Page 130 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“How do we get us all in one spot to Travel out?” Luka asked, looking to find Razik engaging seraphs far off to the left. He could only assume that was where Eliza was. Razik would never stray far from her.
“They want this,” Tessa said again, studying the cuff. “So let’s give it to them.”
“What?” Theon asked. “Tessa, we can’t–”
“Of course she can,” sneered a voice, Dex appearing a few feet away as though he’d been there the whole time.
“I told you he was nearby,” Tessa whispered, her face paling as she clutched the cuff to her chest and raised her dagger.
“The cuff, Tessie,” Dex said in a cold command.
“No,” she retorted, eyes darting around as seraphs closed in, waiting for an order from their apparent leader.
“But you just said you were going to hand it over. It’s the smartest thing you’ve said all day,” Dex went on, taking a step towards her. He extended a hand. “Give it to me, and I’ll fix everything.”
Something about his words made Tessa go eerily still.
“Tessa?” Theon said softly. “Give me the cuff.”
He reached for it, but she clutched it closer.
“You’re surrounded, Tessa,” Dex said sharply. “You’re surrounded and out of power. Your lovers have been using theirs, but they won’t last forever. They’ll die, and it will be your fault. I won’t be able to clean up that mess for you. I won’t—No!”
Dex was yelling, wings ripping free as he launched into the sky.
But he was too late.
Tessa had moved so godsdamn fast, throwing the cuff with everything she had far out in the lake behind them. It hit the water, sinking below it.
“You have no idea what you’ve done!” Dex bellowed, his face full of shock before he Traveled out.
Then the ground shook beneath their feet.
It was a faint tremor that made them all stumble at first, and then it was a violent jolt. Ripples spread across the water, transforming into waves that became as brutal as the trembling ground beneath their feet. There wasn’t time to think or come up with a plan. There wasn’t time to get everyone together to Travel anywhere.
Luka grabbed Tessa, wrapping an arm around her waist as he yelled to Theon, “Get into the sky!”
They both launched up, getting as high as they could, but it was too late.
Power exploded from the lake, and the water went with it, as if the cuff had been transformed into some kind of explosive.
“Luka!” Theon bellowed, from several feet above them. Darkness reached for him, trying to wrap around them, but it wasn’t enough.
That surge of power shredded through the darkness, and all Luka could do was hold Tessa as tightly as he could, wrapping his wings and his magic around her as they plummeted to the ground. The water from the lake fell around them, pelting and stinging like razor blades. And the power? Gods, that explosion of magic rippled through him over and over, a never-ending current of energy and pain.
She didn’t scream, didn’t cry out. Tessa only clung to him just as tightly. He should have shifted long ago. He should have Traveled her and Theon out and come back for the others. He should have done so many things differently.
That was all he could think when they hit the ground hard, rolling several feet. He felt various parts of his wings snap and tear, the pain excruciating, but still he kept his hold on Tessa tight until they finally stopped. He couldn’t draw in a full breath. Whether from the hard landing or the pain wracking his body, he wasn’t entirely sure. And for a moment, the world was quiet as both sides tried to recover from whatever the fuck had just happened.
Tessa moved first, stirring against him, and he grunted as she pushed a wing off herself as gently as she could. She had injuries of her own, a dark bruise already forming on her cheek. Scratches everywhere. With her magic so depleted, she wouldn’theal herself as quickly, if at all, but she seemed relatively unharmed. Good. That was good.
He blinked, his vision going in and out of focus, and his dragon was trying to claw its way out. Was trying to protect him. But he couldn’t. Something was wrong with him. His dragon. Nothing was working right for some reason.
“Luka?” Tessa whispered, eyes wide as she took him in.
She lifted a hand, as if to touch a wing, but she pulled it back. So tentative and worried. Scared. Of him? Why was she scared of him?
“Are you… What do I do? I don’t know what I—” Then she was crawling to him and shoving at his chest. “Why did you do that?” she demanded, ignoring the low growl of discomfort. Tears filled her eyes, and he didn’t know if they were sad or angry. Pushing hair out of her face, red was left in the path of her hand. Blood dripped down her forearm from another injury, flowing over a new Mark around her wrist. “Why did you do that? You didn’t have to come! And now you are— Because of me. And I don’t know what to do!” Looking around frantically, she cried, “Theon? Nylah? Roan?”
