27. Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Seven

Caspian

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Walking into the breakfast room, already seated is the Perfecta Anima , her Nexus, the wolf girl, Lyker, his brothers, Gaster, and Keeper. My house is overrun with guests and I just want my coffee in silence with my Primary on my lap. This is getting ridiculous.

After the blood bomb the vampire dropped on us yesterday, Willow put a full stop on any more conversation. Between the revelation of Draken's relationship, the battle, her bloodline, she needed a minute to process. We all need a minute to breathe, yet my fucking house is full of people. Again.

It was only us here last night because Gaster offered for Keeper to stay in his cottage with him rather in the house with us, and all these other people left, but now here they are, back. No more than twelve hours after they last left.

"Don't start, Caspian," Tillman warns.

"I just ask for one morning of peace. Why suddenly are all these people in our home every single day?"

"It's been for a dinner, lunch yesterday, and breakfast this morning, Cas. Tomorrow will be just us. Give her today. She wants the company. It distracts her mind." Tillman reasons and I shoot him a glare for using her against me to tamper my foul mood.

"They're leaving after breakfast. Lyker needs to get back to the pack lands, and Ry and his Nexus are going back to their house. Gaster is always here and Keeper is a permanent fixture for now, so suck it up," Corentin says, hiding that obnoxious-ass smirk behind his mug of coffee.

At least they were wise enough not to sit in my seat and they placed the walking library beside me, so if I must engage in conversation, I can tolerate it with him. On my other side is Kyan and he doesn't talk much, so I can deal with that as well.

Tickling around my wrist instantly soothes the pissiness I feel, and without even looking, I know it's my Primary's shadows. Her small smile and soft eyes douse my anger quicker than anything else can, so I sit down without any more complaint. For now.

The new extension settles against my skin and I sigh into my coffee. If this is how she felt every time I coated her in my gift, I understand better why her mood would settle so quickly. It's the most refreshing, rejuvenating feeling in the fucking realm. I want to bask in it. Maybe she needs to be cocooned in us and that's why she's so chaotic feeling this morning. I haven't noticed her be this out of sorts since before she bonded Tillman, but now that I can both feel and observe, she's struggling this morning.

She's been struggling since we bonded and her water element broke free actually.

"When the hell did you have time to get a tattoo? I just saw you less than twelve hours ago," the Perfecta Anima asks suddenly, lifting my Primary's arm up.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, giggling, but I see it as well.

There on the backside of her forearm is the perfect outline of a dagger. Its sharp tip is pointed up toward her wrist and the handle nearly touches her elbow. It's shaded and lined so thoroughly, it looks real as though it's lying against her skin.

"On the underside of your forearm, Primary," I say, narrowing my eyes on the piece.

"What the hell?" she shrieks, rubbing at it furiously.

Oakly screams as the black dagger does, in fact, fall off Willow's forearm. It clatters against the Perfecta Anima's plate, shattering it to pieces, and sends her food flying all over the table. There's a stunned silence throughout the entire breakfast room as Oakly slowly pokes at it with her fork and slides it off the destroyed porcelain.

Willow thoughtfully picks it up and observes it. It stays solid in her grasp as she gets comfortable with it in her hand. She turns it about, looking it over, bringing it closer to her, then gasps. Like the gift that flows between the two of us, it becomes nothing more than wisps of smoke on her fingers and her shadows enter back into her skin.

Her shocked gaze and gaping mouth swing to me, "Cas."

"I believe you got an upgrade, Primary."

"My upgrade is to make weapons that tattoo themselves on my body? Seriously."

"Can you do that, Caspian?" Corentin asks.

"I can make my shadows solidify, but I've never been able to create an object out of them," I say, slowly rising from my chair and stepping away from the table. My Primary immediately stands and maneuvers to join me, as do my brothers.

Breathing in her sweet coffee scent, I hold my hand out for her to lay hers in and I lift her arm so I can gaze at her now clear, fair skin. Unlike mine that already has swirling rays of shadows tattooed up my forearms, there's not a blemish or black spot to be found on her arms, just the chill bumps my touch is leaving behind.

Focusing on the intricate designs painted all over my olive skin, I picture my shadows seeping out through the ink and taking form in my palms. My gift doesn't rest in my chest unless it's being restricted for some reason, so I feel it crawl throughout my whole body to its directed area.

When they reach the surface of my tattoos, I close my eyes and inhale deeply. In my mind, I work out exactly what I want them to create and when a weight begins to form across my arms, I quickly snatch up the weapon.

Pulling the string of the bow back, I launch an arrow through the air at the wall opposite us. I don't allow it to penetrate the glass of the framed photo—not in the mood to deal with my brothers' pissiness over a broken picture—so I command only the arrow to become shadows once more. On impact, they burst across the wall like a smoke bomb, but it leaves no damage behind.

If me and my gift weren't so fine tuned to one another, I know the entire assembly would've fallen apart, but in the grasp of my palm, the bow stays as solid as I commanded it to be. I run my fingers along the delicate curve and over the engraved grooves that match the swirls of tattoos along my arms. As I trace along the sturdy black surface, a dusting of shadows coats my fingertip before it sinks back into the design.

Gripping it tightly, I hold it away from my body and command it to shape out a spear, then a sword, then a whip, and finally, a rose. The perfectly bloomed black flower sits on the end of a thorny stem, and I graze the sharp barbs with my thumb, smoothing them all down before I hand the flower to my Primary.

"It'd seem we both got an upgrade, little Primary."

My sweet Willow tilts her head down to sniff the rose and a small, whimsical laugh flows from her when the shadows dissipate and swirl around her hands, up her arms, and disappear into her hair. I stare, mesmerized, continuing to command their playfulness just so I can listen to her.

"Damn, that's badass. I want to make my own weapons," Draken says as he drapes his arm over my shoulder and a sly smirk crosses my face. "Oh, what the fuck, Cas?"

His shriek is a mixture of laughter and a shout as he throws the foot-long dick I formed in his other hand against the wall, and we all stare at it in silence as it hits the ground with a deafening thud.

Surprisingly, it's the old man who cracks first. His wheezing laughter is contagious, and the entire breakfast room shakes with amusement. I call the shadows back to me with mirth still falling from my lips and a teasing tempo flowing throughout my chest.

I guess this crowd isn't so awful.

"So the two of your upgrades are making weapons and willies. This is priceless." Nikoli gasps out as we take our seats again and my Primary tosses a pastry at his head.

"All joking aside, kiddos, this is truly fascinating. I don't recall in history a gift manifesting like this. Not only that, but it also seems Caspian and I'm sure Willow will be able to as well, can share your creations for however long you can hold them," Gaster says.

"Do you think we'll be able to make them permanent, though, like we can create things with our earth elements?" my Primary asks.

"I don't see why not. I don't believe anything is impossible for the lot of you."

I mull over Gaster's words. I've been reading and researching as much as I can on all our gifts because it doesn't seem like they have a limit in their growth. Typically, once a Nexus is complete, the power boost comes and then that's it, that's your new manifestation, but with our Nexus, it seems to be trickling in controlled with no end in sight. Unless we're just being upgraded in waves based on when Elementra believes we need.

"Do you think yesterday when I shot my shadows out, they somehow solidified then and that's how the Summum-Master was able to touch them?" Willow asks. The light that was just in her eyes from our playful banter and amazing upgrades fades and I bite my cheek to stop myself from crossing the table to her.

Her full stop declaration yesterday was her way of saying she was on the verge of freaking out and needed a minute. This is the first time she's brought anything up that has to do with herself or him since then. It immediately put her right back into the funk she was in.

None of us have or can even remotely begin to ignore the fact Keeper claims her blood is the key to opening the portals, but we understand she needs to process that on her own. While she does that, the rest of us will distract her, do our own research and when she's ready to dive deeper into it, then we'll be ready. We can't ignore how big that news is for long, but we can for now. For her.

The pressure closing in around my Primary is growing daily and I wanted nothing more yesterday afternoon than to steal her away to my pocket dimension. Hide her away there while I buried myself in her. Just the two of us. I want her so lost in me, she doesn't give a single fuck about what's going on in the realm. I think she needs some alone time with us too to center herself back. My brothers may believe she's enjoying all this company, but I think it's overwhelming her more. She's having to fake a brave face.

"I do not believe so," Keeper answers her thoughtfully after a moment.

"Care to elaborate?" I ask with an arched brow.

For the most part, the vampire doesn't bother me. I thought I'd have more of a negative reaction to him, but finding out the link between him and Draken shifted even more of my perspective. Seeing how he acts as though there's been no lapse in time, like he's known us forever, it's easier to accept him. He's free with his speech but respectful, and I like that.

"I don't know what the Summum-Master's original gift is, but whatever it may be, it has the power to shift the strength of other gifts. I've witnessed him merely rest his palm on the shoulders of shields whose reach could barely expand to three people, suddenly cover thirteen people. It's more likely that he strengthened your gift for the time being to use to his benefit."

"Shit," I mutter.

I know what gift that is. It hasn't been seen in…fuck, I don't even know how long. My grandmother's time maybe, but even then, it was never recorded to be of that caliber.

"He's a Fortifier," me, San, and Gaster all mumble at once.

"A what?" Willow asks, looking between all of us.

"A Fortifier is someone whose gift is predominately useless to themselves but extraordinary to others. Their main function is to do just that. Fortify the gifts of other people, make them stronger," San explains basically.

"But when we were trapped in our bubble together, he most certainly has more gifts. I sensed them," she says.

"I did as well. I could see the essence of them waning and growing around him, but the condition of his soul was throwing me through a loop," Aria tacks on.

"He's stealing gifts not only to give to nonmagical beings but himself," I conclude, glancing at Keeper for his confirmation.

"Exactly. It's a ritual that he concocted on his own from multiple sources. Gifts that are useful but not strong enough to transfer into the nonmagical men, he absorbs himself because he can strengthen them."

Fuck.

"Why don't we finish up breakfast then go outside for some fresh air and check on Tanith? How's that sound, child?" Gaster asks Willow tenderly. He's obviously seeing something we aren't feeling.

Tapping into our bond when I glance at her, the shutdown and blocking me out takes me by surprise. She hasn't blocked us out since she was taken. Not once.

"Something's up with our Primary."

"Yeah, she's blocking me out mentally too," Tillman says.

"There's a lot going on right now and she's overwhelmed," Draken says.

"No, it's more than that. She hasn't been acting like herself since her water element came out and the encounter with the Summum-Master yesterday has made it worse. I know having all this company is supposed to distract her, help her by surrounding her with her family, but I think it's making her worse. She isn't going to open up to us with all of them here. We need some alone time," I argue.

Her shutting me out has me on edge. I used to think Tillman and Draken were fucking nuts with how they acted. My brother's been obsessed from the get-go, he was just reserved about it. Now not so much. He likes the world to see that she's his, but me? I thought they all were fools. Not now.

Now, I'm ready to smother everyone in this breakfast room with us just so I can have her in my arms alone. She needs to let me back in before I string her ass up with my shadows and get the answers out via orgasms.

Yep, time for the guests to go on home.

"Come on, princess. I'll bring your coffee," Corentin declares, reaching over and grabbing her mug as he stands.

He outstretches his other hand for her to take, and she blinks out of her momentary zone out. With a sweet smile, she lets him walk her out of the room like nothing happened. Me, Tillman, and Draken all exchange looks. Aside from Gaster, with Oakly being blocked out too, none of them are the wiser my Primary is upset.

By the time the rest of us make our way behind them, Corentin has her cuddled up on his lap at the patio table as they watch Tanith stretch her wings and jump around.

"She's doing her exercises." Willow giggles as we take our spots around them, subtly laying our hands somewhere on her. Her sigh is loud, but I don't even think she noticed she did it.

"Didn't realize dragons exercise. Ours sure as shit doesn't," Tillman playfully remarks, elbowing Draken.

"Hey, I most certainly do. My exercise just involves more of little wanderer and less weights."

"Draken," the entire group says harshly as my Primary chuckles, shooting him a playful wink.

As more of this makeshift family she's created surrounds the table, she burrows herself deeper into Corentin as if she's trying to merge into one with him and get away from everyone else. The small grin on her face wouldn't tell anyone that, but I know. Because I know her.

"Either you tell everyone to leave nicely, or I do it my way," I tell the guys.

She may be blocking me, which is making my shadows twitchy and my bond ballistic, but she can't hide her discomfort from me. I can't take it anymore and I'm a millisecond away from snapping.

Tillman obviously heeds my warning because within minutes, everyone is giving the Primary a hug bye and promises to see her later. The old man asks Keeper if he'd like to join him at his cottage to go over some of his Elementra history from the time he's been gone and the vampire jumps all over the chance after Draken encourages him.

"Primary," I say dangerously low the second they're out of earshot.

"Yes, sir," she says with those innocent eyes. Her foolery won't work on me, though.

"You better have a good reason for blocking me out."

"I…"

"Enough, Caspian," Corentin barks, shooting daggers at me with his eyes.

"No. Whatever is upsetting her, she needs to tell us so we can work it out," I argue.

A sight we haven't seen in quite some time sends all of us into silence.

My Primary sobs.

Not like the relieved ones she let out over finally being free from that piece of shit rapist father, but uncontrollable sobs she used to do when she needed one of us. They're so fucking brutal the ground quakes hard and she wraps herself so tightly around Corentin, I'm surprised she isn't suffocating him.

"Something is wrong with me…something happened when all my power burst free." She hiccups over and over as the tears continue to pour.

"Are you hurt? What do you mean something happened?" Corentin asks.

"I don't know how to explain it, but every bit of balance I felt after me and Caspian bonded is gone. I feel seconds away from snapping to pieces and I don't just mean my emotions. I literally mean me. It's like I'm having to put effort into holding my body together. What if he did something to me?" she asks, pointlessly wiping the tears away that just come back in floods.

The four of us share worried glances. I didn't see his power hit her directly, but that doesn't mean it didn't. When it all exploded around us, it very well could've wrapped itself around her.

"Hey, hey. Look at me, little wanderer," Draken purrs. "Nothing is wrong with you. It's just been a lot these past few days. Calm down for me, okay?"

Taking a shaky breath, she does just that as she locks onto his eyes, begging him to sate her tears.

"Why don't we go practice your new gift in the pool? We'll swim around, relax, and practice. Nothing else today. How does that sound?" His eyes flash to slits as the purr permeates the air around us and I even slump a little, falling into the trap of his plan.

That's all I want to do. Swim, relax, and practice.

"Yeah…I'd like that," she says as she pushes herself off Corentin's chest.

"Good. Get changed and we'll meet you in the pool." He purrs once more before leaning in and giving her a kiss, then standing back as she hops off Corentin and heads to the pool without a backward glance.

When her outfit fades away to a bathing suit and she steps into the water, whatever hazy spell my mind was trapped in snaps.

"What the fuck was that, dragon?"

"She needed to calm down. She's fine now," he says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"She's not fine, Draken. Something might be wrong, and you just masked it with your fucking purr. Not only that, but you also…you purred us as well." I sneer.

How the hell did he do that to me?

"My bad about that. Didn't know it would affect you guys as bad, but nothing's wrong with her. The Summum-Master's power didn't affect her. Just using that much power is speeding up a process that was supposed to take time."

"What does that mean?" Tillman asks, cocking his head to the side before his eyes widen. "How are you blocking me out like that?"

"Sorry, T-man. If you all haven't figured it out on your own, I'm not telling. When she figures it out, you all will as well," he says with another shrug before jogging off to the pool to join Willow.

"How does the dragon know something we don't?" I ask, turning to the other two and throwing my hands up.

"Something's going on with him and her. It's some weird dragon thing, must be," Corentin says, pushing out of his chair.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"To the pool, obviously. If she needs to swim, relax, and practice, then that's what we're doing," he says, kicking his shoes off and walking through the green.

Tillman follows suit behind him and I sit here for a moment longer in my aggravation before giving up on it. Whatever it is that the dragon knows that I don't, I'll figure it out.

Coming up to the pool, her element glides across my body and today, she's dressed us in purple matching bathing suits that has her smiling from ear to ear. The look is a rapid change from what it was not even ten minutes ago, and despite the itch in my mind that's dying to know what's going on, my shadows settle beneath my skin and my racing thoughts slow.

She's a damn temptress.

"Feeling better, Primary?"

"Yeah. Sorry for my freak-out," she says sheepishly.

Draken's fiery gaze burns into the side of my face as I lower myself into the pool and I subtly flick him in the face with my water as I round on her and swoop her off her feet.

"Don't apologize, Primary. As long as you're okay."

"I'm better now. Ready to practice our newest ability?" she asks with a bat of her lashes.

Temptress, I tell you.

"Sure, Primary. What do you want to practice first?"

"Well, I don't know how mine formed a blade on my forearm, it did that on its own, so can you tell me how you made them do as you said?"

Spinning her so her back is pressed to my front, I close in on her until there's no space left between us and I run my hands down her arms until they circle around her wrist. I smirk behind her head when I hear the hitching of her breath and watch as the chill bumps scatter across her.

If she's going to drive me mad, I'll do it right back.

"Close your eyes, Primary," I whisper in her ear.

Lifting her hands out of the water palms up, I hold her hands out and call forth my shadows. Hers beat beneath her skin, begging to be free, but she restrains them from reaching out to mine like they desperately desire.

It'll take some time, not much if history repeats itself, for her to become as one with her shadows as I am with mine, but once that happens, she'll see how easy this is. Once the shadows work with her, there's nothing they can't do.

Focusing on the darkness floating through the water around me, feeling their cool, elusive energy, I concentrate on coaxing them to gather and mold to my command. In my mind, I picture the smallest version of her dragon and order the shadows to mimic that.

The darkness swirls and swirls until a small form starts to take shape in my palms. When I'm pleased with the little details, I command them to harden like stone.

"Open your eyes," I whisper again, kissing the soft skin on her neck.

"Cas." She gasps, reaching out and running her finger down her dragon's neck.

"Just like with anything we do, Primary, set your intentions. Picture what it is you want your shadows to form, then command it so. They're an extension of you. They'll obey," I tell her gently before stepping away slightly so she can try on her own.

My brothers surround me, and we watch with utter fascination as she closes her eyes and lets the darkness pour from within her. It's fucking stunning. The way they caress her body and flow through her fingers makes my eyes darken. I know exactly what they feel like. Those shadows have mapped out every part of me and I'm obsessed.

Tingling around my wrist has me looking down with a stupid-ass grin on my face as her shadows circle and circle until they solidify into a black bracelet. My brothers chuckle low as they do the same to them and she beams at us. I finally catch a glimpse of the pride and excitement she's feeling, and I blow out a subtle breath as everything within me feels right again now that I can feel her.

Caressing my bracelet gently, my eyes devour the sight of her as she shivers, and the smallest of noises leave her. That's just a small taste of what she's done to me all the countless times those soft little fingers have run their way through my shadows.

It's fucking addicting.

Her creations only hold their forms for a moment longer before fading into balls of smoke and the smile melts from her beautiful face and I'm willing to do anything to get the look she was just wearing back.

"Don't be disappointed, Primary. We've only just got this upgrade. It'll take some time to learn the ins and outs."

"Your dragon is still holding just fine," she says sadly.

"My shadows have been my faithful companions for nearly two decades. We've had a lifetime to learn each other. Yours will come with no time at all. I promise."

"You're right," she agrees softly, but I don't for a second believe her words with that tone.

Commanding the water around her to bring her to me, a surprised squeal leaves her lips as she crashes against my chest, and I seal my lips to hers. If the words leaving my mouth won't put the smile back on her face, I'll use my tongue to convince her otherwise.

Her hands roam freely across my bare chest, and I drink down everything I feel her pouring into me. I'm greedy with my strokes as I force our kiss deeper and if it were up to me, she'd never leave this spot. I'd hog all of her. I'd keep her all to myself, plastered to my body twenty-four seven.

Alas, I must share.

My brother's desire and need for her pulses in my chest right alongside my own, so I slowly break apart from my Primary and turn her to Corentin. With a smile and a wink at me, he carries her away and her playful laugh fills my soul to the brim.

I've replayed the distraught look on his face that I saw in my memory over and over. He would've given his life for mine in that moment. His guilt is a weight I've allowed him to carry because of my own selfishness when it'd only take me one conversation to tell him he couldn't have changed anything that happened, but it means everything to me that he tried.

I will tell him. Just not today.

Today, I'm going to watch him twirl our true Primary through this pool like they're orbiting the sun together. I'll bask in their happiness and mimic it as if it's my own.

Which honestly, it is my own.

I'm happier now than I've ever recalled being in my life.

Thanks to her. Thanks to him. Thanks to all of them.

Once I annihilate the fucking Mastery, nothing will ever come in the way of our happiness again.