Page 134 of Gift from the Stone

What I find from her surprises me, but then again, I guess it doesn’t.

She’s one hundred percent on board. Our mate told us to do it and he’ll catch us, so that’s all she needed to hear. It truly amazes me the way our beasts are with one another. Both mine and Draken’s dragon will easily go toe to toe with one another if they have to, but then there are times like this when they defer to one another, trust the other so completely, there’s no dominance needed, no questions asked, just blind faith.

On my exhale, smoke mingles with the bright flash of light that takes over my shift. Those seconds pass in the blink of an eye, and I’m left floating in the air, tethered to nothing but the wind that blows my hair around wildly. My feet point toward the ground, my arms splay outward just like my wings had just been, and I laugh. The sheer vastness of the sky in front of me pulls the ecstatic sound from the depths of my soul.

Adrenaline, that intoxicating tonic of exhilaration, surges through my veins, turning my small bit of fear into a heady cocktail of courage. As gravity relinquishes its hold, the weightlessness comes crashing down, and I start falling freely through the clouds. I hear Draken’s roar, the sound so close, so loud, my nerves easily calm because I know he’s there to catch me.

The sound of my laughter is swallowed up by the rush of the air, my descent picking up unimaginable speeds, and a surprised squeal leaves my lips as Draken’s back grows closer and closer.

Fuck, didn’t think the landing through.

Suddenly, I start to slow, and the freefall frenzy transforms into a gentle descent, and I realize there’s a vine around my waist, shadows surrounding me, and I’m being glided down softly by a bubble of air. Draken lets out a magnificent roar as my bare feet touch his back and he speeds ahead.

“Your half naked state is not helping your case right now, Willow. It’s taking everything in me not to bend you over Draken’s back and fry your ass,” Corentin growls, really pissed as he blocks us all off from the winds with an air shield.

I didn’t notice it or remember that I shifted in just my bra and underwear, but now that he said it and is threatening to spank my ass again, it’s all I can think about. Sliding closer to him, I run my hands up his chest and around his neck.

“That was the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done, and it was so amazing. Please don’t be upset. I knew Draken would catch me, and you all were here too,” I say as he pulls me closer and sits us down before we go tumbling down Draken’s tail.

I try to force some reassurance and love down the bond to calm him down because he’s really heated right now. I don’t have to try to pick up the feelings. The tremble in his muscles and how his hands keep clenching on my hips give it away easily.

“Don’t do that again without warning us first,” he grunts, wrapping his arms tightly around me and kissing my forehead before he passes me off to Tillman.

“Trouble little warrior. You and Draken.” He smirks.

“Oh, so you knew the plan and instead of telling anyone else, you let me get in trouble,” I sass, placing my hands on my hips, pushing up on my knees, causing him to groan. His magic slides over my skin, clothing my exposed body, and I can’t help but smirk at him. That was supposed to be my distraction.

“I wanted to see if you’d actually do it. I was ready for you,” he whispers, I guess still keeping his own ass out of trouble. He steals my next snarky remark right out of my mouth as he kisses me stupid and passes me off to Caspian all in a matter of seconds.

Mentally, I was prepared for him to be furious, so my breath hitches when he looks down at me. The usually haunted residue that taints his beautiful whiskey eyes is gone, replaced with a mischievous but warm, playful gleam.

“You’re not mad at me?” I ask quietly.

“No, naughty little Primary, I’m not mad. I’m jealous. The unrestrained bliss and wonder that spread across your face as you fell through the sky was like watching a shooting star fall from the beyond. So bright, so free. I want to smother myself in it,” he states as his shadows caress every surface of me.

“You can,” I whisper, gently running my fingers down his face. He spins me around where I’m seated so fast, I’m surprised I don’t have whiplash. Tightly coiling his shadows around me, he pulls me back as close to his body as he can.

“I plan to, Primary,” he swears low against my ear, causing shivers to cascade down my body.

For an hour, we stayed flying. My head leaning against Caspian, the cool touch of his body mingling with the heat of the sun and Draken, lulling me into the most comforting state. Tillman and Corentin moved to either side of us, each holding a thigh while we soared in silence. They made this day everything I needed, plus some.

“Ready to learn how to track some shit down?” Oakly asks me with a hip bump and a smirk as she comes to stand beside me.

“Yeah, but I’m nervous as shit. I already don’t care to transport myself, and that plays a pretty big role in what you do,” I say, giving her a glare when she chuckles at me.

“Huge role. But that’s not the only way to track. That’s just when you need to track someone or something far away. Like how you feel your guys when they’re close, you can learn to do that with other people if they’re close enough around. If you want, we can focus on that today rather than anything that requires distance. We’re not allowed to leave the castle anyway,” she says with an eye roll aimed at her Nexus.

Her sass is just to ruffle their feathers and give all the guys a hard time telling us what we can and can’t do. Neither of us is stupid enough to do anything that would put us in danger… Most of the time.

“You two are most certainly not allowed to leave the castle, under any circumstance,” Corentin declares, giving both of us warning stares.

“We know that. So what are we waiting for?” I ask, closing the distance between the two of us, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Gaster. I asked him to join us so he could work on his gift with you as well,” he informs me.

My chest grows with excitement and warmth at the mention of Gaster. I’m not sure if any of us truly understand the connections between all my bonds, but they’ve rooted me so deeply to everyone that I can’t stand to go a long time without seeing any of them. The guys are obviously the worst—my crazy-ass mood swings are evidence enough of that—but being away from Gaster so much over the last couple of days was beginning to bother me.

“Good morning, kiddos.” Gaster’s cheery voice sends love and longing down my bond and I’m on him in two seconds flat, wrapping him in a hug.

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