8. Eight

Eight

Willow

"Corentin, what—"

Before I get the question out, he has our positions flipped, him on his back beneath me while holding me up, careful not to touch any of my wounds, with the head of his dick barely inside of me.

"Take what's yours, Willow. You own me. Every part of me is yours. You control me just as much as I do you. Take back your control. I'll guide you, every step of the way."

My eyes blaze with his command and my heart thunders in my chest wildly with what he's giving me. I haven't a single clue what to do in this position, but my body heats so rapidly, the tingling of another orgasm already building threatening to consume all of me. Not knowing what to do is the least of my worries as my pussy throbs, clenching around nothing, desperate for it to be filled back to the brim with him.

Control of his body, control of this moment, control of our bonding.

He's giving it to me. Willingly.

I don't waste another second, gasping as I slam myself down on his dick. The delicious stretch, the balance between pain and pleasure that I enjoy so thoroughly, causes air to get stuck in my lungs. Fuck, it's so unbelievably deep in this position.

"There you go, baby, take all of me. Now rock your hips back and forth. Find your rhythm, find what feels good."

Just sitting on him feels divine, but I do as I'm told and let my hips rock in motion with his guiding hands, moaning as friction builds against my clit with every shift. It feels so good I can't keep my eyes open as I pick up speed, grinding myself against him faster and faster.

"Eyes on me, princess."

Without any say so from me, my lids snap open and collide with the burning amber of his. The lust, the pleasure written across his face is almost my undoing. To know I'm bringing him this much satisfaction makes confidence bloom within me, and experimentally, I lift myself off his cock, then bounce up and down, screaming out as the overwhelming stimulation sends delicious pins and needles through every single nerve ending.

"That's it, just like that. Fuck, you're so beautiful bouncing on my cock. Look at how perfect I fit inside you."

Pinching my chin, he tilts my face down, and I lean back a little so I can see, and I have to admit, it's by far the sexiest sight I've ever seen in my life. Watching one of my men move in and out of my body is the purest, most intimate thing I've ever witnessed. It has more of my arousal gushing out of me, causing him to sink even deeper.

Every dirty, praise-filled command that falls from his mouth, I listen to. Every mutter of how perfect my pussy feels, how amazing I'm doing, and how fucking good I'm making him feel, increases my desire tenfold and I take my pleasure as he restrains himself, letting me have this moment to do as I please.

My bond is begging for me to let it go and my heart swells with that desire. But there's tension building in him. His gift pushes against his skin beneath my fingertips, and the random subtle breezes that blow my hair out of my face is his element trying to break free.

He wants to lock them all down, but I want them to devour me.

"Let go, Corentin. Let go of everything."

With a moan of my name, he does.

My command snaps the chains off his cages, and with a punishing grip on my ass cheeks, he lifts me up and pounds into me like it's been torturing him to wait on my say so. I fall forward, catching myself on the headboard, and his mouth latches on to my nipple, pulling a scream from my throat that has him fucking me harder, deeper.

Suddenly, his gift flares to life between us, causing our bodies to become pure beacons of light, shining brighter than any star in the night sky. I hear the chaos slinging around his room, his element surrounding us in a vortex of air, destroying everything.

Yet, nothing about this feels destructive.

The sound of our bodies slamming together drowns out the noise around us, and I give myself over to the phenomena of all things him.

His gift skims across my body, creating a gentle glow that seems to outshine the blinding light around us. Bringing with it a buzzing to my skin that has me vibrating from the inside out. His air element swirls around me, cooling the rising temperature of my feverish desire while tweaking and teasing my nipples, my clit, and it's to the point just those sensations alone are going to make me come.

He's everywhere. His hands are all over my body, his eyes stay locked on mine, his gift, his element, clings to me like an extension of myself, and I'm dying to finally become one with him.

His hand reaches around to the back of my neck and pulls me down into a blistering kiss, and when he pulls away, there's a dazzling smile on his face that nearly takes my breath away.

"Come for me, princess."

Laying his hand across my heart, ordering my soul to merge with his, I scream out in ecstasy and our bonds pour out, colliding together like a hurricane hits the land. The connection snaps in place with a desperate need to find its home, settling quickly between us as we come down from that epitome of release.

Gazing at the beaming light between us, my eyes water at the sight. Like the clear skies after a brutal storm is the brightest blue, more like azure, I've ever seen, and a sense of relaxing calm sweeps through me. When the light begins to dim, I follow the small wisp of a string as it retreats into his heart, laying my head on his chest.

"Willow," Corentin whispers in a soft voice. The tone's so soothing, I burrow down even further into him. "You're the air I breathe, princess. I'd suffocate without you. You're my peace, my home, and wherever you are is where I want to be. Forever."

Tilting my head up, he kisses me softly, slowly, letting his action speak louder than his words.

"I'm forever yours, your highness."

Humming, he flips us over in the blink of an eye, and I feel his cock twitch where it's still buried inside of me and a groan falls from my lips, my body already primed and ready for the frenzy the bonding is about to send us into.

Just as he leans in for a much more devouring kiss than the one he just graced me with, beneath us, the bed frame shatters to bits, falling fast to the floor, and everything that was floating midair comes crashing down, and he covers my body completely with his, protecting me from everything falling from the ceiling.

There's a beat of silence. The only sound is the startled pounding of our hearts before we both burst out in laughter, turning our heads around to get a look at the destruction.

"You made me lose control, princess."

"No, I think you gained some control, Core," I say, smiling brightly as he beams down at me like I just gave him the sun.

Then his hips are shifting, and the mess of the room becomes something to fret over later.

"Grip the headboard, Willow," he commands low and when I do, he gives me a pleased, self-satisfied smirk. "Don't let go unless I say so. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," I pant as he slowly starts pumping in and out of me.

"Good girl. I'm not gonna stop fucking you and filling you up until I have nothing left in me, princess. I'll own every piece of you until I'm satisfied for the night. Tell me now if you need something."

"You, just you." I moan.

A dark chuckle falls from his throat that has chill bumps covering my body and when he pulls out and slams balls deep back into me, stars burst in front of my eyes.

"You'll have me. All of me."

Then he shows me what it really means to have my body owned.

He owns every scrap of me however he sees fit until I beg for sleep.

"Draken, quiet your voice and go get the door before the kitchen knocking wakes her up." The command is clear in Corentin's tone, but there's no strain, no anger, no stress. It's deep, silky smooth, with a touch of softness.

Whatever Draken may have been saying isn't what wakes me. The calming vibration from Corentin's chest against my face does the trick, but I don't open my eyes or give away that I'm awake. Instead, I stay still, basking in the comforting aftermath of our bonding.

At some point, he must've moved us back into my room because I smell all my men mixed in with the aroma of my oasis drifting through the door and I sense all of them are in here.

"All I'm saying is, you've been holding her while she's been sleeping for twelve hours now. I think you should pass her to one of us," Draken whisper shouts.

The hushed tone is pointless when he's making no attempt to silence his footsteps and I hold in a laugh at his dramatics. After what I went through and the hours of being tangled in Corentin's arms, I'm not surprised in the slightest that I've been asleep that long.

"The smell of coffee will wake her up. Just give her a minute, dragon," Caspian says teasingly from somewhere behind me, and as if he spoke it into existence, my senses immediately pick up the roasted fragrance.

"Good morning."

Keeping my eyes closed, a small smile breaks across my face as Corentin's body beneath mine twitches at the sound of my voice in his head. I sent the words to all of them, even though I know Caspian didn't hear it, but the others most certainly did.

"Did she just—"

"Fuck yeah, she did. Open those eyes, little wanderer," Draken purrs, rubbing his nose against mine.

"Hey you," I say, grinning as I come face to face with him. He's so unbelievably close, he's practically lying on Corentin with me.

"You've been sleeping for—"

"Twelve hours. I know, I heard." I laugh as a guilty smirk stretches across his face, and the others chuckle with me.

"How are you feeling, princess?" Corentin asks, holding on to my waist as I push myself up off his chest, stretching my arms above my head.

"Like a brand-new woman."

His eyes narrow slightly, looking for the lie, but there isn't one. I feel remarkably better, and I know the moment he checks the bond himself, searching for any signs of discomfort but doesn't find any. The frown marring his beautiful face smooths out and the subtle tension he was holding in his shoulders completely deflates.

The sliver of relief he was trying to mask from me glides across my chest through our bond and I send a reassuring feeling back to him that has him nearly glowing in front of me.

A delicious shiver that cascades across my skin pulls a hum from my throat as Caspian's chilled hand slides around the back of my neck and his element flows through my veins. The feeling of being rejuvenated from the inside out intensifies and I lean back into his touch.

"Morning, Primary," he whispers in my ear, crowding my back with his body.

"Morning," I say in a breathy whisper as his lips gently press against the soft skin behind my ear and I forcefully swallow down the needy little sound trying to come out.

"There's a healing vial on the bathroom counter for you and I'll have your coffee waiting for you when you get back. After that, Jamie is coming to check you over. Oakly's asked to join him, but I told her I'd have to see how you felt when you woke up," Corentin says, moving me off his lap and more fully into Caspian's.

"Were you not sleeping the whole time I was?" I ask him, raising a brow.

"Mostly. I slept about eight hours."

"Then he bossed the rest of us around to go grab his shit because he wouldn't move you off his chest," Tillman taunts as he comes to stand in front of me, leans down, and catches my lips with his.

"You're glowing this morning, little warrior."

"Like Corentin's gift glowing or…"

"No, like you spent the night having your body worshipped, then caught up on some much-needed rest between your men."

My face flames at his comment, and I duck my head to hide my smile in Caspian's shadows that are swirling around me because yeah, both those things will have a girl waking up in a fantastic mood.

"I'd like for Oakly to come. Gaster as well, please," I say once I compose myself, leaning over to give Corentin a quick kiss, then make my way to the bathroom.

Draken's the only one who attempts to go with me, but with the guys' stern objections, he relents, vowing to be right outside the door if I need him.

It takes just a few moments to chug down the healing vial and handle the rest of my business, then I find myself staring at my reflection in the mirror. At some point, Corentin or one of the others dressed me in an oversized white T-shirt that comes down to mid-thigh and a pair of my own underwear. So what I was most fearful of seeing is concealed, and a whoosh of relieved breath empties my lungs as I gaze at the remaining visible marks.

The bruises that colored my face some twenty-four hours ago are nothing more than vague yellowish tints and as I trace my finger down my neck, the puncture wounds are still slightly raised but look like mere freckles, as do the ones dotting my thighs.

Like I allowed a child to go crazy across my arms and legs with a pale pink Sharpie, the cuts nearly blend into my fair skin and my mind whirls on how this is possible when all I've done is take a few healing vials.

Over and over, with shaky hands, I reach for the hem of my shirt to pull it off and take a look, but panic grips my fingers, not allowing me to fully go through with it. Just as I give up for the fifth time, I sense the shift in the air, and I know my dark protector is sitting in the shadows, watching, and waiting.

"Caspian, how's this possible?" I ask in a small whisper.

Stepping out from the wall directly behind me, he prowls his way forward, his eyes locked with mine in the mirror the entire time until his front is firmly placed to my back. He doesn't answer me right away, but his gaze trails across the almost completely healed wounds with no surprise written in their depths, but there is a curious gleam to them.

"There's honestly no telling with you, little Primary. You truly defy everything many of us have ever read about," he says slowly, reaching down to grip my hands that are still tangled in my shirt. "I can only assume between the healing vials, your proximity to your Nexus, and yours and my brother's bonding last night, that's what your body needed to expedite your healing on its own."

My breathing hitches in my throat when he begins to pull my hands up, dragging my shirt up with them.

"Cas…"

"It's time to face it. Trust me," he whispers, and I slam my eyes shut as he pulls the fabric over my head.

I'm all too aware that I have no bra on and I'm standing before him almost completely naked, but my body can't even react to that because of the fear clutching my heart. There's no telling the condition of my most vicious wounds and I'm petrified to look.

"Open your eyes."

The soft tone of his voice leads me into a sense of calm. I don't know whether it's just naive hope that if he's not reacting negatively, then everything looks okay, or if I just know, in my soul, whatever I see, I'll be okay because he's here, but regardless, I open my eyes.

My shocked inhale echoes around the bathroom as I stare at my chest.

Gliding my hand up, laying it over my heart, there's nothing beneath my fingertips but my soft skin and the first thought that comes to mind is Corentin's hand, commanding my bond to come to him. The way he attended to the haunting impression in both the shower and in his bed was like he was determined to wipe the experience from my mind and replace it with his own.

With newfound elation and hope, my eyes skim past the raised pink skin that matches my other cuts and settles on my hip.

As swiftly as that excitement rose, it comes crashing down on me like a tsunami, pulling me under to drown. Starting from my head down to my toes, it feels like a sheet of ice is cloaking my body, freezing me in time as I stare at my hip.

Multiple white pearly scars stare back at me mockingly as I scan the surface for where the beautiful silver outline of teeth marks is supposed to be. Very few, barely visible silver pigments poke through the mess, attempting to shine brighter than the devastation, but the convoluted, unwelcome, disfiguring scars veil its perfection.

Like too much weight bearing down on the top of a frozen lake, I feel the crack in my ice beginning to spread. If not for Caspian's arm instantly wrapping around my waist, I'd shatter to pieces all over the ground right where I stand.

A tortured sob mixed with an enraged scream erupts from me, violently shaking the mirrors in the bathroom as I fall apart in his arms.

Panic, rage, sadness grip my heart and tug in different directions, on the cusp of ripping me completely apart. I've never in my life been so hurt, heartbroken, and angered at the same time.

"Why…why did you let me look?" I cry out, holding on to Caspian's arms for dear life, although currently, and irrationally, I partially blame him for my turmoil.

"Because, Primary, you can't hide from it. The others may allow you to, but I won't. I know what happens when you do. You can't hide from yourself or your trauma. That mark is so special, yes, but it doesn't defy your love for him or his love for you. It doesn't defy the bond you share together. And I don't just mean your Nexus bond. The two of you share something that the rest of the realm, any realm, and everyone in them will never get to know or understand. Hold onto that. Hold onto that knowledge and know that what your mark looks like means nothing compared to what the two of you have," he whispers, holding me as closely and tightly as he can, sinking down to the floor with me in his lap.

As he rocks us back and forth, allowing me my time to crumble, I memorize his words, replaying them over and over until I feel them settle into my soul. I know he's right. Draken and I are one of a kind, just the two of us. Tied together by a force stronger than any other in all the realms. Of course I'm devastated by what's been done to my body, my mark, but how my mark looks has no weight compared to the love I have for Draken.

"I'm sorry for yelling and getting upset at you. I just lashed out." I quietly apologize as I get the fierce tears to stop flowing.

"It's okay, Primary, just know I'll never force you to face anything I don't think you can handle. You had a reaction we all have, but not all of us recognize it as instantly as you did and apologize for it," he says just as quietly, almost regretfully, like he's done the same thing countless times.

"Caspian, if you don't fucking let us in." Corentin's deadly tone slices through the brief pause.

My eyes trace the black wall separating me and the bathroom door and as soon as a sliver of darkness parts, Draken, Tillman, and Corentin burst through the bathroom madder than hornets, ready to lay into Caspian. Until their eyes find me, and the malice on their faces morphs into concern.

"What happened?" all three ask.

Standing us up easily, Caspian holds me steady while I get my balance and then steps back, allowing me to face the three of them. Their gazes instantly notice what I did and both shock and relief flood my senses as they all see I'm okay, technically better than okay.

A flutter of disappointment hits me square in my chest and I whip my head to Draken at the same time the feeling completely dissipates. It didn't last but a millisecond, but I felt it, and with it comes another round of tears welling in my eyes.

"Draken—"

Faster than I can even track the movement, he has me pinned against Caspian, lavishing me in a kiss that speaks a thousand words. His hand intertwines tightly in my hair, tugging my head back while the other grips my hip, softly caressing the skin as he pours his everything into me.

"I won't lie and say I wasn't hoping that the marks healed without scarring, little wanderer, but I promise you, it changes absolutely nothing. Not a thing. You're a goddess, the most beautiful fucking woman I've ever laid my eyes on, and most importantly, you are mine, no matter what. Do you understand me?" His possessive, growly voice is a concoction of both man and beast that has me melting like putty in his hands.

He's mine, no matter what. My dragon.

"Yes, and you're mine."

"Fuck yea, I am."

His warm smile erases all self-conscious thoughts I was holding onto and leaves me feeling blissfully loved.

There's no denying that for a long time coming, I'll be sad every time I look at the scars, but I believe that's okay. It's not going to hold me back or bring me down any more than I've already allowed it to.

"How about you get back in bed? I had the kitchen prepare lunch for our Nexus, Oakly's, and Gaster, but I'll tell them to come later, princess," Corentin says as he guides me out of the bathroom and to the side of my bed with his hand on my lower back, communicator already in his palm.

"No, no. I want them to come, and I want Jamie to check everything out. I feel back to normal, aside from the obvious, but I'd like to test my magic, gifts, and elements, but I'd rather be sure first."

"Are you sure?" he asks at the same time Tillman wraps his hand around the back of my neck as his element takes hold, dressing me in a flowy lavender maxi dress, declaring, "Then they'll be here in a few minutes."

"Thank you, but I should really probably shower first," I say shyly.

It's no secret what happened last night, but I'm not about to blurt out I need to wash all the mind-blowing sex off me.

Snorting, while also groaning, Tillman shakes his head and cuts his eye to Corentin. "He washed you when he brought you back in here."

"Did you now?" I ask, crossing my arms in faux sass.

"I did. Do you really think I'd let you sleep like that and not clean you up?" Corentin asks nonchalantly, not even pausing his rapid typing on his communicator.

I drop the offended charade and grin stupidly at him because what other kind of aftercare would I really expect from him, followed by being held for twelve straight hours while I slept. By the panty-dropping wink he shoots me as he slides his communicator in his pocket and motions us out my door, he knows all too well how pleased I am with his actions.

The rays of the sun bathe my face the moment we step outside, and I take a long inhale of the fresh forest scent the second my foot crosses the threshold out of the mansion. Although it's midday, it's not blistering hot and there's a small breeze blowing in the wind that cools the warmth from my skin.

My eyes are still closed, head tilted back when the shift in the air occurs, letting me know the rest of my family just arrived.

I barely have time to steady myself before two sets of arms engulf me, and all I can do is slump into the love pouring off Oakly and Gaster. It feels like forever since they both embraced me, and I honestly never want to let them out of my sight again.

"Maybe you both should let me see her before your hugs cause more harm," Jamie says semi-teasingly from behind us.

Breaking away, I give them both a loving smile, and it seems to occur to them only now, I'm not in nearly as bad shape as I was. When the two of them part, letting Jamie step forward, he stumbles on his own feet, staring at me like I'm a damn ghost.

"What? What is it?" A little worry bleeds into my tone because his shocked expression has me second-guessing my fast healing is not a good thing.

"How…" he mutters out, latching onto my hand unexpectedly. "Fascinating."

"All right, now you're scaring me. First, you looked at me like you were scared for me. Now you're looking at me like a damn experiment. Which is it?"

"Well, if you're up to—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Caspian warns, daring him to say another word, to which Jamie just rolls his eyes.

"Fine. I didn't mean to scare you, Willow. I've just never seen something like this in my life and I've been healing for seventeen years, since I was sixteen. I thought for sure when we got here, I'd be treating you in your room bit by bit until you were better. I never would've guessed you'd be fully recharged and your wounds nearly gone. Astonishing." A beaming smile breaks out across his face as he slowly pulls his hands away from mine and a weight seems to lift from my chest.

If the doctor-healer, slash scientist thinks I'm healing up "astonishingly," who am I to question him.

"You can question whatever you want," Tillman says seriously before addressing Jamie. "So you think it's okay she's healing this fast? Not too fast to where nothing's healing wrong or anything like that?"

"No. Everything I sense is completely normal to her, even a tad bit stronger," Jamie comments, tilting his head to the side, analyzing me curiously.

Yep, I know why it seems stronger, and I will not be discussing it with Jamie, so turning back to Oakly and Gaster, I reinsert myself directly between them and pull them back in for a hug.

"You're trying to kill me, child, just admit it."

I know his tone is teasing, but a lump forms in my throat at the thought of losing Gaster. I don't know how in the world he survived having a bond like this one severing before and still be able to be as amazing and loving as he is. I'm certain I'd be a completely different woman. And not for the better, I can assure you.

"Never. I'd be so lost without you. I love you so much, Gaster, and I'm going to do a better job of telling you that every day."

"I love you, Willow. Very, very, much," he says sweetly, emotion clogging his throat.

Not wanting to fall down the rabbit hole again of breaking down into tears, I pull away from him, and we make our way to the patio table. Lunch, well, brunch judging by the assortment of both breakfast and lunch dishes, is already sitting out on the table, waiting for us, and I nearly squeal like a girl when Corentin passes me a cup of coffee.

My happy hum causes everyone at the table to chuckle and fall into easy conversation.

This means everything to me.

Sitting in Corentin's lap, leaning my head against Draken's shoulder, Tillman's hand gripping my thigh, and Caspian's shadows swirling around my wrist. Gaster's laughing and teasing everyone. Oakly's smiling, soaking up the affection she's receiving from her Nexus.

I never want this to end.

But from across the table, I feel Ry's eyes on me. I've avoided looking at him since they arrived. Even at the prison when they found me, I didn't want to look at him because the guilt coming off him, both his emotions and aura are so strong, they're almost tangible. I feel it as keenly as I first felt my men's emotions when they got to me.

"Ry, please stop," I say gently, finally growing a pair and meeting his regretful glare.

The table silences as everyone stares between the two of us.

Oakly's confusion comes swiftly as she looks back and forth from me to him, then it dawns on her and her eyes water as she looks at me with so much gratitude and love. I can understand how it's easy to forget what happened when the gym was first attacked. Everything that happened after that was so brutal, it seems like it was just a small, forgetful moment in time, but Ry's not forgetting and he's not letting it go.

"I can't just stop. If you didn't do what you did, I'd be dead. Oakly would be…" he stops, shaking his head and blowing out a forceful breath of air. "And look what happened to you. How can you not be mad at me?"

"Mad at you? Ry, why in the hell would I be mad at you? You took a beating from hell, which gave me enough time to get Oakly out safely and figure out a plan. A shitty plan, but a plan nonetheless," I say confidently, but it doesn't matter. I can feel the rising tide in everyone's emotions.

They each feel like they could've done something more or done something to change what happened, and my emotions rise just as swiftly, defensively unfortunately.

"I need everyone right here to stop with the guilt, the regret, the what-ifs, all of it. It had to happen this way. There're no ifs, ands, or buts about it. What I had to sacrifice is what I had to sacrifice. End of story," I declare, banging my fist on the table and standing from Corentin's lap.

Closing my eyes, taking deep breaths, I try to calm the anger brewing in me. I'm not angry at them, any of them. They all have a right to their own feelings, and I know if the shoe were on any other foot, I'd more than likely feel the same way, but I'm struggling with dissecting my own emotions currently.

I've accepted the things I just said, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it in any way, shape, or form. Of all the things I've been through, I've never lashed out in anger. Never dared to if I wasn't prepared for a beating from hell, so I buried it. Now that I don't have to do that, my feelings are coming out rageful even without my say so. This is the second time I've jumped straight to anger in the short amount of time I've been awake, and I don't like it.

I don't want to take this out on everyone I love.

"You're hurting, child. Let us help you. We want to help," Gaster says patiently, laying his warm, weathered hand on mine, and some of the fury instantly leaks out of me.

"I don't know how."

"What happened that's bothering you the most?" he asks softly, tracing his thumb back and forth in a soothing motion across my hand.

"All of it. The whole situation is fucked from beginning to end."

"Then start from the beginning and go from there," he instructs gently, sitting back in his chair, looking at me the way only a prideful grandfather can look at his granddaughter, and my words dry up on my tongue.

I don't want to subject them to this. I don't want to taint them with everything that happened.

"You already told us the worst. You can say as little or as much as you want, little warrior. They're—we're all adults and can handle whatever you want to say."

"That's not true. I didn't tell you all the worst. I told you the worst of the torture, but those wounds heal, Tillman."

Before my gaze can lock on to his, my Memoria stone pulls me into my own mind unexpectedly. No memory surfaces, CC's voice is absent, but an extension of information becomes clear. The same instructions I was given the day I told Tillman how to broadcast to all of us at once emerge first, but then carry on.

It's almost as if the instructions were written just for me because not only do you have to have some sort of mind transference gift, but you also have to be able to sense magical signatures in order to share the space of your memories with those outside of your Nexus. Since there's no recorded history of others having multiple gifts, that means Elementra had a hand in informing—I'm assuming CC—that I'd need to know this.

"You have all the answers, don't you, CC?"

I wait with bated breath, hoping for a response, but one doesn't come a minute later and disappointment floods me. They haven't spoken to me since my men and the E.F. army arrived, and I don't understand why.

The only thing I understand currently is I have the answer of how to tell, better yet, show everyone everything that happened. And apparently that's what I'm supposed to do, or that information wouldn't have surfaced right at this moment.

Do I really want to do that?

"I discovered a lot of things in the short amount of time I was taken. A lot about myself, what the Mastery is doing, partially what they're planning, and so on. But in between the bits of information I gathered, horrible, terrible things happened. I…I don't know if I can just come out and say everything, so I'm willing to just show you, but I don't have a way of showing you all just those pieces of information. If you want to see, you have to see it all, and it's not pretty," I say quietly, looking mostly at Gaster and Oakly.

"What are you talking about, Primary?" Caspian asks coldly, concern lacing the deadly tone.

"I…I know how to broadcast everything that happened. From beginning to end."

"Show me," he demands, pushing up from his seat, stalking toward me purposefully.

"Hold on, Caspian," Corentin orders. "Are you sure you want to do that, princess? You're okay and comfortable with everyone here seeing and hearing everything you saw and heard?"

Turning to Oakly's Nexus, San, Nikoli, Jamie, and Ry all give me confident, steady, determined nods. The four of them are as close to brothers as I'll ever get, and they won't judge me for anything they see. Plus, I'd never put Oakly in a situation to keep something of this magnitude to herself. They're a package deal with her, just like my men are to me.

"Oakly?" I ask.

"I want to see. I need to see, so I know how to protect you better and keep you out of shit like this," she says lightly, but I see the fear surrounding her.

"Okay then. Out on the lawn. I need to ground myself."

Pushing up from his chair, Tillman wraps his arms around me, and my men surround us while Gaster, Oakly, and the guys make their way to the back lawn where I pointed off to.

"Little wanderer, are you sure about this? It's all still fresh. Maybe give yourself some time before confronting it all again." Draken pleads as his eyes flash between him and his dragon.

"I'm sure. You don't have to watch, Draken. It's okay," I say softly, gently cupping his cheek in my hand.

"No. I'm watching. I'm just worried about what it's going to do to you to relive it so soon."

"Hopefully release some of this anger from inside of me. I feel like I could burn this realm down right now."

"That can be arranged, sweetness, you just give me the word and we'll do it," he says seriously, and that makes me laugh, taking some of the pressure off my chest.

"Are you all okay with this?" I ask the others when Draken gives me a warm smile.

"If this is what you want and need, little warrior, we're fine," Tillman declares.

"You're going to show me one way or another, Primary," Caspian demands. I'd talk shit if I thought he was being an asshole about it, but this is his way of coping. He's already seen everything I've been through. He needs to witness this too. He needs to add to his ever-growing list of reasons for revenge.

Corentin hums his agreement and kisses my forehead while leading me farther into the lawn. I feel his apprehension, but he respects my decision.

Taking our place in the grass where the others are waiting, my nerves beat wildly through my veins as I sit in the middle of the close-knit circle they've formed. Insecurities of how they'll view me after they see this try to take hold, but I shove them away as best as I can.

"You all won't have to touch me, but I will have to get a sense of your magic if that's okay?" I ask, really just San, Nikoli, Jamie, and Ry since I'm already familiar with Gaster's, Oakly's, and my Nexus's, even though the not touching doesn't apply to them. I don't think they'd let me go right now even if I asked.

At their nods, I ground my magic into the earth, and command it out to feel for everyone else's. No one resists or tries to push me out, so the signatures come easily, and I hold onto them, hugging them if you will, like Oakly taught me to do, then I get a feeling for whose is whose.

There's a delicate string connecting me to all ten of them like spokes on a tire wheel. I know who each string attaches to and I sense the variations in all their magic.

"Ready?" I ask once I know for sure I'm securely locked on to everyone.

"Ready." They all echo back, and I close my eyes, tilting my head to the sky.

"Show them."

Like being thrown back in time, we all fall into my mind. There's a smidge of disorientation, almost a hazy veil on the memories as I navigate where I want to start, but nothing distracting enough that you can't tell exactly what's going on.

Each of their presences is keen, and their determined, nervously eager emotions are wide open to me, ready and waiting to see what I saw. Deciding that not skipping any detail is for the best, I direct my magic to show us the exact moment Oakly and I were left alone in the gym.

Her weirded-out reaction to seeing herself like this skirts across my chest and my lip twitches because I felt the same way when Tillman did this with us. It's a strange feeling watching yourself through someone else's eyes.

All joking emotions evaporate as soon as the second earthquake throws Oakly and I to the ground in the command room, and everyone prepares to see what we already know is to come.

My body grows hot as Gish makes his first appearance, and Oakly cries out as she watches Ry get dragged alongside him. I hate that she has to watch this, but I can't let her out now, it'll break everyone's connection, but she's quick to recover and her emotions settle back, letting me know she can handle this.

So on and on we watch, we listen.

I wasn't sure if everyone was going to be able to hear CC's voice in my mind the way I did at the time, but to my relief, it sounds the exact same, and they all get to hear their instructions, advice, and everything else they said just the way I did, so there won't be any gaps whatsoever to fill in for them.

The time comes when Franklin takes the dagger to my mating mark and my body tenses, preparing for the worst. I block Draken out completely as my heart splinters open once again over it, and this time is even worse because I feel his breaking as well.

His hand grips my arm tighter when my screaming out for him in my mind echoes loudly and the rumbling in his body vibrates my whole limb.

Unconsciously, my fist clenches as I prepare for Franklin to stab the knife through my hand and rip it back out. Time after time, my reactions to what's to come cause me to flinch or twitch or take a deep breath, and every time the guys crowd closer to me, chasing away the rising panic.

My tears fall fast and hot as the truth of my mother is revealed. I wait for the judgment, the disgust to come off everyone, but I'm never met with that. Instead, they're outraged on my behalf, my mother's behalf.

The second the guys hear what was truly planned for me, a touch of pure, fiery, white-hot rage, possessiveness, and protectiveness hits my chest. It's so potent, I may faint from it. I can't breathe and almost completely drop the connection to everyone.

It takes everything in me to shove their emotions out with their punishing grips on my skin, but the second I do, I wall my chest up, blocking everyone out so completely, all I feel and hear is the memories still playing across my mind.

Sitting statue still for the remaining time that passes, I watch like a bystander, like everyone else, and it seems to make everything move faster now that I have no other distractions, no emotions to weave through. So I throw all my attention onto what's happening, reliving, relistening, refocusing on everything that occurred.

As the guys surround me on the side of the prison to transport out, I slowly cut everyone's strings one at a time from my mind.

Once my Nexus is released, they all jump up, pacing around furiously behind me, and I gradually allow my soaked lids to peel open, staring up at the sun that's only barely moved from the time we took our spot here in the grass. How I was able to show a half of day worth of events in the matter of minutes is beyond me, but I'm glad it was fast and it's over.

I do in fact feel better that everyone is now aware of everything, but I'm also petrified to know how they all feel, so instead of lowering the block around my chest, I keep it firmly in place and take my first look at my family in front of me. Starting with Gaster.

I don't have to sense him to know what he's feeling. There're tears streaming down his face, falling from his eyes faster than he can wipe them away with his cloth. When his baby blues glance up at me, there's a vast mixture of heartbreak, anger, and surprisingly, pride.

Oakly's a weeping mess, but her face is set in a fierce mask that screams if she could, she'd eliminate every last Mastery member she could get her hands on. And her men are no different. Although they're not openly crying like she is, their red-rimmed eyes promise they'll be by her side, my side, when the time comes.

I didn't realize at first what it was I was most fearful of seeing reflected back at me, but as they continue to stare with vastly different emotions, it dawns on me, I was petrified of their pity. Subconsciously, I was preparing for them to look at me like a fragile, broken woman that'll need to be mended back together.

None of them have an ounce of that in their eyes, though.

Suddenly, my body becomes encased in shadows as I'm yanked off the ground and suspended in the air between my guys. The rapid movement makes my head spin, but I quickly shake that away when I get a glimpse at the true condition my men are in.

I don't have a moment to speak when vines are wrapped around my waist, and I'm tugged against Tillman's chest. Protectively wrapping me up against his body, his wild emerald eyes collide with mine a second before his mouth is on me, devouring any sound trying to slip from my throat. I try to throw my arms around him, cling to him, but between the shadows and his vines, I'm locked in place.

The moment is over, and I'm spun around faster than I was prepared for, but no matter because Corentin grips my chin in a possessive grip before I can even catch my breath and he tilts my head back, kissing me just as passionately while simultaneously pushing air into my lungs so we don't have to break apart and breathe. The wild beat of his heart pounds in tandem to mine and I wish I could lay my hand to his chest to calm its erratic beat. All I can do is give myself over to him.

With an impatient growl, I'm torn from Corentin's arms and Draken's fire consumes me. Blue flames lick across my body as the entirety of his eyes bleeds cobalt. A deep, demanding purr falls from his chest, calling my dragon to the surface, and she responds instantly with a submissive sound that has him swallowing the noise down in a second. I'm not sure how long he kisses me, long enough I know the man is back in charge but no less possessive.

My body becomes weightless as I'm moved through the air once again, but this time, when I crash with Caspian, my legs wrap around his waist as he catches me easily. His shadow-veiled eyes search my face for something, and once he sees it, the cool press of his mouth to mine is electrifying, awakening every one of my senses as I fall into his rare, hypnotizing embrace.

We both struggle to catch our breaths as we pull apart and my body ignites when all my men crowd around us. A small moment of mortification leaks through me when I seem to remember we have an audience, but it's squashed out when I notice the wall of shadows concealing us from their view.

"Look at me, Primary."

My head snaps back to Caspian's at the command in his tone, and my pupils dilate as I stare at the multiple promises shimmering across his whiskey eyes. One screams that one day soon, I'll finally see all there is to see in my dark and damaged protector. Every bit of him. The other promise…

"I've seen all they've done to you. I've felt it, relived it through you. So I'm warning you now. Franklin, I'll allow you to decide his fate as you please, but the other…He will relive it. He will endure it all. There will be no stopping me, us, as we deliver his punishment however we see fit, Primary."