clipped tone. “Will you get them for me, please?”

“Yeah,” Luka said with a sigh, knowing exactly why she didn’t want to go in there. He wasn’t sure if she’d ever step foot in those rooms again. “Just stay here, all right?”

“I know the rules,” she drawled sarcastically.

“You also never care to follow them,” he drawled in kind.

A knock on the door drew her attention, and she went rigid, her power immediately swelling around her.

“Easy, baby girl,” Luka said, any trace of sarcasm gone. “It’s food.”

“Food?” she repeated in confusion.

“There’s nothing here to eat since I haven’t been staying here. Theon ordered food.” At her sour face, he added, “Burgers and fries.”

“It is not,” she scoffed.

But sure enough, when the food was set on the island counter, it was three bacon cheeseburgers and fries that had Tessa drifting back to the kitchen. While Luka took a seat though, Theon did not.

“I will go grab some clothing from…my rooms,” he said. He paused, watching her, but she was resolutely refusing to look at him now. “I will check in on Roan while I am gone too.”

She nodded, still looking anywhere but at him. Luka felt his sigh of resignation down the bond before Theon turned and left the room. The male wasn’t blocking anything, which meant Tessa was also feeling everything as long as she wasn’t completely shutting them out, but she probably was.

After a couple bites of her food, she said sharply, “Don’t do that.”

Luka paused, his burger halfway to his mouth. “Don’t do what?”

“Sit here and wait for me to apologize or whatever.”

“What would you have to apologize for?”

She set her own burger down, wiping her fingers on her napkin as she turned on her stool to face him. Her knees bumped against his, and she didn’t seem to notice since she didn’t fucking move them.

Godsdammit .

“You think I should be…nicer to him,” she accused.

“I did not say those words at any point in time.”

“You don’t have to,” she groused, shoving her food away.

“By the gods, you have to eat something, Tessa,” he growled, pulling her food back once more. “I know your power doesn’t seem to require food to regenerate. Or blood.” He went quiet for a minute when she looked anywhere but at him. “You know how your power refills, don’t you?”

When she still wouldn’t look at him, he reached out and took her chin, tipping her face up to his. Violet eyes finally connected, hard and unyielding. He couldn’t blame her. They’d made her into this. They’d forced her not to trust them. He certainly didn’t expect her to apologize to Theon for anything, but he could know all of that and still know she was choosing the wrong side in all of this. Know that they were all villains, but some were worse than others. He was just running out of ideas on how to prove that to her.

Releasing her chin, he sat back. “Eat up, baby girl. While your power might not need it, your body does. It’s already been a long day, and it’s barely past high noon.”

She eyed him as though looking for a ruse in his words before she cautiously said, “You’ll still train me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Why would you?” she countered.

“That power is a danger to the entire realm if you can’t control it, Tessa,” he answered.

“But by training me, aren’t you basically training me to…”

“Kill everyone in the kingdom I’ve worked my entire life trying to protect and free from a power-hungry Lord? Yeah, I guess I am. But at least it will be contained to just the innocent people here rather than the whole of the realm,” he replied, picking up his burger and taking another bite.

Tessa was quiet after that, finishing her meal without another word. When Theon came back, he didn’t come in. Luka met him at the door, where he handed over a few pairs of leggings, jeans, and tops, along with her phone and earbuds. He gave Luka a quick update on Roan, and then he slipped the onyx ring from his finger and handed that over too.

“I don’t know when I’ll see you again, so you may as well take this now,” Theon said, his voice low. “I have to get back to the Acropolis. Razik and Eliza are waiting for me.”

He paused, and Luka wanted to ask if the male had even asked to meet his possible relative, but he pushed down that impulse.

“The wolf is in the kennels if she wants to see him before you leave,” Theon added.

“I know it goes against everything in you not to be with her, guarding her, keeping her sheltered and safe, but she needs to see for herself, Theon. All the things you’ve tried to protect her from? She needs to see to understand. Just like Axel had to,” Luka said.

“That’s why I sent you to her. Because I can’t…” He trailed off, stepping back from the doorway. “I’m not the one for that. I wish I was, but that can’t be me. I’ll update you later tonight on the wolf.”

Then he was striding down the hall, already scrolling through emails on his phone as he went.

Shutting the door behind him, he turned to find Tessa cleaning up their dishes and placing them in the sink.

“He didn’t eat,” she said, picking up his plate with the untouched burger and fries.

“Can you blame him?” Luka retorted, crossing the room in a few long strides. He took the plate and passed her the clothes. “Put pants on. We can go see Roan before we go.”

She nodded, not bothering to go to the bedroom. She just placed everything on the sofa, slid on a pair of leggings, and left his giant sweatshirt on. While she did that, he went and found a bag. He shoved some of his own clothing into it before grabbing her extra clothes too. None of it was white or cream or light.

Gathering her still damp hair atop her head, Tessa started looking around for a hair tie. Luka sighed, opening a small wooden box on the table beside her and pulling one out.

“Thank you,” she murmured, peering inside the box. Then she paused. “What are all those rings for?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, slamming the lid shut.

“You’re broodier than usual today,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, well, I had to come break up a fight between you and Theon, rescue you from vampyres, and just found out?—”

Her head canted to the side when he stopped talking abruptly. She didn’t ask what he’d been about to say, but he suspected that was because she already knew.

“It’s already been a long day,” he finally finished.

She nodded slowly, but said nothing else. Shifting on her bare feet, she worried her bottom lip, and he wished they could just go back into the bedroom and sit on the sofa doing nothing for the rest of the day.

“We should go see Roan and get back,” Tessa said.

“I know you have said you cannot stay here?—”

“I can’t, Luka,” she interrupted. “This place holds… I can’t.”

“I understand that. You can’t stay here, but you also do not have to go back there ,” he said.

“Where else would I go?”

“Anywhere else.”

“There is nowhere else for me to go,” she said, all of her features hardening once more. “Not until I fulfill my purpose. Then I can leave this place forever.”

She brushed past him, pulling open the door and stepping into the hall, and as Luka followed her, he knew she hadn’t been speaking about Arius House with that statement. He also knew Theon would never truly let her go.

The thing was, the more time he was forced to spend with her like this, the more attached his dragon was getting to the idea of keeping her too.

Because he never gave back things that were his .