Page 77 of Gift from the Tree

“Willow’s and your awakening happened? When?” Tillman whisper-yells at me.

“What?” Corentin barks, much louder.

“Keep your voice down,” Gaster scolds Corentin and the whole room erupts in an awkward, tense silence.

“Whoops.” I didn’t mean to broadcast those thoughts loud enough that Tillman could hear me, but I’m all over the place right now and my dragon riding my ass isn’t helping.

“Draken,” all three of them harshly say my name in quiet tones.

“Right after her air blast. She knocked everyone down but me and as soon as the fuckers who were holding me back were off, I ran to her. Then I kissed her, and it happened.”

“You kissed her?” Corentin snarls, looking mad as fuck right now.

“You know you weren’t supposed to do that, Draken. We told you not to do that,” Tillman lectures, throwing his hands up.

“Neither of you had to watch what I had to watch. Neither of you had to be held down and decide between shifting and possibly killing twenty-plus students and a professor or watch the girl who means the world to you get the fuck beat out of her despite her holding her own. Neither of you had to see that. I did! I had to watch it and do fucking nothing. So don’t sit here and tell me I couldn’t kiss her or couldn’t hold her or run to her. Don’t tell me shit when it comes to her.” I’m yelling loudly.

They’ve got my dragon on the surface now, ready to rain fucking hellfire down. I didn’t realize I’ve stepped closer to them or that I’m leaving scorch marks on Willow’s carpet. But I know my eyes are shifted, me and my dragon fighting for dominance.

“Draken,” a quiet voice says from behind me as a small, fragile hand is placed on my back. I slowly turn toward her, eyes fully shifting as my dragon searches for his other half. My other half, our other half.

“Willow. What all did you hear?” My voice is gentle but deeper than normal.

“I didn’t come out till I heard you yelling. Are you okay?” She’s so calm, so gentle. She lifts her hand and cups my cheek, running her thumb under my eye, soothing my dragon’s rage.

“I’m fine. Just worked up from the day.”

“And then they all yelled at you for kissing me,” she says with a small, knowing smile, letting me know she at least heard that much.

“Yeah, then that.” I hold my fist by my side to keep from reaching out and grabbing her. She’s only in her robe, hair wet and wild, and she looks so fucking perfect.

She steps closer to me, sliding her hand from my face to my chest, and looks me in the eye. “Thank you for running to me and kissing me. I’ve never had people who’d run to protect me, always the opposite. You don’t know how much it means to me that you did that for me.” She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest.

Closing my eyes, breathing her scent in deeply, it calms my dragon enough that he recedes back into my chest, giving me back full control. I place one hand on her lower back. With the other, I cradle the back of her head, holding her tenderly. For someone so small and delicate, she’s the strongest and fiercest person I’ve ever met. All the shitty things that’ve happened in her life haven’t made her cold or jaded, and that’s a strength many of us couldn’t possess.

“I’m going to go dry my hair and put some clothes on. I’ll be back in a minute,” she says as she untangles herself from me and goes back into the bathroom. I sit back in my spot on the end of her bed and wait.

“We have to talk about this later, Draken,” Corentin speaks calmly as he puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze, leaving it there for support. His way of saying sorry.

“I know, we will. I just need some time with her to calm down,” I tell him honestly. Even though my dragon is sitting in my chest behaving for now, I’m pretty sure if I tried to leave this room, he’d raise hell.

“I’ll have the kitchen bring some food up and we’ll hang out in here until she’s ready for bed, if that’s okay with her.” Corentin compromises.

I nod and Tillman grunts his agreement right as the bathroom door opens. I try to stand, but Corentin’s stupid fucking hand pushes me back down, basically telling me to chill the fuck out.

Willow steps out with her light brown hair dried, and it’s almost to her belly button when it’s straight, obscuring her shirt that reads, “Full of air and sass,” which makes me laugh and shoot Tillman a smirk. No one’s told her that he made almost all her clothes. We don’t know how she’d react, but I told him it’d probably make her feel better knowing Gaster didn’t make her sexy as fuck underwear.

“Is everyone going to hang out in here?” she asks, making her way over to the bed and crawling in.

“If that’s okay with you.” Corentin’s so formal all the time. He’s going to have to cut that shit out if he’s ever going to have a real conversation with her.

“Yeah, that sounds good. The bed’s plenty big for everyone to find a spot,” she says with a welcoming smile as she tucks the covers around her legs and pats the bed.

Fucking hell, she has no idea what that image does to me.

Tillman discreetly adjusts himself in his seat and Corentin squeezes my shoulder a little harder than he probably meant to before letting it go, so yeah, what that image does to all of us.

I waste no time with an invitation like that, hopping up and claiming the spot I lay in the first night I brought her in here and refused to move. One day, one day soon, I’m going to lie here every night.

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