Page 92 of Gift from the Wing

Draken and I made a quick stop by Layton’s when we left Trex, and the kid looked brand-new. He’s completely different than the scared little chameleon we first found. I didn’t want to pry too far into his mind, fearful that I could harm something that was just fixed, but I did peek.

There isn’t much left in there that we don’t already know now, but the one thing that stuck out is that the Summum-Master does have monthly meetings with the two families that are on the council. It seems they plan their meetings after they’ve met with the royal family and it’s never the same time, place, or location. That would be far too easy, and the Summum-Master is far too smart to do some stupid shit like that.

Despite all of us already assuming some sort of correspondence was taking place between them, it’s helpful to know it’s a definite occurrence. We immediately informed Aunt Rory and our uncles since they have people watching all the families, but still, none of them are acting any sort of way. Even the Everglows who we know for sure are traitors haven’t done anything to draw attention to themselves or the Mastery.

So as of now, we’re at a dead end on family two.

The buzzing of my communicator pulls me out of my thoughts, and I forget myself for a second as I let a long, drawn-out groan escape me that has the group in front of me straightening their shoulders.

This kid, man.

Again.

“Yeah, Rich,” I grunt.

“Sir. There’s an individual outside the gates attempting to get in. He claims he’s your second-in-command’s brother, but your second isn’t with him.”

“I am his brother, you fucking newb. Tillman, get out here now before I kill this fucking kid.”

The sound of Nikoli screaming has me moving through a transport without even ending the call. Never have I heard him bellow in rage like that and my stomach bottoms out. I’ve heard that tone before, though. Plenty of other times in my line of work.

Something’s happened to his brothers.

My best friend.

My steps stagger as I appear in just enough time to watch Rich wrap Nikoli up in a globe full of water. My eyes do widen at the punch of power behind it, but his biggest mistake wasn’t unleashing that power and holding onto it.

Within a second, Nikoli’s bursting through the encasing with his own water element and lays the kid out with a single punch. His body thuds to the ground beside another motionless form.

Jamie.

“Get me a fucking healer here, now,” I bellow out to the E.F. members charging this way, causing them to halt their run before nodding at me. “Nikoli, what the hell is going on?” I yell as I latch onto his heaving shoulders just as he goes to continue beating into the unconscious guard.

“Tillman, they’re gone. They’re fucking gone,” he shouts, shoving away from me, snatching at his roots as his anger completely takes over.

Drawing my gift to the surface, I shove it out full force.

“Calm down and talk to me,” I command.

Slowly, impressively so, Nikoli’s fight gives out and he drops down to his knees beside Jamie. He lays his hand to his neck, checking for a pulse before his rage-filled eyes snap up to meet mine.

“They were drugged and taken. I didn’t detect it in my drink before it was too late. By the time my gift burned through, they’d already taken Oakly, San, and Ry, plus Oakly’s parents. I was barely able to grab Jamie and transport here. They’re alive. For now…” he says before another hair-raising scream of rage passes through his throat.

All the blood in my body rushes to my ears and I barely hear the pounding footsteps of my men running toward us. My vision blurs to the point I can’t make out the healer kneeling beside Jamie, and I have to force stone around my boots to stop my swaying.

When an E.F. member attempts to pull Nikoli off the ground away from Jamie, another fight breaks out, spurring my mind back into reality.

“Get the fuck off him. The next one of you to attempt to keep my second from his Nexus member will be answering to me directly,” I say deadly low, but they all hear it, and their fearful gazes snap up to mine as they slowly back away from Nikoli.

Deep breath. Deep fucking breath.

Leader Tillman is needed.

Focus, Tillman.

“Tillme, focus. Your emotions are everywhere.”

“Where else should they be, Mom? They’ve got him. They got Cas,” I scream, pulling at the roots of my hair as the ground trembles beneath me.

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