Page 123 of Gift from the Tree

“I’ll try to remember that. Thank you.” The other three might not be able to tell just yet, but I know the positive attention she’s getting is making her feel awkward because she’s so unused to it, she doesn’t know how to respond. We’re going to have to work on that. I need her flushing from being flattered so fucking hard, not from being uncomfortable.

“What do you all have planned for the remainder of break?” Gaster asks.

“Whatever Willow wants to do tomorrow, then the day after Tillman and I need to take care of some things at the academy. Then Oakly, Ry, Nikoli, San, and Jamie will be coming over the day before we return from break to spend the day here,” Corentin informs us all. He probably has every hour planned out.

“Are they? I was being sarcastic with you earlier. You don’t have to invite them over if you really don’t want to.” Willow looks at Tillman.

“Ry’s been here plenty of times. So has Nikoli and San. This will be the first time for Jamie. But I meant it that he’s my best friend outside of my brothers. Now with Oakly being such a huge part of your life, it makes sense we all get to know one another better.”

“So, this is like a double date? Well”—Willow pauses, glancing around the room—“I don’t know what to call it when there’s going to be ten of us.” Her face is so comical, like it just dawned on her there are five of us and there will be five of them as well. Just the two Nexus’ together creates a party.

“Yeah, little wanderer, a double date. We’re one and they’re one. So double, no need to complicate it.” I laugh.

“It’s a double date then.” She cheers, clapping her hands. I’ll never get over that. It’s her universal sign of being happy or excited. I’d be fine with it if she decided to clap after I made her come on my tongue a few times.

Thinking about the taste of her on my tongue has me adjusting her feet on my lap so she doesn’t feel my dick getting hard. I know she isn’t ready to go there with me again yet, and I do know that, but my dick does not.

Glancing over at me, I pull one of her feet in my hands to distract her from asking me anything and it works as she leans her head back to the armrest of the couch, groaning.

“Do we have to eat in the dining room? I’m quite comfortable here,” she says as her eyes close, and she twitches her other foot, asking for equal attention.

“No, we can eat right here,” I say, chuckling. Corentin started typing away on his communicator the moment she said anything, so no need to even confirm with him.

A couple more days like this and we may be one step closer to becoming a true Nexus.

Twenty-Six

Willow

The past two days were surprisingly great.

I honestly was afraid when I first returned that there’d be constant arguing or wanting to talk, but all it took was our one tense conversation and we all got on the same page. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still struggling with the hurt and the need to pull my feelings back, and I haven’t completely forgiven them, but so far, they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them.

Any questions I ask get answered honestly and immediately, and they’ve been much more open about themselves without any push from me. Well, except Caspian. He’s been there with us the whole time, chiming in randomly to the conversation, but for the most part, he’s just there. Corentin has tried a couple of times to tell me something about the Central, but he keeps getting interrupted by different people and things, and I forget to bring it back up once we’re free, but other than that, he’s even been more talkative and flirtier.

The constant small touches and heated looks he keeps throwing at me haven’t gone unnoticed. Now that I know it’s my bond tugging in my chest, not my magic or anything else, I swear it alerts me anytime he’s feeling a certain way. And the desire is the most potent of all the feelings.

Getting ready for breakfast, though, my nerves are a little haywire. Today, Corentin and Tillman have to go to the academy to prepare some things for the students and staff who left, to return, and just check on everyone who stayed behind. So today will just be me, Draken, and possibly Caspian. I don’t know how it’ll go being alone with the one I’m closest with right now and the one I’m most distant with.

Leaving my bedroom, I see Draken’s door open, him coming out seeming a little more tense than usual. “Hey, you,” I call out as I make my way over to him.

“Morning, little wanderer. I was coming to see if you were ready,” he says with a small smile.

“Yep. I’m ready for my coffee fix. Did you sleep okay?” I ask to see if he’ll be honest with me. I know him well enough to read his face and body language are screaming off and whatever it is, I don’t want to pry if he isn’t in the mood to talk, but if I can help, I want to.

“Not really,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, but not giving anything more than that. “Did you?”

For the past week almost, I’ve been fighting off nightmares that wake me and make it difficult to go back to sleep. Since being back, though, the nightmares I get trapped in abruptly end and I’m able to sleep good after that. They stopped completely when we were staying together every night and I’m pretty sure that they wouldn’t come at all if he or any of the others were in bed with me.

“Yeah, last night wasn’t too bad. I’ve been having nightmares, but last night I was graced with a semi decent night,” I tell him honestly, hoping he’d open up to me more.

“I’m so sorry, kitten,” he says, reaching out and taking my hand in his, holding it in a death grip. Walking into the breakfast room, everyone else is already seated and my coffee’s sitting in front of my plate.

“Ah, Corentin, my hero,” I remark thankfully as I sit and take a huge sip of perfectly made sweet delight.

“Anything for you, princess. So me and Tillman will be gone for the whole day, but we’ll be back for dinner. Caspian’s going to go help Gaster with some research in the archives, so it’ll just be you and Draken. But for any reason either of you need us, we’ll have our communicators, and we can transport right back here.”

“Oh, okay, sounds good. What kind of research are you both working on?” I ask Caspian, unashamedly nosy and also trying to redirect the heat flooding my face from Corentin’s use of the little pet name he calls me.

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