Page 80 of Gift from the Stone

“What’s so funny?”

I follow the path of her pointed finger and find her Perfecta Anima laying into Ry, Nikoli, and San. All of them in uniform, and all trying to give her tips at the same time. Jamie’s standing off to the side, arms crossed, shaking his head. Both my Primary and her Perfecta Anima are little spitfires.

Lifting my hands to cover her ears, I let out a piercing whistle, gaining the attention of everyone in the gym. When Oakly whips around and spots Willow, she drops her argument with her guys, leaving them to trail behind her.

“Everyone, listen up,” Ry bellows as he and Tillman step in the middle of the madness in this gym. “Anyone who isn’t going to Terravile tomorrow, outside to your post or the training field. Vince will be taking over E.F. training in our absence. Don’t let me hear shit about you fucking off while I’m gone. That goes for student recruits as well. Get a move on.”

“Damn, he’s so fine when he gets all growly and bossy like that.” Oakly leans in and whispers to Willow.

“Yeah, until he turns it around on you, then you flip your shit. I like ’em silent and deadly, personally,” she whispers back, shivering from my hum of approval.

“Bad Primary. Pay attention,” I tease, and she gives me a flirty little smirk over her shoulder.

“I am paying attention. You’re distracting me.”

“Gross, get a room. You’re both distracting me.” Oakly makes an exaggerated gagging noise, drawing my Primary’s attention away from me.

“Oakly, pick one of your Nexus to partner with. You’re running these drills and getting them all or you aren’t going tomorrow,” Tillman orders.

“Aw, can’t I run them with Willow?” she whines.

“No. Now move. You too, Willow, pick a guy and let’s go.” He turns on his heel, not even giving the girls the chance to complain nor acknowledging the lethal glares they’re shooting him.

“Go whip the dragon’s ass, Primary.” Giving her a little push, I raise my voice loud enough for Draken to hear me. The devilish look in his eye matches his mischievous smirk, both of which say he’ll gladly take on that challenge.

Shaking my head at him, I walk over to where Corentin, Tillman, and Ry are spreading the ten files out on the table. We won’t waste any time on Lyker’s, but I can appreciate Rhett’s thinking, not wanting to draw attention to him if these would’ve been confiscated somehow.

“Ry, let’s go run these drills with Oakly. If she isn’t ready, that’s gonna be your ass and mine, so we need to make sure she’s okay. We’ll be back in a few to look through these with you two,” Tillman says as he walks past me, clapping me on the back.

All these fuckers have gotten so much more touchy-feely since she’s gotten here. I can’t say I absolutely hate it, but there are times when I want to break their wrist.

“How are they looking?” I ask Corentin as he scans through a couple of them.

“Rhett got good information. Their elements, length of time they’ve been in the pack, information on all their jobs, hobbies, and families. Other than if they wear a mark or not, he was able to get everything else,” he says appreciatively.

Thirty minutes into looking over a few of the files, my Primary’s loud cheering filters through my single-focused mindset. Looking up, I see her jumping up and down, cheering Oakly on as she spars with Nikoli. He isn’t giving it his all, no doubt his bond keeping him from doing that, but regardless, she’s holding her own.

“Finish him, Oakly. Bring him to his knees,” Willow shouts, causing laughs to sound around the gym, but it’s obviously the push the other Primary needed.

Spinning out of reach of Nikoli’s outstretched hands, she turns toward him and kicks his knees out, following up by jumping on his back, hollering her victory.

Looks like my Primary’s Perfecta Anima will be joining us.

“That’s your third yawn, little wanderer. Bath and time for bed,” Draken announces, pulling her up with him to stand.

After Tillman decided Oakly was ready enough to join us tomorrow, they celebrated for a moment before we hit the files hard. Memorizing every little detail, down to the number of hairs on the heads of the nine finalists.

Willow took a keen interest in Lyker’s file, even though we didn’t need to, and my mind’s been racing ever since, trying to figure out why. I hate the fact that she can’t tell us, and I hate it even more that I really want to ask her regardless. I won’t, of course, but damn I want to.

“Caspian.” At the sound of my name, whispered from that sweet little mouth, I look up at her questioning eyes, knowing what they’re asking. She holds my gaze for a long time, searching for an answer before a defeated little sigh falls from her lips.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

She slinks from the room, the rest of the guys trailing behind her. They’re all letting me off the hook, once again, and unlike any other time they let me get away with my shit, this time it bothers me.

I want one of them to yell at me, tell me to get my shit together. Let me blame one of them for forcing me into her room, into her bed tonight, rather than just making the decision on my own.

It’s unfair, cowardly, and I know this, but I can’t help it.

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