Page 123 of Gift from the Source
She looks so fucking good with our marks on her. She’s wearing them with pride today. Well, you can’t see mine and Tillman’s. Or Corentin’s depending on the shirt she’s wearing. But she walked around her bedroom in just her bra and pants for longer than she normally would.
I took that as her showing them off.
I really want to lick each one of them.
I wonder what that would feel like to the guys? Probably weird.
I might try it.
Now that’s all I’m thinking about.
I really wanna brag about it to Vince. Him being a shifter and all scholarly, he’ll be super curious to get the scoop on how non-shifters manage to mark a mate.
The thought of him knowing also makes me want to rip his head off. He may ask too many questions about Willow, then I’d be forced to eat my good friend.
“Why the hell are you growling at me?” he asks with a punch to my shoulder that seems to bring me back to reality.
I smile big as I clap him on the back. “Sorry. I was creating a fake scenario in my mind that made me want to eat you. My bad.”
His eyes fill with confused horror. “What the fuck, Draken?”
My face falls slightly at his shell-shocked look and quiet tone. I obviously just made it clear I wasn’t going to do that, so I don’t know why he looks so offended.
“I just said it was fake. I’d never do that to you, lion man.”
He runs his hand down his face, sighing something that’s a mixture of a rumble and prayer for patience, then he puts his hands on his hips. So I mimic him.
“Did you hear any of the lesson plans I was telling you about for when classes resume after the ball?” he asks.
“No, not exactly. But”—I hold my finger up to hold his rant off when he throws his hands in the air—“based on their evaluations today, I can see where we’re headed. Layton’s ability to hold his shifted form has doubled in time since he first got here. So now we’ll move on to him being able to hold and camouflage at the same time against different environments. He’s actually pretty graceful with his water element. That’ll continue to come to him.
“Carrington has gained control of his strength. He knows how to manage it now, but I don’t think that little earthy rumble today was a slip of his control or the boulder hitting the ground too hard.”
“What do you think happened? He was disappointed in himself and seemed pretty convinced he did put too much pressure behind the boulder.”
“Nah. If he had put too much pressure on it, it would’ve sunk beneath the surface. Not sit on top the way it did. No. Our resident giant has an earth element that’s emerging.”
“What?” Vince laughs as though I’m being silly.
I’m not. I know this. I could…feel it. Well, my dragon could.
I tell Vince this and once again he looks shocked and confused.
“How do you just know this?”
“Because he is the King of Creatures. It is built into his instincts to be able to detect natural movements or externally caused ones. A protective mechanism his dragon has that will warn him against different threats. The little giant boy used the earth’s natural resources today to make the ground shake. Unknowingly, of course. He subconsciously was attempting to protect the ground from the boulder he was preparing to drop,”V answers before I can try to explain that much simpler as he flies over and perches on my shoulder.
“What V said.”
“And how do you just know that, V?” Vince asks.
“This is not the first time I’ve witnessed a non-Elementrian gain blessings. It’s quite the evolution. You should go and warn the boy of his newest ability before something happens and it scares him. I need a moment with Draken before his father comes to meet him,”V says, basically dismissing Vince, and I chuckle at the scoff that comes out of him.
“Fine, but we need to nail these lesson plans down. Especially if what the two of you are saying is true. Neither of us has an earth element, so this will be interesting.”
“Neither of us has a water element, but we’re doing fine with Layton. We’ve got plenty of time, kitty cat. Go home and chill. Tomorrow, we party, then worry about the rest,” I cheer, pulling him in for a hug that he hisses about.
“The lion’s heart is strong. You give him purpose,”V says softly once Vince takes a few steps from us, then shifts into his massive beast.
