Page 160 of Gift from the Source
Darkness.
A mixture of my darkness and my dragon rushes to the surface. The fiery, protective rage burns through every pore in my body. I’m partially shifted and halfway across the dance floor before I even realized I’ve moved.
It’s only a millisecond later that I’m swept away in another type of darkness that calls to mine. Alongside it is a commanding purr that has my dragon growling in warning.
She’s not to be calmed right now.
“I know, little wanderer, I’m so sorry, but if you don’t calm down, you’ll hurt an innocent person. You’ll never forgive yourself and I can’t allow that.” Draken’s words sink beneath my skin enough that my scales and claws retract, but the rage goes nowhere.
The shadows clear from our bodies and I find myself staring up at the night sky. I’m trying my hardest to pull my emotions back in, but all I want to do is get back through the palace and rip Vicki Gale’s throat out.
“Look at me, Primary,” Cas commands and I shake my head.
I can’t look at him.
“Please, sweet Willow.”
That gentle request. So different than the icy tone my dark and damaged protector would usually have in a moment like this.
My violet eyes look at him and I scan his whole body.
“Mine.”
“I am yours. Mind, body, and soul,” he says, gripping my face between his hands. “Let go of whatever this is that has its hold on you. Come back to me and tell me what’s wrong.”
His cool lips kiss the corner of my mouth, then my jaw, my cheek, and my nose. Everywhere they touch, another burning piece of anger simmers down. When the heat of my sweet Draken closes in on my back and his purr travels through my body, I slouch.
“Princess.”
“Little warrior.”
Once I’m finally cocooned in the middle of my Nexus, the red tint coloring my vision finally recedes and I take a deep breath.
A hand to my heart fills my chest with air. A tight grip to my wrist grounds me. A squeeze to my hip holds me up. And a palm splayed across my stomach balances me out.
My head falls back against Draken’s chest. I continue to breathe in through my nose out through my mouth repeatedly until I feel like I can speak again.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Everyone is fine. We need to know you’re okay,” Corentin says.
“I’m okay. Pran and Dillon?”
“With Ry, the guys, your brothers, Uncle Roye, and Keeper. They’ll take them down to Maxima’s cell.”
“Okay, good.” I nod.
“What happened, Primary?” Cas asks.
My stomach churns. I don’t want to answer him. “Vicki Gale—”
“Willow,”V says in all our minds, cutting me off as he flies in and lands on Cas’s shoulder.
“We’re in the middle of something. Now is not the time, bird,”he warns.
“Now is my time, Shadow God,”V says sullenly.
No.
