Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance (Legacy #3)

23. Tessa

23

TESSA

“ D id your training session go well?”

Tessa let out a small scream at the unexpected voice, her power appearing and striking out. She had just taken a shower after her morning training with Luka, and seeing Rordan sitting in an armchair in her room made her glad she’d put on a robe today. She was fine with nudity and all, but being bare in front of the Achaz Lord was not high on her list of things to accomplish in this life. And thankfully the robe was gold, not white, because white would have still shown everything.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Tessa said, her heart rate slowly returning to normal.

Rordan only smiled, his hand still raised from where he’d intercepted her magic. She hadn’t meant to attack him, of course. It had been an impulsive reaction.

When he didn’t speak, Tessa fiddled with the sash of the robe, pulling it tighter. “Did we have a meeting I forgot about?”

“No,” Rordan said casually. “Apparently you’ve kept yourself busy these days, and I thought we should discuss your extracurricular activities.”

She went still at that, her entire body tensing and going on high alert. Two nights ago she’d gone back to the Sirana Villas and done exactly what she’d told Brecken she was going to do. The wards hadn’t been an issue, just as they’d suspected, and Brecken had been there, waiting for her. She’d summoned the Hunters and told them to start at the front gates. With the sentinels out of the way, there was no one to let help in when the screams filled the night. There had been no way to shield the Fae without alerting the Legacy, but it hadn’t taken long for them to realize they weren’t the targets. Tessa had taken care of Desiray herself, enjoying every moment of draining her power and then her life. Watching as black lines webbed across her skin, sparking with energy. Her daughter, however, hadn’t been killed, which was a surprise. A Legacy overseer without a full-blooded Legacy child was unheard of.

Brecken had reassured her that all of them would be screened upon arrival to the safe haven, and those with Legacy blood would be held until it was determined if they were a threat or not. When Tessa had asked where, exactly, they would be going and how they would get there, Brecken only led her back to the same brick cottage they’d emerged from that day. Standing there waiting for them was Gatlan, the Source of the Anala Heir. He’d given her a wink before a fire portal appeared and Tana Aithne, his Mistress, had stepped through.

“There are more than I anticipated,” Tana had said, surveying the sea of Fae waiting to be told what to do next.

“But they will be safe?” Tessa had asked, immediately suspicious.

“We’ve been ferrying people into the Anala Kingdom for decades,” Tana had said. Then she’d set her amber eyes on Tessa. “And if you breathe a word of this to Theon or Rordan, we will find a way to end you.”

Flames had flickered in those amber depths, and Tessa had smiled sharply at the threat. “And if I hear anything has befallen any of these innocent people while in your care, I will destroy your entire bloodline.”

She’d left the dead to be discovered. There was no way to know with certainty it had been her, but she’d been waiting for someone to ask her about it. Apparently, that was happening now.

“I’m going to get dressed before we discuss my daily schedule,” Tessa said, not waiting for a response before she disappeared into her closet. She slid on a pair of jeans and a sweater. A light rose-colored one. Only because it was the darkest sweater she could find. Leaving her hair to air dry, she reinforced the bands of light around her wrists.

When she re-emerged still barefoot, Rordan hadn’t moved from the armchair. He was rigid, more tense than she’d ever seen him. His shoulder-length golden hair wasn’t tied back, hanging loosely around his face. Bright blue eyes ringed with gold were fixed on her, and all she could think as she stared back at him was he never wore white. Even now he was in his favored navy suit. Okay, he wore white shoes, and there was a white shirt beneath the suit coat, but still. She didn’t have any navy in her closet. And yes, she recognized this wasn’t what she should be focusing on right now. Not as power flickered in his eyes.

Her own power responded in kind, slowly winding up her arms, and on instinct, she moved into the defensive stance Luka had drilled into her. She could call to Luka down the bond. He would come help her. Or rather, she was fairly sure he would come help her. But she didn’t want him here. This was between her and the Achaz Lord. Whatever this was about to be.

“I am sure you have heard the news of the Sirana Villas,” Rordan said tightly.

“I have,” Tessa answered. “So many tragedies there. I assumed that was why you haven’t been at breakfast the last two mornings.”

“Yes,” he replied. “The Ladies and I have had to do damage control. Again. Of course, Theon hasn’t bothered to show up and help.”

He hadn’t?

Tessa had no idea what he was up to. There had been a spike of surprise and panic down the bond a bit ago, but mostly she just felt anxiety and stress from him when she didn’t have the bond completely blocked. He’d given her phone back to her, but she hadn’t turned it on. It was tucked away in a drawer. He sent Luka updates on Roan twice a day, and Luka relayed them to her. She was planning to go see the wolf this afternoon, but this little conversation was getting in the way of that.

“I don’t speak to Theon, so I have no insights for you,” she replied, holding Rordan’s stare. She didn’t fidget. There was no shuffling of her feet.

“And his advisor?”

“Trains me. That is all.”

Rordan tsked. “You expect me to believe you sleep in his room, but all he does is train you?”

“I sleep in there because he is the closest thing I have to Theon, and it lessens the strain of the bond,” she retorted.

Not entirely true, but she couldn’t exactly tell him she was bonded to both of them. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell him about how she rode his fingers when she came back here covered in blood. She spent far too much of her time imagining how to get him to do that again. Or what his tongue would be like. His cock.

And these were things she didn’t need to be thinking about with a Lord sitting mere feet from her. The look on his face told her he didn’t believe her excuse in the slightest, and that sparked her irritation.

“Even if I was doing more than sleeping in his room, I was unaware my bedroom activities were your concern,” she snarked.

She expected him to become angry. That’s how Valter would have reacted. And Theon. But Rordan only arched a brow, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “What makes you think your bedroom activities aren’t my concern?”

“Why would they be?”

“You think I will allow all that power to be passed down to just anyone?”

Something in her stirred at those words, his comment to Desiray echoing in her mind.

All in good time.

“Of course, the plans of thousands must now be altered because of what happened in Rosebell,” Rordan continued, the gold in his eyes brightening.

“What does Rosebell have to do with anything?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Rordan said, the fingers of his right hand curling into the upholstery of the chair.

Where was Dysani? The Lords and Ladies never went anywhere without their Sources, yet his was nowhere to be found at the moment.

“As you know, Sirana is the goddess of love and fertility. It has long been a struggle for Fae and Legacy alike to conceive children, which is why we keep our Sirana Legacy close and monitored. Their gifts make conception more likely. When two Legacy complete a Match Ceremony and are ready to try for a child, they go— Or rather, they went to see Desiray. The magic of the Villas increased chances of conception by over fifty percent,” Rordan said tightly. “In addition to that, the Villas are located on the outskirts of the Dreamlock Woods. The power of Serafina Legacy lingers there. Those who dream of having a child find more success when trying to conceive in the Villas.”

Okay, well, Tessa hadn’t known any of that, but it certainly didn’t negate the fact that those same powers and enchantments were used to force Fae to conceive children as well. That same magic that lingered in the woods and brought a Legacy’s dreams to fruition brought a Fae’s nightmares to life.

“And now the Villas have been destroyed, and Desiray is dead. Numerous other Legacy were killed, and dozens of Fae are unaccounted for,” Rordan said, rage seeping into his voice.

“It is truly a tragedy,” Tessa said, trying her hardest to sound sympathetic.

“A tragedy that could have been avoided if you had simply asked a question,” he snarled. He still sat motionless in that chair, and it was unnerving.

“What would me asking a question have changed?” she asked, the thing inside her sitting up straighter as Rordan clearly became more and more upset.

“Let’s not dance around this,” he snapped. “Few things can kill a Legacy. You went back there and murdered over a hundred Legacy because you misunderstood the purpose of the Villas.”

Her brows shot up. “Misunderstood the purpose of them?”

“I’ve let you have your fun. Let you explore your power and test your limits. I’ve given you a freedom you’d only dreamed of in the past, and yet this is how you repay that?” he demanded, finally pushing to his feet. It took everything in her to hold her ground and not take a step back. “I have spent the last weeks defending those choices to the other ruling Ladies, and with this one act, you have made me a liar. What am I to say to them when they demand you be locked up for this? When they argue you are too uncontrollable to be left to your own devices?”

“If you or anyone else tries to lock me up, you will learn precisely what I am capable of,” she snarled, her magic flooding out of her like a wave of light. Those gold and silver embers flickered among it, lightning crackling with the storm of power.

“You have a purpose, Tessalyn,” he spat out. “And you forget it.”

“You mean you have a purpose,” she countered. “And you are using me to achieve it.”

He struck then, his magic cutting a path through hers and wrapping around her chest, arms locked to her sides. She struggled, her own power latching onto his and sinking its claws in, ripping and tearing. But Rordan was strong, and while she might eventually overpower him, it would take time she wouldn’t be afforded.

And his Source wasn’t even here.

Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, a smug sneer on his lips. “Had I known this was all I needed to do to figure out your paternal lineage, I would have done this long ago.” He came closer, his magic pressing down on her and forcing her to her knees. He took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up. “Only Arius had the power to drain another’s magic. That whole god of endings thing. I’ve had my suspicions; now I need to figure out just how closely related you are.”

She was still struggling against his power, but at his words, she stopped. She didn’t want him to know just how strong she was or what all she was capable of. Those were secrets she needed to keep yet, so she stopped fighting, shoving it all down.

Just like she had so many other times.

“Very well,” he said, releasing her chin and loosening his power. “Telling me would have been a good start at an apology for your actions?—”

“I apologize for nothing,” she spat, not moving because his power still hovered too near. “Forcing Fae to carry children, then taking those babes from them? Using Fae in attempts to create stronger Sources? Fae being assigned to pleasure the Legacy when the Legacy can already take whatever they want from us?”

“Us?” Rordan interrupted. “You seem to have forgotten you are not Fae.”

“And you seem to have forgotten you are not a god,” she retorted. “I’d do it again. I will do it again. Only I won’t stop at the Villas. I won’t even stop at Rosebell. Then I’ll come for you all.”

Rordan smiled . “I’m counting on it, Tessalyn. Until then, you do have debts to pay, don’t you?”

Confusion crossed her features. “What debts?”

“You think I have allowed you to live in my home, eat my food, and do as you please for nothing? Freedom has a price, child, and it’s about time you started paying it.”

He turned on his heel, his power going with him. The door clicked softly shut behind him, and for the first time since she’d come here, she felt trapped. She’d known another monster lurked behind the warm smiles and pretty words. It had been an ongoing game of who would break the fa?ade first. Once again, her impulsive actions had made her the loser rather than the victor, and yet she still couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

She would do it again.

And she’d be the one to sink a golden blade into Rordan’s heart too.

Tessa? came Theon’s voice down the bond. Are you… I don’t understand what you are feeling right now. Do you need us?

No, was all she managed to reply before she stacked her shields back where they belonged.

She needed no one.

Kindness was never free.

There was always a cost.

And she was done accumulating debts.

After getting herself together, she created a portal directly down to the hidden entrance of the cells beneath the Achaz Palace. Quickly slipping inside, she made her way down the stairs. It felt weird to be down here without her wolves. She’d grown used to them always being at her side, always seeming to know when she needed them. So she shouldn’t have been surprised to find Nylah waiting for her when she reached the bottom. Her dark coat shimmered in the light of the sconces, and Tessa crouched down beside her.

“How is he?” she asked softly, stroking her fur and scratching behind her ears. The wolf leaned into her hand, a low whine sounding. “I miss him too,” Tessa whispered. “Can you stay close?”

Nylah rubbed against her arm, then her legs as Tessa stood. Roan was always the one to stick close while Nylah went ahead of them. Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, she strode down the passage. She had planned to completely ignore Valter, but she couldn’t stop herself when she paused in front of his cell.

His hair was even longer and unkempt. A thick beard covered his face now, and hatred still shone in those hazel eyes. But she didn’t miss the slight flinch when she pressed her palm to the glass of his cell, pulling a wicked smile to her lips. Bringing her back to herself. Reminding herself she wasn’t weak. She wasn’t a pet. She wasn’t a means to someone else’s end.

“What do you plan to do with Eviana’s daughter?” Tessa asked casually, tiny sparks of energy flickering at her fingertips.

“What daughter?” he retorted, his voice hoarse from disuse.

Tessa only continued to smile. “That’s fine. I can ask her instead.”

That had Valter lurching to his feet, stopping just short of slamming his hands to the glass. “Where is she?” he demanded.

“That bond can be such a bother when apart for too long, can’t it?” she replied with mock sympathy before she turned away from him, dragging her nails along the glass.

“Get back here and answer me, you cunt,” he snarled.

She would have let him be today.

Until he spoke those words.

In a flash of light, she spun back to him, both her hands on the glass. Light ricocheted into the cell, bouncing around. His screams filled the air, and the monster inside of her soul sat up and smiled too.

She left him whimpering in agony on the floor, making her way down the passage. She did need to go speak to Eviana, but that would have to wait for another day.

When she arrived in front of his cell, he was in his usual spot, gaze already fixed on her and waiting. She sank to the floor without preamble, Nylah pacing back and forth in front of the glass. Crossing her legs, she rested her chin in her hand and held his stare. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was down here. Sure, she had questions, but part of her just didn’t want to sit alone with her thoughts.

For once, he was the first speak.

“You are different today.”

“You have another son,” she replied without adornment.

The male’s eyes went wide, his entire body jerking back before he was cursing in pain.

“How do you know that?” he demanded, and she could swear he was trembling.

“What is your name?”

He shook his head. “No. Tell me how you know I have another child.”

“You told me to ask you your name the next time I found myself here.”

“Tessalyn,” he snapped.

But Tessa only arched a brow, leaning back on her hands. “Who would have the power to sense what gifts another has and how strong they are?”

“That is a power of Arius,” the male answered. “That is the only question I will answer until you answer mine. How do you know I have another son?”

“An answer for an answer then?” she replied with a smirk.

“Done.”

“I met him,” she answered casually.

“Where?” the male demanded.

She clicked her tongue. “It’s my turn. What is your name?”

He stared at her, clear displeasure filling those sapphire eyes. “Xan. My name is Xan Mors. Where did you meet my other son?”

Tessa hummed for a moment before she said, “Met probably isn’t the right word, but he looks remarkably like Luka. I saw him at Arius House with Theon.”

“He is here? In Devram?” Xan asked, color draining from his face.

“What is a light guardian?” she asked instead. It was her turn after all.

Xan stared at her, that familiar annoyance that often accompanied his son filling his features. “You should ask Rordan these questions.”

“Rordan will lie to me. Or make me pay for an answer,” she snapped.

Xan’s stare turned piercing, as if he was seeing something in her she couldn’t. “Your loyalty is wavering.”

“My loyalty is to myself,” she said sharply.

After another few seconds, he said, “The descendants of Sargon become the Guardians of the Arius bloodline. Achaz did not like this, so he created guardians of his own from beings known as seraphs. Some seraphs were given additional power, like the ability to Travel and banish their wings, but their primary magic must be stolen.”

Tessa’s face scrunched in confusion. “How can one steal magic?”

“My turn,” Xan said in a smug tone. “Is my other son in Devram?”

“I saw him a few days ago, but yes. At that time, he was in Devram.”

“Has he met Luka?”

“My turn,” she simpered. “How can one steal magic?”

“When they reach a certain age, the light guardians select a being. Leading up to this point, they have been watching and observing countless magical beings—Fae, Legacy, Shifters, Witches. They study them and try to determine which power would serve them best.”

“Wait,” Tessa cut in, sitting up straight. “They watch beings for years, and when they reach a certain age they… select one?”

Xan nodded. “Only they kill them and steal their magic.”

“You can steal magic by killing someone?”

“No. Only the light guardians can do such a thing, and they can only do so once. Once they make their choice, they cannot kill another for a different power.”

But…her Hunter had called Brecken a light guardian. So that meant…

Brecken had killed an Arius Legacy at some point to have the power that he did. And if Dex and Oralia were light guardians as well, then they had done the same somewhere along the line. It all fit. The feathery wings she’d thought she’d imagined surrounding Dex. Random feathers in her room.

But Brecken had displayed wind magic at the Emerging Ceremony. How could he have both?

“These light guardians are in Devram?” she asked.

“Not that I know of when I freely walked this realm,” Xan answered. “But my other son wasn’t here at that time either, so much has changed.”

“And they can only have one gift?”

“Yes. I have now answered several of your questions. It is my turn,” he said, shifting on the floor. “Has my other son met Luka?”

“They saw each other,” she answered. “If they have formally met, I am not aware of it.”

“And he is helping Theon?”

“I don’t know what he is doing here. Theon and I were in the middle of…a disagreement when they appeared.”

“They?”

“Your son and a female.”

He nodded again, going quiet.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” she asked, her head tilting with the question as she watched him.

“Centuries,” he answered. “I left him in another realm with my brother centuries ago.”

“You left him in another realm? Like my parents left me?”

He met her gaze again, pain and regret shining in his eyes now. “He was to be the Guardian of Arius’s grandson. It is our duty, but also…” Xan trailed off, clearly debating if he should say more. “Our bloodline is hunted throughout the stars by Achaz, his light guardians, and more. The world we once called home is nothing but a requiem. We were forced to flee, so yes, I hid my son in a realm where I thought he would be safe. Just like your parents did with you.”

Tessa nodded, starting to stand, but he called out, “Wait. I get a final question.”

She sat back down and nodded for him to go on. “Should you see them again, will you forgive them? Your mother and Temural? Knowing they did it to protect you?”

She blinked several times, weighing her answer, before finally saying, “I would have rather been in constant danger with people who I knew cared about me than abandoned in a realm where I was alone and unwanted. I do not know if I can ever forgive them for that.”

Xan nodded, his throat bobbing with emotion. She stood, and this time she made it all of three steps before he called out once more. “She loves you, Tessalyn. They both love you so much, they made unfathomable sacrifices for you. That has to count for something, right?”

Looking over her shoulder, she said, “I don’t know, and I do not know if he will forgive you either.”

Later that night, she crawled into Luka’s bed without asking while he was in his ensuite. She felt terrible about it. After being forced to share a bed for months without a choice, she always asked Luka. Every single time. But tonight, she just… needed . It was selfish, and she shouldn’t want anything from anyone. But tonight her soul was weary in a way it hadn’t been in a while, and she was feeling all of it. If he told her to leave, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Go to Theon? No. But maybe for one night of comfort from the bond?

Luka emerged from the bathroom and paused when he saw her. She held his stare, allowing him to see it all. This day weighing down on her. The loneliness. The exhaustion. Gave him this rare moment of vulnerability in exchange for letting her have this one night.

He didn’t say anything. Only pulled his shirt over his head and set it aside before he slipped into the bed. Tessa rolled into him, and he immediately pulled her into his chest, a large hand sifting through her hair. For an inexplicable reason, tears pooled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

For several moments, that was it. The two of them in the dark. His fingers stroking her hair. Her head on his chest. Breathing in his scent and heat. The bond between them hummed in contentment, soothing her as much as his touch was.

She didn’t know how many minutes had passed before he said in a voice that was just like his father’s, “Even the monsters and the villains need others. We’re not meant to do life alone.”

She didn’t reply, but a single tear slipped free.

She stood on a cliff, and Tessa immediately realized she’d been here before. There were no winged warriors attacking this time, and she took a moment to look around. There were trees, but they were grey and barren. The sky was much of the same, and with no one around, she carefully moved to the edge and peered over. As she’d suspected the last time she was here, they were floating on an island in the sky. Off in the distance, she could just make out another.

“I’d tell you not to stand so close to the edge without your dragon nearby, but I guess I don’t need to.”

Tessa spun to find the female with the red-brown hair watching her with violet eyes. She wore the same outfit as before— fitted black pants, black top, and black boots with a cloak around her shoulders.

And standing a few feet away was Luka.

Tessa had seen him in her last few visions, but she could never figure out how he fit in. How was he here?

Sliding her gaze back to the female, she said, “Lilura, right?”

Her smile was razor-sharp. “Did you deliver my message?”

“How do you know Tristyn?”

“We don’t have time for such talk,” she replied.

Then she took a step forward and pressed her palms to Tessa’s temples.

“What the—” Tessa started, but before she could finish, Lilura was being pulled backwards and a warning snarl was coming from Luka.

Lilura looked up at him, unimpressed. “I know what she is to you, Son of Xan.”

“You know Luka?” Tessa asked, startled.

Almost as startled as Luka looked at being addressed in this vision.

“I don’t,” Lilura answered. “But she does.”

A second later, a purplish-black dragon soared up from beneath the island, sunlight glinting off her wings. The dragon let out a roar as she circled them, and Tessa was suddenly being yanked into Luka’s chest.

“Where are we?” Luka hissed into her ear, his vertical pupils honed in on the dragon.

“I don’t know,” she retorted. “How are you here?”

“I don’t know.”

They watched the dragon circle lower and lower until there was a pale flash of purple light and a female was striding toward them. She was in black pants and a long-sleeve black shirt. More modern looking than Lilura. Her dark purple hair reached just past her shoulders, swaying as she strode toward them in black boots, and her eyes were a shade of brown that made them look crimson.

She stopped in front of them, her entire demeanor completely predatory, and it had Luka shoving Tessa behind him. Much to his annoyance, she peered around him to address the Shifter, “You know Luka?”

“Luka?” the female said. “That is not the name I knew him as, but we were scarcely walking the last time we saw each other.”

“What are you talking about?” Luka demanded. “I’ve never seen you before.”

She studied him, inching closer and inhaling deeply. “It was centuries ago, but ? —”

“Then it was not me. I am only twenty-nine years,” he interrupted.

“Interesting,” she said, her head cocking to the side. “But your father is Xan? Were you once called Razik?”

Tessa’s mouth dropped open. This female knew Razik?

“No,” Luka said tightly.

“Enough of this,” Lilura cut in. “Before your Guardian intercepted ? —”

“I’m not her Guardian,” Luka said at the same time Tessa said, “He’s not mine.”

“There is a sorceress altering your visions,” Lilura said, ignoring them both.

“Like this one?” Tessa said, stepping out from behind Luka despite his grumbled protests. “Is that how Luka is here with me?”

Lilura eyed Luka once more. “That I do not know, but he protects you even here.”

Another roar sounded, both Luka and Tessa looking to the sky. It took a minute to spot the silver dragon against the clouds, but his appearance had the female dragon cursing.

“I’ll handle it,” she said to Lilura. “Get them out of here.”

Then she ran, leaping from the cliff and shifting to her dragon form in midair.

“You need to go, but be mindful of your visions. They are not all truth,” Lilura said. “And tell him I’m still waiting for that dance.”