Page 89 of Gift from the Tree

“Of course he did,” I comment lightly, only slight sarcasm paired with an eye roll. He lets out a small chuckle before shaking his head and walking in the opposite direction to me. Grabbing my bag, I go up to my room, change quickly, and take my journal to the lounge, figuring I’d get some reading in while I wait for them.

After about an hour, a grunt draws my attention to the corner of the lounge by the bar where Caspian takes a small step out of the shadows. He doesn’t speak, just stares. Instead of snarling or throwing out any harsh threats, he studies me. I feel like he’s attempting to pick apart every piece of me down to the deepest, darkest recesses of my soul.

“Is everything okay?” I ask calmly.

“Fine.”

“Would you like for me to leave?”

Caspian’s the most unpredictable of the bunch and right now, while I’m getting a seemingly calmer side, I’m willing to be nice.

“No. The guys will be up in a second. I’ll see you later.” He doesn’t give me the chance to object and tell him he can stay and I’ll go before he steps back and disappears.

These men’s mood swings are as bad as my own.

Twenty

Willow

“For Elementra’s sake, Willow, fuck that man already. I swear I’m getting a secondhand sex drive from you,” Oakly teases, pulling my mind out of the dirty fantasy I was creating as we make our way over to the training fields.

“I’m not contagious.” I burst out laughing. “And I’ve tried. Numerous times. He’s still pulling this whole ‘I can’t yet, there are still things you don’t know, not until you know everything, blah, blah, blah.’ It’s getting ridiculous at this point,” I tell her with a frustrated sigh.

It’s been three and a half weeks since my first day of class, since the night me and Draken were intimate for the first time, and many of my nights have been filled with pleasure ever since. If he doesn’t have his face buried between my thighs, eating me like I’m the last dessert on all of Elementra, he keeps me cuddled tightly in his arms, warding away any nightmares that try to disrupt my precious sleep.

My hormones haven’t settled down whatsoever. Honestly, they’ve gotten worse. There have been days where I thought I’d die if Draken didn’t touch me, and some days where I’m completely inconsolable to the point one of the guys have had to come to my rescue and cradle me like a damn infant to calm me down.

“Sit their asses down and tell them it’s time to spill secrets,” she says, completely frustrated on my behalf.

“I plan to when Tillman and Caspian get back from their mission this week. Since we have break next week, there’ll be no reason for any of those assholes to run off and avoid my questions.”

Corentin and Tillman have changed dramatically in the last few weeks. Well, dramatically compared to how they were when I first got here. They’re fiercely protective, slightly less dickish, touchy, and more talkative when the mood strikes them. But it never strikes them anytime I can tell they’re hiding something from me, and I call them out.

“Do you think they’re going to let you stay a night with me over break?” Oakly asks.

“I plan on bringing that up to Corentin alone, since he’s going to be the hardest to convince. If I can get him on board while Tillman’s gone, then no one will argue with him.”

“Smart thinking. And if that doesn’t work, then get Gaster to talk with him.” She knows that Gaster doesn’t say no to me, and he’ll side with us that we need some girl time. I spend a lot of my free time at the academy with her, but the only true alone time we get is when Gaster leaves us to do what we please some mornings.

Getting closer to the training fields, I lower my voice. “I’m so nervous for them to go.”

“That’s understandable. These missions are scary.”

“Yeah, but it feels like more. I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe I just have increased anxiety since I know Tillman will be leading this mission. And even though Caspian doesn’t much speak to me, and he leaves the room as quickly as he comes, I still can’t help but worry.” I try to reason more with myself than her, but internally, I’m screaming for them not to go, but that would just embarrass Tillman and Caspian if I said it out loud.

“Caspian I’m sure is worry by association. You and Tillman have been getting closer, so it’s probably freaking you out that him leaving isn’t only messing up your new routine, but a friend is running headfirst into danger.” Even though her reasoning is sound, it sure as shit isn’t helpful right now.

I give her a death stare and she winces. “Sorry that was a little too blunt.”

“Ya think?” I laugh at her half-assed apology as we approach the fields.

They’re teeming with E.F. members, but I spot the guys immediately all huddled together with Ry and three other guys I haven’t met. Grabbing Oakly’s hand, I weave us through bodies of people as we make our way over to them.

“Hey, little wanderer. You just made it. They’re about to head off,” Draken says as he wraps me in his arms, giving my forehead a kiss.

“There’s my star pupil. Who do you have with you?” Ry jokes, earning him stern looks from the four of them.

Ry’s definitely a hard-ass but nothing like dickhead Claven. Despite Tillman telling me and Draken not to use his relationship with Ry to get by with shit in his class, Draken one hundred percent does, and I think Ry just babies me to get under Tillman’s skin. He doesn’t let me spar with any of the males in the class other than himself or Draken, and he’s just as growly with any of them who come close to me as the rest of the guys are.

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