Page 27 of Gift from the Nexus

The cracking of bones fills the air as Lyker shifts, his sleek black wolf taking form, followed closely by the shifters he brought with him. Throwing his head back, he lets out a deafening howl that has the Mastery’s wolves dropping to their knees, shaking violently as they attempt and fail to fight off his Alpha call.

Traitors. All of them.

No element nor a gift has been cast from our side yet, only deflection of the ones the Mastery has sent out, and the moment we collide with their soldiers, it’s evident why.

My guys are making this personal.

They want an up-close fight, where they can feel the bone break beneath their fist, see the blood spray and the life leave their eyes. The seasoned, well-trained warriors I’ve been preparing for years are nowhere to be found on this battlefield. Instead, we resemble savages, beasts reacting only on baser instincts.

Every member who comes across me, I force my mind as deeply as I can into theirs, soaking up and pulling out any helpful information I can find before making their brains melt to nothing. I watch blood pool from their eyes, ears, noses, mouths, leaving them there in a puddle of their own essence as I move on to the next.

More Mastery members pile out of the structure, and even more arrive through transports, but still, we fight viciously, mercilessly. The moment the flood of members quit coming out the single entry, the palace teams head in as we planned to start moving the hostages out.

The small number left in the clearing is nothing we can’t handle and before I know it, Caspian’s dropping the last of the men limply at his feet. With labored breaths, we all stand in tense silence, letting our eyes bounce across the bodies, making sure we didn’t lose any more of our own.

I’m not ashamed to admit the pride swelling in my chest as I glance at my brothers, my uncle, best friends, and team members, covered from head to toe in bloody gore. Every single one of them who crossed that ward with me is still standing tall. They did this for me, my Nexus, our fallen brothers, and most importantly, my Primary.

“Draken, start burning bodies. When the palace team finishes with hostages, we’ll regroup and head back to the academy to—”

Crackling across my mind causes me to pause and I scout the tree line for any signs of anyone out there who may havegotten away and maybe watching us. I’ve always been able to tell when someone’s trying to push their magic on me or read my thoughts, and no one’s been able to penetrate my fortress unless I allow it.

Pushing the intruder out, I continue to search the area, but the crackling just gets stronger and stronger until I feel a slight fracture in my wall and I frantically rebuild, shoving them out as hard and fast as I can. For a moment, there’s a small pause, no immediate intrusion or force to tear my thoughts from me. Then I feel it…a sweet, tender caress. It’s like…

“I love you so much, Tillman. I love you all, and I always will.”

That broken whimper brings me to my knees faster than I can force them to stand strong and I stare wide-eyed at my brothers. My chest clenches so painfully, I instinctively rub my hand across it, trying to ease the pressure. I feel the prickling of tears forming in my eyes, and I don’t have the mental strength to push them away.

My little warrior.

Please don’t let this be goodbye.

“Willow.”

Five

Willow

It’s just my imagination. My mind toying with me because I so desperately need him. Them.

“Please, little warrior, say something again, come back to me.”

“Till-Tillman is this real?”

“Elementra. It’s real. I hear you.”

A surprised noise travels up and out of my throat, and I slap my hand across my mouth to smother the sound. It’s real.

It’s him.

“I don’t have much time and I don’t know what to do. I’m being kept behind a concealed structure, so that’s why you can’t find me. CC told me the spell to bring it down, but I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I’m strong enough, Tillman, but if I can, I need you to be ready in seconds, minutes max. They’re going to move me to the forest.”

“The Forsaken Forest? Why are they taking you there? Are you okay?”

I want to tell him everything, but I can’t. There’s a dangerous tremble to his tone. Even in my mind, I hear it clearly. If I tell him what’s happened, he won’t think straight. Not that I believe for a second he’s thinking properly now, but if he knows the truth, he, they because he’ll tell them, will fly into a fit of rage. No. I need Lead Instructor Tillman right now, not unhinged, overprotective, possessive Nexus member.

“I’m okay, but I won’t be if they move me. We’re leaving in minutes. That’s my only opportunity to bring the concealment down for you. If I can’t, the forest is where I’ll be. You need to get a plan together, and now. There isn’t much time. Did Oakly find my blood?”

“Yes, we have it. We’re coming for you, little warrior, I promise. Tell me what you can. Structure, number of soldiers, powers, anything you think is important, quickly.”

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