Page 131 of Gift from the Nexus

“Okay…” I mumble, still unsure if I’m in trouble or not.

“I see I’m not explaining this fully. You and Oakly just did a task that would typically take around four hours to complete with breaks in between them in order to recharge a little bit of energy. That’s why I agreed to letting the two of you help so it wouldn’t drain Mr. Blythe, but apparently, all it took was one go with the two of you together.”

My head whips to the side and I find Oakly already staring at me just as shocked. Well, we obviously didn’t know that would happen, so I seek out the one person who would have an idea of what’s going on, and of course I find his ass cheesing.

“Gaster, did you know this would happen?”

“I had a hunch. The two of your powers are growing remarkably together, so I thought maybe we’d see what this did.”

“That was a risky experiment. What if our asses would’ve been shocked?”

“I have healing vials,” he says as he pats his pocket, making the glass clink together.

“Look at me, princess,” Corentin orders and not gonna lie, I instantly obey that sultry demand.

“So…am I in trouble?” I ask slowly, squirming in my spot.

Shit, I hope so.

The four of them chuckle, sending vibrations all the way through to my core. Tillman’s the only one who heard my thoughts, and he makes that known when he splays his hand across my belly, stepping closer to me until I feel the hard press of his cock against my ass.

“No trouble, princess. We’re just incredibly impressed and very proud of you,” Corentin says, and honestly, I fucking melt.

Yeah, their sexual compliments can cause me to become a puddle, but those compliments, where they express their pride in me. Swoon. It’s gone from making me a nervous ball of energy to making me squeal on the inside like a schoolgirl. I get a deep satisfaction from their praises. Slowly but surely, their words chip away at the damage done from the years of constant dismissal and degradation, and I soak it up like a sponge.

“So what are we going to do now?” I ask breathily.

“Mr. Blythe, if you wouldn’t mind going around each section and checking out the strength now,” Corentin says, and poor Mr. Blythe looks like he saw a ghost, but he nods, then leaves. “You and Oakly can come back with us to the gym. Tillman was about to give the mission brief to the E.F. members and we were going to fill you in, but you should be there in person now.”

Not the answer myself or the greedy bond were looking for, but we know it’s the most important for now.

It becomes evident why he said I should be here now when we transport back into the gym. The E.F. members I’m not all that familiar with look at me and Oakly like we’re the damn superiors coming to crack down on them and the ones we do know, give us respectful nods and knowing grins. I narrow my eyes on my men, and each pointedly ignore me as they walk with their chests puffed out just a little more than usual. Glancing over at Oakly and her men, they’re doing the exact same.

“Damn show-off men.”

“No kidding. I’m going to need a sword to pop the ego this has given Ry. You’d think we’d be the ones strutting around, not our men,” Oakly says with a devilish smirk on her lips.

“We’re just proud of you two and want the whole realm to know,” Tillman butts in, eavesdropping on my private conversation.

“Tillman says—”

“I know what he said. I heard him. Get the hell out of my head, Tillman,” Oakly demands, taking me and Tillman by surprise. I think it takes all of us a minute to catch up, then the reality of what just happened sets in. “Holy shit. You just talked in my head. Can you freaking hear me? Oh shit, Willow, I don’t want him to hear us.”

Tillman stops walking and stares intently at the side of Ry’s face, but Ry doesn’t flinch, startle, or even pay him any attention. It isn’t until Tillman lays a hand on his shoulder that he notices the three of us have stopped walking and are staring around in shock.

“He can still only hear me when I touch him.”

“What are you talking about?” Ry asks.

“I could just hear him talk in my mind when he was butting in on Willow’s and my conversation,” Oakly says.

“Holy fuck, man. That’s—” Ry starts off real excited, then tapers off as Oakly’s deadly glare sears into him. “Not cool. Not cool at all.”

“Let’s talk about this at home. It may have more to do with you, Will, than my ability,” Tillman says seriously with his brows furrowed as he contemplates the possibilities.

I don’t think for a second it was me, though. Oakly and I have pretty much mastered blocking him out when we want to. I think he just got an upgrade.

“Everyone,” Ry bellows as we take our spots on the little platform that’s still here from Corentin’s announcement earlier.

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