Page 163 of Gift from the Nexus

Twenty-Five

Willow

“What was that?” Corentin asks as we hastily start making our way back to the ward.

“His compulsion. He has the power to command the vampires. His power’s increased tenfold with the cord being removed.”

None of them respond, but their unease and lack of trust for him slither through my chest. It’s going to take more than a vow to convince them he means what he says. They’ve been burnedtoo much already to have blind faith despite the revelations made or Caspian’s previous encounter. They haven’t had the opportunity to see the past he’s lived like I have, so my trust comes more naturally. I know everything he has left to lose.

Our footsteps halt with a ten-foot separation between us and the darkened veil of the ward. From here, the outside looks no different. The true beauty of Elementra is completely obscured. The rainbows of colors, the sweet scent, the rejuvenating sun all appear murky and dull.

“You’re not going to burn in the sunlight, are you?” I ask frantically when the thought occurs to me.

Keeper looks at me as though I’ve asked him to solve a complex math problem. To me, it’s a fair question.

“Has the sun become toxic since my imprisonment?” he asks.

“Well, no. It’s just…You know, never mind. It’s just very bright out there, so I wanted to make sure.”

Draken chuckles beside me, linking his warm fingers with mine as Tillman shoots me a smug smirk that I roll my eyes at. If he knew what I was going to ask, he could’ve butted in and saved me some embarrassment.

“Team two, scout,” Tillman orders and they step through the ward with a nod.

“The five of us will have to touch you while we pass through. You’re going to feel some resistance from the ward, then it’ll let you go,” Corentin says, laying a heavy hand on Keeper’s shoulder.

With a small, fully on-board nod, Keeper looks down at me and extends his elbow out for me to take. It’s a show of respect and Tanith’s words ring in my mind about how family first Keeper was back in his realm, in his role, and he seems to still carry that mentality. The second he heard about Draken, he was fully committed, barely any questions asked.

Fuck, I hope I’m not allowing my bleeding heart to fall for a charade.

“Time. Move out,” Tillman commands, laying his hand on Keeper’s other shoulder, while Caspian and Draken take his forearms.

Instead of watching where I’m walking, I peer out of my peripheral the entire time at Keeper. Studying his face, his body language. I want to gauge his reaction to finally being free.

The ward pulls tight against my skin and it’s not painful for me, but a small hiss passes through his lips. He doesn’t fight it. He keeps his shoulders relaxed, his hand lying over mine where it’s tucked in the crook of his arm and waits it out. Like any other time, I’ve been through wards when the signatures were being altered, the resistance lessens suddenly, and we glide through like we’re coated in butter.

The guys release him but stand by. Their apprehension is evident in their tightly coiled postures, but I don’t remove my hand. I’m awestruck as Keeper’s aura begins to glow.

The dullness the forest brought to my senses gives way, revealing him in shimmering, breathtaking happiness. He’s covered in a mirage of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and they grow larger, fuller, the more his eyes scan the clearing in front of us.

“Almost five hundred years,” he whispers.

“A lot’s changed in that time.”

“I can’t even begin to fathom.”

His eyes hold a childlike wonder that I recognize. I still catch myself gazing both longingly and fascinated at the perfection of Elementra. It’s a sight like no other. A place so bathed in beauty, you can travel its surface a million times over and still fall more in love.

“There will be time for me to get reacquainted with this land, but we must get to Tanith. He’ll go after her the moment heknows I’m free.” Keeper’s eyes focus again, narrowing seriously as if the deeper reality of his predicament just set in.

“She’s going to be guarded, but by how many or few, I’m not sure,” I say to Tillman.

“We have the best of the best with us. Unless he has the entirety of his army guarding her, we’ll be fine. No word from the teams on the ground, so they aren’t on the move yet. Oakly, location?” he asks.

“We’re going where Terian meets Pyrathia. I’ll imprint into the trees, but she’s being held in secluded mountains, so coverage is minimal.”

“Then let’s move out so we can scout and plan our next move. Keeper, is this transport going to make you sick?” Tillman asks.

“Have no clue. Never transported before.”

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