Page 124 of Gift from the Tree

“Gaster believes that this terrorist group has been around many years longer than the twenty-plus years since they came up on E.F.’s radar. He thinks they’ve been moving quietly through the years, and he wants to dig deeper to see if he can pick up any sort of pattern with any disappearances or attacks that were just brushed under the rug,” he tells me.

I know from what Gaster told me, his previous Guardria bond believed that and was working really hard to uncover this group, and as badly as I want to say that right now, I can’t tell Gaster’s business like that. I’ll have to speak with both Gaster and Oakly to find out if the things they tell me are okay to be shared openly with the guys or not. Well, things within reason. They don’t need to know everything me and Oakly will gossip about, i.e. them and her Nexus.

“Sounds scary and interesting. Have fun with that. If either of you need an extra set of eyes or two, let us know.” I volunteer for myself and Draken, even though I know he won’t want to go through any research, but I’m not going to leave him out.

A beeping across the table draws my attention to where Tillman is cutting off his alarm on his timekeeper. “Time to go,” he announces, placing his napkin on the plate and pushing away from the table.

“Already? I just sat down a few minutes ago,” I complain, way whinier than I should’ve.

“We’ll be back soon, and I’ll check in, in a few,” Corentin says as he leans down and kisses my forehead. Both of us freeze, going instantly still. The surprise on his face tells me he didn’t think before he did that, just followed an instinctual feeling.

“I’m—” he starts.

“No, it’s okay. I needed that,” I admit to him softly. I’m feeling a little off and needy with them leaving. Also, it was a very comforting gesture. I’m not going to overthink this.

Now that I know and understand why my emotions have been acting ridiculous, I’ve been better at recognizing what’s happening without freaking out about it. I may act out of character, like right now, but I know it’s because the bond is upset that the past two days of being surrounded by all of them are about to end. So recognize it, fix it, and move on.

Tillman must have gotten the hint because he makes his way over to where I’m sitting and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and gently grabs the back of my neck.

“The two of you behave. No mischief while we’re gone,” he orders, making me smirk. Me and Draken do seem to be the two who will be trouble when we’re together. He’s so carefree and fun, knowing exactly when to be serious and when to let go. I can’t help but embrace that freedom when I’m with him.

Caspian walks out the door without even looking back and for a split second, I feel hurt until a tickling on my wrist makes me look down. A small, thin, tendril of shadow circles my wrist before it weaves itself through my fingers. The shadows themselves are weightless, chilly to touch, but they emit a sensation that I swear feels like Caspian himself is holding my hand. After a few seconds, it disappears, leaving me smiling.

“Would you like to go drink some coffee outside? It’s a beautiful morning.” I turn to Draken, who hasn’t said a word since coming up here, reaching my hand over to lace my fingers with his.

“Sure, little wanderer,” he mumbles with a small squeeze to my hand. That’s it, that’s all he said and it’s making me incredibly worried, and my bond is pushing hard to get down to the bottom of it. Fix it, make him better.

We make our way outside to the back lawn, and I thank Ms. Grace, one of the kitchen staff, for bringing us a tray of coffee and some sweet pastries. It’s way too early in the day for all this sugar, but I’m not going to turn it down.

“I don’t mean to push, Draken, but you’re starting to worry me. You’re never this quiet and if I did something, I’d like to know.” God, there’s that damn whiney voice again.

“I promise you’ve done nothing. Nothing at all, you’re perfect. It’s just that…” he trails off, running his hand down his face.

“Whatever it is, I won’t be mad or get upset,” I reassure him.

“When you left after the mission when you found everything out, I was distraught, upset, mad at myself, at the guys, definitely Caspian, and my dragon was on the verge of bursting out regardless of if I wanted him to or not. So I came back here and shifted, flying around for hours, trying to calm down. But in my rage, I ended up burning a good bit of the forest.

“I put the fire out quickly. No animals or anyone got hurt, and Tillman fixed the trees easily, but I felt like shit for exploding like that. I haven’t lost control of a shift or been at such odds with my dragon like that since the first time I shifted.” He takes a deep breath, getting his emotions under control. His eyes are shifting back and forth, his dragon making himself known since he’s the topic of discussion.

“I haven’t shifted since then, not wanting to lose control again with you here. He’s not angry anymore now that you are back, but I always shift every day or at least every other, and he’s pushing hard right now, but I don’t want to frighten you or you to think badly of me.”

I want to cry for Draken right now. He’s so scared about how I’d react to him telling me he had to go shift or how his dragon may react to shifting with me here, he’s refusing to do it. I understand a little about shifters, studying up because of Draken being one. They’re one and the same with their animal side. It’s still Draken in there, but the animal side does push more animalistic, primal instinct and urges into the human side. And him being a dragon, I can’t imagine trying to hold those off.

“The night my element emerged, I killed someone,” I whisper. The tears start falling the moment I begin thinking about that night, knowing I need to tell him so he won’t continue to think badly about himself or his dragon. “Not by my hands exactly, but what happened in the aftermath of my air surging out of me.

“I’m not ready to talk about everything that happened that night yet, but if my air hadn’t broken free when it did, I would’ve been raped repeatedly. The man who was about to do just that…was the closest to me and when the chandelier and windows all exploded, his throat was slit, and glass was sticking out of his chest. I looked him in the eyes until he took his last breath.” I sniff, wiping my tears with my hand.

“Willow,” Draken whispers, choking up.

“Do you fear me?” I ask.

“What? No, why would—”

“Do you think I’m a monster?”

“Willow, no, of—”

“Do you think any differently of me because of this?”

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