Rain of Shadows and Endings

Two hours before dinner, Luka arrives. He discusses Tessa with Theon, expressing his doubts that the assessment will make her accept the bond. In the bathroom, Tessa allows him to kiss her neck as she prepares to accompany Theon on his dinner date with Felicity Davers. Tessa asks if he is interested in meeting Felicity, but he denies this and says he is focusing on other things, including her. Tessa drops her robe and stands naked before him, explaining that the gown she has chosen is not meant to be worn with undergarments. This information arouses and frustrates Theon.

In the sitting room, Tessa reveals that to cope with assessments in the past, she and her friends would sneak off the Estate. In the hotel lobby, Theon becomes possessive as other men stare at Tessa, and she teases him, telling him that only mortals get to touch her intimately. In the vehicle, he tells her no mortal will ever touch her again. When he prods her about his expectations for her behavior at dinner, she coldly promises not to do anything to end up at his feet.

At the restaurant, they meet Felicity Davers, a beautiful woman who has considerately arranged for a second table so that Tessa can sit near Theon. Tessa wants wine, but Theon denies her request. During dinner, Felicity describes her magical power to create conflict and expresses interest in the Source bond. When she compares Fae Sources to Theon’s hunting hounds, he notes that his hounds cannot talk back. Tessa excuses herself to the restroom. When she returns looking pale and ill, she snaps at Theon before quickly apologizing. He publicly reprimands her, reminding her of their discussion about expectations and consequences. As she struggles with anger, faint traces of violet spark in her eyes. Theon later tells her not to lie to him; he believes that she is keeping secrets from him.

Tessa reveals she is emotionally and mentally exhausted from her assessment. The server brings broth, which reminds her of punishment meals at the Estate. Felicity asks what Theon wants from a Match, and he lists bloodlines, power, and his Match’s tolerance as the foremost qualities. Dinner ends near midnight. Theon and Felicity make plans to see each other again at the Acropolis.

Outside, Theon presses Tessa against the car, telling her they have much to discuss. In the vehicle, he pulls her onto his lap. Tessa reveals that she bribed the hostess to send a bottle of agaveheart, a potent liquor, to their hotel, but Theon disbelieves her. As she and Theon argue, Tessa calls out Felicity for comparing her to a hound. Theon is angered by her defiance.

At the hotel, Tessa goes to the lobby alone while the others handle the car. A mortal man named Tristyn approaches, and they engage in flirtatious banter until Theon, Luka, and Axel appear and interrupt them. Tristyn shows Tessa concern, causing her bond with Theon to thrash wildly. Theon threatens Tristyn and pulls Tessa away. As they leave, Tessa winks at Tristyn, who calls out his room number.

In the suite, Theon tells Tessa he will deal with her in the morning. She says death would be a welcome reprieve, and Axel realizes that she is referencing past attempts to die by suicide. She does not deny it. When Theon insists that accepting the bond would solve her problems, Tessa laughs in disbelief. Her internal thoughts confirm that her show of needing the bond was partially a ruse to earn a measure of freedom.

Theon gets into bed and lightly touches Tessa, who feigns sleep. Once Theon is asleep, she sneaks out to the lobby, retrieves the agaveheart bottle and drinks deeply from it. Outside, she finds Tristyn smoking. He offers her a lull-leaf cigarette and orders pizza for them.

While Tristyn is inside, Tessa borrows his phone to call Dex and tells him about her torturous assessment and Theon’s callous control. Dex promises to find a way to see her at the Acropolis. She explains that Theon believes their relationship is romantic; she refuses to give in to the Source bond. She ends the call as Tristyn returns and gives her his business card, revealing that he will be traveling to the Acropolis on business.

Theon arrives, surrounded by shadow magic, and confronts her. When she drunkenly stumbles, Tristyn catches her, but Theon rips her away. In the private elevator, Theon entrances Tessa and commands her to reveal everything she has done. She recounts her evening, including borrowing Tristyn’s phone.

In the suite, Theon orders her to shower to wash off the other male’s scent. She hides Tristyn’s business card in her cosmetics bag. As they argue after her shower, she admits to feigning compliance and explains that after traumatic events, she habitually copes by getting drunk and having sex with mortals. He presses for more secrets, and when she refuses, the bond inflicts pain. She enrages Theon by saying that if he had not stopped her, she would have gone to Tristyn’s room. He calls a truce and offers to sleep in the armchair. Before pulling away, he kisses her cheek and insists that the emotion between them is more than a bond.

Tessa wakes after only two hours of sleep, still drunk. Theon yanks off the blankets and tosses her a water bottle. In the bathroom, memories of the assessment haunt her, specifically the vision where Dagian Jove claimed to have killed Dex. Theon checks on her, then refuses to heal her hangover because he wants to question her while she is intoxicated. She goes to the sitting room to get the agaveheart bottle, but Theon takes it from her.

Outside the hotel, they encounter Tristyn. To assert dominance, Theon kisses Tessa, who retaliates by telling Tristyn that Theon does not want her but also does not want anyone else to have her. In the car, a furious Theon demands to know who she called on Tristyn’s phone. He pulls her beneath him and uses his shadow magic to sexually arouse her even as he interrogates her. Overwhelmed, she confesses to calling Dex to confirm that he was alive. She explains that Dex always helps her to recover from traumatic moments.

Theon stops his assault, then whispers that his next action will hurt. As Axel holds Tessa down, Theon forcibly pours magic into her to burn the alcohol from her system, causing excruciating pain. Luka pulls into a vacant lot, where Tessa falls out of the vehicle and vomits. As Theon and Axel approach, a wave of power erupts from Tessa, causing her eyes to flash violet and throwing both brothers across the lot. For the rest of the drive, Tessa sits silently, trapped in her thoughts and unwilling to seek comfort from the bond after Theon’s assault.

Theon reflects on the morning, feeling no remorse for his actions. He admits to Axel and Luka that he has seen violet flashes in Tessa’s eyes before, but never so pronounced. Luka says they need to contact Cienna. Upon arriving at Arius House, Tessa walks away alone. Theon catches up and blocks the door, offering to order any food she wants if she will speak. She finally relents, asking for bacon on her burger.

Inside, he tells her they have a meeting with Valter that she must attend. Pavil and Metias will also be there. After they eat, Theon presents his proposition. She must pretend to have accepted the bond in public, and in exchange, when he becomes ruler, she will receive her own wing of the house and will exercise autonomy over when he can draw power from her. As a short-term incentive, he promises to let her call Dex if her act at the meeting is convincing. He makes the proposition a formal bargain. Tessa agrees, and twin Bargain Marks appear on their ribs.

Theon masturbates in the shower, thinking of Tessa, then realizes she is in the room. Tessa wears a revealing black lace dress and dark makeup for the meeting, arousing Theon. In the lounge, Tessa perches on the arm of Theon’s chair, drinks from his whiskey glass, and acts possessively toward him.

During the meeting, Theon confronts Pavil and Metias over their actions in the garden, then uses shadow magic to violently attack Metias and snap Pavil’s wrist. Axel pins Pavil with his own darkness, and when Valter orders his Source, Eviana, to intervene, Luka steps between her and Theon. Theon warns that anyone who interferes with his Source will forfeit their life. Valter asks for the assessment report, and Luka provides the forged documents. Reading the report, Valter notes that Tessa will be quite powerful. Theon confirms this, stating that she tested on the higher end of the power scale. As Tessa hears this lie, Theon notes the rising storm in her eyes.

After dinner, Tessa stands on the balcony, furious that Theon lied about her assessment results. She realizes that their bargain was based on dishonesty and regrets being marked again. Theon joins her in the rain. She demands to know if he knew about her high power potential before he chose her. He mentions that her assessment was based on bloodline information, which shocks her since she was raised as an orphan at the Celeste Estate, where Fae without families are raised. She asks if he knows who her parents are, and he evades the question.

In a brief flashback, Tessa remembers meeting Dex for the first time at the Celeste Estate when she was 18. He found her hiding under the stairs and left her a bag of doughnuts.

Now, in her anger, a gust of wind emanates from her, pushing Theon back. He explains that he wanted a Source who was clever, cunning, powerful, and defiant. When he asks her to reveal how she bypasses wards, she cries that he, like everyone else, only wants her for what she can offer, not for who she is. Theon snarls that he wants everything from her—every secret, every piece. She replies she has nothing left to give and explains that she does not know how she gets past wards, even though she was punished for it as a child. She goes inside and takes a scalding shower, sinking to the floor in despair.

The next morning, Tessa is awake before dawn. She reflects that fighting is pointless and resolves to find some purpose in her fate. Theon finds her, and they speak civilly about their upcoming trip. In the main room, Axel apologizes for holding her down and tries to explain that Theon’s behavior is based on their father’s poor example with Eviana. Tessa does not care what any of them want. She regrets the bargain as an impulsive move, but she will uphold her end. She and the men depart together.