Page 97 of Gift from the Stone

“Not funny…” She smiles before a serious look crosses her face. “Are you okay? I didn’t know you’d experience anything alongside me.”

“I’m better now. But even if you had known that, I wouldn’t have wanted you to change it. I’d have rather experienced the pain with you than you do it alone. One way or another, little wanderer, I was following you to the beyond,” I tell her honestly before kissing her the way I want.

I feast on her mouth like it’s my last meal and drink down her sweet little purrs pouring from her throat. Her coffee scent fills my lungs and I inhale deeply as I pull away from her. I want to be selfish, keep her wrapped tightly in my arms, or put her on my back and fly through the sky, far away from this fucking place, but I can’t. One of my brothers needs her far more than I do right now.

“The big guy needs you, sweetness. He’s drowning in guilt,” I whisper to her quietly, and she nods once in acknowledgment.

I place her on her knees in front of Tillman, who’s statue still on the ground, a war raging in his eyes that only she’s going to be able to win.

“Tillman, I’m here,” she says, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a second, he does nothing. Doesn’t blink, doesn’t breathe, doesn’t even touch her before he finally breaks.

“Will, you could’ve died. You could’ve died because of me,” he chokes out, tightly coiling his tree trunk arms around her.

“No, not because of you. For you. You had no clue what could’ve happened, nor did you do anything wrong,” she tells him softly.

“But you knew. You’ve been carrying the weight of this around for weeks now, knowing this moment would come, and you’ve had to suffer in silence.”

She shakes her head against his forehead, denying his statement.

“No, this was a turn of events I didn’t see coming. I didn’t see your death until we were here, and the fight had already started. There was about a minute between when the vision hit me to when I shoved you with my air.”

“Death? The cure wouldn’t have fixed me?”

“No, Tillman. We wouldn’t have gotten to you in enough time. I’m not reliving it. I’m not replaying that again in my mind. Please just know, if it hadn’t played out this way, you or Lyker would’ve died, and the course of this war would’ve veered substantially in favor of the Mastery. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty over. This is the way it would’ve gone no matter what.” Willow lets out a small sob, covering her mouth with her hand.

Tillman stares into her eyes intensely. Reading the strong truth shining through, she meant her words and she meant them wholeheartedly. She would’ve done this to save any of us and to protect this realm, a damn realm she barely knows but is putting her life on the line for.

He cups his massive hands around the back of her neck, tilting her head up to him and kissing her so passionately, I feel his love for her bleeding through her bond and into me.

As they break apart, chests falling up and down, breathing in each other’s air, a throat clears, and we all turn to see Lyker and his Nexus on a knee a few feet away from her.

“You saved my brother’s life and mine today,” Lyker says, staring intently at Willow, but she doesn’t respond, just stares back wide-eyed, so he continues. “We’ll forever be in your debt. No matter what, we’ll be of support to you when you need us.”

“I’m Willow, true Primary to the Vito Nexus. Lyker, Kian, Zane, and Lennox, it’s nice to finally meet you all. Thank you for your vow of support, but it’s no worries. Our paths are very much intertwined, and I’ll be calling that debt in far sooner than you can imagine,” she says, a little dazed, as she untangles herself from Tillman and faces them all head-on.

Lyker’s calculating eyes take in every feature of her face as the rest of his Nexus stares at her with wide, shocked eyes. He better be thankful I can tell their analysis of her isn’t with any ill intent or desire ’cause if it was, I’d fucking eat them right where they kneel.

“You’re the seer who advised I come here. You knew I’d win the Alpha trials,” he states.

“Yes, I advised you to come here, but no, I had no clue if you’d win or not. It was always an option, but there were far too many possibilities that could’ve unfolded from then until now,” she replies vaguely.

Nervousness flutters in my chest, and I know it’s from her and not my own.

“Then what was the point of sending me here?” he asks confusedly.

“There’s a lot you need to be filled in on, including the man you faced off in the Alpha challenge and the shifters on the ground around us, but that’ll have to wait. There’s someone who needs your Nexus’s help, and you need her. She’s waiting on us.”

“What?” the four of us ask her at once. That’s not where I saw this going. I could’ve sworn she was going to tell him he’s got to clean house in this fucking pack, but I guess that’s got to wait.

Lyker and his entire Nexus stiffen as they look at her with disbelief.

“She?”

“Yes, she. And we need to get to her before any more of the Mastery here in the pack knows you and none of your Nexus were killed in the fight. They’ll be distracted while they’re at the feast,” Willow says, standing from the ground, brushing her knees off as if that’s going to erase what the fuck she just went through.

“No, absolutely not. You’re done saving the day today, princess,” Corentin orders, standing in front of her.

“Nice try, your highness, but I’m the only one who knows where she is and how to get through the caves to her. Plus, she isn’t going to speak to them without me. We’ll be going to save her, right now,” she declares confidently, patting Corentin’s chest like she’s soothing an angry toddler, and I can’t help the laugh that slips through.

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