Page 134 of Gift from the Wing

“Good. You all stay here, keep watch. We’re going to eavesdrop from inside,” Cas says nonchalantly.

“Leader Tillman said no one’s to move in yet.” The dumbass, well, truly he’s pretty smart to be following orders, but incredibly stupid to question a man who literally manipulates the darkness.

“He toldyouthat. Not me.”

“What the hell do the two of you think you’re doing?”

“Busted, shadow man,”I whisper.

We both turn around slowly. Me wearing a smirk, Caspian looking like he’s annoyed his plans keep getting interrupted.

“Ry. Coincidence seeing you here,” I say happily.

“Cut the shit, Draken. T called me and told me he sent you two for recon. It didn’t sound like recon plans just then,” he says seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. Like a fucking mirror of Tillman.

Spoilsport.

“You cut the shit. You coming or not? Fuck, I should’ve just come alone.” Cas sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck yes, I’m coming. This is my Paterna-Nexus we’re capturing,” he says with a serious scowl, and I smile at him darkly.

Knew the ol’ second-in-command had a rebellious side to him.

Without further ado, ’cause Cas is out of patience at this point, he wraps the two of us in his shadows, and we move through the darkness into the house.

Instead of popping right into the kitchen, we skirt the walls of the foyer, and my eyes trace the very boring decor. There’s not a thing in this room that would even hint that Oakly lived here not that long ago. There’s no color. The place is washed in creams and whites. It looks as though they attempted to make it as posh as possible but missed the mark and it just looks cheap.

“What’s the plan?” Ry whispers.

Plan…good question.

“We don’t typically operate under plans,” I whisper back.

“What?”

“We just show up, fuck shit up, and get out. We don’t require all the step-by-step you’re used to. This isn’t a high-stakes mission where there’re hundreds of lives involved. We’re capturing some piece of shits who sold my little wanderer’s sister, your Primary. They come the easy or the hard way,” I say, shrugging. It’s really that simple.

“No wonder Tillman doesn’t send you two with teams,” he says, shaking his head as if it’s a bad thing.

“Yeah, because extras get in the way and ask stupid shit like what’s the plan. Can we move now?” Caspian asks with a tilt to his lip.

Look at how teasing and sweet he’s being.

Fucking the shit out of Willow in that shower did a wonder on his mood.

“Fine, but no funny business. Take down and out,” Ry orders, to which we just snort at him.

Moving us through the shadows, Caspian holds us in place in a darkened corner of the kitchen as we watch Oakly’s parents. Her mom and one of her dads stand at the stove, seriously fucking cooking, while the other three men sit around the small table off to the side, talking.

So relaxed. So nonchalant. As if they didn’t sell their daughter to the Mastery to have her powers taken and ultimately killed.

Vile.

Commanding my flame out, I set the food in the pan on fire and smile as Oakly’s mom shrieks. I honestly didn’t mean for her hair to catch on fire. It was perfect timing and a coincidence that she leaned in to taste test the food at the exact moment I commanded my flame out.

The man beside her shoots his earth element both at Oakly’s mom and the ruined food, attempting to cover the blue fire in sand, but it’s pointless. As if his element could ever compete with mine.

Ry, the sly dog, sees the other three scum about to step in to help and quicker than they can stand, he has them wrapped up in vines, tied to their chairs. Right before I know my flames are getting ready to sear through her skull, I call them back to me.

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