Page 111 of Gift from the Wing

“Maybe not directly, but you had a hand in it. You can tell me with your mouth, or I carve it from your mind. Make your choice.”

“You can’t—”

“I can and I will,” I sneer.

The extremely low-cut shirt she’s wearing is only tied together by a string above her belly button, so her chest is on clear display. She has no rune and the only individual who would mark her is here with us. There’s no chance of her heart falling out, so if she thinks I won’t melt her mind to find my answers, she’s crazy.

“Have it your way, Germ.”

The resistance from the block that is placed on her mind is nothing for me and I tear it down mercilessly. Her screams just barely echo in my ears, but I’m already plundering through any and everything I want to see.

This is where she’s been hiding since the academy was attacked and her father has been at the helm of all the decisions being made for her. His voice isn’t the one of the man we heard in Layton’s mind from the meeting with the Summum-Master. Which leads me to believe that stupidly, the Everglow family was recruited by the other family who betrayed us.

Gima may act like hot shit, but the majority of the men here ignore her existence. The Summum-Master hasn’t bothered to even meet her and I sift my way through, looking for Silvia, but even she hasn’t been allowed to see her. All communications between the two of them are being passed through Gima’s father.

They had a long discussion, I swear like a fucking business meeting on the terms and conditions of how my Nexus and Oakly’s will be split between the two of them. It’s sickening to hear, and the more I listen, the angrier and more aggressive I grow with my exploration of her mind.

Finally, we approach this morning and my blood boils.

Oakly was brought into a room and judging by the quick movements of her eyes, at this point, she was only drugged with the immobilizer. She’s still fully aware of what’s happening as a group of men get her strapped onto a table. Gima’s stupid fucking ass is bouncing around laughing, waiting for them to finish. Once they do, one of them turns to her.

“They’d like a word with her, then you can come back in to watch her.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll tell them to make it quick,” Gima groans, rolling her eyes as she stomps to the door. When she opens it, my heart drops to my stomach.

No.

“Don’t take too long, Folders. Deinde-Master Darstein will be here soon.”

Tears of rage fill my eyes as Oakly’s parents stroll into the room she’s being held in, and I could fucking scream when Gima shuts the door behind them.

How could they?

They’re perfectly fine.

Nikoli had thought they’d been taken as well, but he was wrong.

They did this.

Gima only allows a few impatient seconds to pass before she’s opening the door once more and dismissing Oakly’s parents from the room. None of them argue. They don’t fight. Nothing.

Her mother just turns to her and says, “This is for the best, dear. This is our family’s way up the hierarchy, and I knew you’d never be on board with it. Everything’s going to be okay, sweetie.”

Tears stream down Oakly’s cheeks and no one even bothers wiping them away for her. That shit ignites even more rage in me, and I pull on Gima’s mind painfully. I feel her body twitch beneath mine, but I don’t give a fuck.

I listen, Oakly listens, as Gima’s voice echoes around the room as she tells her everything she plans to do to my men. Every nasty fucking sexual fantasy she can concoct in her mind, she just says it out loud, then she moves on to Ry.

Her malicious intentions are clear as she strokes her fingers across Oakly’s forehead softly and quietly tells her exactly what she has in store for Ry as though she’s reading her a bedtime story. The disgust, hatred, and heartbreak are clear in Oakly’s eyes, and I have no doubt, my sister would’ve killed Gima then and there if she hadn’t been drugged.

A short while passes as Gima continues to taunt her before the door opens wide, and a man with a stern face and sure steps walks in with a medical tray in hand. I’m shocked to find I recognize that face but not from my own memories. Caspian’s second kidnapping.

“Enough, Miss Everglow, I need to begin her preparation,” he says, exasperated, dismissing Gima completely.

“I’ll stay and watch,” she announces, hopping off the side of Oakly’s table excitedly.

“Very well.” He rolls his eyes.

There’s not much preparation at all other than him cleaning the area around the vein inside Oakly’s wrist. He shoves a large syringe in and pushes in whatever it is that’s currently keeping her from healing. Once he’s done, he simply cleans the small drop of blood away and turns back to the door.

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