Dawn of Chaos and Fury by Melissa K. Roehrich - 17

14

H e’d made it from the Underground to the portal station in Castle Pines in record time, and no one had questioned him when he’d demanded an immediate portal to the Acropolis. He wasn’t sure how to substantiate the claim of the Alpha and Beta, but he figured there was no better place to start. More than that, he wanted to see the Pantheon for himself. If Tessa had really done what the rumors claimed, he wanted to see the devastation with his own eyes.

“Arius Heir,” a portal agent greeted with a small bow the moment he appeared in the Acropolis station.

But this wasn’t his normal greeting. Beyond the agent stood a handful of Celeste sentinels, those that patrolled the Acropolis, but there were more mixed in. A sentinel from each kingdom, save for Arius, stood among them.

“Arius Heir, your presence has been requested by Lord Jove and the Ladies of Devram,” said the Achaz sentinel, taking a step to the front of the company.

Adjusting his shirt cuffs, Theon sent him a dark glower. “You can tell them I decline the request. I do not have time for their frivolity today.”

Several of the sentinels shifted uneasily, but it was none of them who answered. A female voice floated from behind them, the large bodies stepping aside to make a path for her.

“We both know a request from the rulers is never refutable, Theon,” Tana said, her tight red curls piled atop her head. “But in this case, consider it fulfillment of one of the many favors you owe my mother’s kingdom.”

She came to a stop in front of him, her amber eyes daring him to deny her. And how could he? She had come to his aid without hesitation and was now keeping Cressida a prisoner on his behalf. He did owe her, no matter what had brought him here.

“Fine,” he ground out, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Turning on her heel, Theon fell into step beside her. Gatlan, her Source, was only a few steps behind, and the Anala Heir waved off the company of sentinels.

“I’ve got it from here,” she said dismissively. “A lot of help you were anyway.”

“My Lady, your mother—” started the Anala sentinel, but he stopped speaking the moment her head snapped in his direction.

“Are you questioning me?” she demanded.

“Of course not, my lady,” he said, bowing his head. “Only attempting to spare your mother’s wrath.”

“I will handle it if needed,” Tana said, striding through the security gates and entering the bustling lobby of the portal station.

The sentinels stayed behind, and as they made their way through the crowds of the station, travelers gave them a wide berth. However, it wasn’t until they were ushered into a waiting car that either of them spoke.

“What is this about, Tana?” Theon asked, settling into the leather seat.

Tana shifted, taking the glass of water Gatlan handed her and passing it to Theon. “What it’s always about these days,” she answered.

“Forgive my ignorance, but many topics have been discussed at the meetings I was part of.”

“As I understand it, you often had ‘better things to do’ than attend the meetings. As it stands, your father is hunting for a Source that has deserted him, and your duty calls once more,” Tana replied, taking a sip from her own glass. “But you need to prepare yourself. This meeting is, once again, to determine the fate of your not-Source.”

He couldn’t stop the sharp laugh that fell from his lips. “They wish to determine Tessa’s fate? It appears she does not care what they say if the rumors are true.”

“See for yourself,” Tana said, lifting a hand and gesturing out the window.

Theon twisted, peering through the tinted glass, and if it hadn’t been beaten into him to keep his composure at all times, his features would have betrayed the shock that he felt in the depths of his soul.

Where the Pantheon had once stood overlooking the entire Acropolis, there was nothing but chunks of stone and marble. The columns and the steps, the statues and the glass, everything was in ruin, and it wasn’t just the Pantheon. They were on the street at the bottom of the hill, and her destruction had eviscerated all the surrounding buildings. It had stretched in a radius wide enough to encompass the Tribunal building.

And all he could think about was how he wished he’d been there to see it—to see her —bring it all down. Gods, she must have been an utter vision. Wild and fierce. Untamed and stunning.

“Casualties?” Theon asked thickly.

“Only the priestesses and some Legacy,” Tana answered. “Not a single Fae.”

He glanced at her before returning his attention to the destruction.

“And where, exactly, are they meeting with the prominent buildings nothing but rubble?” he asked.

“The Celeste Manor,” she answered. “After a ridiculous and lengthy debate, of course.”

“Of course,” he said with a smirk, settling in once more. If that was the case, they had a twenty-minute drive at the least. “And you were sent to fetch me because?”

“My mother convinced them I would have the best chance of persuading you, but they were not opposed to force if necessary.”

“Obviously,” he said dryly, fingers flexing around his water glass. “There are reports they saw her there. Jove and the Ladies.”

Tana nodded. “My mother reported what she saw herself. Tessa and Luka. Tristyn Blackheart. Three other females and two males. They are in an uproar, Theon, and while they are debating her fate, they also debate yours.”

“Mine?” he repeated, taken aback.

“She is your Source.”

“That was taken from me,” he snarled, familiar fury stirring in his gut.

“They need to hold someone accountable,” she said. “They have to show the kingdoms they are doing something.”

“So you are taking me to my own godsdamn trial?”

Her lips pursed, but her silence was answer enough.

“I did not realize the payment of my debts would be to stand trial for another’s failings,” he added, his jaw clenching with the words. He did not have time for this shit.

“Another’s failings?” Tana asked.

“Tessa was taken from me. Even your mother agreed it would be better for her to remain with me, but Rordan insisted. He was the one who let this happen. She was under his care when all this shit occurred, yet I am the one who has to answer for it?”

“You chose her as a Source,” she said carefully.

“I didn’t know what she was. The people sitting on those thrones cannot say the same,” he spat.

“Are you… Are you saying they knew all along?”

“Rordan did for godsdamn sure. The Ladies? I don’t know that they knew what she was, but they sure as fuck know the Source Marks given are gross manipulations of other, more sacred, Marks.”

Tana went quiet, and at least five minutes ticked by before she said in a hushed tone, as though she was afraid of being overheard even here, “Are you saying you disagree with how things are being run in Devram?”

“I don’t…” He swiped a hand through his hair, then cursed himself for messing with it before he was about to go before the realm’s rulers. Should he really admit this to a rival kingdom’s heir? In the end, did it matter? He was plotting a rebellion with Axel anyway. It was going to come out eventually. So he inhaled deeply, locking eyes with her as he said, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

The car pulled to a stop, and Tana placed a hand on Gatlan’s thigh to halt him as he reached for the door. “Tread carefully today, Theon. Survive this, and perhaps we can continue this discussion.”

He didn’t have time to question what she meant. Gatlan pushed open the door and climbed out before helping Tana from the vehicle. Theon followed, slipping into the role he’d been trained for his entire life. Cold. Dark. Indifferent.

The Heir of Death.

Fae escorted them in, taking Tana’s coat from Gatlan before leading them down a hall to a grand sitting room. He fought the urge to roll his eyes when he found the room arranged with six cushioned chairs to one side, the heirs and their Sources seated on sofas along the perimeters, and one lone high back armchair in the center of the room. Theon strode right past it and took a seat in the empty cushioned chair that was for the Arius Kingdom.

And he stared Rordan Jove in the eyes the entire time.

“That is no longer your seat, Heir St. Orcas,” the Achaz Lord said tightly.

“Since my father is still unavailable, I think it is,” he answered, sitting back and spreading his legs wide as he got comfortable.

“It wasn’t a request.”

“And my response wasn’t a suggestion. I was accosted at the portal station and brought directly here, disrupting my day and my own business.”

“You forget your place, Arius Heir,” Jove said, light flickering in his eyes and sparking at his fingertips.

“And maybe you’ve grown complacent and overstayed yours.”

“Respect is still required, Heir St. Orcas,” the Falein Lady cut in.

A retort lingered on his tongue, but he swallowed it down. Verbal sparring with the Achaz Lord wasn’t going to speed this process along. So instead he said, “To what do I owe this undeniable summons?”

“Your Source is out of control,” the Serafina Lady said sharply.

“My Source,” Theon repeated dryly. “I was under the impression she was no longer mine. In fact, those were Rordan’s⁠—”

“Watch it, boy,” the Achaz Lord cut in sharply.

But Theon’s smile was just as sharp when he said, “ Your exact words were ‘she is no longer yours.’ I was repeatedly reminded of this since you took her from me. You are the one who has failed to keep her under control. I warned you it was an impossible task. You insisted you were handling it. As such, unless I am missing something here, I believe it should be you in the chair before us answering for your failings to the realm.”

The room was utterly still, but he didn’t give a single fuck. They wanted to pull him in here and blame him for what was happening when he’d told them from the beginning that caging her wasn’t going to work? That it would blow up in their faces? Blame him for her bringing their most sacred spaces to ruin in a single godsdamn night?

Control the uncontrollable, or to fury they both lose.

He held Rordan’s stare a moment longer before locking eyes with each Lady in turn. Serafina. Celeste. Falein. Anala.

And he could swear the Anala Lady was fighting a small smile when she calmly said, “Heir St. Orcas makes some valid points. Of course, we would never suggest putting a fellow Lord on trial, but I do believe we have questions. We were told she was being held beneath the Pantheon until decisions could be made, and yet…”

“And yet what?” the Achaz Lord snapped. He flung a hand in Theon’s direction. “Ask the one who broke her out.”

“I did no such thing. I have not seen her since the Sirana Gala,” Theon replied, steepling a finger along his temple.

“Lies,” Rordan hissed.

“In case you’ve forgotten, the female has a vendetta against my entire kingdom. My people were slaughtered. I’ve been tending to them while my father’s fucked off to gods-know-where,” he drawled. “My attention is on our defenses.”

“Then why are you in the Acropolis today?” the Falein Lady asked.

“Supplies. As well as substantiating rumors,” he answered. “As a fellow lover of knowledge, surely you understand desiring facts, proof, and truth before believing something to be true.”

Lady Farhan nodded in agreement, just as Theon had known she would when he appealed to logic.

“And now that you have seen with your own eyes, what is your next course of action, young heir?” Lady Aithne asked, embers crackling at her fingertips as she held Theon’s gaze.

He sat up a little straighter, his hand falling to the armrest. “I plan to do what’s best for my people.”

“And what do you believe that is?”

“To protect them from the dangers of the realm.”

“Indeed,” Lady Aithne said, and he didn’t know what to make of the Lady’s response. Her face was unreadable, and she turned away from him as she said, “His worries are valid, and he only seeks what we seek for our own kingdoms. I think his actions have proven such these last months during Valter’s…absence. He has taken on immense responsibility far sooner than any of us did.”

“What are you insinuating, Kyra?” Rordan gritted out.

“Valter has failed his kingdom,” the Anala Lady said. “I move we allow Theon to take the necessary steps to take his seat and formally recognize him as the Arius Lord.”

The fuck?

Theon sat up straight, shock rippling through him. That was the very last thing he’d been expecting her to say, and judging by the shock on the other rulers’ faces, they hadn’t anticipated it either. It clearly had not been discussed, but a motion had been made. It would have to be voted on. Theon wouldn’t be allowed to vote, and this type of decision had to be unanimous. There was no way it would pass, but Kyra had planted a seed that would linger.

“Absolutely not,” Rordan barked.

“That is not how this works,” Kyra replied calmly. “A motion has been brought forth. Unless you are saying you have absolute power here?”

“Of course not,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth. “But this has never once been discussed⁠—”

“On the contrary. It has been discussed at great length since Valter went missing. Something none of us knew anything about, right?”

Oh, she was good. That was all Theon could think as he watched this play out. All the rulers were manipulators, but to watch them manipulate one another?

“We have all been paying attention to how Theon has handled matters, and while we were irked about his absence at meetings, he was tending to his people. That is the role of a Lord, is it not?” the Anala Lady went on.

“That is a valid argument,” the Falein Lady said, clearly thinking deeply. “He has also offered to help with Tessa repeatedly. Would have taken responsibility for her once more if it had been granted. Comparing his time with the female and yours, Rordan, he did appear to have more control of her.”

“That’s bullshit,” Rordan snarled, his face becoming red with rage.

“Is it?”

And Theon nearly fell out of his chair at the female that had asked that question.

The Serafina Lady’s eyes were narrowed on Rordan. “We have lost the Sirana Villas, the Pantheon, the Tribunal, and the trust of our kingdoms while she has been in your care.”

Two kingdoms that had always been steadfastly loyal to one another now on opposite sides.

All because of Tessa.

“And his people experienced a massacre of their own while under his care,” Rordan argued.

“Because of her . While she was your responsibility,” Lady Isleen snapped. She turned to the Celeste Lady. “Luna?”

The Celeste Lady appeared to hesitate, weighing her words, before she said, “We do have duties to our kingdoms to protect them. Their trust is how we maintain control, and we are losing that trust rapidly.”

“Because of her,” the Serafina Lady interjected. “Because no one can control her.”

“But there were not massacres or buildings being destroyed when she was with Theon,” the Falein Lady offered.

“Is that enough to offer him our blessing to proceed?” the Celeste Lady asked, looking among the Ladies, and Theon couldn’t help but notice they weren’t including Rordan in the discussion anymore. But they should be. Without his vote, none of this would matter.

“And what are we to do with Valter when he returns?” the Serafina Lady posed.

“He would have to answer for his absence and face such consequences,” Kyra said simply. “But if Theon is the one caring for their kingdom while Valter has seemingly disappeared, then concerns and meetings should involve him. Not Valter.”

“That is logical,” Lady Farhan agreed.

“And it is still his bloodline,” the Celeste Lady mused.

“But he doesn’t have a Source,” Rordan cut in, his knuckles white where they clenched the arms of his chair. “We are giving an heir without a Source a seat? Anyone could overthrow him.”

“Then I guess if Valter wants his seat back, that’s what he’d need to do,” Kyra said. “Besides, he does still technically have a Source.”

“So we are making him a Lord and giving him the female?” Rordan demanded.

“Tessa,” Theon interjected. “She has a fucking name.”

At that, Rordan’s golden gaze slid to him, and Theon knew that smile all too well. That was the smile of someone who was about to play a winning card or move a chess piece into checkmate.

“He has a Source, but what of a Match?” Rordan said.

“He has a Match,” the Celeste Lady said, a crease appearing in her brow.

“But it is not official,” Rordan countered. “A Match Ceremony has not occurred.”

“It is a Selection Year,” Theon retorted, struggling to keep his darkness in check.

“If we are making exceptions for you to take a kingdom seat, then surely we can make an exception here as well.”

“What does me taking a Match have to do with any of this?”

“It is a sign you take your role seriously. A wife to produce an heir to keep the bloodline going, and by extension, the protection of your kingdom,” the Achaz Lord said with a smile. “We all had Matches before we took our seats. Am I incorrect, Ladies?”

“He is not,” the Falein Lady said. “But that is easily rectified if we are all in agreement.”

“Wait,” Theon said, forcing himself to stay seated and not lurch to his feet.

But what was his argument here? How was he supposed to argue against moving forward with his Match Contract? Especially with a fucking Bargain Mark still on his skin?

And when he locked eyes with Rordan once more, the Lord knew he had him backed into a corner.

“That is my stipulation,” the Achaz Lord said. “I will agree to Theon taking over as the Arius Lord as soon as his Match Contract is fulfilled and he has a wife.”

“That is agreeable enough,” the Falein Lady said. “Anyone else?”

And one by one the Ladies agreed, with Kyra being the last as she turned to face Theon fully. “Are the terms agreeable to you? You will be recognized as the Arius Lord as soon as you take a Match?”

No.

Yes.

Fuck.

“Surely they are if this is about protecting your people and your kingdom?” Rordan said, a brow arching in question.

“And Tessa?” Theon asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“I think we can all agree the realm was safer when she was in your care. I propose she be returned to you until an agreement can be reached regarding her fate,” Kyra said.

Begrudgingly, everyone murmured an agreement.

“Then we have an agreement,” Theon said, rising from his seat and buttoning his suit coat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make a phone call.”

He didn’t wait for a dismissal. He strode from the sitting room, down the hall, and out the front door before he pulled his old phone from his pocket. Powering it on, he ignored the numerous texts and missed calls from Luka. He’d deal with that later.

Instead, he scrolled to a name and clicked it before lifting the phone to his ear. It rang only once before connecting.

“Theon? Thank Arius. I’ve been so worried,” Felicity said, sounding genuine in her concern.

He didn’t bother with pleasantries as he said, “How soon can you be in the Acropolis?”