Page 129 of Gift from the Stone

The echo of my voice has him jumping in his seat, as if he’s prepared at any moment to get smacked upside the head. Turning to Draken, I nod toward the boy.

“Layton, we won’t hurt you. Calm down and tell us your story,” Draken commands. The breeze of his dominance coats the room and the difference in the boy is instant. Draken’s gentle demand forces the anxiety to the side, and it seems this is the first full breath the kid’s taken since coming here, maybe longer.

“Thank you.” He blows out a breath, nodding at Draken, surprising us all. It’s almost never the case someone’s thankful for Draken using his power on them.

“What kind of reptile are you?” Draken asks.

“I’m a chameleon and that’s why I’m being punished,” Layton answers as tears well in his eyes again.

Very rare shifter.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” I ask.

He takes another deep breath and nods.

There’s something about this kid. I just know he’s already telling the truth and he’s barely spoken. There’s a block on his mind that I know I could tear down, but I don’t know the consequence of doing that to him, so I don’t pry.

“My family is from Terian. We live on the outskirts, on the Aquaria line in a small shifter community called Marka. A year ago, shortly after I emerged, Alpha Jarod and a few men came to our community. We’re all reptile shifters, so we’re loners, but we still like to surround ourselves with shifters of our kind for protection.” He pauses, taking another breath, and Draken again reassures him, calming him back down.

“My mom told me to go hide when Alpha Jarod and the men with him appeared. I’m the only small reptile shifter around, and my family had been lying about my gift emerging because of what I am. They didn’t want me to go to the academy and have people find out I can blend in with everything. So I took to the trees behind our house to my hiding spot. And I sat there for what felt like forever.

“As I started to climb down, Alpha Jarod and the men came walking right under my tree, dragging Mr. Gami. He was our unofficial leader. He was the strongest amongst us and called the shots when tough decisions had to be made.” He stops, his eyes clouding over like he’s floating into the memory.

I can already tell where this is heading.

“Mr. Gami yelled and fought, said that he already told them he wasn’t subjecting himself or us to the Mastery. And Alpha Jarod told him he had no option and he warned him of what the consequences would be if he didn’t have everyone on board when he returned. Then…then…”

“Hey, it’s okay, Layton. Take a deep breath for me. Everything’s okay,” Draken whispers soothingly, lacing the words with a purr-like sound. It’s different than the purr he uses on Willow that makes her wild. This is like a parent calming a child.

“Then Alpha Jarod stabbed him, and it was like all the blood was sucked out of Mr. Gami’s body and into his knife. It scared me so much, I lost control of my gift and fell out of the tree. They were on me in a second, snatching me up, which made my gift flicker in and out. Once they realized what I was, they took me. Dragged me through the middle of our town and threatened to kill me if my parents tried anything. The entire community had to hold my parents back and let me go. They were planning on using me as a spy.” He sobs, tears and snot falling from his face as his body trembles.

“So they kidnapped you for your gift. Is that what you mean by punishment?” Draken asks lightly.

“No. I was so angry, scared when I first got there, and I have no control over my gift, but one night, I was able to shift and hold it, so I tried to escape, but I ended up in the woods, spying on a meeting between Alpha Jarod, the Summum-Master, and some men who were with him. They all wore capes with these red gem pin thingies, keeping it closed. The Summum-Master placed his hand on Alpha Jarod’s chest and made him glow. I should’ve run, should’ve done something other than stand there because my gift flickered, and they saw me.

“The Summum-Master stopped Alpha Jarod from ripping my throat out and asked what I was. When I answered him, he hummed and said I had to be in service to him for the rest of my life. He didn’t mark me but him and another guy did something to my head. I know more than that happened, but I can’t remember, and when I think hard enough, excruciating pain rips across my brain.”

The three of us look at each other, all of us thinking the same thing. There’s no telling what this kid has seen or heard because it’s all locked away behind that block. Fuck, I’m glad I didn’t tear it down now because no doubt the kid would be lying here dead rather than crying.

“What are your parents’ names, Layton?” I ask.

“Sira, my mom, Langston, Joe, Sim, and Dani Fank,” he answers immediately.

“Okay. You’re gonna have to stay here for now, Layton, but we’ll get you moved into a better cell, get you some food and more clothes, and we’ll work on getting in touch with your parents. As long as you have that block, you’re not safe, but we’ll do what we can for you,” I tell him as his eyes mist.

“You’ll get my mom? You’ll bring her here?” he asks hopefully.

The sincerity in his voice and eyes damn near tears my heart to shreds. I know this kid is petrified, and I hate to think of all the others his age who are in a similar situation.

“We’re going to do what we can,” I vow.

I can’t make any promises. The kid’s been gone a year. There’s no telling if his parents are even still there, if they’re alive. There’s just no telling. But at the end of the day, I know this kid isn’t some brainwashed soldier. He was an innocent child who was torn away from his life, and I’ll help him get it back.

The three of us walk Layton out of the interrogation room silently, all stewing in the things he just told us. By the looks being shot the kid’s way by the shifters we pass, they all know he isn’t a true member of their society; he’s just a pawn that didn’t fall into place. He may be a whimpering mess right now, but he’s got more strength in him than any of them.

After we get him settled into the new cell he’ll be staying in, I instruct the teams back to the academy so we can debrief there and go over everything learned and piece together stories. But first I got to check on Will.

“Corentin’s office?” Draken asks knowingly.

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