Twilight had fallen, bathing the world in hues of pink and purple. Theo sat in a high-backed leather chair in one of the estate’s many rooms, fingers drumming on the armrest as he looked out over the garden path. He and Elena would be having their first training session tonight. Though he hated to admit it, his nerves were on edge. The thought of taking hold of Elena’s mind again, of feeling her consciousness bend to his will after that night together, was near torture. But he couldn’t delay it any longer. Every day that he had put off the training had taken a toll on her. Dark circles ringed her eyes, her gaze tired and withdrawn. She hadn’t been eating, either. Her brother David had been coming by to check on her as well and had made pointed comments at her appearance.


    Although Theo could sense the genuine concern in her brother’s voice, he was becoming wary of his motives regarding those visits.


    David had come to check on her after Elena told him about what had happened the other night with the bond, and while Theo had been apprehensive about Elena sharing that information, she hadn’t listened. She’d been adamant about talking to her brother, and Theo hadn’t pushed her, but now, with every passing moment, he felt like he should have.


    Theo’s jaw clenched as he recalled the conversation earlier that morning when David had suggested they visit one of the Watchers’ hidden libraries. He had been persuasive, almost too much so, framing the trip as essential for finding answers about the artifact. Theo had barely managed to convince Elena to stay at the estate, explaining—firmly—that it was safer for her here, where he and Arthur could protect her. Elena hadn’t been happy about it. In fact, she had barely spoken to him since, frustrated with his insistence that she not leave the house without him or Arthur by her side.


    He had put his foot down, though, and for now, she had stayed. But something about David’s behavior during their walks still gnawed at him.


    Theo had watched from a distance as David had moved through the estate with Elena, their conversation seeming innocuous enough but David’s subtle actions had caught his attention. He’d seen David examining the grounds too closely, his eyes lingering on paths that led in and out of the estate. David had taken his time inspecting the perimeter and minding the exits.


    Then there had been that odd moment when David had clumsily knocked over a small statue as they passed through the garden, forcing Theo to react quickly to sto it from hitting Elena. He had caught it effortlessly, but the moment had left him suspicious. It hadn’t felt accidental. Was David testing his reflexes, his speed? Why?


    Theo couldn’t shake the feeling that David had an agenda, one that went beyond just checking on his sister. His thoughts spiraled, and he stood, pacing the room, frustration building with every passing second. He wasn’t sure what David’s plan was, but he had a growing certainty that something wasn’t right.


    His pacing halted when the door creaked open, and Elena stepped inside. She looked frustrated, her brow furrowed, but the moment their eyes met, her expression softened, if only slightly. The tension between them was still palpable, the fallout from their earlier disagreement hanging in the air.


    "How was your walk?" Theo asked, his voice cautious.


    Elena hesitated, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Fine,” she said, though her tone was tight. “David’s concerned. He thinks we should be doing more.”


    Theo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond immediately. He couldn’t argue with that—he was concerned too, but his concern was for different reasons. “I know he’s trying to help, but it’s not safe for you to leave the estate right now. The bond is growing stronger, and we need to focus on keeping you in control.”


    Elena sighed, clearly frustrated. “I know, but we can’t just sit here doing nothing.”


    Theo took a slow breath, stepping closer. “We’re not doing nothing,” he said, his voice firm but not unkind. “We’re going to start training—right now.”


    Elena’s eyes flashed with uncertainty, but she gave him a hard look as she waited for him to explain what they would be doing.


    “Since this is our first lesson, I’m only going to give you some basic physical commands. When I give you the commands, I want you to try and do as I said the other night. You’re going to try and find a strong memory or feeling inside yourself that you can use as an anchor to tie you down.” He paused, feeling the power of compulsion thrumming just beneath the surface of his skin. “I’ll give you three commands total, and then I’ll pull the compulsion away, and we can talk about how you did. Does that sound okay?”


    “Yes.”


    Theo breathed and took a step back, putting some distance between them. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ease the suffocating pull he felt whenever they were too close. “Are you ready?”


    Elena nodded, though he could see the flicker of doubt in her eyes. She was trying to hide it, but Theo knew her too well by now. “Ready.”


    Theo took a slow breath, steadying himself as he spoke the first command. “Sit.”


    It wasn’t a hard command. He kept the force of it light, giving her room to fight back if she could. But even then, he saw her body react before her mind could catch up. Her knees bent, and she fought to stay upright, her muscles straining, but the compulsion wove its way through her, pushing her down until she was seated on the floor.


    Theo had to steady his breathing again before he spoke.


    “Stand.” He commanded.


    Elena’s face tensed this time. He felt her resist for a single heartbeat before she obeyed.


    “Turn.” He said trying to keep his voice light. Elena still moved but slower this time. Her body making an effort to resist. Once she was fully turned around, Theo gladly removed the compulsion and Elena took in a sharp breath as she turned back to face him.


    “ You did well.” he said reassuringly “ I could feel you starting to resist. That was good.”


    Elena didn’t look convinced. “ I still followed every command.” she said in a small voice. Theo noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Her tired expression and wished he could help her.


    “ That’s alright. This isn’t something you’ll be able to learn over night. Fully resisting will take time but I know you’ll get there.”


    “ Let’s just go again.” she said her expression was tight and grim.


    “ Sit.” he said and he watched as Elena did her best to fight it. He could feel her anchoring herself this time. It wasn’t enough to keep from following the command, but it was progress. Instead of smoothly lowering to the floor, Elena struggled to remain standing until her knees buckled and she fell on the marble tile. She let out a little groan and the fire in her eyes flashed before glazing over again as she hit the floor.


    The flicker of her fire sent a hot jolt through Theo, pulling on the memories he had been trying to bury these past few days. He could see her as she’d been that night—her eyes burning with desire, then softening in surrender. The way her body had arched and moved at his touch, each reaction aligning with the unspoken command of his thoughts. She’d let him in, given herself over completely, not just to his hands but to his will, his needs. It had felt intoxicating, like she was his, wholly, in a way he hadn''t dared to hope for. And damn if he didn’t crave that again.


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    The sound of her footsteps brought him back to the present. Blinking, he realized she was in arms reach of him now, her face and posture tense from the strain of resisting his silent command. He hadn’t even realized he’d pulled her toward him. Startled, he released the compulsion.


    Elena gasped as control returned to her, and she stumbled slightly.


    “I’m so sorry. I…forgot myself,” he murmured, retreating a step. “We can continue this tomorrow.”


    She looked a bit shaken but resolute. “No. I want to keep going.”


    “Elena, I don’t think—”


    “I want to keep going,” she insisted, her voice unwavering.


    Theo took a steadying breath, forcing himself to push the memories of her from his mind. He needed to focus, to stay in control for her sake. “Alright. Let’s try again.”


    They went on like this. Sit. Stand. Turn. Well into the night until Elena could hardly hold herself up. Theo had tried to get her to stop hours ago but Elena had insisted on continuing and a part of him wondered if she was afraid to stop because then she would be alone in her mind with whatever darkness it was that was haunting her. The thought made his heart ache.


    When her body finally slumped, he reached out, his voice softened. “Elena…we need to stop. You’re barely keeping yourself up.”


    After a moment, she nodded, leaning heavily against the wall. A weighty silence settled over them, neither willing to break it. Theo simply stood there watching her. She had made good progress tonight. By the end of their session, he was putting enough effort into the commands that even he was starting to feel a little warn out.


    Elena’s breathing had finally calmed and she was now simply staring at some distant point beyond the room. It was hard to comprehend just how much she had been through in such a short period of time. He could see the signs of the physicall toll it was taking on her and yet she still carried herself with a quiet strength that he couldn’t help but admire.


    “What does it feel like?” she asked quietly. “To… control someone?”


    Theo blinked, her words pulling him back from his thoughts. He studied her for a moment longer. She was looking down at her slender hands, flexing them repeatedly as though confirming that her body was now her own. He supposed it was a fair question to ask but he wondered how honest he dared to be.


    He took a long breath, gathering his thoughts as he considered her question. “It’s hard to explain,” he began, his voice edged with a quiet tension. “There’s a thrill to it... this feeling of having someone’s every move, every thought, aligned with your own.” His gaze drifted for a moment, lost in memory. “It’s powerful - intoxicating even... but it’s also invasive. There’s something wrong about it, no matter how natural it might feel in the moment.”


    Elena looked up at him, watching intently, her expression conflicted as she absorbed his words.


    “It’s not an endless power, either—it drains you. We don’t just use it freely. Mostly, we rely on it for hunting... or,” he hesitated, “other things.”


    A hint of color rose in her cheeks as she registered his meaning, and Theo felt his own heartbeat pick up as memories of that night resurfaced. But it wasn’t only desire that bloomed in his chest—it was the shadow of doubt that he had been left with.


    He pressed on, his tone tinged with a regret he hadn’t intended to reveal.


    “Sometimes it’s... hard to know,” he admitted, his voice barely above a murmur, “Your own desires can bleed into the other person without you being fully aware of it. It can…blur the lines - make you wonder what was real.”


    Their eyes locked, and in that brief moment, he saw an understanding pass between them—a recognition. But then Elena’s gaze dropped, her fingers twisting together, her eyes tracing the lines of her hands as if they held the answers she couldn’t voice.


    “Theo, about that night…” Her voice was quiet.


    His pulse quickened, a strange tension tightening his chest. They hadn’t spoken about that night since she’d left his room. He hadn’t dared to bring it up, not wanting to see the regret he feared she felt. He waited, his breath held, as she struggled to continue.


    “I…” She paused, swallowing hard, her gaze still fixed downward. “You only did what I asked.” She glanced up, her eyes shadowed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”


    He let out a long, unsteady breath. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much he’d needed to hear those words. He’d told himself that her silence meant acceptance, that her leaving hadn’t been a condemnation. But until now, he hadn’t been certain.


    “Thank you,” he murmured, taking a tentative step toward her. He wasn’t sure what he was planning to say, wasn’t even certain what he wanted, only that he needed to be closer to her. But as his eyes met hers, he froze. There, in the depth of her gaze, he saw something that pierced him—a glint of hurt, barely concealed, a shimmer at the corners of her eyes.


    “Elena?” he whispered, his voice laden with concern. Had he missed something? Had he said something wrong?


    She straightened, though he could see the effort it took her. Her features hardened, her expression slipping into something unreadable.


    “I’m tired,” she said, her tone clipped, hollow. “I’m going to bed.” She turned, already moving to leave, her steps measured, almost too deliberate.


    Every instinct screamed for him to let her go, to respect the distance she wanted. But before he could think better of it, his hand shot out, wrapping gently around her wrist, holding her in place.


    She froze, and he felt her tense, her entire body going still as if bracing herself. Slowly, she turned, her gaze falling to the hand that held her. He could feel her pulse beneath his fingers, fast and unsteady, and it sent a jolt through him, the sudden intimacy of the moment raw and unshielded.


    Realizing what he’d done, he released her, his hand dropping to his side as if scalded. He hadn’t meant to touch her, hadn’t meant to cross that line. Shame washed over him, and he could see it reflected back at him in her eyes—the guilt, the regret that he knew must be written on his face.


    She took in his expression, her own features unreadable. Then, slowly, her gaze cooled, her expression becoming a cold, emotionless mask. Without a word, she turned and left the room, her steps quiet, yet echoing in the silence that followed.


    Theo stood there, rooted in place, the remnants of her warmth still lingering in the space between them. His hand tingled from where he’d held her, the ghost of her pulse thrumming in his palm. He ran a hand over his face, trying to shake the raw, complicated mess of emotions that always seemed to follow her.


    The quiet creak of the door interrupted his thoughts. Arthur stepped inside, his expression as stern as Theo had ever seen it, his gaze sharp and assessing.


    “I see she’s left you with a lot to think about,” Arthur remarked, nodding down the hall where Elena had just walked away. His voice was quiet, but there was something pointed in it.


    Theo exhaled slowly, forcing himself to look Arthur in the eye. “It’s complicated,” he said tightly. “What’s going on?”


    Arthur’s brows drew together as he crossed the room, arms folded. “We had an unwelcome visitor.”


    Theo’s posture stiffened. “One of Lucian’s?”


    Arthur shook his head. “I couldn’t get close enough to tell. They slipped away before I could get a good look.”


    A sigh escaped Theo, and he slumped into the leather chair, pressing a hand to his forehead. He could feel the weight of Arthur’s eyes on him, the unspoken questions hanging in the air.


    “I know you want to hold off on going to the council,” Arthur said, breaking the silence, “but they could offer additional protection while we search for the remaining fragments.”


    “I can’t, Arthur.” Theo’s voice was barely above a whisper, laced with a heaviness that betrayed his inner conflict. “I know what I’m asking of you, but I need you to keep this from them a little longer.”


    Theo pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the weight of his decision pressing down. He knew what he was asking of Arthur, the cost of keeping the council in the dark. By not bringing them into the fold, they were leaving themselves exposed, more vulnerable to Lucian’s reach. But he couldn’t bring himself to trust the council, not after what had happened to Isabell. He couldn’t rely on them, not when there was no guarantee they’d even listen. After centuries of working under Lucian, would they believe a word he said—even with Arthur standing beside him?


    Arthur exhaled, a deep, weary sound, and Theo looked up at his old mentor. He saw the disapproval in Arthur’s gaze, the quiet reproach for making him bear this weight. But mingled with it was something else, something softer—understanding, perhaps. The familiar look in Arthur’s eyes was so reminiscent of their earlier days that it almost made Theo smile.