13. Thirteen

Thirteen

Willow

What's a girl gotta do to get spread out across this table like a buffet?

The sip of coffee Tillman just took goes flying through his lips, heading straight for Caspian. How he has the reflexes he does, I don't know. Must be his affinity to his water element that alerts him to incoming liquid because with a quick flick of his wrist, without even looking up from the book his nose is stuck in, the wasted sugary goodness ends up on the floor.

"Oh no, are you okay?" I ask Tillman, sweet and innocent, while he chokes and coughs up the liquid that went down the wrong way.

His eyes narrow on me in warning, and I smile behind the rim of my mug.

"Not funny, little warrior. We have—" The blaring sound of his timekeeper going off finishes his sentence for him.

We have to get to the lab and don't have time to fulfill that naughty little request of mine.

Aside from Corentin's and my mind-blowing bonding, the guys have been extra respectful, extra sensitive with me. Showering me with gentle kisses, sweet words, and intentional but not sexual touches. As endearing as it is, it's also teasing. It makes me crave them even more.

This is what got Oakly and caused her back-to-back bonding. The cherished, unconditional love they're throwing my way causes more than just my love and devotion for them to grow. It has my sex drive in overtime, and I want them bending me over around every corner.

Fucking me senseless.

"Will, please stop." Tillman groans.

"What's she doing?" Draken asks, taking my hand in his as we walk out of the breakfast room.

"Nothing," Tillman responds, knowing good and well if I say the word to Draken, I'll get exactly what I want.

"Getting lost in my thoughts. Nothing to worry about. Is everyone else already at the lab?" I ask.

"Yeah. Jamie's already messaged, asking when we'd be there, and Gaster's transporting there now," Corentin answers as we make it to the back lawn.

I'm excited to see what Jamie and Nikoli have come up with. I did ask Corentin if I could watch Nikoli try the batch of Bane of Essence I'd given him, simply to sate my curiosity, but he informed me Nikoli has to ground himself in the earth and have unwavering concentration when trying ingredients he's never actually consumed before. So we'd be nothing but a distraction for him and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

It apparently took him three of the vials to identify all the necessary ingredients to make it, so we only have two left over now if something were to go wrong.

"Good morning," Oakly cheers as soon as we step out of the transport and into the lab. In seconds, I'm wrapped up in a hug from her, then make my way right to Gaster. As the guys all greet each other, I smile as the space shirks tremendously.

My oh my, how my family has gotten bigger. So much bigger.

The lab is a decent size, don't get me wrong, but it's equipped for just Jamie and an assistant if he wants or needs one. Right in the middle of the room is his personal workstation, like a kitchen island, that's covered in his most important work. There are long stations across the walls that form the shape of an L and across their surfaces are a multitude of things. Artifacts, vials, bones, herbs, you name it, and in the corner sits his latest and apparently greatest project. The Gift Data system.

It's a large, shimmering, translucent box that holds what must be hundreds of vials of blood. The red flows freely in single file lines, mixing and matching with an enchantment that's already established the DNA sequences of confirmed gifts. If a match or one close enough is found, a parchment emerges from the bottom like a printer.

When I tried to make that comparison to Jamie and explained what a printer is, he looked at me like I had two heads. It was the same look Oakly and I gave him when he tried his best to explain, as simply as possible, how this whole system works. I still don't understand, to be honest. That's way above my comprehension.

As Draken tries to maneuver around Caspian to get to Nikoli, he bumps into Jamie's bench, nearly knocking over a beaker of something, and Jamie shoots him a withering look as he catches the sloshing solution. These eight massive men, walking around, shaking each other's hands, bumping into one another, is not what this lab was built for, and I can't help but laugh.

"Take a seat, guys, before you break something and Oakly and Willow start their cruel jokes," Jamie says teasingly, shooing my guys away from his space.

"Okay, get to it. I'm so excited," I say enthusiastically as Tillman tugs me into his lap to share his seat.

"I was able to identify the five main ingredients and San has a pretty good idea of where four of them could be found and the process in which to brew the tonics," Nikoli says, clapping and rubbing his hands together before picking up a piece of parchment.

Clearing his voice dramatically, causing me, Oakly, and Draken to snicker while the others give him looks of ‘hurry the hell up,' he continues, "First up on our list is the crimson root."

"The crimson root's appearance isn't like most roots where it's brown on the outside with a bark-like texture. Its root is black and smooth on the surface. Instead of the flesh being white, it's crimson, hence the name, and bleeds red when cut open," San explains.

Ah, I see. Nikoli announces, San describes.

Taste tester and library. Got it.

Behind me, Tillman rumbles with silent laughter. It's at my mental clarification and I roll my eyes at his nosiness. This is why he randomly walks around concealing a hard-on because he doesn't stay out of my head.

"Little warrior," he warns.

Squirming in his lap as he grips my hip, chuckling, I ask, "Where do we think the crimson root is?"

"Pyrathia…on Pyra," San says.

"On her? What does that mean?" I ask, shocked. How in the realm are there roots on a volcano?

"Every couple of centuries, millennia possibly, the crimson trees bloom out of the volcanic rock around Pyra. They're not large trees, but their roots burrow deep. A way of adapting for when Pyra explodes, the trees are wiped out, but the roots remain. Blossoming again with time. This is all supposed since none of us, most of us, haven't been alive to witness it," he says, and we all, as one, whip our heads to Gaster.

"I've seen them. Extraordinary trees, to say the least. If you didn't know you were looking for a tree, it would simply seem as though lava was flowing down the side of Pyra. They grow in close clusters, more like bushes than a tree. Their leaves are a bright red with dusted black tips, and the bark is charcoal," Gaster says, nodding and stroking his beard. Lost in his memory.

"So someone will need to go there and dig the root up. Hopefully." I summarize.

"Correct. On to ingredient number two. The Gingko berry," Nikoli says with a grimace.

"What's that foul face for?" Draken asks him, laughing.

"It was a repugnant taste. I threw up, like a lot, after sifting it out. Mixed in with everything else, it's not as noticeable, but that's definitely the ingredient that makes the creatures sick."

"This is my assumption, but I believe this will be located near the swamp lands on the outskirts of Aquaria. It's said that the marshlands smell horrendous and it's the scent the larger reptile shifters give off, but I believe it to be the perfume of the Gingko berry," San says.

"Isn't that where—"

"Walker's from. Yeah. We can ask him if he's seen or knows of this." Draken nods, finishing my question and answering it for me.

"Good. Next," Corentin says.

"The heart of a five-hundred-year-old Everest Tree."

That one seems to catch my entire Nexus off guard as we stare at Nikoli in confusion. The Everest Trees are the massive trees that create a symphony through the forest when the wind blows between them in Aeradora, but I didn't realize a tree has a heart.

"How do…actually, I don't know what I'm trying to ask first. Trees have hearts? And how do you know it was five hundred years old?" I ask.

"Not all trees have hearts and it's my taste buds. They're sensitive to certain compounds that degrade and accumulate over time. Using this tree and its heart for example, my taste buds know that it gets sweeter with time. Take that and all its other factors such as texture and composition, I can gauge a pretty accurate age," Nikoli explains excitedly, although I'm still partially confused on how that's possible.

"He can go into more specifics on his gift later, Primary. That alone would be a multi-day lesson," Caspian cuts in, knowing good and well I was about to bombard Nikoli with questions.

Nodding, because yeah, we don't have days and days for me to spare on learning about his gift, I push on. "Okay then. What's next?"

"The Noxious herb. Nasty little shit," Nikoli says with a shake of his head.

"Hold on…" I say, turning my head to Gaster and Oakly, who are both already looking at me. "That was an ingredient in the Poison of Essence cure."

"It was. We won't need to hunt for that one. I have some," Gaster says, nodding to San.

"Good because that one was last recorded in the Central, but the exact area is unknown, like the last ingredient. That's the only one I can't find. Just one mention of in all the records and it's nothing but a description, no known whereabouts."

"You're going to find this hilarious, Willow." Nikoli chuckles, shooting Oakly a mischievous smile. One she returns enthusiastically.

"It's called the Willy Flower." Oakly rushes to say before Nikoli, unable to contain her excitement any longer.

"Oh, Elementra, that's awful. Ugh, I hate that nickname," I grumble playfully.

I could kill Oakly for starting that nickname, but thankfully, she's the only one who calls me that, and only when she's trying to get a rise out of me. But seriously, what kind of nickname is that? Gross.

"Enough. Needless to say, we have no clue where the Willy is?" I ask as everyone continues to laugh at my expense.

San composes himself quicker than the rest, clearing his throat and jumping right back into librarian mode. "No, not a clue, unfortunately. The description was incredibly vague. Based on the composition, we assume it will flourish more in a fertile area with lots of sunlight and well-drained soil, so that at least eliminates Pyrathia and I think Aquaria would be too wet. Nikoli also mentioned sensing remarkable healing properties. We don't know what it can heal, but in this recipe, he believes it's an offset to the more unfavorable ingredients included."

"That doesn't give us very much to go on. We're looking at anywhere in the Central, Terian, and Aeradora. It might not even be in this realm. What if this was the ingredient that led everyone to believe the Bane of Essence wasn't possible?" I ask, feeling a little discouraged.

"It's here. It has to be, or I wouldn't have been able to identify it. I can't detect foreign substances, only Elementra-native ones. It's possible that we've always been led to believe the Bane wasn't real because this particular flower is hard to identify, and the other main ingredients aren't as simple as picking a plant out of the garden. So for generations past, incredibly difficult, translated to impossible," Nikoli says confidently.

"You'll have to test every flower brought forth that could be it, won't you?" I ask him. That's a huge task and a time-consuming one.

"I will, but it's not as daunting as it sounds. One sniff and I'll know or not. Whoever is assigned to look for this won't be searching and picking everyday flowers and bringing them to me. It's going to be rare. In possibly difficult locations to get to. So hundreds of different flowers won't be showing up for me to look over. Typically, the rarest of flowers to find are spectacular to see. Colorful and brighter than your everyday daisy, so that's what we'll be looking for."

"You said these are the main five. What are the other ingredients?" Caspian asks thoughtfully. I didn't even catch that when it was said.

"The rest, thankfully, are everyday items. Water from a water element is the base for the brew with a mixture of normal herbs and spices. From the testing, everything fermented for about a week. Jamie preserved the last two vials we have left over. One for if anything goes wrong or if I need to test it again. Now that we know the ingredients, we'll save those for me to use to test against ours. Make sure we got it right," Nikoli says.

Tillman immediately jumps right into it with Ry and the others, discussing what teams will be best suited for going where. Ideally, they'll be sending guys out by tomorrow morning to start collecting the three ingredients we know the locations for and Gaster said he'd bring his supply here. None of us, not even me once again, pressured him to tell us where he keeps this secret stash of poisonous herbs and rare things. We're thankful it's an easy and accessible ingredient.

"Were we expecting someone else?" I ask as a knock at the door sounds throughout the room.

Draken hops up, bounding over to the door excitedly, opening it wide for Walker and Vince. They each greet him as enthusiastically as always before turning toward me and giving me soft smiles.

Although I return the gesture, a wave of guilt rises because I forget sometimes how many people I have now that care about me. I haven't seen them since before I was taken, so there's no doubt they know, and they were worried about me. It's still a foreign feeling, but a welcome one.

"Glad to see you doing so well. You gave us quite the scare," Vince says as I walk over to see him.

"I know, I'm sorry. But I did learn a lot about my dragon. We'll have some new things to work on," I say cheerily, trying to ignore the emotions in my throat and distract him from any serious talk. Which works. His eyes alight with curiosity and excitement, which causes me to chuckle.

"I can't wait to see," he says, patting me on the shoulder and moving over to Corentin.

"Willow, it's good to see you," Walker says formally. Unlike Vince, he's not going to say something sappy. Thankfully.

"You too. I didn't expect to see you two today."

"Well, your mate messaged and said there was an emergency, so we came right over," he says, side-eyeing Draken 'cause it's obvious there's no emergency.

"Draken." I snort, shaking my head at his dramatics.

"I don't think I said emergency. I said we needed them," he says with a chuff. One Walker matches, pulling out his communicator and showing it to me.

Come to the lab. Emergency. Need your help 3.

My head falls back as I laugh at the guilty but teasing smirk on Draken's face. He knew exactly what he was doing. He sent that message less than five minutes ago and here they are.

"See, he said emergency and needed us in less than three minutes," Walker says, putting the communicator back into his pocket as me and Draken die with laughter.

I won't be the one to tell him what that really means, and Draken apparently isn't going to either. Knowing him, he's going to have the entirety of our friend group and possibly all the E.F. members sending each other hearts unknowingly.

"Well, thank you for coming so fast. It isn't an emergency, but we do need your help if that's okay," I say once I compose myself and wipe the stray tears from my eyes.

"Of course. What's up?"

I explain to him the Gingko berry, why it is we're looking for it, and if his people have noticed anyone else collecting them with San jumping in and describing or asking anything I miss. Walker nods along knowingly, and I have a feeling we could've quit talking at Gingko berry and he would've known.

"They're secluded to our territory of the swamp. We wouldn't have noticed anyone coming and going because they're in an unmonitored, isolated area. Plus, we don't mind people coming around. It's the other larger reptiles we fight with. A nonshifter, or even a smaller one would've been able to come in and out with no fuss from my group. That foul stench you were describing only occurs once they're picked and they begin to rot. Before that, they're riper, sweeter than most fruits, and carry a high level of antioxidants that make our—"

"Skin stronger. Your congregation has been eating them to strengthen your shifted form's skin." I finish for him, amazed by the natural use of the berries we thought earlier were completely disgusting.

"Exactly. There aren't a lot of bushes, but they produce rapidly. Faster than we can eat them unless we decided to live on them. So there's plenty for you to use. But that'll be the kicker. Do you need them when they're ripe or when they're rotting?" We all turn to Nikoli, who looks a little green in the face just from thinking about them.

"Their aging processes is as quick as their production, quicker when cooked, correct?" Nikoli asks.

"Yeah. They taste the best when picked and eaten immediately. Once they're picked, you have a couple hours, give or take, before they begin to rot," Walker says with a smirk.

"Based on the almost intolerable taste when I isolated its palate, they weren't as ripe as they could be when used. So once the ripeness begins to wear off, we'll add them in. We'll need to gather them last, make sure we have everything else ready to go first. I'll be able to smell once it's time to add them," Nikoli says with a grimace and a nod.

Once the guys taper off from the Gingko berry and jump back into planning, I plop down on the small love seat beside Oakly. Even though it may seem like the two of us are chitchatting and teasing while the others nail down our next move, I'm listening keenly.

Hearing that in a short amount of time we'll be entering a forest full of vampires, I repress a fearful shiver every time one of them mentions counter measures if the Bane doesn't work. Thinking about what all could go wrong makes me sweat. I never want any of them to experience a bite from one of them. Pleasure or pain, I don't want my men, my family, the E.F. members, any of them to feel what that's like.

This Bane of Essence has to work. There's no other option.

"What's your plan for the rest of the day?" Oakly asks me, pulling me out of the dark thoughts creeping in.

"Well, the original plan was to come here, figure out the situation and how long we thought the elixir would take to make. Then after that, Tillman was going to go to the gym and start organizing the teams that'll be going to the forest and training was supposed to start. For all of us apparently," I say with a teasing, exaggerated sigh.

"Gross. They always want us to work up the wrong kind of sweat."

"That's true, but we need it. We can't be caught off guard when we go there. Bryce…" I trail off, swallowing roughly, but I force myself to carry on. "Bryce moved faster than I've ever seen someone or something move. And he was strong. Let's hope and pray the Bane will be enough, but if it's not, we need to be ready for anything."

"Okay then. We train," she agrees, choked up, squeezing my hand in silent solidarity.

I don't want to carry on or keep bringing it up, but unfortunately, I realize I have more insight into what a vampire's bite does to you than anyone else we know. They might've watched the replay of what I went through, but they were spared of feeling the pain. Which I'm incredibly grateful for, but it's valuable knowledge in a situation like this. Even if it does make me want to hurl thinking about it.

A high-pitched ding resounds throughout the lab, startling me enough that I flinch and blink a couple of times to soothe my dry eyes. I completely zoned out, staring off into space. Luckily, no one calls me out about it immediately, but I feel the guys worry, so I was obvious in my disassociation for a moment there.

Sending some calming feelings and shooting a small smile that I hope says I'm fine back to all of them, they turn from me and continue with their conversations. They're letting me off the hook for now because we're in front of everyone, but they'll be watching me, my bond, my mind, and everything else like a hawk for the rest of the day.

Turning to Oakly, I open my mouth to tell her we can train lightly today together and hit it hard tomorrow, but her girly, love-struck smile that's taken over her face causes me to stop and I follow her stare. Jamie's by the Gift Database system, with a pencil between his teeth, reading intently over whatever came through. To me, it looks like he's doing his job, analyzing whatever's on the parchment, but to her, it's so much more.

She's fascinated with his work, and she shows a keen interest in everything they all do. Her far out, mesmerized gaze is one, I'm sure, I've worn while gawking at my guys. I've caught myself staring countless times at Corentin when he's so enthralled in paperwork or his communicator, he pays no attention to what's going on around him. Well, at least, he comes off that way. I know good and well he's noticed.

There have been days I've had to pick my jaw up off the ground from watching Tillman work out, run drills, or order around E.F. members. He's a machine when he's in the zone and it's a glorious art display to gape at. When Caspian pulls out a book and forgets the rest of the realm is when I get to stare at him as much as my heart desires. There have been moments where I don't know the time that's passed in the silence as I watch him read, memorizing every one of his features.

Draken, Elementra knows, likes to call me out when I'm caught looking at him. The way his face brightens when he tells stories or tries to make all of us laugh always puts a lovey-dovey grin on my face. I can't help it.

"Shit," Jamie mutters and whips his eyes up to meet Oakly's first, then he slides them to mine.

One glance at that deer caught in headlights look screams he's about to tell me something I don't know if I want to hear.

"Why did you think about her, then shove your block up like that?" Tillman asks low, threatening. He instantly comes to where I'm sitting, pulling me off the couch and putting me behind him.

That one move, and now suddenly the room is divided. The rest of my Nexus surrounds me while Ry has Oakly hauled up off the couch out of the way and San and Nikoli move to stand firmly beside Jamie.

"Whoa, calm down. What's going on?" I ask, trying to step around Tillman, but he won't allow it.

"He thought about you and said we're going to kill him for this. Whatever this is. Then he locked his mind up tight," he says angrily, focusing on busting down Jamie's wall.

The moment he says it, all of Oakly's Nexus slam their blocks in place. Including her. My magic withdraws from their minds, but I don't try to force it back through like Tillman's doing because I don't feel anything amiss from them doing that. They're following the lead of one of their Nexus members and we all would've done the same.

"Jamie, what's going on?" Oakly asks him, concern lacing her voice.

He's struggling. By the sweat pouring down his brow and the visible tremors, it's taking all his strength to keep his block up. Tillman isn't forcing his all yet, but by the emotions warring through him currently, he's seconds away from doing that.

"Tillman, please. Let up and let him explain. He doesn't have bad intentions," I plead, finally pushing my way around his arm that's been blocking my path.

"Explain, Jamie. Now," Tillman orders.

"Willow, don't be mad at me. I was only trying to help," Jamie says after taking a deep breath, keeping his gaze locked on mine.

"It's okay. Whatever it is, I know you didn't do or think it maliciously. Please tell me so everyone will calm down."

This room is too small for all these strong emotions to be flowing through. I'm picking them up keenly, despite trying to block them out. My men are a mixture of hurt, rage, and confusion. I can completely understand all their feelings. The Nexus across from us are closer to us than anyone else in this realm, aside from Gaster, but because of everything going on, their first instinct is to jump to betrayal.

Oakly's Nexus is much the same, but their feelings are leaning more toward confusion and flustered. They don't know what Jamie's done, but they're ready and willing to protect him, no matter what. Poor Ry and Oakly feel like they're about to split in two.

"After you all informed us about what Franklin said about your blood and what you learned about your mom, I used the remaining vial of your blood we had to run it again through the database."

"Corentin told you to destroy that, but instead you ran it through that system again without hers or our permission?" Caspian says darkly, his shadows crawling down his arms and out his fingertips.

Shit, he's about to kill him.

Linking my hand through his, I give him a tight squeeze, silently begging him to calm down and let him finish.

"Yes, and I'm sorry. Her other blood that I tested is coming up inconclusive, and I figured it's because she's the first of her kind, or something along those lines, but that time, I ran them only to check for gifts and elements." He pauses, looking at me with a mixture of sadness and hope, and it makes my stomach bottom out.

"It's okay, I'm not mad you reran my blood. Well, I am a little bit, but that's beside the point right now. Please just say what you have to say, Jamie," I whisper-shout, growing even more anxious as this is dragged out.

"Instead of gifts, this time I was looking for matches to see if we could find your bloodline," he says quietly, passing the paper to Oakly for her to read.

My gaze tracks Oakly's every move. From how she quickly snatches the parchment, to how her eyes scan the words rapidly. To finally, how she gasps, her other hand flying to cover her mouth as she looks at me with tears welling in her eyes.

"Say it, Oakly. Please."

"You have a brother."

Vaguely, the voices of all the men in the room going back and forth register, but I can't make out the words they're saying.

I don't even know if they're talking to me.

Cold dread seeps into my very being, freezing me in my place, and I can't take my eyes off my sister. My sister born from a bond, who just informed me, I, in fact, have a sibling that was born from blood.

The thought has my stomach turning and I forcefully swallow the bile down.

If I have a brother, that means my mom wasn't Franklin's only victim, and I can't process that. I can't fathom. I don't want to. It's hard for me to picture any woman being with Franklin willingly because he's so dreadful, so evil.

Then reality dawns on me…

Jamie doesn't have blood samples from people outside of the E.F. members and students who've donated willingly.

"Oakly." I force her name through my mind, hoping she can hear me because I don't trust my voice to work.

Her eyes snap back up to mine from the parchment. Wide and startled. I guess all that hard work Gaster and I put in on the mind connection was never going to work without yet another emotional push to force its cooperation.

"Who?"

"Are you sure, Willow? You don't have to worry about this right this second," she says shakily.

Her words quiet all the men around us and the lab falls into an eerie silence. Everyone waiting for me to answer, but I still can't get my voice to work. All I can muster up is a very unsure nod.

"Lyker Quinn is your blood brother," she whispers.

Suddenly, my body weighs a ton. It's so heavy, I can't seem to hold myself up and strong arms wrap around my waist as my knees fail me. Rather than keeping us standing, fire and snow surround me as Draken lowers us to the ground, and he muffles my sobs as he turns my head to bury my face in his neck and purrs.

All the gut-wrenching visions I've seen of him filter through my mind. I watch time and time again as he dies. The horrid, sickly feeling I'd get every time I thought about it now makes more sense.

I wasn't watching a stranger die.

I was watching my brother.

Draken knows me well enough to know what's about to happen when I lean to the side. He doesn't miss a beat pulling my hair back from my face as I get sick and cry harder. All my guys immediately come to my aid. Rubbing my back, pushing water through me, and just being here for me. I even feel Oakly and her entire Nexuses close by, waiting, silently supporting me while I lose my shit.

Again.

I'd like to pretend this was a joyous moment for me. All I've ever wanted was a family. People to love and for them to love me. But right now, my heart just breaks. It breaks for Lyker. For his mother. For myself.

"It's going to be okay, princess," Corentin says gently as he tilts my chin up. I lock onto his soft whiskey eyes, begging for the grounding he can give me while I try to catch my breath.

"Is it, though? It was one thing when I learned what Franklin did to my mother, but now, I have to explain to someone who's alive and well, what he did to theirs. He'll have to look at me when I tell him. He's going to hate me," I whisper.

"He won't hate you because it's not your fault. None of this is your fault and you don't have to tell him anything anytime soon if you don't want to," he says firmly.

Blowing out a shuddering breath, his words sit like a stone in my gut. I do have to tell him. Franklin couldn't possibly know about him, or he wouldn't have let him out of his clutches. As much as he raved about a son, Lyker would've been a gift. So what if his mom is still out there? What if she gave him up to keep him safe? He's grown now. The Alpha of a pack. He has the means and support to protect her now. Get to know her.

No, he has to know.

"I see the decision in your eyes, princess, so tell me what you need, and I'll do it," Corentin says with a small, sad smile.

"I need to see him."

"We'll plan that. I'll call him and ask him to come to the academy in a couple days to discuss what our plans are for the forest," Tillman says, but I'm already shaking my head.

"No. I don't want to bring him here under false pretenses and then spring this on him. I want to go to him, to his home where he's comfortable. Now," I declare softly.

I'd be furious if I was lured into thinking I was going somewhere for a meeting, then have a bomb of this magnitude dropped on my head somewhere I'm not comfortable. Granted, it may be different for guys. Lyker's more than likely not going to have a panic attack like I did over this news, but I don't foresee him taking it easy either.

"Please, Tillman," I say when he's getting ready to deny me this. I know it's from a place of protection. Him wanting to protect me as much emotionally as he does physically, but I need to do this. I'm not going to be able to let it go now. I'll obsess and fixate on it to the point I'm ill if I don't.

"Okay, little warrior," he breathes, pulling his communicator out of his pocket.

Turning in Draken's lap so I'm no longer craning my neck around to see everyone else, he pulls me in close, wrapping his arms around my body. I sit quietly, soaking up his warmth, and let my fingers run through Caspian's shadows nervously as they twist around my wrist like bracelets while we listen to the rings of Tillman's call.

"Tillman, what can I do for you?" Lyker answers and I suck in a sharp inhale. There's nothing different about his voice. He's using the same tone he always would when talking to any of my guys, but I hear it differently now.

"We're coming for a visit. Willow would like to speak to you," Tillman says calmly.

Lyker chuckles through the communicator and my heart lightens a smidge until he says, "Elementra knows that can't be good. Fortune teller's coming to ruin my day, huh?"

I know he's teasing, but still my chest cracks open because that's quite possibly exactly what I'm coming to do.

"We'll be there in a few," Tillman says before hanging up without another word spoken, not even giving Lyker the chance to deny or accept our visit.

"Thank you," I say, holding my hand out for him to pull me up with him as he stands.

"Of course, Will, but are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"I'm sure. Can everyone come? Vince can take care of the academy for a little while, right?" I ask, turning to look at Corentin, who winks at me because he's already on the communicator.

"I'm sorry for overstepping, Willow. It wasn't my place at all to do that, but I couldn't let go of the feeling it needed to be done," Jamie says sincerely.

The genuine apology is evident in his tone, but it's his words that stick out to me the most. He couldn't let go of the feeling.

Elementra, I swear.

Before he said it, I was most certainly a little upset with him for crossing a boundary and doing that without speaking to us first, but what he said changes it all and the hurt instantly evaporates.

"It's okay, Jamie. There are no coincidences in Elementra. You did exactly as you were supposed to do, you just didn't know you were supposed to do that. This was a piece of my puzzle that needed to fall into place, and it wouldn't have if you hadn't rerun my blood."

His mouth gapes open and closed like a fish gulping for air before he decides on a small, acknowledging nod. It doesn't erase the guilt that's still evident in his eyes, but he doesn't keep trying to apologize for his choice.

"Take your own advice, child. Everything happens as it needs to," Gaster says quietly, pulling me into a hug.

"I know. It just sucks when it's always happening to me," I complain, but as I breathe in his pine-needle scent, my nerves calm and my mind eases. At least I have an amazing support system to back me every time shit hits the fan around here.

"Let's get going. Transport to the front of the Alpha house. Gaster, you're with us," Tillman orders as he comes up behind me, laying his hand across my stomach.

Just like the first time I saw the community center, it's buzzing with activity, and although that time I still thought it was beautiful, despite being run with Mastery, now there's a brilliant distinction.

The children's laughter rings louder, more freely. There's such a positive vibe in the air, it's visible to me. Everyone seems more comfortable being themselves and it's bleeding into the atmosphere around them.

Craning my neck so I can peer over the massive Alpha house, the trees and mountain ranges that tower in the backdrop are more vibrant and thicker than they were. As if the taint from the ward that kept Aria locked in that cave has freed the forest so it can flourish as it's meant to.

The sounds of the door to the house opening draw my attention away from the gorgeous scenery and I smile at the sight coming down the stairs. Right smack in the center of Lyker, Kyan, Zane, and Lennox, Aria is fussing at them, telling them to hurry up. Once they're close enough, she breaks through them and ambushes me in a hug.

"You look fantastic. How are you feeling? Is everything okay?" She compliments and questions as her way of hello.

Chuckling, I squeeze her back. "I'm fine. Back to normal. Physically."

She doesn't push or comment, but she holds me a little tighter before moving on to see Oakly, who introduces her to Gaster. He wastes no time wrapping her up in an embrace that warms my heart because she instantly takes to him, going limp in his arms. It's a hug only a grandpa can give, and she fell right into it. The guys all chuckle with me as Lennox, Kyan, and Zane greet us with big, happy smiles, then move to the side for Lyker.

"Fortune teller."

"Alphahole."

Emotion clogs my throat when he tugs me to him just as he did when I was rescued. I can't help questioning if not him exactly, but maybe his wolf, can feel something and that's why he feels comfortable enough to hug me. I bite the inside of my cheek, waiting for Draken's growl so we can break apart, but it never comes.

"He's no longer a threat," Draken says, sensing my confusion directed at him.

"He wasn't a threat before."

"Besides the point. Neither my dragon nor I am okay with other males touching you. There are very limited exceptions to that and he's now one of them."

His easy acceptance is so welcome right now, and I blast his bond with my love and appreciation for him. I need his ease to balance out the much more serious emotions coming off my other three.

"Can we go inside and talk?" I ask Lyker quietly.

With the amount of shifter hearing surrounding us, I don't want to have this conversation out here in the open. Lyker, his guys, and Aria all pick up the unease in my tone because they each rapidly turn serious.

"Yeah. Of course."

The tension rolls over all of us as we enter the foyer of their house. It's stunning on the outside, and the inside is gorgeous too, but you can tell they haven't quite made it their own yet.

Lyker doesn't bother offering us a tour of the house, which is a bit disappointing. Not because I really want one at this moment, but because I'm looking for an excuse to delay this a few minutes longer. I hate dropping bad news, and I'm never one to drag the suspense out, so I know once I'm confronted, I'll have to say it.

Leading us up some stairs and down a long hallway, we finally enter a room that must be his office. Against the back wall is a huge desk that could easily seat the five of them if they need it, and right smack in the center of the room is a conference table they head straight for. On each side of the walls, there're parallel windows that show both front and back views of the mansion. One set faces out of the community center we were just standing in, while the other looks out over the forest and mountain ranges. It's a stunning view that I'd easily get lost in a book sitting in front of.

I purposely get lost in it now, so I can avoid looking at Lyker.

"Okay, fortune teller, you've got my wolf pacing. What evil is heading our way next?" he asks.

Closing my eyes, blocking my view from the escape outside, I blow my breath out and turn to face him. He, Aria, and the others have taken a seat, but my Nexus stands a few feet away from me. Giving me space, while also being close enough if I need them to be.

"You're my brother."

There's a quiet pause before he begins laughing, shaking his head. "Well, I feel honored. I see you as a sister as well, Willow. I mean, you did save my life, after all," he jokes, thinking I'm meaning this as an endearment.

A watery smirk crosses my face as I look at his smile. It's so cheerful and genuine. Even his bright, shining aura says he truly is pleased with that sentiment. A single tear slides down my face, which I wipe away quickly, but not quickly enough that Aria didn't catch it.

"Stop laughing," she whispers, clutching his forearm, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What? I thought she was going to tell me something awful. This is a relief."

"Lyker."

His head swings to my small murmur of his name, and slowly, his smile fades once he realizes the seriousness hanging in the room.

"I don't mean it as a gesture. I…we…we're siblings."

Quickly, much quicker than my men like, he's up from his chair, rounding the table toward me. His eyes, which are usually a stark grayish blue, are full predator right now, nearly glowing. There's no anger reflected in them, though. They're searching.

"Don't stop him. Let him come to me. It's his wolf checking me out for himself," I quickly say in my mind when I hear the rustling of feet behind me.

When he finally approaches me, he sticks his nose in the air and takes a deep breath. Circling me, he continues to sniff me, and I must say, it weirds me out for a second. Shifters, especially the canine species, can sometimes catch the scent of their kin. Not only that, but they can also smell when someone is mated or unmated, and who they've been around if they're familiar enough with the individuals' scents.

Shuffling back and forth on my feet, he finally finishes his last circle. When he stops back in front of me, the glowing hue to his eyes dims, and his normal gaze is both soft and sad.

For a heartbeat, we stare at one another, trapped in a moment of uncertainty and denial. I don't know what to do or say, so I continue to hold his gaze as he searches.

Slowly, he lifts his hand to my face, and his thumb rubs across my cheek.

"Your eyes," he mumbles.

His words trigger my Memoria stone and an inferno spreads across my chest. One gasping breath is all I manage, then I'm forcefully pulled into my mind.