Page 179 of Gift from the Stone

“You’re thinking about my little wanderer, aren’t you?” Draken’s loud-ass mouth says, cutting off my little fantasy.

“Let’s get this over with so we can get back to the academy,” I say, ignoring his words completely.

“Oh, come on, you can tell me. I think about her all the time. Fuck, yesterday was amazing. The way she—”

“Enough, Draken. I was there, you don’t have to recount the events for me. Now move,” I tell him, giving his shoulder a shove to get his ass moving toward Layton’s room.

Of course all his words do is cause more images of her to come to mind. After her little show yesterday, I had to take a shower and get myself off three times before my dick would finally get the picture.

This feeling, the overwhelming thoughts, the need for her, was the exact reason I didn’t want a Primary. The power she holds over me is so much. And I doubt my sweet little Primary even realizes the amount of control she wields over us.

Not that she’d take advantage even if she did. I know that. It’s not in her to manipulate someone she cares about.

I’m not good like her, though.

Just as she has power over us, we have power over her. And I have all the intentions of using that to my advantage. I want her to feel as out of control around me as I am with her. I want her full-body shivers, heated come fuck me eyes. I want her to be as obsessed with me as I am with her.

Draken’s bee-bopping and humming draw me out of my mind, and I roll my eyes at his giddiness. All day every day. It’s mind-boggling.

Coming up to the room Layton and his parents are staying in, Draken presses his hand to the panel, opening it for us. The room is huge since we upgraded them again when his parents asked if they could stay here with him.

Well, really, their options were we’ll bring you here once a month to check on him, unless his condition takes a turn for the worse or you stay. We’ve got too much going on to assign a detail to escort them to and from here every day.

“Draken. Caspian,” the mom says as soon as we walk in.

“Mrs. Sira, how is he? Any changes?” Draken asks, even though he isn’t a damn doctor, so her answer really doesn’t matter.

“No, no changes. Have you all figured out a way to help him?” She sniffles out.

“We’re working on it, I promise. We brought you some information on Vito Academy to look over. Corentin thinks it’s going to be best when he’s better to start attending the academy early. Also, Vince, the shifter instructor, is going to come out here to meet with all of you soon,” Draken tells them all happily. I know he’s trying his best to cheer them up, give them something to distract them from just staring at their son.

I lean my back against the wall and cross my arms, giving them some space to chat this out. We were only supposed to make sure nothing crazy had happened with the kid and give the parents the info on the academy, but Draken just can’t help falling into all kinds of conversations.

My patience only lasts a few minutes before I clear my throat to get his attention and nod toward the door. The faster we move these fuckers, the faster we get back to her.

“We’ll see you all in a few more days. If you need anything, let Blaze or Codi know,” Draken says, waving as we walk out the door.

“It wouldn’t kill you to be more friendly,” he tells me after the panel shuts back.

“I was friendly,” I argue.

“You didn’t speak a word. They’re scared and overwhelmed over their kid. They just want some reassurance.”

“And they got that from you. I’m not about to contribute to getting their hopes up for possibly nothing,” I bite back.

I don’t mean to sound so harsh, but it’s the truth. We have no clue if we’ll find a way to remove his rune before the barrier Aria put in place fails and the kid dies.

“We’ll find a way, Caspian,” Draken growls, defensive over the kid.

I want badly to tell him off, tell him to get fucking real, but I know he’s searching for some light. Anytime Draken finds a kid with loving parents, it pulls at those heartstrings of his that are still attached to the desperate child living inside him. So instead, I just sigh and grip his shoulder.

“Come on. We need to round up the trash we’re taking out.”

He huffs but doesn’t argue anymore.

Walking back down to the second floor, Codi, Blaze, and a few other E.F. members from the palace are waiting for us. Between the six of us, we should get these fuckers moved in no time.

Since the vilest, and what would’ve been most helpful of the offenders, are dead, all we have left are bottom feeders. If we haven’t interrogated them yet, they’ll stay. If we have, they’ll go.

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