Page 98 of Gift from the Nexus

“I miss when homes looked more like this,” Gaster says cheerily.

“It’s kind of small, don’t you think?” Oakly asks.

“Well, it is compared to what you kids are used to, but back in my day, most homes and cottages were built like this. Typically,with only two rooms. One for the Nexus and the other for the child they’d have,” he says.

“The amount of clothes Oakly has wouldn’t fit in there,” Ry says sarcastically, even though he’s the one creating all those damn clothes for her.

“Our gifts have evolved substantially. When homes were made like this, it was because this is all that could be made.”

“Gaster, the evolution you’re speaking of happened multiple millennia ago,” Sans says, cocking his head to the side.

“How many ago?” Caspian cuts in, suddenly completely intrigued with the conversation.

“I’m aware how long it’s been, boys,” Gaster says with a small eat shit smirk that has Caspian rolling his eyes.

This charming little cottage appealed to Willow, though, despite its size. Other than the fact she knew her mom lived here, it’s small and cozy. Homely.

She wouldn’t want to live somewhere like this permanently. She needs her space so she can have alone time when she wants it, so all of us sharing a room twenty-four seven would never work. Now somewhere like this for us to be able to whisk her away to for a week and have her all to ourselves would be right up her alley.

“This will be a good spot for you all to stay when you bring our sister to visit. Or better yet, for her to stay when she needs a break from the lot of you,” Kyan says, basically speaking what I’d just thought. If I didn’t know mind transference isn’t his gift, I’d be a little concerned.

Surprisingly, out of their Nexus, aside from Aria, who’s ecstatic about this even though she’s trying to play it cool, it’s been him whose thoughts are over the top with excitement. Out of their bunch, he’s the most reserved, most serious. The one most people wouldn’t want to be caught in a room alone with,but since she broke the news, he immediately started referring to her as ‘their’ sister.

His easy acceptance of her will go a long way if she lowers that moral compass of hers just a smidge and listens to everyone’s thoughts like I do.

“Our sister,” Caspian chuffs quietly beside me. “My Primary is collecting people like stray animals.”

“Caspian.” Corentin sighs.

“What? It’s true. Now there’s another Nexus I’ll have to spend my time with. You know as well as I do, the Primary is going to insist on seeing her brother.”

“And we’ll suck it up. You included,” Corentin commands. I hear the annoyance in his voice, though. It’s not directed at Caspian or the fact that Willow has a brother. It’s because he knows Caspian’s right, and he hates having to share her time with anyone other than us.

It won’t surprise me when all this is said and done, the war won, he sweeps us all off to some remote location for an entire year so he doesn’t have to share her attention but with the three of us.

Not that she’d allow that, but he can dream it up.

“Guys, come look at this,” Nikoli calls out from somewhere in the backyard.

Coming around the corner of the cottage, Oakly, Ry, Nikoli, and Jamie are walking around a small building, trying to peer in through the gaps in the wood slats. Judging by the clear roof and wooden walls, I assume it’s a greenhouse and they can’t get in it.

“There’s a ward to this as well,” Gaster says.

Kneeling down, I dig my fingers into the soil, searching through the roots to see if I can identify what plants may be in there rather than out here in the open, and I’m shocked when I sense plants and flowers that are known for being in very different areas of the realm.

“There’s a multitude of different species of plants in there. Some that can only grow in very different environments than this,” I say, standing up and wiping my hands off.

No one has a chance to say anything before me, Corentin, and Draken all turn toward the house, sensing Willow’s emotions spike. Caspian might not feel it as keenly, but based on our tension, he attempts to head in, but I latch on to his shoulder and open my mind so he can hear us.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing…nothing. There’s just…we just found family photos. It’s of the six of them, but in all of them, she had a small silver dragon painted somewhere in the picture.”

She sends an image through to our minds, and I hold my breath.

A woman, who looks so much like Willow with brown curly hair and silver eyes, is sitting on the front porch steps, smiling brightly. Beside her is Lyker. It’s obvious by the blacker than night hair and his steely gray-blue eyes, but what gets me is the small silver dragon with violet eyes sitting in the woman’s lap.

“Lyker says he knows for sure our mom had all four elements, but it wasn’t her who painted me in. One of his dads had a knack for art and he liked to draw, so he included me in all the family photos,” she chokes out.

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