Page 7 of Gift from the Stone

I know I just gave him his first step closer to revenge.

“Cut that off.” I groan, burying my face in Draken’s neck, trying to chase the sleep that was so rudely interrupted.

“No can do, little one. Time to get up. We have training.” Tillman pulls me away from Draken’s warm embrace, peppering my face with kisses before he hops out of bed and slings the covers off me.

“Why am I the only one who’s forced to get up with you to train? It’s bullshit and sexist, you know.” I really don’t think it’s sexist. I just don’t want to get up at dawn and work up that kind of sweat.

“We all train. The others just train at different times of the day. You train with me, and I train at dawn. Now, come on, move that pretty ass. Five minutes, back lawn,” he orders, leaving me there still pouting on the bed.

“Better get going, little wanderer. He doesn’t like when people are late,” Draken murmurs groggily.

There’s a sly smile on his lips, so I throw my pillow at him as I drag my ass out of the bed like I was told and stomp toward the closet. His deep, playful laugh reaches my ears as I slam the door shut to get changed. By the time I come back out not even two minutes later, he’s softly snoring.

So unfair. I’d rather be snoring right now.

Tillman’s sitting there, waiting for me as I make my way out the back door, glancing down at his timekeeper, preparing to tell me I’m one minute late, so I cut him off.

“I’m not late. Don’t start that shit with me before I’ve had my coffee.”

“Fine. Three laps.”

We set off at our normal pace and I take a deep breath of fresh air. With my senses now heightened tenfold compared to what they were when I first arrived, I have a new appreciation for everything.

The leaves of the trees aren’t merely green but radiant, bright, full of life, and come in all shades from shamrock to sage. Flowers with petals that shimmer in a spectrum of colors like the hues of a rainbow, bloom across the forest floor. Each petal, every branch, seems to hold a piece of the sky, creating an ever-changing display of color that dances with the wind.

Unlike in the cities, where you can smell trash, feces, even the pollution, here it’s nothing like that. The air is a clean, refreshing scent. Sweet and heady as if the forest is exhaling the pure, untainted breath of the land.

Rounding out our third lap, a calm I can only feel when I’m out here or cuddled in the arms of one of the guys envelops me. It’s a peace I’ve never known and a peace I’m not willing to lose. I’ll do anything to keep this for myself. For us.

As we begin jogging in place back at the start of the trail, Draken exits the back door, heading toward us.

“Decided to join us after all?” I ask with a smile on my lips, more than happy to tumble around with him and Tillman on the mats.

“Nope, opposite, kitten. I came to save you from your torturous workout. Corentin wants us all in the breakfast room. Said there’s been a change to today’s plans.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder, steering me into the house, the gleam of sweat covering my body not deterring him in the slightest.

“What kind of changes?” Tillman asks.

“No clue, T-man. I’m just the messenger. And I came to escort my girl since you’ve started hogging all her attention.” Draken sends him a withering scowl then shakes his head, mumbling, “Sorry.”

I laugh at his dragon’s slipup, while Tillman smirks over at him in understanding and amusement. Poor Draken suffers the most out of the guys when it comes to handling his emotions since his dragon pushes his natural instincts, his bond pushes, and his own possessiveness pushes. He’s constantly trying to juggle multiple feelings being shoved down his throat.

Stepping into the bright breakfast room, Corentin, Caspian, and Gaster are already there, waiting for us. I make my way over to Corentin and lean down to kiss him on the cheek, when he surprises me by pulling me down on his lap, hitting me with a blistering kiss.

“Morning, princess,” he breathes, rubbing his nose with mine.

“Morning.” I pant.

Where did that come from?

“Sorry for interrupting your training, but some things have come up this morning and I need to discuss it with everybody,” he explains while he gently places me in my seat. My head’s still spinning from his unexpected affection, so my mind’s slow to process what he’s saying.

“Here, drink your coffee,” he instructs.

Yes, coffee… I can focus on that.

Or I could crawl back into his lap.

Or maybe he could kiss me in more places than my lips.

---