Page 52 of Gift from the Tree

The room’s silent. None of us knows what to say. That isn’t what anyone wants to see when your Nexus bond recognizes its Primary. It’s supposed to be meaningful and an amazing thing. I guess Corentin’s is meaningful, just not the meaningful he’s waited his whole life for.

And fuck, Willow. Hearing what she’s been through, even if it was my brother telling us instead of her, it’s fucking devastating, fucking sick. She’s had to live that nightmare her whole life and is now here where she walks around feeling like a burden to everyone.

Fuck… We’ve fucked this up so bad.

“We need to tell her. We need to get this shit out in the open and start moving forward.” Draken looks at Corentin, pleading. He’s right, she needs to know so we can go from there.

“What are you thinking?” I ask Corentin rather than prying right now.

“One month. We give her a month to get used to the academy, learn more about what life is like here. We’ll use that month to help her figure out what’s in the Memoria stone and train her as best as we can. Then we tell her the truth.”

“And what happens if the Nexus awakens in any of the rest of us?” I question. Eventually, it’ll happen with Draken, no doubt. I’m surprised Corentin’s happened before his honestly, but none of us have any control over it. Elementra decides when the time’s right.

“We’ll figure it out when it happens.” He doesn’t have an answer for that, is what he’s avoiding saying.

Caspian stands and walks directly into the wall, disappearing without saying a word. Draken slows his pacing, sending the two of us a look of warning.

“One month, Corentin. That’s all I’m willing to give. I won’t lose her because you three fear the unknown. She deserves better than this, than us.” He storms out, not giving either of us a chance to talk to him.

“Are we going about this wrong? I can’t help but feel like there’s a bigger picture here we’re missing and she’s going to be right at the heart of it. How are we going to protect her?” Corentin looks at me for an answer. An answer I sure as fuck don’t have.

“Yes, we’re going about this wrong. She’s going to take this hard, and Draken will suffer because of it. We all will, but especially him. As for the rest, I have no clue, Corentin. I don’t think the secrets surrounding her are any threat to us. I think her being our Primary is more of a threat to her. We’ll protect her with our lives, like we’re supposed to do,” I tell him honestly.

Things are occurring that haven’t been seen in centuries since Willow showed up and she doesn’t even realize it because we’ve kept it from her. Not to mention we still have a rebel group out killing and kidnapping innocent people. Their numbers growing every day and we have no fucking idea where or who they are.

“I’ll let you know how she does in training tomorrow,” I tell him as I turn to walk out the door. It’s been a long night. And I need to clear my head and get some sleep before I spend hours training with her one on one in the morning. I’m going to have to put aside everything Corentin just told us and focus on teaching her how to protect herself.

Fuck. Elementra help me.

Standing outside her door at five minutes past dawn, I realize she isn’t going to wake up because we didn’t give her a timekeeper that would’ve woken her up thirty minutes before dawn.

Shit.

Pushing off the opposite wall, I knock lightly twice, hoping it wakes her without startling her. When that doesn’t work, I knock a little harder. Still, nothing.

Fuck, I don’t want to have to go into her room, but we’re already behind schedule, and she isn’t getting out of this. One way or another, she’s going to have to get woken up today for class, so someone would have to do it. I contemplate for a minute waking Draken up and making him do it. She’d forgive him much faster than me.

Fuck it.

I softly turn the door handle and push the door open. I give it a second before I walk in, thinking maybe the noise would wake her. No such luck. Walking in, trying not to stomp but not be too quiet either, I stop in my tracks as I turn toward the bed and take in the sight of her.

She’s sprawled out on her stomach, hair fanning around her, with one leg bent, propped up on a pillow. She’s wearing a large T-shirt that’s ridden up, showing off her skimpy boy short underwear.

Fuck, I made those for her.

Thinking about anything other than her in those shorts to get my dick back under control, I walk closer to the bed and call her name.

“Willow.”

Nothing. I lean over her a little and shake her shoulder.

“Willow.”

“Fuck,” she shrieks. Her high-pitched scream takes me by surprise, and I don’t see her fist heading for my face until it’s too late.

“What the fuck are you doing in my room?” she yells, throwing her pillow at me, while I rub my jaw. Fuck, she packs a punch.

“Willow, are you okay?” Draken shouts as he charges through her door, hands engulfed in flames, scanning the room for the threat.

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