Chapter 45 Tessa
TESSA
“Are we certain that is going to hold her?” Axel asked.
“More than certain,” Tristyn replied. “Those cells are designed to hold a god. She is not that. You know what it took to get Tessa out of one, and even then, there was a cost.”
“She’s not a god, but she’s…something,” Axel said, standing next to the chair where Kat was feeding Maddox.
The moment they’d come back here, Kat and Axel had gone straight for their son. The weight of his safety now lifted from their shoulders, at least in regards to Bree. There was still Valter to worry about though.
One villain at a time, she supposed.
“She’s a Fate. Or she was one,” Tessa said simply. “But Kat already knew that.”
They all turned to the female, and she looked down at Maddox, her cheeks flushing. “I had an inkling based on how she spoke at the dinner, but I didn’t know how it was possible.”
“What do you mean she was a Fate?” Axel asked. “How is that possible?”
“The same way you were a Legacy one would guess,” she said with a shrug.
“Arius cursed the Legacy who took advantage of the Fae with bloodlust,” Tristyn offered.
“But others found it to be a blessing,” Axel said slowly. “Cienna said that once.”
Tristyn flashed a smile. “She is always telling you things. No one listens.”
“Maybe she could just spell it out once instead of speaking in fucking riddles,” Axel bit back.
“We can’t interfere with the Fates.”
“But didn’t you do just that?” Tessa asked, fidgeting with her power. She’d been hoping she’d get to take on that little expedition to the Dispensary District. Her power was wanting, and it made her feel reckless.
“Yes and no,” Tristyn said. “She’s not technically a Fate any longer. That sword should stay hidden though,” he added, nodding to the weapon Axel had discarded along the wall.
“I’ll take it back to Arius House,” Luka said, striding for it.
“Arius House or your cave?” Axel asked with a smirk.
Luka flipped him off before picking it up and inspecting it.
Tessa startled at the feel of Theon’s hand on her back, and she glanced up to find him watching her. She gave him a weak smile. She was more than ready to leave the Underground.
“In addition to the enchantments that were already around those cells, we added more wards and protection charms,” Theon said.
“Cienna and Tristyn did everything they could. Bree is not leaving that cell. Either we figure out a way to end her, or she lives out her immortal life there. If she somehow does move beyond those bars, we’ll be notified immediately.
We also have a schedule to check on her regularly. ”
Axel nodded. “There’s nothing else we can do, I guess.”
“We have taken every precaution,” Theon insisted. “Next we deal with Father.”
Axel nodded, not saying anything else as Kat handed Maddox to him. Everyone was exhausted. Between the venture into the House of Four and then time below the Pantheon ruins, it was nearly dawn. Or so the clock said. It wasn’t like she could see outside to know.
Looking over her head at Luka, Theon said, “Let’s give them their space and go home.”
The next moment, she was in Arius House. Or rather, on their balcony, and she sucked in the fresh air. He always knew.
“Better?” he murmured.
“Not quite,” she sighed. “But it will do.”
He dropped a kiss to her head before leaving her with Luka and that sword.
“Do I need to be jealous of a blade?” Tessa asked flatly.
Luka looked up. “Why would you be jealous of a sword?”
“Because you’re looking at it in the same way you look at me.”
A dark grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. “And what way is that, temptress?”
“Like you want to fuck it or hide it away,” she quipped. “I’m hoping it’s the latter.”
Luka huffed a laugh as he muttered, “Brat.”
She flashed him a fake smile before her face dropped, and she turned to follow Theon into the bedroom. She stripped down, opting to take a shower later. Food was calling her name. Food. Shower. Then sleep.
Slipping into loose pants and a Chaosphere sweatshirt, she piled her hair atop her head in a messy bun before wandering out to the kitchen. But she’d no sooner opened the fridge when Theon said, “I’m having food sent up for breakfast, but tonight we have dinner plans.”
Tessa looked over her shoulder. “We do?”
He nodded. “Just the three of us.”
“Isn’t it always just the three of us?”
“Not always,” he replied. “But I wanted to make sure tonight was.”
“What’s so special about tonight?”
He reached over her and closed the fridge before cupping her jaw and kissing her soundly. When he pulled back, his words feathered across her lips. “Happy birthday, clever tempest.”
Her birthday?
She blinked in surprise. She’d never celebrated her birthday. Hadn’t even known when it was until last fall. Only that it fell in the fifth month.
“How do we even know it’s my actual birthday?” she blurted.
Theon stepped back, a small smile playing on his lips. “Why would you think it’s not?”
“How can we be sure it is?” she countered. “Xan brought me here, and then I was taken. Someone probably just made that date up for my files.”
“Does it matter?”
“Does it… Of course it matters, Theon.”
“Why?”
“I… It just does.”
Theon hummed, going to answer the knock that had sounded. A moment later, he was helping the staff set a small spread of food on the table. Waffles. Fruit. Sausage.
Luka emerged then, freshly showered and shirtless, setting that godsdamn sword across the desk. “Why aren’t you eating?”
“The food just got here,” she answered.
“Tessa doesn’t want to celebrate her birthday,” Theon called out, scooping food onto a plate.
Luka’s eyes narrowed on her. “Why not?”
“Because we don’t know if it’s really my birthday,” she replied, exasperated by this entire conversation. Luka hummed in response, and she wanted to throw something. “I don’t need the two of you being so dismissive of this. We don’t know.”
Luka shrugged, grabbing a plate. “I can ask Xan. He’d know.”
“Does it really matter?”
Theon looked up from the whipped cream he was scooping onto the waffles. “Does it matter if we celebrate the day you were born to the realms so we could find you? Yes, Tessa. It fucking matters.”
Okay, well. That wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting.
“Eat,” Theon added, holding out the plate to her.
The plate of carbs and sugar and everything unhealthy.
“I suddenly want every day to be my birthday,” she said, taking the plate from him while plucking a strawberry from the whipped cream.
“Don’t push it,” he warned.
She flashed him a smile, plopping into a dining chair. “So, what’s the plan with your father now?”
“We’ll need to think on it some,” Theon answered, scooping extra fruit onto his own plate.
“You’ll meet your mother when we go there,” she added.
“Yeah,” he murmured.
“Do you want to? Meet her, I mean?”
He took a seat on her right. “It’s not the same as Akira. At least, I don’t think it is. I guess I don’t know the story, but I want to hear it.”
She nodded, cutting off a bite of waffle.
“What about you? Still undecided?” Theon ventured.
“I can’t be undecided. We need her help, so I’ll have to face her.”
“But do you want to?” he parroted.
Keeping her eyes on her plate, she answered, “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s for the betterment of Devram.”
Because she’d meant what she’d said to Bree.
The final battle for this realm was coming, and she intended to be on the winning side.
She didn’t want to be a Lady, had no desire to rule a kingdom or the realm, but she’d sure as fuck make sure the people she freed here could live safely.
Would be able to live without fear of a god coming to collect something that wasn’t his or Fates showing up to destroy the realm.
From what she’d gathered, Scarlett was a sort of guardian of her world.
Nothing came in or out unless she allowed it.
“Where’d you go, baby girl?” Luka asked, drawing her from her thoughts.
She gave him a weak smile as she shoved another bite of waffle into her mouth. “Just tired.”
He gave her a frank look that said he didn’t believe her, but he let it go. Perhaps another birthday gift, but she knew he’d be back to push about it later. They both would.
“So Valter is next?” she asked, attempting to change the subject.
“Looks like it,” Theon said. “We’ll have to figure out exactly where the holdings are and then go from there.”
“Bree told us, and I can get us past the wards. After that, it’s just facing him. Between all of us, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”
“Depends on what he’s pulled together to control us with,” Theon answered.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “He’ll have a threat, Tessa. It used to be harming Axel. It’s why Pen and Caris died. He has my mother there, and there’s still Maddox to think about. If this goes wrong, and he wants vengeance, he’ll go after him first.”
“It’s his grandchild,” she said, although she wasn’t sure why that would matter. Her grandparents were gods, and one wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.
“That is part Fae,” Theon said.
Fair point.
They fell silent, each of them eating and getting lost in their own thoughts. She was just rinsing her plate and dreaming about the shower she was about to take when a knock sounded again. Looking at Theon, she arched a brow, but he just shrugged while Luka went to get the door.
“Sorry to interrupt, but there is someone at the door for the Arius Lady,” the male said.
“For me?” Tessa asked in surprise.
He nodded. “He said it’s a matter of urgency, and that you’ve been expecting him.”
“Who is it?” Theon asked.
“Dagian Jove, sir.”
The three of them looked at one another, and then they were all rushing to the foyer. Dagian was there with Sasha, and when her brown eyes fell on Tessa, they flashed in relief.
“Sasha,” Tessa greeted, Theon and Luka flanking her on either side. Then she turned to the Achaz Heir. “Dagian.”
He nodded once, his features tight and hard. “I got it, but he knows. I can’t return home.”