Page 165 of Gift from the Stone

“You are precious, little warrior. Like the realm’s rarest gem. Both precious and indestructible. You’re the most precious gift we’ve ever been given. I’ll tell you every day until you believe it,” Tillman says, kissing my forehead.

“I love you, little wanderer. I love you so fucking much,” Draken’s deepened voice rumbles. I don’t have to look behind me to know his dragon is at the surface.

“Princess.” Corentin groans. So many emotions coat that one word.

I can barely bring myself to look at him. I know he’ll be searching. He’ll search my eyes, trying to pry the answers he needs from the depths of my soul. I can’t handle that.

“I can’t, Core. There’s nothing I can give you this time.” I sob.

“Shh, baby. Please don’t cry. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” he swears.

I can’t bring myself to speak. I just let the tears flow freely, soaking through Caspian’s shirt as my sobs shake my body.

The longer they rub and whisper sweet words and praises, the more the tightening in my chest lightens. The fear that they’ll hate me for what’s to come dissipates, and I let their words fill my heart.

Elementra is right. The fear I have is losing this love that I’ve just begun to know. It’s the fear of losing them, my new family. Not the task at hand. That I can handle, I know I can. Being without them?

No, absolutely not.

“We’re going home, Primary,” Caspian declares.

Twenty-Seven

Tillman

Something’s coming .

I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I know, with every fiber of my being, something bad is coming.

I was watching her, so fucking proudly, as she listened to every correction I shouted out, handling every one of Nikoli’s strikes with precision and agility. She’s come so fucking far.

She was prepared for his grappling. She thought the entire move through in her mind, to the exact maneuver she was going to counter with when she dodged him, and I knew she’d execute it perfectly. When she threw her hands up and yelled wait, not a millisecond later, her eyes clouded over.

That light silver lavender color they change to when a vision sucks her in seemed so stark in that moment. So much brighter than I’ve ever noticed.

Something’s going to happen.

I fucking hate this. I fucking hate this is a gift she was blessed with. Cursed with. What wouldn’t I give to take it from her. Put it on myself. She doesn’t deserve to constantly live with this burden bringing her down.

Stomping over to where Ry and his Nexus are surrounding Oakly, I’m trembling with the need to get home, get my hands on my little warrior. I promised her I’d be there in less than five minutes, and I intend to keep that promise.

Caspian wouldn’t put her down and whisked her away the second me and Corentin gave her a kiss, Draken following right behind him. But I have to give Ry orders. We have to be prepared.

“Did she go home?” Oakly asks, stepping toward me and out of her guys’ circle as soon as I walk up.

“Caspian took her home. I’ve got to get there. Ry, I need you, Nikoli, and San to get the new recruits in a rotation for guard duty. Get them running mission exercises, hostage situations, and recon drills. Spread those out that witnessed what happened in Terravile with the others who haven’t been working on this. Work on their combat. All of it, not just hand-to-hand, gifts and elements too,” I order.

“Is she okay?” Nikoli asks. I see the guilt warring in his eyes.

He tried his hardest to stop himself from tackling her. If Caspian hadn’t been watching their match so intently as well and shot his shadows out to block Nikoli when he did, he would have flattened her.

I was too immersed in her, listening to her well planned out attack. I should’ve been faster to react.

“Not right now. No. She will be. If you need me, I’ll have my communicator. I have to go,” I say.

They all give me understanding nods. They know just as well as I do, if the roles were reversed and it were Oakly in this situation, they’d be hauling ass home to her, so they get it.

“Is there anything you need to do before we go?” I ask Corentin.

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