Chapter 36 Luka #2
“It will depend on how things go,” Theon finally said. “But my hope is to go to Arius House so we can figure out our next moves.”
“It’s dark there too,” she said with a frown.
“It’s not underground.”
She shrugged, moving forward again. “Still dark.”
They continued on, following the passages. Cienna had agreed to see them, but said they needed to do so at her place and not the penthouse. They’d all been irritated, but they’d learned the hard way not to piss off the Witch.
A half hour later, they finally emerged in her space, finding her at a worktable with Gia. The two of them had their heads together over something on the table, and neither of them bothered to look up at their entrance.
Tessa immediately started wandering, but at least she was contained here. She peered at various objects, chaos drifting around her fingers when she would pick something up. Cienna would have yelled at them for touching her things. Tessa apparently had a pass.
Until she came to a black orb, shadows seeming to swirl in its depths.
“Not that one,” Cienna called, still not looking up from whatever it was they were studying.
Tessa frowned, her fingers still hovering over it.
“Theon,” Cienna warned.
Theon went to her side, lacing his fingers with hers before drawing her away. “The faster we speak with Cienna, the faster we can leave.”
“I’m not who you need to speak with,” Cienna said, and Luka tensed.
“Then why make us come all the way here?” he asked, the words laced with a growl.
“Because I am the one who can tell you who you do need to speak with,” she answered, finally deigning to turn and face them. With a pointed look at Tessa, she added, “Does she know why you’re here?”
Tessa’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”
Luka shifted on his feet. He didn’t really want to do this in front of everyone, but apparently he was going to.
“Luka?” she asked, her confusion shifting to panic down the bond.
“You’re worried about this Mark and me being upset,” Luka said, gesturing to his chest. “I know we talked about it, but you’re still unsure. I need you to understand that I would have chosen this. I do choose this. I choose you, not because I was forced to or because of some bond.”
“Okay,” she said, dragging out the word.
He pulled at the back of his neck. This was awkward as fuck.
Tessa’s head tilted to the side. “I’ve never seen you so…”
“Nervous?” Theon provided.
Luka glanced at him, flipping him his middle finger when he found a smirk of amusement on his face.
“I know you prefer action over pretty words,” Luka said, focusing back on her. “So I’m choosing a different Mark.”
“You’re…” Her eyes went wide, and she looked down at the Mark that encircled her wrist. “You’re going to take the Union Mark?”
“If that is still something you want,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides.
Her eyes came back to his, a smile lighting up her entire face. But not just her face. Her head, her arms, her aura all glowed faintly with her light.
“Of course I want that, Luka,” she said softly.
Thank the gods that was over.
He turned back to Cienna. “Now tell us why we need to talk to someone else?”
“Because I can’t perform the Mark you need,” she said simply.
“But you did for us,” Theon argued.
“Yes, for the two of you. Adding the third part makes it complicated. A new Mark had to be created,” Cienna said.
“No one can create new Marks.” But Cienna again looked pointedly at Tessa. “That’s different,” Theon gritted out.
“It’s not, but she will have to bestow it.”
“I don’t know how to create Marks,” Tessa said, shaking her head. “I won’t put them in danger like that.”
“You don’t have to. You need to talk to the one who created the Mark for you,” Cienna replied, already turning back to the work surface.
“And who is that?” Theon asked.
He’d told Luka that Cienna had figured something out for the Union Mark. Apparently, she’d had some help.
“Her cousin,” Cienna answered.
“My cousin?” Tessa repeated. “You mean, Scarlett? She’s not here.”
“Obviously.”
“And I destroyed the mirror.”
“You destroyed a mirror. Two, I believe,” Cienna corrected.
“So we need to find another mirror gate?” Tessa replied, her voice rising a little with her sudden panic and annoyance. “We don’t have time for that.”
Theon and Luka exchanged a look before Theon took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Tessa, we know where a mirror is.”
“You do?”
He nodded.
“The Arius Kingdom mirror gate?” she pressed. When he nodded again, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You never asked us,” Luka cut in, probably more harshly than he should have. “You went about scheming without us instead.”
She sent him a flat look.
We do not need to rehash this yet again, she snapped down the bond.
He held her gaze as he replied, Do you want to get married or not?
Now I need to think about it a little more.
Brat.
Ass.
The corner of his mouth kicked up before he crossed to her and took her hand.
“Thank you, Cienna,” he called as they herded Tessa back down the passageway.
The Witch just waved them off, already back to studying something with Gia.
“Where are we going?” Tessa asked, her voice breathy.
“Easy, baby girl,” Luka soothed. “We just need to get out of this part of the cavern, and then we can Travel.”
“Travel where? Where is the mirror in Arius Kingdom?”
“You know, now that I think about it, you already know the answer,” Theon said, leading the way this time.
“I do?”
“Yep. I told you about it the week classes and trainings started for the Selection Year.”
“You told me a lot of things at that time,” she retorted flatly. “A lot of it was overshadowed by the fact that is also when you told me of your father’s plans.”
“Understandable you don’t remember,” Theon replied.
“I really don’t need you to chastise me for not recalling every mundane and stupid thing you tried to make me remember back then, Theon. So perhaps you could just tell me again,” she drawled.
“One would think you’d be in a better mood after fucking, pizza, and wine yesterday,” Theon called back to her.
“One would think you didn’t enjoy having your cock down my throat considering you’re making me never want to do it again,” she bit back.
Luka huffed a laugh. “Keep going, Theon. My cock will thank you every time I get to be in her mouth while you watch on.”
“Fuck off, Luka,” Theon retorted. Then he added, “It’s in the Underground, Tessa.”
Look how fast he changes his tune when you threaten to take away sucking his dick, baby girl, Luka said down the bond. Tuck that away for later.
She doesn’t need any more ideas on how to get what she wants from me, Theon muttered.
She sighed. “Can we please just get out of these tunnels?”
The words brought them all back to the moment, and they hurried on.
An hour later, they were back in the Charter District, but instead of going to the building that housed the penthouse.
They walked past it. Continuing down a few makeshift streets, they came to another building.
It wasn’t as tall, and where all the other buildings in the District were onyx, this one was light grey marble with a wall around it of the same.
Tessa frowned, tipping her head back to stare up at it. “What is this place?
“My father’s offices, along with the offices of those he leaves in charge here. Axel actually has an office here. He just never uses it. None of us do. Reception is shit everywhere here,” Theon said. “Let’s go.”
They nodded to the security at the wall before striding in, then again to the sentinels at the entrance of the building.
When they made it to the main foyer, they went straight through, going to the end of a long hallway where onyx double doors stood.
Theon placed his palm on one, letting his magic seep into it, before they clicked open.
“They’re not warded?” Tessa asked.
“Only the St. Orcas line can enter,” Theon answered, striding in.
Luka ushered Tessa through, following behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him. “You’ve been here though?”
“A few times,” he answered, closing the door.
She paused, taking in the dark tones of the room.
It was just like Arius House. Blacks and greys and reds.
One wall was windows, not that they could see much other than the wall across the courtyard.
One wall was lined with bookshelves. The other had two doors, one leading to a bathroom and the other to a supply room.
“Where is it?” she asked, rocking up and down on her toes. She was fidgety, her eyes darting around the room, and Luka could feel her anxiousness down the bond.
Theon moved to the wall between the two doors. He stopped next to it, slipping his hands into his pockets. “That’s where you come in, little storm. Normally only the Arius Lord can access it, but with your Chaos…”
“You think I’ll be able to access it?” she asked. She’d started moving in place, small steps to the side and back.
“Are you all right?” Luka asked, his brow furrowing.
“Yes. I mean, no. I mean—” She lifted her hands, letting her power dance across her palms. “I can feel it. The mirror, I mean. Sense it. And my power wants it.”
Luka immediately sent a tendril of black flames to wind around her arm, and Theon did the same to the other arm with his darkness. She shuddered, audibly sighing as the power distracted her own.
Balanced her out.
“You have to tell us these things, Tessa,” Luka said.
“I know. I’m trying,” she whispered, stepping forward. “I’m trying to remember you won’t trap me or use me or betray me. That I can depend on you both, but I can’t change it overnight.”
“It’s okay,” Theon said. “We know what you need, and we’ll make sure you have it.”
She nodded, but she was thoroughly distracted now, studying the panel before them. “You’ve never seen it?”
“A handful of times,” Theon admitted. “This is the mirror I first saw her in.”