24. Theon

Theon wakes Tessa for a mandated dinner, noting her newfound openness to the bond after the day’s ordeals. Luka delivers clothes and plans to research strange creatures and alliances with Axel while they wait in the vehicle. In private, Tessa prepares; Theon resists escalating desire as she dresses without undergarments, and they negotiate boundaries and expectations for the evening.

On the way out, Tessa leans into Theon’s touch but asserts that only mortals may touch her intimately, provoking Theon’s possessive refusal to allow that again. In the car, he presses her on how she used to cope with assessments and on her behavior for the night; Tessa refuses details and insists she will not risk public punishment, leaving tense silence.

At the restaurant, Felicity Davers greets them warmly and has already arranged seating to include Tessa, surprising Theon. Felicity asks after Tessa’s health, accepts a rescheduled time would have been fine, and questions Theon about the bond and Selection. Theon frames care for a Source as both duty and asset protection, while privately distracted by the bond’s pull to Tessa.

Tessa briefly departs, returns pale and rigid, and claims to be fine. When Tessa snaps under strain, Theon imposes public discipline through controlled questioning and securing her verbal acknowledgment of consequences later. He notices fleeting violet sparks in Tessa’s eyes, hinting at hidden power.

To stabilize her, Theon cancels Tessa’s entrée for broth despite her stiffening objection, and quietly warns her against lying. The dinner cements Felicity’s reasonableness, exposes Tessa’s fragility and secrecy, and confirms Theon’s escalating control and suspicions as they anticipate a private reckoning.