Page 90 of Gift from the Tree

Snorting at his antics, I turn toward Oakly. “This is my best friend, Oakly. Oakly, this is Ry. And I’m sorry, I don’t know the rest of your names. I’m Willow.”

“Willow, this is Nikoli, San, and Jamie. They’re the rest of Ry’s Nexus group,” Tillman informs me, not allowing them to make their own introductions.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” I say politely, giving them a small smile.

“Oakly, you’re a tracker, right? Tillman’s told us about you, but mostly that you hog Willow’s time,” Ry teases as he holds out his hand for her to shake, earning daggers from Tillman.

“Yes, I’m a tracker, and I do believe Willow has threatened ass kickings to anyone who badgers me with E.F. recruitments, so be careful with where that conversation’s leading.” She gives him a flirty grin before sticking her hand out to grasp his. When their hands touch, they both freeze for a few moments before they shake their heads out and step away from one another. Oakly clears her throat and looks anywhere but at Ry, while Ry doesn’t take his eyes off her.

Weird. We’ll have to talk about that later.

“You’re heading out now? And you’re only going to be gone three days, right?” I try to keep my tone light, but a little panic leaks through anyway.

“Ry, go get everyone in position to head out. Caspian, make sure the fresh recruits aren’t fucking off.”

At Tillman’s orders Ry turns and gives Jamie a fist bump, walking away looking at Oakly one more time before leaving with Nikoli and San in tow. Draken jumps in and gives Tillman a huge hug, then Caspian, who grunts a ‘fuck off, Draken.’

At the sound of his gruff voice, I turn my head to Caspian and find him already staring at me. We’ve barely spoken to one another in the last few weeks, but the hostility has pretty much evaporated, and from time to time, I’ll catch him looking at me the way he is right now.

“Be careful,” I say in a small voice, still staring into those haunted whiskey-colored eyes.

“Willow,” Caspian murmurs, sucking the air straight out of my lungs. That’s the first time he’s ever used my name, and he spoke it like a dark promise, one that has chill bumps littering my skin.

“We’ll be back in three days. We’ll transport in right here on the training grounds, probably in the middle of your class. Corentin’s going to take over your trainings in the mornings and step in for your class as instructor,” Tillman informs me, dragging my attention from the spot Caspian was just standing. I can tell he’s trying to make me feel better by giving me as many details of his plan as he can.

“Okay then,” I respond barely above a whisper, fear choking me up.

Reaching his hand out, he tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear and steps closer to me hesitantly. Slowly, he moves his hand to the back of my neck, gently grabbing it to tilt my head up to look at him. Meeting his eyes, they’re so intense, my face pinkens and my lower belly fills with heat.

Why the fuck do I keep feeling this for them when I have Draken?

Hussy sex drive is making me…

I don’t get to finish that thought as I’m mentally dragged away by an all too familiar flash of light.

Tillman’s a toddler, being rocked in a rocking chair by a gorgeous woman. It has to be his mom, judging by those same stunning green eyes and chestnut hair. She’s reading a book to him and tickling his sides, making him release the sweetest baby giggles. She brushes her fingers through his hair—even as a child he has long hair—and kisses his forehead good night before putting him in bed.

Then there’s a massive gathering of some sorts. The angle shows a huge group of people standing in grasslands. When the angle shifts to show me Tillman, he’s on his knees, crying over a hole in the ground. Oh no, no. A portrait of his mother is on an easel at the head of the hole and flowers decorate everywhere. Corentin and Caspian kneel on either side of him, holding him as his heart breaks over his mother’s death.

Changing again, it shows Tillman in a series of fierce sparring matches. He’s in an E.F. uniform, different from the one he wore today. Different matches show over and over through the years, Tillman winning all of them, until it stops on one final one. It’s his match with Claven. They exchange hard blows, both casting out brutal hits with their elements. When Tillman strings Claven’s entire body up by vines and buries his feet in tree roots, Claven’s forced to yield. Tillman wins fair and square.

Lastly, it shows me. I’m running on the running trail back at the mansion. I look over my shoulder with a huge smile on my face and shriek out a laugh when I see how close Tillman is. It’s a lot like when we ran together on my first day of class, but we’re different, I can tell. He lets out a deep, dark laugh, his eyes not bothering to hide his unrestrained lust. “Run, little warrior. If I catch you, I win.”

Coming out of the vision, I’m stunned speechless at the heated, awestruck look Tillman’s giving me. Wetness gathers between my thighs, and I rub my legs together to relieve some of the pressure building. I try to hold it in, but when Tillman rubs circles on my neck with his thumb, a small moan leaves me.

“Will,” he growls.

A throat clears, making both of us jump and step away from each other. Ry’s standing there with a small smile on his lips.

“What?” Tillman barks with annoyance.

“It’s time to go. Everyone’s in position waiting for you,” Ry says more seriously.

Tillman releases a deep sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I’ve got to go.”

“I know,” I whisper breathily, trying to get myself under control.

“Three days.” With that, he walks away, leaving me standing there staring after him. Ry gives me a nod and follows behind him.

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