Page 105 of Gift from the Wing

Rage and sorrow in equal parts hit me in my heart so hard it takes my breath away. Tillman’s shaking so furiously, I’m positive at any moment he’s going to make Pyra erupt and no matter the amount of calm I try to push at him, it’s useless.

With a petrifying bellow falling from his chest, Caspian’s shadows fall away, and they pounce. Before I gather my wits about me, six of the eight men are lying dead on the ground with the other two trying their hardest to escape. It’s a useless feat that I don’t bother interfering with and instead I rush over to Ry and San.

“Hold on,” I say softly as I reach them.

Calling on my water and earth elements, I free them from their restraints and surround them in my air before they collapse in a heap on the ground. Not only is Ry beat to hell and back, his teeth chatter so loudly, I’m surprised they’re not cracking.

Gently as I possibly can, I lay my hand on his arm and command my flame to slowly warm him back up. I hold in my growls and fix my crumbling face when he sluggishly rolls his neck to the side to look at me.

“O-Oakly?”

“Let’s get the two of you fixed up. Then we’re going to get her. We need you two,” I say as calmly as I can.

“Fuck,” Jamie mutters as he slams to his knees and puts a hand each on the guys’ shoulders, then he sighs in relief. “Thank fuck. It’s just surface.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“They don’t have any drugs left in their systems. It’s all external wounds. Give them two healing vials each, will you, please?” he asks, nodding behind him at the small sack on his back.

Doing as he asked, the tightness in my chest lessens slightly as they are both able to hold the vials themselves. His magic is already coursing through them, and when Draken lays his hand to Jamie’s shoulder, his eyes begin to glow.

I watch in amazement as every extra drop of magic Draken gives Jamie, he pumps into his brothers, and the rate at which they heal right before my eyes is astonishing. Of course their bruises will linger, but the cuts, busted cheeks, lips, and swollen eyes fade away in seconds.

“You okay?” Tillman asks Ry, pulling him in for a hug as soon as he’s on his feet.

“Physically? Sure,” Ry grunts and my heart clenches painfully.

“We’ll get her. I swear it,” Tillman says seriously.

For a brief second, the Mercie brothers all embrace one another. The relief on each of their faces is minimal and when they turn to us, there’s nothing left but deadly promises and readiness to find their woman.

Oakly, we’re almost there, babe.

Wordlessly, Caspian covers us in darkness once again and moves us back into the hallway where all our people are waiting.

One nod from Roye and Dyce, and we’re off down the endless stretch once again. I went from being surrounded by just my Nexus, to my best friends as well. They have me cocooned in a bubble made of the eight of them while we make our way down the hall. Caspian flows through the walls in a matter of seconds. I can’t tell if he’s killing people in the rooms as he goes or just mentally getting a head count of hostages, but regardless, we continue our steps and every time I turn around, he’s right back there with us.

Nikoli quickly and quietly fills Ry and San in on everything and I feel their appreciation in my chest, but I can barely focus on it.

Without saying a word, our steps become faster. Either they’re all feeding off me or Oakly’s guys feel it too because we’re practically sprinting as we finally see the opening at the end of the hall.

That’s where she is.

Tillman tries to tell me to slow down. I both hear his words and feel his hands reach for me as I continue to run past him, all of them. But I can’t stop. I won’t. She’s so close.

Bursting through the opening, I finally do slam to a halt as unbearable heat licks my face, but the sight in front of me is what freezes me in place.

Glaring around, there’s a huge circular stone platform that stretches around a ginormous pit of magma. I can’t see the fiery pool of death as it’s at least a couple stories down, but the suffocating heat tells me it’s close enough.

This center area is absolutely massive in size and judging by the continuous pounding of boots behind me, there’s enough room for the majority, if not all the E.F. members we brought with us. A flimsy-ass railing has been placed around the edges as if that’ll stop anyone from falling in, and around the entire perimeter, except for this exact hallway we just exited, are Mastery members at the ready.

But they aren’t the fuckers I’m staring deadly daggers at.

“Well, well, well. About time the Nexus thieving whore showed up.”

Fourteen

Willow

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