Page 27 of Gift from the Stone

“Do it.”

“Willow, are—”

“Do it!” The pain is taking control and I’m willing to do anything to make it stop. I wish I could feel bad about yelling at Draken, but that will have to wait. I can’t take this much longer.

Tilting my chin and forcing my eyes to lock on his, Draken releases a deep, pure, animalistic growl.

“Calm down.”

Whatever my animal is, does not like that shit at all. How dare our mate attempt to command us? From the depths of my chest, a growl, menacing and powerful, rumbles up and falls from my lips as I hold Draken’s eyes.

“Looks like my sweetness is just as strong as me. Of course you are. You’re so fucking perfect, Willow.” His eyes widen in awe as he strokes my cheek gently. I can feel his magic reach out to caress mine in a loving, tender embrace. Mine responds instantly, rubbing and intertwining with his.

“We’ll try this another way. Close your eyes and listen to my voice. I’ll push my dominance again, but differently, just listen to my voice.” His command is sweet, and he’s pouring admiration, excitement, and pride down our bond. I make another strange sound, a purr almost, as the animal inside of me agrees more with his softer tone.

“Relax. Remember the freedom you felt flying on my back, the wind blowing your hair, the sun on your skin, the feeling of my scales beneath you. No stress followed you to the sky, we had no worries, just the two of us, wild and free. Let the pain consume you, then let the freedom burst free, little wanderer.”

His dominance coats me in a blanket of warmth and comfort, lulling my body and mind into a peaceful state. I can feel the air blowing across my face from where we raced through the sky. The hours we spent diving through rings of smoke, my fingers running through the clouds. The freedom.

Freedom.

Taking a deep breath, keeping my eyes closed, I calm myself and with the next wave of pain, I don’t fight it, I embrace it.

Flames shoot from my palms into the ground before engulfing me completely, dancing and weaving around me, excited to be free from their restraints. My other two elements, along with my magic, all respond, welcoming the other element home.

My flames grow higher as the pain feels like every bone in my body is breaking all at once. I throw my head back on a silent scream, fighting with myself to just allow it to consume me.

My will wins out, and a bright flash of light shoots out of my body. For a few blissful moments, there’s nothing, no pain, no fire, no noise, nothing, then all my senses return tenfold.

Throwing my much larger head back, I release a roar so loud, so powerful, it shakes the ground as my claws dig into the earth. The sound echoes behind me as it travels through the forest, warning all its inhabitants that there’s a new predator amongst them.

The world looks and smells different through my senses—colors are more vivid, scents more potent. Scents. Turning toward the scents, I find the source of them immediately. They’re all standing a few feet back, looking up at me in a mixture of shock and astonishment.

Lifting my snout, I take a deep breath.

Allspice and chocolate. Corentin.

Mahogany and sandalwood. Tillman.

Whiskey and books. Caspian.

Fire and snow. Draken.

After a few more sniffs, I try to take a small step toward them and instantly become unbalanced. For a second, I internally panic, not knowing how the fuck I’d stop myself if I fell over right now, but then I feel my much heavier limbs begin to open, preparing to straighten out my stance instinctively.

My wings unfurl from my back, stretching wide with newfound strength. Naturally, I give them a few beats, getting a feel and sense of control over them. The animal instincts aren’t taking over the way Draken described happening his first time. Instead, it feels like my animal’s giving me gentle nudges, encouraging me to take to the sky.

It’s incredibly difficult to explain the relationship between us, but we are one. The moment she burst free, I felt like I’ve known her my entire life. She has no logical thinking, no complex use of language, nothing like my very human nature. She’s just pure animalistic instinct, and she wants to soar.

I shoot what I assume is a smile to my guys and beat my wings harder, propelling myself up way faster than I thought possible with my twentyish-foot size.

Misjudging how high I am, I attempt to level out too early and take down quite a few tree canopies, my wings flapping around like that of a baby bird who has no clue what the hell to do.

I have absolutely no control, no stability, and a huge tree is approaching my line of sight. I’m internally freaking out, knowing good and well I’m about to crash my very first flight.

Shit, shit, shit. Do something, please!

Instincts flood my senses, instructing me to straighten my tail and adjust the angle and position of my wings to catch the air. Like it’s second nature, I completely give myself over to the instincts, slightly tilting my wings upward and pushing against the air to lift myself up. My claws just barely nip a few leaves as I force myself over the tree.

---